I want to tell you about this crazy thing that happened to me
when I was a kid. I'm in my 30s now, but this one
experience from my childhood still freaks me out whenever I
think about it. Back when I was 14, my class
went on a trip to a Navajo reservation.
It was supposed to be a sort of cultural learning experience to
teach us about Navajo history and traditions.
To be honest, I was just excited to get out of the classroom for
a bit. We all piled into this big old
bus and started the long drive to the reservation.
It was me three of my best friends the rest of our class
and a few adults which included the school counselor and a
couple of parents who volunteered to chaperone.
The drive felt like it took forever, but we kept ourselves
entertained. Hey, do you think we'll see any
wild animals out there? My friend James asked I hope so
Jessica chimed in I want to see a coyote or something.
So long as there's no snakes Ryan grumbled.
I hate snakes. We laughed and joked around
speculating about what the reservation might be like, none
of us had ever been to one before we were city kids.
When we finally arrived I remember being struck by how
vast and empty everything seemed.
The reservation was huge with all these wide open spaces and
rugged landscapes. It was so different from the
city. We were used to.
Whoa, look at those mountains out there James pointed out the
window. Those aren't mountains their
mesas Jessica corrected him. She was the smarter one and new
items as we stepped off the bus. I felt a sudden sense of
isolation. We really were out in the middle
of nowhere far away from anything familiar.
But I was with my friends so I didn't feel too nervous. the
school counselor Miss Nate gather us all together All
right, everyone. Listen up.
We're going to be learning a lot about Navajo culture this
afternoon. I want you all to be respectful
and pay attention to our hosts. We all nodded but I could tell
we were itching to explore. The first thing on our agenda
was a meeting with some of the Navajo Elders.
They greeted us warmly leading us to this big open space where
we all sat in a circle. The elders began to share
stories about Navajo history and traditions.
At first I was kind of bored. I mean I was 14 and listening to
people way older than me talk about history and that wasn't
exactly my idea of fun. But then one of the elders
started to talk about Navajo folklore and legends.
I perked up a bit. I wasn't the only one either
because James always the Curious one raise his hand.
Do you have any scary stories like about monsters or ghosts?
A couple of the elders exchanged glances there was an
uncomfortable silence for a moment.
Finally one of them spoke up. There are many stories in Navajo
culture. But some are not meant to be
shared without ciders. It's best we focus on the
stories that teach us important lessons about our way of life.
That just piqued our interest even more the idea that there
were certain stories that Outsiders like us weren't even
allowed to hear. Sadly the subject was changed
quickly. They told us more about Navajo
art and music and even taught us a few words in their language as
the day went on we explored more of the reservation.
We saw some traditional Navajo homes called Hogan's and even
got to try some authentic Navajo food.
It was really cool. After a few hours, it was
finally time to head back to the bus.
I sat with my friends as usual. We began to talk about all the
things we'd seen and learned as everyone else climbed aboard and
the adults were checking things before leaving.
Settling into our seats James turned to us with a frustrated
look on his face. Can you believe those Elders
wouldn't tell us the scary stories he complained.
I mean, what's the point of learning about Navajo culture if
we don't get to hear about the cool stuff?
Jessica rolled her eyes. Maybe they just didn't want to
scare us. We're just kids.
Come on, James scoffed we can handle it.
Did you see the way they reacted when I asked about monsters and
ghosts. They're definitely hiding
something. What do you think?
They're hiding James? I asked he leaned closer
lowering his voice. I've heard stories about these
things called skinwalkers. They're like evil shapeshifters
or something. I bet the elders know all about
them, but they just don't want to talk about it.
Skinwalkers Ryan repeated his eyes wide just the name.
Sounds creepy. Yep, and apparently they can
turn into animals and stuff and they're supposed to be really
dangerous James said clearly enjoying the effect.
His words were having on us especially Ryan.
Jessica shook her head James. That's just a bunch of
superstition. There's no such thing as
skinwalkers Legends like that just serve as cautionary tales.
You don't know that James argued the novel ho have all sorts of
Legends and stuff just because the elders didn't want to talk
about. It doesn't mean it's not real.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
I didn't know what to believe but the idea of skinwalkers was
definitely interesting and unsettling.
Maybe we shouldn't talk about it Ryan suggested.
The elders probably had a good reason for not wanting to share
those stories. Don't be such a baby James
taste. It's just a story.
What's the worst that could happen?
As if On Cue the bus suddenly lurched to a stop the engine
sputtered and died and we all looked around and confusion.
What's going on? Ryan asked peering out the
window? Miss Nate stood up at the front
of the bus. Well, it looks like we're having
some mechanical issues. She said trying to sound calm.
Everyone just sit tight while we figure this out.
She and the other chaperone got off the bus to take a look at
the engine. We all waited anxiously
wondering what was going to happen.
After a while miss Nate came back onto the bus with a worried
look on her face. I'm afraid the bus isn't going
to start. She said we're going to have to
call your parents to come pick you up will also get a hold of
someone to come fix the bus a murmur of concern went through
the bus. We were stranded in the middle
of nowhere. Miss Nate and the other
chaperone started making phone calls trying to reach out to
parents to come pick us up. However, some of them were
unreachable or unable to come until morning.
