By late afternoon, clouds rolled in and the first drops of rain fell like tiny needles. The whine came again, sharper and more urgent. Emma called the local non-emergency number, then her neighbor Jack, and finally a carpenter named Leo, known for venturing into places most avoided. He carried a crowbar and a flashlight, muttering about old barns revealing their secrets. Today, it wasn’t curiosity, it was necessity.

They moved around the barn, checking every crack and broken panel. On one wall, claw marks climbed toward a window, stopping abruptly. Had something tried to escape, or had someone tried to enter? The padlock on the door shone unnaturally bright against the rotting wood. Who would lock a place everyone feared?

Leo slid the crowbar under the padlock. A shadow flitted across the rafters. Emma flinched, thinking of hawks circling for small prey, and pressed her dog closer. Rain lashed down, as if the sky itself wanted to hide what was inside. With a grunt, Leo forced the lock free.