“The meanest dog you'll ever meet, he ain't the hound dog in the street.

He bares some teeth and tears some skin, but brother, that's the worst of him.

The dog you really gotta dread is the one that howls inside your head.

It's him who’s howling drives men mad, and a mind to its undoing.”

~ Hadestown

Rain pounded on the dingy, lightly dusted window of a small detective's office and while Detective Brynn Frost waited for the storm to pass, she decided to review a case file that had been thrust at her by one of the lieutenants.

The exact words of the said lieutenant, who went by the name Jackson Harding, had been - 'You like weird cases, Frost. This one should pique your interest.' Harding hadn’t been wrong, but there was something about this case that just didn't sit right with Brynn. Something felt off. The file folder and her own mind were quite contradictory. The little voice in her head was practically shrieking 'Something doesn't feel right, Brynn. Stop reading, go back and forget about this case!'

But of course, Brynn wasn't one to ever give up. She had always been the follow-your-gut type. At that moment, her gut was telling her to go to Pennsylvania and solve this mystery already. The folder that Lieutenant Harding had so brashly shoved at her talked of a string of murders had taken place in Shadowhelm - some Pennsylvanian town that she'd never heard of in the thirty years of living in the good ole U.S.A. Reportedly, people from several cities in several states - including Brynn's own hometown and current stomping grounds of Austin, Texas - had either gone missing or had been found dead after finding their way to Shadowhelm. Those found dead had varying degrees of wounds, ranging from lacerations to a missing appendage or limb.

Brynn sighed and called up her partner, Austin PD's medical examiner, to explain the situation before-hand, as she scurried through the three flights of stairs to his lab. When she got there, his face lit up in his customary goofy smile, as if he'd just won the lottery or an all-inclusive cruise. As she rounded the corner, she heard him exclaim, "Is it Christmas? This is the best damn gift I've ever gotten!"

'Glad he's happy,' Brynn thought as she chuckled. "No, Rex, it isn't Christmas. I'm guessing you saw the file, and that's why you're happy?"

Rex Snow, the medical examiner for the Austin Police Department and Brynn's partner-in-crime (or rather, solving crimes) was a blond-haired, blue-eyed dreamboat of a man. But what was Brynn thinking? He was way out of her league, even by Texan standards, or Southern standards in general. She knew that they'd always just be friends, as Rex was only attracted to men - not that it mattered to Brynn, though.

Rex’s voice caused Brynn to snap out of her reverie, "Hey, Brynn, are ya okay? You spaced out for a sec there." He looked concerned, his brows mashed together. He genuinely had a heart of gold, Brynn thought to herself before replying.

"I'm fine, but thank you for your concern," she smiled and took a look at the copy of the file that Harding had no doubt faxed to Rex. 'Damn that guy,' she cursed. Did he think she was incapable of filling in her own partner? Whatever the case, it wasn't worth her time worrying about it.

Rex smiled again. "You're welcome," he said before turning to the desktop computer. "Look at this, Brynn," he said, "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He motioned to the image of a blood spatter that was on the computer screen. "It's like a Rorschach test, but darker."

Brynn rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're so dorky, Rex," she said while chuckling. "But you've got that classic Southern charm, so you get bonus points.”

Rex just laughed. "Glad to know ya think that, Brynn. Means a lot, y'know?" He flashed a grin that showed teeth white as fresh-fallen snow. Dang, was it infectious, because Brynn herself found her smiling along with him. "Anyway, we should get back to the, uh, the case," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm gettin' this really weird feeling that ya wanna check it out in person."

A smirk played on Brynn's lips. "You know me well, Dr. Tyrannosaurus," she teased. "Of course I wanna go check it out; how else am I gonna know what's going on in this Shadowhelm place?

Rex shivered a bit, but not from the cold. "Not gonna lie, Brynn, that sounds spooky as hell. But you'll obviously need me to examine the bodies."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're the best at it," she replied, nodding. "It's getting late; I should probably head home, and so should you. Our best bet is to leave in the morning. If we split driving fifty-fifty, it should work out to about eleven hours each, minus any stops we have to make."

Rex nodded. "I'll get us some coffee in the mornin' on my way in and then meet you back here." With that, they parted ways, intent on continuing in the morning.