My group of friends and I happened to meet that criteria
too. My parents didn't even pick up
while Ryan James and Jessica's parents were apparently busy
until tomorrow. I knew for a fact James's
parents were out of town, but I wasn't sure about Jessica and
Ryan's. I remember feeling a growing
sense of dread as the reality of our situation saying in.
Where we going to have to spend the night out here on the
reservation? I could ask the other kids
parents for a ride, but I didn't really know them.
It was after this that things started to get really weird.
James's words about skinwalkers kept echoing in my head as we
sat there on the bus waiting for someone to come fix it.
I tried to push the thoughts away.
But the more I tried the more they seemed to take hold.
Over the next few hours, the other kids parents began to show
up and a couple of hours after that as we were all waiting
outside with bottles of water. The last of the parents came to
pick up the last of the children.
That would go home that night. For us stragglers miss Nate came
up to us and said I've got some good news.
Your parents will be here in the morning including you.
She pointed at me. I finally managed to get a hold
of him. However, we're not going
anywhere tonight. Until tomorrow will be staying
in the bus. One of the other straggler kids
spoke up. Can't we stay in one of the
buildings on the reservation? Miss Nate's side know
unfortunately, there's limited indoor space available.
Then James spoke up. There's no room to sleep on that
bus. Can we camp outside instead?
Enjoy the scenery in the Stars? Jessica chimed in with him.
Yeah, that sounds like fun. Miss Nate stood there for a
moment thinking about it. Well, we did pack blankets on
the bus just in case tell you what if you all want to camp out
here next to the bus you can do that, but I'm going to be out
here with you and anyone who wants to sleep in the bus can do
so. A mixture of excitement and fear
rippled through me camping outside on this reservation
after everything James said about skinwalkers.
Jessica nudged me this is going to be awesome like a real
Adventure. James agreed Ryan seemed to be
the only one with reservations about staying on the reservation
despite my feelings about the situation.
I eventually found myself getting caught up in the
enthusiasm. I mean it did sound cool camping
out under the stars. Miss Nate continued everyone
needs to stay together and follow instructions whether
you're on the bus or just outside.
I'm going to ask the elders if they have anything that might
help out. We began to go back into the bus
grabbing the aforementioned blankets and anything else that
would help out with our camp. Miss.
Nate came back with one of the elders.
Apparently they did have some tents we could borrow and some
spare pillows heck they even brought us out some snacks.
The Elder and Miss Nate helped to set up a small fire after
that the Elder betus good night and left.
Miss Nate and my friends and I gather around the fire.
We could feel the night getting colder on our backs as the
others talked about school gossip and even homework.
I felt more and more on easy. It started with small things
like the way the Shadows seem to Flicker and dance at the edge of
the firelight or the way the wind whistled through the trees
nearby sounding almost like Whispers.
I glanced at my friends wondering if they felled too,
but they seemed to oblivious caught up in conversation.
As the fire began to die down a bit Miss Nate stood up and
stretched. All right kids bedtime.
We've got a long day tomorrow. We all grumbled a bit, but we
began to pile into our tents anyway doors and window flaps
kept open so we could see and talk to each other.
Even as I lay down sleep just wouldn't come.
Every time I closed my eyes the creepy thoughts of monsters from
Navajo folklore came to mind, especially the skinwalker.
At some point in the night. I heard a twig snap somewhere in
the dark beyond our campsite. I sat up my heart pounding.
Did you hear that I whispered to Jessica who I was sharing my
tent with. She mumbled something incoherent
and rolled over already asleep apparently.
I strained my ears listening for any other sounds.
At the moment. All I could hear was the wind
and the occasional pop from the low dying fire.
I was about to lie back down, but then I caught sight of
something a pair of glowing eyes staring out at me from the
Shadows. I froze my breath catching in my
throat. the eyes blinked once twice then disappeared I rubbed
my eyes wondering if I had imagined it, but then I heard
another twig snap. It was closer this time.
I nudged Jessica feeling much more urgent than before.
Jessica wake up. There's someone out there.
She sat up blinking sleepily. What are you talking about?
I pointed to the Shadows where I had seen the eyes.
I saw something eyes glowing in the dark.
She frowned peering out into the night.
I don't see anything probably just a nocturnal animal or
something. I suddenly heard someone sit up
in the other tent apparently James was awake.
Did you say I's like glowing animal eyes I nodded my heart
still pounding James scrambled to his feet grabbing a flash
light and crawling out of his tent.
I'm going to go check it out. James know Jessica hissed Miss
Nate said we have to stay by the bus together.
But James was already heading towards the edge of the campsite
the beam of his flashlight cutting through the dark.
I glanced at Jessica then to the other 10 seeing Ryan now awake
looking just as scared as I felt.
We couldn't just let James go off on his own.
So we went after him footsteps crunching on the dry ground.
James wait up. I called trying to keep my voice
low. But James wouldn't slow down.
He kept going his flashlight sweeping back and forth across
the landscape. Then we heard something a low
growl the kind of sound that instantly sends shivers down
your spine all of us froze including James whose flashlight
beam now pointed towards the sound.
There in the light we saw a creature that could only come
from a nightmare. It was huge easily the size of a
wolf, but it looked very very wrong.
It's fur was patchy and mangy and its face wasn't that of a
wolf. It had a flat human like snout.
