The sun had set, casting long, eerie shadows across the desolate Texas landscape. Alexis 'Lexi' Brown squinted at her cellphone, the GPS signal flickering as she neared her destination. She was only a few minutes away, yet the isolation was palpable. After her mother's lottery win six months ago, Lexi had embraced life as a travel blogger, but this trip felt different. This was Dallas, or rather, fifteen miles outside of it, in the middle of nowhere.

A long iron gate appeared on her right, stretching endlessly into the deepening twilight. She was approximately a mile from Brock's place, the old school friend who had insisted she visit his new, eighty-six-acre estate. The road turned from paved to gravel, just as he'd warned. As the dark, rickety mansion finally loomed into view, Lexi slammed on her brakes, her mouth dropping open. It looked like something out of a horror movie, warped wood siding and all.

"Shit!" she yelled, dropping her phone. "I'm going to kill Brock. It looks like Mike Myers lives here!"

She grabbed her purse, hopped out of her SUV, and stomped to the back to retrieve her suitcase and laptop. As she walked up the mansion steps, a long, mournful howl echoed in the distance.

Lexi's eyes widened. "Fuck, was that a coyote?"

The howl came again, louder this time. "Shit," she shrieked, tightening her grip on her suitcase and high-tailing it up the rest of the stairs. Reaching the double doors, she frantically pressed the doorbell and knocked, a cold gust of wind rattling the shutters. "This is bullshit," she mumbled, pulling her hat tight and glancing over her shoulder. The door opened. It was Brock, his stocky frame and buzz cut unchanged.

"Lexi!" he greeted, arms outstretched.

"Lexi, hell! Let me in here before a werewolf takes a chuck of my ass," she said loudly, pushing past him into the foyer.

Brock's laughter boomed as he closed the door, Lexi glaring at him, her heart still pounding.