Alfred Kowalski, “The Lone Wolf” (before 1915)

“I just can’t get the song out of my head, doc.” The man complained.

I sighed. This was my 7th case today about auditory hallucinations. At least, that was my initial diagnosis. Now, it seems like it might be something else entirely.

You see, every patient had the same song stuck in their head.

Some twangy country song about leading the pack in a world of sheep. No idea who wrote it, some people said they heard it coming from the woods, but could never find a source. Since then, I’ve had people coming in, claiming they can still hear the song playing inside their brain.

“It’s not like listening to music,” they explained. “It sounds like it’s coming from inside my head. Make sense?”

“Not really.” I admitted. “But that’s okay, we’ll figure it out soon. I’ll order some tests, get to the bottom of it, alright?”

The man nodded, and my next patient came in, with the same complaint. But this time, she said something that stood out from the others.

“It gets quieter the further I get away from people,” she explained. “If I go for a hike or kayak, it goes silent. It’s like I can smell things I’ve never smelled before. I feel…peaceful”

I frowned. It was interesting, but it didn’t help me figure out what was going on. Before I sent her home, I noticed her nails had gotten quite long. When I asked her, she just smiled, showing me her teeth.

Jagged, like a dog. I almost kept her to run more tests on, maybe have committed, but she mentioned she had a long drive to her families that night. Against my better judgment, I let her go, with the promise she’d come back at the first odd sign.

She didn’t come back. In fact, none of those patients did.

A total of 74 people vanished within the week. All had the same song playing in their head, and they would tell their loved ones about how it made it quieter to be outside. They isolated themselves from their family and friends, spending all their free time alone on hikes or sitting under trees. Interviews following the disappearances claimed the victims had been agitated, often snapping vocally or growling angrily when pressured. Finally, they would get up and leave, wandering into the woods alone without a word.

And that was it. No clues were found, and the case went cold.

If you find yourself in our little town, bring an AUX cord, or a CD. Don’t turn the radio on, just in case.

Ignore the wolves if you’re out in the forest. They aren’t afraid of people, they’ll trot right up to you to sniff you.

They’ll look at you funny, too. Some say when they look into the wolves eyes, it feels like looking at another person.

But, of course, that would be crazy.