The creature stared at us with glowing yellow eyes lips pulled
back in a snarl. What is that Jessica whispered
her voice trembling? Skinwalker James breathed his
face pale The creature looked extremely mad even more so than
before it's claws digging into the Earth as it took a step
towards us. We stumbled back James's flash
light shaking in his hands. Then from behind us we heard
Miss Nate's voice. Kids, what are you doing over
there? We spun around the beam now
landing on Miss Nate's face. Then all four of us turned back
around where the creature had been it was no longer there.
Miss Nate hurried over to us her face etched with worry.
What's going on? Why aren't you in your tents
sleeping? We all started to talk at once
voices high and panicked. We told her about the eyes we
saw in the dark about that monster.
We'd seen. Miss Nate's face grew even more
concerned she hustled us back to the campsite where some of the
other kids were now looking out from the windows of the bus Miss
Nate alone searched the area around the campsite.
We were terrified watching her out there.
Wondering if that thing was going to drag her away.
Thankfully she saw no sign of the creature.
Miss Nate tried to convince us it had probably been a coyote or
another animal, but I knew what we'd seen we all knew.
We grabbed our blankets abandoned our tents and slept
crammed in the bus that night. Miss Nate kept the door shut and
the windows down to circulate some cooler air.
So every snap of a twig every rustle of leaves.
I heard out their scent fresh waves of Terror through me.
That night seemed to go on forever.
I don't think I slept at all when the Sun finally came up.
It felt like a miracle. Our parents showed up at record
time thankfully and I was more than eager to get off this
reservation and get back home. Miss Nate before we left try to
ask us more questions about the night before but we didn't want
to talk about it anymore. We didn't even want to think
about it. As I climbed into my parents car
and slowly pulled away. I caught a glimpse of something
in our rearview mirror alone figure standing at the edge of
the reservation watching us leave.
I blinked and I swear it was gone just like that.
Honestly, I think that trip changed me changed all my
friends. It was like it opened up a door
that shouldn't have been opened one that's impossible to close.
A door that told us that there are monsters out there.
And if that bit of folklore happened to be true, what other
folklore was real? We live in a world filled with
things that defy explanation when it comes to skinwalkers.
It's best left to the elders. Growing up in Arizona myths and
legends are a part of life. Native Traditions Mystic places
vortexes UFO abductions and dozens of other stories of the
unknown that I always found fascinating.
I grew up spending a lot of time wandering around the desert and
the mountains hunting camping Etc.
So I felt very at home in the wilderness.
One late spring day on one of my many hiking Adventures.
I wandered off the trail and after several hours Came Upon a
small group of old mud adobe houses.
A few people heard me coming and came out of the houses to
investigate and after apparently making the collective decision
that I was not a threat one of the elders dressed in old-style
traditional Native clothing and a headdress came over to greet
me. The man spoke slowly and told me
that I had wandered onto a Navajo reservation and asked me
if I was lost or if I needed help.
When I told him no I was lost. But intentionally he chuckled
and invited me in to eat with his family.
The next several hours were one of the great experiences of my
life. The whole thing was like being
thrown back in time. While we ate and talked others
from the surrounding houses began coming over to join us.
And I got the feeling they didn't get many outside
visitors. We shared stories for hours
about life family their history in the area and time spent in
the wild and the longer we talked the more they opened up
and the more interesting the elders stories got Throughout
the time there was one man who never spoke.
He just sat out of the circle listening and watching me.
At one point. I told them I did what I called
my walkabouts every year around september where I would go out
by myself into the Wilderness for three to four weeks at a
time. And this got the attention of
the one silent old man. When I finished he came over to
the circle around the fire sat directly on the ground in front
of me and asked me to join him on the ground.
He told me that years ago. He used to do the same thing and
went on to tell me about the canyon he went to. he described
it as a dangerous but magic place and that I would see the
world differently if I came back if it must be for dramatic
effect. When he finished he invited me
over to his home the house was small and threw an open door in
the back room. I could see it was filled with
very animal pelts coyotes and wolves.
He walked over and closed that door then picked up and handed
me an old map and some written directions.
That seemed like he had been holding on to them for a long
time and just walked away into that back room and closed the
door behind him. It was late.
And one of the families had invited me to stay the night,
which I gladly did. The next morning as I prepared
to leave. One of the old women came over
to me with something in her hands handed me a Talisman and
simply said dip your bullets in the white ash at the hottest
part of the fire. Then just walked away.
September came and as I packed for my Walkabout.
I saw the Talisman in a drawer and something felt right about
taking it with me. After a beautiful drive, I was
very happy to find the forest service road marked on the old
map. The entrance to the area was
remote and overgrown and tough to get to even in my Jeep.
It took me much longer to get to than expected.
So I decided to make camp and start the hike in the morning.
After a few hours on a trail that looked like it had been
forgotten. I came to a stream and the
entrance to the secret Valley. It was a narrow crack in the
tall Cliffs with about four feet of water running gently through
but too narrow for a kayak or canoe.
I hoisted my gear over my head and began to Wade sideways
through the chest deep water the crack in the cliff seemed to go
on forever. But after almost two hours, I
came to the place where it opened up into a small Lake in
an incredible Valley surrounded by tall Rock faces.
This may have been the most remote place I have ever been in
the sense that there was no sign that people had ever been there.
