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“Rumor has it that they are in cahoots with one of the local crematories in town,” Ethan said.
“So, realistically, there is no chance of the shifters ever being found.”
“Nope,” Ethan said.
“A person would think that the hunters wouldn’t want to kill out of towners. That brings attention to the town,” Dillon said.
“I don’t think that the hunters care. They just hate shifters so much that anyone is a target. Out-of-towners are the only shifters that they are going to be able to catch, anyway. Everyone local is staying in their human form unless they go out of town to shift,” Ethan said. “However, there are always going to be tourists who come to Ivy Springs, go up on the mountain, and decide that it is a good place to shift and run.”
“I wish that there was some way to post signs or get the word out that Ivy Springs is a very dangerous place for shifters,” Dillon said.
“I know. But that actually sounds like the makings for a good horror movie about a town that is so evil that people put out signs that warn others to stay away or else.”
“It’s such a shame, too, because the majority of the people in Ivy Springs seem to be the ‘live and let live’ kind of people. They really wouldn’t care if there were shifters known to be living amongst them. They would just mind their own business and expect other people to do the same. It’s only the Faisons who have a problem with shifters.”
“I doubt if they even care about the legend anymore. They just hate just to hate. They were raised to hate,” Ethan said.
“I’ve thought the same thing several times,” Dillon replied.
“I’m beat. I’m hitting the hay,” Ethan said.
Dillon yawned and said, “I guess I had better get some sleep, too. I had a little tornado drain all of my energy out.”
The store was busy the next day. It seemed as though people were in and out from the first moment that they opened. Dillon grinned when he saw that one of the customers was a little boy and his puppy.
“I helped Mom clean the tables off, so she gave me some money. She said I could come over here and get a piece of candy and a treat for Reno,” he said.
Zeke picked out a bag of M&Ms for himself and a small box of dog biscuits for Reno. He proudly paid with the money that he earned from helping his mother and went back to the café.
“If I die, I want to come back reincarnated as that little boy’s dog,” Ethan commented.
“Reno is a little spoiled.” Dillon laughed.
“Spoiled? Reno makes spoiled look like deprived,” Ethan exclaimed.
“It just goes to show you what a good heart that he has.”
“He is a fine young man,” Ethan agreed.
That evening, Dillon decided that he was going to go up to the resort to see what kind of information he could get about the missing hikers. Brent might have heard one of the hunters bragging, or someone might say something offhand.
There weren’t too many people in the bar that night. Dillon sat down on the far barstool, hopefully out of hearing of the other patrons.
“What’s going on, Brent?” Dillon asked as the bartender put a beer down in front of him.
“There is no word on the missing hikers. If they were caught by one of the Faison hunters, no one is saying a word.”
“Do you think that they suspect that there is a leak in the operation? Are you in danger?” Dillon asked.
“I don’t think so. If I get the slightest hint that they think that I’m anything but the gregarious bartender, I’ll head for the hills,” Brent said.
“Good,” Dillon said.
A customer called for Brent’s attention and he went over to wait on her. Then, he returned to Dillon.
“I did hear something about the mercenary,” Brent said. “Apparently, he disappeared on his own accord. He had come to Ivy Springs because the Faisons offered a huge bounty for shifters. He thought that he could get rich quickly. However, since all the shifters in the area are laying low, there weren’t any to hunt. He was already starting to make noise about leaving. Then, he heard that the state police were looking for him because of some murders he supposedly committed in Pueblo. He cleaned out his room and took off in the middle of the night.”
“That was why his room looked like it had been ransacked,” Dillon said.
