The evening was thick with fog as the bitter wind wrapped around the gnarled branches of Hollow Creek Forest. Trees groaned like bones, and the moon struggled behind sluggish clouds. In the darkness somewhere, a howl sounded—long, piercing, and unnatural.
"Aroooooooooo.!"
It wasn't an ordinary howl. It was lower. Hungrier. Like something that shouldn't be.
Two teenagers with shaky flashlights crept down the broken forest trail. One grasped a camera, its red light flashing.
"I'm telling you, this is a terrible idea," the first spoke softly.
"If we get video of the Ghost Dog, we'll go viral," said the second. "This is actual horror footage."
The howl sounded again—closer. Something enormous moved through the trees. The flashlight strobed. The camera fell.
Static.
---
The next day, the Mystery Hauler van crept along the gravel road to Hollow Creek. Painted bright blue with neon green pawprint designs and a personal snack storage, the van was impossible to miss.
Max Carter navigated inside, maintaining a calm intensity behind the wheel, eyes locked on the road. "Right, team," he announced, "case. Two vloggers went missing last night along the forest. Locals are blaming the Ghost Dog of Hollow Creek."
Ellie Brooks tapped on her tablet. "I've been reading the online threads. Sightings go back a few months—always the same. Howls, glowing green eyes, missing animals. No solid proof though. But the town is scared."
Jay Thompson groaned from the backseat. "Why is it always haunted forests? Why not a case at a donut shop for once?"
"Because you'd eat the mystery," Luna Reyes said, brushing her hair.
A rustling sounded from the pile of snacks. Scruffo-Doo, their great, floppy-eared dog, stuck his head out, cheese puffs attached to his nose.
"Ruh-roh. rhost ruff again?" he whined.
Max smiled. "Let's see."
---
The town of Hollow Creek seemed to be something put into suspended animation. Worn buildings, leaning signs, and individuals who stepped along with swift looks and soft tones.
As the gang stepped out of the van, a short man in a tidy suit approached them. "You must be the Case Crackers," he said, forcing a smile. "I'm Mayor Clarence Watson. The. situation has made things quite difficult for our town."
"You mean the glowing-eyed ghost dog?" Max asked.
The mayor swatted at sweat on his forehead. "That. local myth has run amok. Children are vanishing. Tourists are afraid. It's ruining business. Seriously, I wish you weren't sniffing around."
"We always sniff," Jay grumbled, already casting a hungry glance at a bakery across the street.
"We'll be cautious," Ellie said.
The mayor nodded tightly and stalked off.
"He's hiding something," Luna whispered. "He's agitated—more than he should be."
When the gang dispersed to get clues, Luna went to the local library. She discovered an article from thirty years back: "Military Dog Handler Vanishes During Top-Secret Forest Project." The guy's name: Ranger Robert Hallow. His dog had glowing green tracking eyes.
Max and Ellie trekked along the forest path where the vloggers had vanished. There were indications of tampering: snapped twigs, an abandoned metal door half-buried in the moss, and peculiar claw marks—too neat, too synthetic.
Near the woods, Scruffo and Jay encountered an unexpected person.
A young girl wearing a camera necklace waved at them. "Hey! You're the Case Crackers, right? I'm Ivy Mallard, creator of The Haunting Hour. I blog about ghosts and creepy stuff. Been researching this legend for weeks."
"Ruh-ruh… reporter?" Scruffo munched on a trail bar.
"More like mystery influencer," Ivy winked. "I've got insider information. Wanna follow me where the Ghost Dog was seen last night?"
Jay blinked. "Uh. sure?
She led them deeper into the woods—then turned back suddenly. "Oops. Wrong trail. Guess I got mixed up."
Scruffo narrowed his eyes. "Ruh-huh."
---
Later that day, the gang regrouped at the Hollow Creek General Store. The owner, a grumpy older man named Gary Finn, glared at them from behind the counter.
"You kids looking for trouble?" he grunted.
"We're just looking for answers," Max replied calmly.
You'll just find ghosts and misery in those woods."
Luna cocked her head. "Then why do you live next door to them?"
Gary's eyes grew blacker. "Because someone has to keep people from digging up what's buried there."
He marched into the back room, grumbling to himself.
"Yup," said Jay. "That guy clearly buries people in his yard.
That evening, the team camped just beyond the wood. As the moon began to rise, a howl pierced the night.
Glowing green eyes emerged from among the trees.
"Ruh-roooooo!" Scruffo shouted, ducking behind Jay.
A huge form—doglike, unnatural—came charging towards them.
Max picked up his flashlight. "Trap it! Now!"
Ellie tossed down a net with weights attached. Luna rolled an oil can down the path. Jay stumbled over his own feet—and into Scruffo, who wildly flailed and inadvertently flung a sandwich into the monster's face.
The creature fell, slid, and crashed into the net.
It growled and thrashed.
Ellie removed the metal mask.
"Ranger Hallow." she breathed.
The man below glared up at them, leaves and dust stuck to his tattered uniform. His eyes blazed—not with light, but fury.
"You ruined everything," he snarled.
Max folded his arms. "Why pretend a ghost dog?"
I trained dogs for military surveillance," Hallow grumbled. "I was on a project hidden here—technology nobody was ever meant to discover. I remained behind, constructed this suit, utilized holograms and sound machines to frighten people off while I breached the vault."
Jay scowled. "You could've just. filed a claim or something?"
Hallow spat. "I would've gotten away with it. if it weren't for you interfering whippersnappers. And that mangy dog.
"Ruh-mangy?" Scruffo exclaimed, paw to his chest. "Rude."
---
The authorities showed up soon afterward and took Ranger Hallow into custody. The lost vloggers were discovered nearby, traumatized but safe.
In the Mystery Hauler once more, the gang relaxed with music, win snacks, and a new mountain of cheese treats for Scruffo-Doo.
"One mystery down," Max said.
"And a legend debunked," Ellie said.
"I still believe Gary hides things," Jay grumbled.
Scruffo brandished a sandwich twice his head size. "R'case racked! R'm ready ror more!"
As the van drove off from Hollow Creek, a wind swept through the deserted forest.
The howling was over.
But mysteries never stayed still for long.