No trash no bullet casing not even the evidence of campfires.
My first night there was the quietest night I have ever spent
in the wild. No birds.
No frogs not even crickets, but I didn't feel like I was alone
there. In the morning after breakfast I
headed out on my first exploratory hike to explore my
new home for the next couple of weeks.
After being stalked by a mountain lion on a hike about 10
years ago. I make a point of now bringing a
pistol with me when I melted his hiking.
After some looking around, I found a narrow path that
appeared to be a game trail that led up the side of one of the
cliffs and towards what looks like caves From the Canyon
floor. I made my way up to them and
Came Upon an entrance that was much larger than it appeared
From Below. I made some noise to alert any
possible animals. I was there and made my way
inside. The cave was an expansive single
chamber that went back a couple of hundred feet as I walked.
I inspected as much as I could see with my light, but there
were no tracks of any kind in the dirt besides mine.
So I decided I was alone in there and pushed on toward the
rear of the cave. As I came around the last Bend
in the cave and approached the end my headlamp panned across a
large pile of bones some animal some human and a very old
looking small candles sitting on a natural stone Shelf.
This is the first thing that is scared me for as long as I can
remember, but focusing on my wits.
I remembered that there were no other tracks in the cave and
figured it was all from a long time ago.
I was still a little uneasy as I exited the cave and was ready to
get back to camp. As I came out into the light
about 75 feet away. There was the largest wolf I
have ever seen that looked like it was coming down from standing
on its hind legs. It dropped down to all fours on
a rock and just began staring at me not growling or baring its
teeth. Just staring.
I pulled my 45 and fired two shots to the side of it to scare
it away, but it didn't even flinch.
Not only have I never seen a wolf in this part of Northern
Arizona, but I have never seen a wild animal that did not at
least Flinch at the sound of a gunshot.
We both stood there staring at each other for a moment.
I turned and set my backpack down to grab my binoculars and
get a little closer look but when I turned back the wolf was
gone. I made my way cautiously down
the path back towards camp. I have encountered wolves before
and usually it's not the one wolf you can see that should
worry you it's the ones you can't see so I was extra
cautious for the return trip. Back at Camp.
I made sure my gun was fully loaded and got my recurve bow
strong just in case the Wolves came back.
I have seen plenty of predatory animals on my Adventures.
It's a part of being in the wilderness.
So I wasn't too worried just prepared myself the best I could
and went over to the lake to go fishing.
Within about 20 minutes. I caught two of the biggest
brown trout I've ever caught so I decided to stop fishing for
the day and take a swim back at Camp.
I made a fire cleaned my trout and made dinner while the sun
went down as soon as the sun went down all of the life in the
canyon seemed to go silent again.
As I put out my fire and prepared for bed.
I noticed there was a small flicker of light coming from the
area where the cave I had explored earlier up the cliff
side, which didn't make sense. It was a moonless night and
stars don't reflect that way. It couldn't have been the candle
I had seen it was too old and would not have burned so bright.
I decided to keep my gun close and try to get some sleep.
I would investigate the cave again the next day.
When I woke at Sunrise, there was a haze along the ground
throughout the whole Canyon floor, but as the sun rose it
disappeared quickly and the area came back to life.
I made my breakfast gathered my gun and bow and headed back up
towards the cave. When I reached the entrance I
saw there were still no tracks besides mine around the entrance
and decided to push up the hill further.
Just a little further up. I Came Upon the entrance to
another cave much smaller than the first one.
There was a small flat Landing with a large heavily twisted
juniper tree that to my absolute surprise had many small objects
hanging from thin old looking ropes tied to the branches there
were bones, but there were all so old things definitely made by
humans and looked like they were old Native American artifacts.
Thinking I might have found the spot where the old man.
I met on the reservation had stayed when he was there decades
ago. I went into the cave.
This cave was much different from the first one.
Just a few feet in I noticed the walls were covered in what
looked like ceremonial cave paintings.
As I pushed further back the cave got dramatically colder
much colder than it should have been and the walls were
completely covered with the paintings the entire way.
When I reached the back of the cave, I was not prepared for
what I saw. There was what looked like an
old altar made of wood and bones.
As I looked around I saw that a little before the back of the
cave. There was another shaft in the
ceiling that went up and on a Ledge about 25 feet up sat the
small figure of what appeared to be a woman.
She was small and pale with her face painted white and wearing
something like a crown made of woven branches with two small
antlers at the front. I stopped and stared for a few
minutes and the figure did not move.
So I assumed that it was mummified remains from a long
time ago. Not wanting to disturb a burial
site. I turned to walk back out of the
cave, but I began to walk I heard what sounded like a faint
voice in an unknown ancient language.
I instinctively looked back up towards the figure, but it was
gone. I was immediately terrified and
ran from the cave as fast as I could get out, but my headlamp
flickered and died. I made my way out feeling along
the wall to find my way and the whole way I felt like there was
something right behind me. When I saw the first light from
the cave entrance, I began to Sprint toward it.
Just before I made it out. I looked back and there was
nothing so I slowed down but I could still hear the faint voice
and the volume never changed. When I got outside all the bones
and artifacts hanging from the tree were gone.
I ran down the path as fast as I could headed back to my campsite
by the lake. Just as I reached the floor of
the canyon. I noticed the large wolf at the
tree line to my left. But this time it states standing
upright on its hind legs. I stopped running hoping not to
initiate its predatory response to chase me and again it just
stood there staring at me. I reached my campsite safely and
immediately began packing up. It was too late in the day to
make it out before dark and I did not want to make the hike
out at night with all that was going on.
I moved my tent so it would back up to the canyon wall by the
crack in the Cliffside, so I didn't have to worry about
anything sneaking up behind me. I built my fire much larger, and
I wasn't going to get any sleep that night.
Just as the sun was going down. I began to hear noises coming
from the trees. And I felt like I was being
hunted. Finally in the last Light of
Day. I saw the wolf slowly walking
around by where the path LED out of the trees and it began to
slowly walk towards me. This time I drew my gun and
fired towards the creature attending to hit it and while I
saw a couple hit the dirt around it several bullets hit it.
Several rounds from a 45 will at least slow down anything I've
ever encountered. But this giant wolf kept walking
towards me like nothing had happened.
I can continue to fire at it until the inevitable click of an
empty magazine. I reached down in fumbled around
in my backpack looking for my other Magazine's to reload and
as I lifted it the Talisman The Old Woman gave me fell out onto
the ground. I picked it up and put it around
my neck and immediately remembered what she had told me.
Dip your bullets in the white ash?
I looked around but didn't see my backup magazines.
So I grabbed my bow pulled an arrow that was tipped with a
hunting Broadhead and dipped it into the white ashes Drew and
fired. I hit the creature just in front
of its right hip and it let out a noise somewhere between a
growl and a person screaming that made my blood curdled.
I can hear that noise in my head to this day.
It immediately turned and ran back to the trees and in the
flicker of the firelight. I saw the small woman with the
antler Crown standing there waiting for it.
They both retreated into the trees and for the rest of the
night. I could hear the same faint
voice. I had heard in the cave.
I spent the night outside of my tent as awake as I had ever been
but no longer afraid and at dawn I finished packing up so I could
get out of that Canyon. The next spring.
I went back to the small group of houses on the Navajo
reservation. I had found the year before.
I was wearing the Talisman as a necklace and the first person to
greet me was the woman who had given it to me and she ran up to
give me a big hug. You heard me was all she said I
asked the group about the man who would give me the map as I
was almost desperate to talk to him about the experience I had
so I could compare it to his own.
They told me that he had disappeared shortly after I had
visited them the first time and had not been back.
Strangely when I tried to tell them what it happened to me.
No one would let me tell the story.
And the oldest man there who sat in the corner kept mumbling the
words. Yeild lushi.
We all once again sat and shared other stories of life in a meal.
Before I left the next morning, I found the old woman who had
given me the Talisman and offered it back to her.
She smiled and told me I had a good heart then just closed my
hands around it telling me to keep it to watch over my next
Walkabout. I went back to that small
village on the reservation several times over the next 10
years or so till I moved to Oregon but they never let me
tell them what happened. I never went back to the canyon
and while curiosity sometimes gets the best of me.
I don't think I ever will. I've been lurking around on the
forums for a while now and I was about to give up until I found
this thread. I've read some similar
experiences to my own. So I figured you all would be
able to bring more clarity to all of this.
This all happened back during this past summer in the state
of, Kentucky. To protect his identity and out
of respect for his family. I will refer to my friend as
James. I was spending time together
with James celebrating his completion of finals and my
recent promotion drinking to our hearts content and we had the
thirst of a Norse Warrior at A Midsummer Festival.
Starting with a nice bottle of Japanese whisky that lasted all
but 30 minutes. We moved on to something a
little classy or Jim Beam. We sipped until day became night
and everything got fuzzy around the edges James took a long pull
off the bottle before he turned to me and asked if I wanted to
go for a night walk to our favorite stargazing spot.
I obliged by taking the final swig.
This was just one of the things James and I would do every
weekend and surprisingly our parents were okay with it.
Ever since we had science class together as kids we loved stars
in outer space and the clearing was like our own private
research facility. We had a large amount of
forested area near where we lived and the clearing was just
a mile and a half Into the Woods.
I would pack my budget telescope and we would get nice views of
the Moon in its differing phases as well as nearby planets and
visible galaxies. After High School James had
saved up a couple of thousand dollars to spend on one of those
fancy Scopes that could be remote controlled and could take
HD videos. We would often talk about black
holes the inevitable heat death of the universe or if there were
other earth-like planets out there with lifelike hours.
We could even recite all the differing spectral types of
stars from memory. It was the foundation of our
friendship though. James was much more serious and
even talked about going to college for a degree in
astronomy. Once he had finished his general
education courses at the local Community College.
He was the only kid from class who said he wanted to be an
astronaut and was serious about it.
I was content looking at the stars through my telescope for
my backyard beer in hand and not being in debt.
It was a bad idea, but we did not care.
And often to the night we went. Along the way there was this
drainage ditch we would pass by. Alluring today as it was back
then for no good reason other than it was creepy.
Being as a new created as we were we took the bait and headed
down. Being extra careful to scale
down the Steep incline of the ditch walls.
We made it inside. It was your standard drainage
ditch a large concrete Canal stretching out about 10 miles in
both directions dividing the forested land in two.
There was an overpass that ran across a small portion of the
ditch like a bridge connecting the two pieces of land so that
people could walk across. Along, the graffiti riddled
walls of the canals were drainage holes to help disperse
the water. Should the levels rise High
Enough. One of these was a drainage tube
about 2 meters wide and 50 meters long what we dubbed the
butt. The other end of the butt led
into the forest on the other side.
As kids we would crawl through it and act like it was a portal
to another dimension or it would take us back in time.
James could not resist dude looked the butt.
I'm going in man. He exclaimed.
I can't believe you actually said that out loud.
Be careful. You're going to scrape your
knees or Bonk your head. I warned.
Once he got further in he stopped moving.
And he Xenomorphs in there. I asked nah, you hear this
frogman? Indeed I could hear the thing
from where I was standing as I approached.
I noticed the croaks sounded guttural throaty and wet.
If you've ever seen The Grudge it sounded like the noise the
girl makes but not as drawn out at that moment.
I just chalked it up to my imagination alcohol and toxic or
a big frog though. My anxiety was already setting
in but what was strange was that there was a little water still
running through the ditch from last week's range and typically
where there was water there were frogs.
Though the croaks were coming from One Source come to think of
it. I do not recall any other
noises, no bugs. No animals.
No typical forest sounds Dead Silence except for the Frog
What's wrong with Kermit? He said?
I don't know man. Just come out.
I'm starting to lose my buzz. With that he scooted out
backward still a bit. Tipsy.
He fell on his way out then stood up to face me.
We climbed out of the drainage ditch and continued along the
dirt path. I could still hear the croaking
but it was faint the sounds of insects and small Critters
rustling in the foliage of eventually returned and filled
the unnerving silence the croaking becoming a distant
memory and I settled down a bit. It was a clear night.
The moon was clearly visible and stars dotted the sky like tinsel
strewn about a black canvas. The trees reached tall towering
above us and a nice Cool Breeze blew the refreshing smell of
pine to our nostrils. It was a few minutes before we
arrived at the clearing that James broke the silence.
Hey, man, what's up? Look?
I am not sure how to even say this but there's something I've
been meaning to tell you for a while now.
It's been weighing heavy on my heart and I just need to get it
off my chest. Of course, you know, it's just
you and I out here I'm here for you man.
You can tell me anything. Thanks.
He sighed. It's just lately.
I've been thinking I might whoa, dude.
Do you see that wide-eyed. He pointed his finger ahead.
I followed and saw what he was seeing a young buck a 10
pointers still with velvet around the antlers.
Wow, he's beautiful. I said we had a staring contest
for about five minutes. Everything seemed normal about
the deer but most of its body was cloaked by the Shadows
casted by the trees overhead. What I could see was its head
and a portion of its neck. It could have been the glare
from the Moon overhead, but the eyes looked glossed over like
thick cataracts or like it had been dead for a while.
It was all so trembling which could have been because of us
the tips of the antlers. I can remember clearly too the
way the Moonlight gleamed off them like the surface was
glossy. I tried to take a step closer
and then suddenly the Bucks sprinted off into the woods.
It looked like right before the buck ran off the antlers
twitched like fingers clenching to form a fist, but I brushed
that off too. Trying to Stave my anxiety once
more and we started walking again.
I really should have turned back at this point.
After an additional three minutes, we arrived at the
clearing. James and I began walking to the
Middle where we lay down on our backs staring up at the sky.
We Were Far Enough from the city where light pollution wasn't
visible We could see a portion of the Milky Way galaxy and the
moon was in its waning gibbous phase.
This almost would have been a perfect night for the telescope.
In hindsight. I am glad we didn't bring it
because it was heavy and might have weighed me down.
Okay. I said you didn't finish what
you were going to say back there what's going on with you?
Oh, yeah, right. Well, I'm thinking about moving
to Before he could finish he was interrupted by a scream.
It sounded like a young girl if I had to guess around the age of
10. Help help me who's there?
I could not move my body. I couldn't even speak.
I felt bad that I wasn't jumping into action, but for reasons, I
couldn't understand at the time. I was paralyzed.
A primal fear had awoken in me and I could only manage to turn
my head slowly towards James our gaze locked.
It felt like hours had passed. I broke out in a cold sweat and
had trouble swallowing my words kept catching in my throat, but
eventually I managed to form words and spoke to James in a
low whisper. What should we do?
Call the police? They'd never get here in time.
And how do we explain where we are?
Yes officer. We are in some Woods, there's
dirt and rocks. She sounds hurt.
We might need to help her ourselves.
He reasoned. James was the first to get up
once he did he extended his hand out to me and hoisted me up.
The direction of the scream had come from our right a little way
passed the tree line. We waited a while longer to see
if the girl would call out again.
I think we should head over there call out to her.
She might be lost or hurt man. James said I don't know
something doesn't feel right. Don't you feel weird about this.
I asked it's probably the booze man regardless of how this feels
we need to go over there. We took a few careful steps
towards the tree line. And before we got within three
feet of the first tree, we heard a noise that is scarred me
indefinitely for the rest of my life.
For context when I was younger me and my friends would love to
jump off the swing set at its peak because it gave us the
sensation of flying. One time I managed to get some
good height Before I Let Go, but I botched the landing and all my
weight landed on my right shoulder.
It had become dislocated and I had to go to the hospital to
have in popped back into its place.
I am not sure if you all ever had something like that happened
to you. But the noise from the shoulder
bone being reinserted back into the socket is disgusting.
You'd never forget it. This noise was similar, but
incredibly loud and wet. I could hear the bones shifting
and adjusting even from this distance muscles tissues and
sinew being torn with the sound of wet fabric ripping.
Then a rustling of leaves and brush followed by silence.
Once again Frozen by fear, we could only wait for what would
happen next a voice called out to us voices to be precise the
girls voice but two other voices spoke with it at the same time
and with the same Cadence. One was a significantly lower
pitch and the other sounded like my own. stop that hurts.
Wow, he's beautiful. Hearing my own words and voice
was enough. I nearly wet myself in that
moment. I don't know much about trauma
and how the human brain reacts but what happened next comes
back to me only in fragments. Thinking about it too hard
always results in a panic attack.
I remember multiple gaunt limbs a misshapen head with horns
matted and patchy blonde hair and a tall and lanky body with
saggy leathery skin and pustules all over.
I remember it running towards us on all fours body turned
sideways. Then came the gunshots running
through the woods. I remember hearing a deer bleat
mixed with the sound of a death rattle of a Dying old man.
And the rest is a blur but I remember waking up in my own
bed. I haven't seen James since that
night anytime. I would reach out to him.
There's no reply and his phone goes straight to voicemail.
I want to know if that was real or if we were just drunk and
imagining things. I'm thankful.
He was carrying his firearm that night because I'm not sure if we
would have made it back but I don't understand why he won't
talk to me. I just feel crazy.
What was that thing? Has anyone else encountered
something similar in the area? I've heard of things called
skinwalkers from the forums on here.
Could that be what that was? It was capable of mimicry
albeit. Not particularly good.
I received a text message from James today, and it was one of
the reasons I decided to share it simply read you left me.
So I took the last few days of last week off per the suggestion
of some individuals in the comments to make appointments
with a shaman and a hypnotist. My boss all gave me this week
off because I was visibly tired and my performance was
suffering. So I am appreciative of that.
I haven't slept well since that night and now since receiving
the text message from James. I keep having this reoccurring
nightmare. The dream takes place back in
the clearing. My limbs are locked in place and
no matter how hard I think or try to move them.
They won't budge on the other side of the clearing is what
looks to be a deer or some four-legged animal.
However, the head region is obscured and blurry so I am not
entirely sure what it is. There is an overwhelming sense
of Doom and darkness that seems to linger even after the dream
has long ended. On Friday, I was able to meet
with the hypnotist. During the whole drive there.
I was incredibly uneasy and in disbelief.
This whole situation felt like a horror movie however reality set
in once I pulled up to her Shack.
I cannot believe I am doing this I whispered to myself.
I parked my vehicle and then began to walk towards the
building Hut cautiously scaling up the wooden steps and wrapping
on the door a few times the shaman opened almost immediately
and the sweet smell of incense assaulted my nostrils.
Hello. You must be Mister a yes, ma'am.
Thank you so much for meeting me.
Absolutely. It's my pleasure come in.
I followed her inside where she closed the large round door
behind me. The interior was not what I was
expecting from the alternative practitioner.
I had imagined dirt walls fur rugs Potion bottles animal bones
and a wicked green fire roaring in a cauldron or something of
the light. Rather this looked like your
contemporary doctor's office albeit with a few ornate light
fixtures feathers and framed insect carcasses on the wall and
a Shelf with some herb filled glass bottles and CBD oils.
We walked into her office where she pulled a chair in front of
her desk and then took a seat behind it.
Sat across from me was an older woman.
I'd guess late sixties of a parent Native American Deck
scent. She wore a couple of ornate
bracelets and necklaces but for clothing Choice, she wore a
striped light blue button-up and black dress pants.
I know we spoke briefly on the phone.
You had mentioned being troubled by The Disappearance of your
friend. I first want to tell you how
sorry I am truly. She spoke.
I really appreciate that. I replied.
She smiled warmly. Now typically, my customer bases
are looking for diet and nutritional advice and sestrel
relationship building or emotional trauma.
I'd love to start my program with you.
If you are trying to recover from this experience and move on
in a healthy and natural way grieving.
The loss is tough and I must let you know that this process will
take some time. I swallowed hard confessing to
another Soul as to what I saw. I knew I was going to sound
crazy. I didn't want to come off as a
lunatic and be told to take some herbs and forget about it beads
of sweat began to form on my forehead my Palms began to
perspire. I managed to choke out the first
few words. I am actually not here for any
of those options. I want to ask you about
something I muttered. a look of genuine concern fell upon her
face Of course, what would you like to ask me about?
She spoke. Well, I was there the night when
James went missing. But I don't think he just got
lost or hurt by some animal. Something that Knight tried to
bait he and I into walking into a Thicket of woods.
It sounded like a little girl. But when it finally revealed
itself. It looked like something out of
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. an ungodly hodgepodge of animal and
human body parts She only stared her positive and happy demeanor
shifted to one of disappointed in irritated.
She folded her hands and cast her eyes down.
The yeled, lushi. Do you understand the danger you
bring here by acknowledging the being?
The Navajo do not share this information without ciders for
good reason. It is my professional opinion
that you can consider moving on from this ordeal or leave you
only put your family and yourself in danger by prodding
further. She growled.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend but I can't just leave
him out there. Is there something I can do a
spell to cast to make it die and he come back can't it die like
everything else? I asked the shaman practically
leaped up from her chair and leaned across the table bringing
her face closer to mine. Wisps of wisdom mixed with her
Onyx black hair and the wrinkles of time wriggling on her
forehead. No, Shaman is alive today that
can reverse the magic those cretans have cast upon
themselves. Our best remedy is to forget.
Seconds of silence had passed between us before I blurted out.
If he's alive I am going after him.
Can you help me or not? With that she stormed off.
For an older lady she sure had some speed I sat twiddling my
thumbs as I heard her rummage through things in a separate
room. She returned with the fury of
the Gods and flung a brown Satchel of my chest.
Ouse seriously what the white ash now leave do not come back
do not say I did not warn you your people are stubborn.
This is the only way you will learn leave.
She yelled the woman pointed trembling with rage at the
rounded wooden door. I grabbed the satchel and took
my leave not wanting to irritate her any further.
I turned back once more as I stood on the balcony she stood
there scowling at me before she barked.
Do not look at the eyes. And promptly slam the door with
the strength of an ox. I sped walk to my car and got in
key and ignition and then placed the brown Satchel in the
passenger seat. After that ordeal, I was tired
and Incredibly thirsty. On my way home.
I stopped by the liquor store for some alcohol paying with
cash and dropping the change into the Make-A-Wish bucket.
At least a portion of my bad habit can go to a noble cause
right? Once I got back to my apartment,
I kicked my shoes off and put the alcohol in the fridge except
for one. I shuffled over to the couch and
sat down beer on my left Satchel on my right.
I sat the bag down in front of me on the coffee table and then
opened the beer. I stared for a few minutes
before taking a Big Gulp and then pulled out my phone to get
on Google. The shaman said white ash before
she threw the bag at me. So I researched White Ash and
its uses for the next hour or so from what I could turn up.
It could be used to hurt and even kill a skinwalker.
Some have made white ash bullets, others have made a
paste and coated a blade with the substance.
I exhaled loudly overwhelmed by everything was I really going to
try to fight this thing. Should I just give up?
I was already five beers in and decided to go to bed.
The weekend was another opportunity to sulk and think
so. I wanted to get a jump start by
calling it an early night. The Dream came again only this
time the animal had covered a great distance between us.
It was close enough that now I could make out finer details for
a lack of words. It was disgusting and FedEd.
It was in the shape of a deer but had pink human skin modeled
and disease. The antlers were shaped like
large bony fingers nails torn leaking blood and pus folded
over the face of the Beast. hovering above the ground in
front of me it was shaking and convulsing violently limbs
thrashing about the fingers opened revealing a mass of
glossy white eyes. It opened in insect like Mall
the lower jaw extending farther than any normal animal could
manage. The jawbone's dislocated with a
sickening pop and the skin surrounding them tore like
paper. It led out a hellacious Bleeth.
The terror was indescribable. I fought inside the prison of my
mind for control of my limbs, but they moved to no avail.
The acrid stench of sulfur and wrote insulted my nostrils the
Beast took a long Fleming inhale and began to move towards me
twitching and riding with excitement I screamed.
I woke to the sound of my own screams drenched in sweat.
The cat shot straight up from his bed to turn and look at me.
With a slow blink. He hoisted up his leg licked it
and promptly went back to sleep. Sorry to disturb you buddy.
I apologized. I rolled over to check my phone
to see it was only 3 a.m. There was no way I was going to
get back to sleep. So I made some coffee and
started my Saturday morning. I did a little more research on
White Ash and decided to opt for the ash coded knife route.
I have no experience making Munitions.
So this was my only option for defense.
I made the mixture of water and Ash and put in a plastic bag.
I had an old hunting knife around so I decided it would be
the one I used. The rest of the day in Sunday
was spent drinking and playing video games.
Not much else to note other than no nightmares each night.
I got some decent sleep those days.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 6:00 a.m.
Though my appointment with the hypnotist was at 10 a.m.
I spent the first two hours drinking an entire pot of
coffee. I then hopped in the shower got
ready and got in the car to go to the appointment.
I haven't tried recalling that night for a long time.
So I was a bit anxious to be reliving it all again.
I pulled into the lot and began walking towards the office.
I sat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes nervously
bouncing my leg up and down. I was the only one in there
other than the receptionist. I began nervously chewing my jaw
tasting iron in my mouth as the door to the waiting room opened
and a balding slightly overweight man stepped in.
Mr. A He looked around the empty room.
Jokingly until our eyes met. Ah, it must be you then.
He laughed. He looks like it I chuckled I'll
admit that the joke made me a little less tense.
He wasn't as scary as the shaman lady.
Well, if you wouldn't mind following me to my office, we
just need to get a little more paperwork done and then we can
begin. I followed his lead.
He led me into his office. And thankfully there were no
scorpions rattlesnakes or shrunken heads.
The room was quite cozy. There was a nice gray leather
sofa on one side and oak desk and two blue leather chairs a
large ornate rug in the middle of the room and I am not sure if
he had sprayed air freshener, but it smelled like lavender.
I took a seat on the sofa and he sat at the desk at the far side
of the office. