Rain pounded on the taxi windows, obscuring view to only about a foot around the car. Despite the distinct lack of ability to see where we were going, the driver hadn't slowed down at all, apparently navigating by some superhuman sense. Thunder clapped loudly overhead and despite both of our best attempts to pretend that we were at ease, we both jumped, knocking the bags on our laps to the floor. We had been assured that though the storm looked terrible, that such intense lightning and wind was normal and to be expected, but it was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that even though it sounded like the world was being thoroughly destroyed, it was normal. Tammy had been confidently smug at first, finding my fright about the lightning and thunder adorably west-coaster, but the storm had quickly ramped up to a point that even she was uncomfortable with.

"Are we getting close?" Tammy asked, yelling to be heard over the torrent of rain and small pieces of hail pummeling the car.

"Oui," the taxi driver replied.

He was relaxed in his seat, glancing back in the rearview mirror at us with no sign of distress. I desperately wished that I could have found some sort of reassurance from his calm demeanor. Instead, I couldn't help but interpret his unworried posture as acceptance that we were all going down together, regardless of what he, or any of us, did.

We had left the hotel at the crack of dawn, much to my annoyance. I have never been a morning person, I was always the student in primary and secondary school who would roll into class during the second hour of the day or if I had managed to make it in on time, I slept through the first hour. It was the one thing that was a severe sticking point between my father and I. He covered for me by calling me in "sick" for the first part of the day, but I always got an earful when he got home. He usually worked an early shift though, so he was gone by the time I had to get up in the morning. Somehow, whether I was just skilled or my teachers were overly kind, but I managed to pass my first hour classes so really it ended up being no harm no foul.

We were on our way to the small town we had identified as our likely spot of discovery. Tammy had spent all of the evening prior securing us some kind of lodging. The man we had so impolitely accosted at the airport had been able to give Tammy some good pointers on the general manners and polite phrases to use when asking for a place to stay, that combined with a guidebook on french phrases she had packed for the trip, the task hadn't been too difficult. As much as I wanted to get into fieldwork and actually pursue our lead, I also felt a little irritated by the fact we were leaving the hotel so soon. I knew that once we checked out, our accommodations and luxuries were out the window and we were at the mercy of what we could find along the way.

"See here," the man said, gesturing out the top right of the windshield, "there is the tower of the church for the town."

Both of us squinted and leaned forward to try to see what he was pointing to, but neither of us could make out anything beyond the rain pelting the glass.

"Is a nice town, quiet," he commented.

"Have you heard of anything exciting happening there?" Tammy yelled.

"No no," he replied with a wave of his hand, "quiet."

While that didn't necessarily mean nothing had happened, it did bode ill with our ability to follow up on our hunch.

We pulled up alongside the home of the woman who had agreed to take us in just as the peak of the rain seemed to be tapering off. There was a light on in the front window and the front door to the home opened before the taxi had completely stopped.

"Come, come," she yelled from the doorway as we scrambled to gather our luggage and exit the back seat.

I was lucky enough to be sitting on the side facing the door, Tammy had to pause to pay the driver, then run in after me.

The woman looked to be somewhere in her mid forties with deep honey colored skin and dark locks separated into many braids. She greeted us with a big smile and fussed over getting us out of the rain. Despite her efforts, the both of us were soaked from head to toe.

"Oh no…" she said with a tsk. "Do you not have umbrellas?"

"No," Tammy admitted with a short laugh, "I don't think either of us did enough research before flying in."

The woman helped us stow our dripping luggage in the entryway, then disappeared for a moment and returned with two large towels.

"Sit," she instructed and pointed to her couch.

Our host scurried into the kitchen leaving us to dry off the best we could. She returned with three cups of coffee and the possible add ins on a tray. I internally grimaced at the smell, but took a mug with a grateful smile, now was not the time to be picky.

"Thank you for opening you home to us," Tammy said while preparing her coffee with a splash of milk. "I'm the woman you spoke to on the phone, Tammy.'

"Oh nice to meet you in person, I am Lisbet." She sat across from us, then looked to me expectantly.

"My name is Elsie," I said. I realized that I was awkwardly holding my cup and not drinking it, so began to prepare it so that I might be able to force it down. Half the sugar and milk containers were gone when I was done, but a sip revealed that I might be successful in drinking it.

"I know I explained on the phone that we're here to do some work on identifying creatures in the surrounding rainforest, so I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions." Tammy was getting straight to the point, as soon as she had identified a lead, she had been insistent that we waste no time tracking it down.

"Of course," our host said with a smile, "ask me anything."

"Have you heard any rumors or gossip about any strange creatures coming out of the forest or anything that hadn't been seen before?"

Lisbet sipped her coffee, then set it on the coffee table between us. "There is always idle chatter about interesting things people see in the forest, but usually it is just fantasy or passed around as a warning to keep people from wandering in alone.'

"I see," Tammy replied with a nod of her head. "Perhaps have you heard anything new popping up lately? Maybe something humanoid?"

"Humanoid?" she asked. "I have not heard of anything like that. There are many local legends and stories, but most are definitely just animals."

I almost piped up that humans are also animals, but restrained my penchant for correcting incorrect biology statements.

Not able to get any useful information from our host, Tammy steered the conversation to small talk until everyone had finished their drinks. Then, we retrieved our luggage and were shown to a small back room where we could stay. There was a small bed and couch, I hoped that we would take turns and one of us wouldn't be stuck always sleeping on the couch. As soon as the door closed and we heard Lisbet walk away, Tammy turned to me.

"I don't know if we're in the right place now,' she said with a frown." Usually rumors about cryptids spread like wildfire through small towns."

"This is the most likely area though, at least I think so,' I argued.

"Seems like if it had been found here that at least the locals would know about it." She wrinkled her forehead in though and clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Unless it was kept hush-hush," she pondered. "Maybe the people who found it were quickly coerced into not saying anything. Money can buy silence."

"That sounds a bit far into the side of conspiracy theories," I warned. "Don't get me wrong, I love a juicy conspiracy, but we don't really have any proof that anything like that happened."

"We have how that man reacted to me on the phone," she countered. "He certainly seemed motivated to keep me from getting any information from him. i suppose he could just be a jerk, but what if he is being pressured to stay quiet?"

I couldn't deny that his reaction had been suspicious, especially considering how polite Tammy had been.

"I think the only way we are going to know for sure is making a trip out to that construction site and going from there." She looked to the window and let out a long sigh. "I guess we're stuck inside until the rain stops though, might be a great time to get some work done."

"Or sleep," I suggested.

Tammy shook her head and took her laptop from her bag. "You have a lot to learn about science, it never sleeps. I'm afraid this trip is going to be a lot less restful, but much more eye opening for you."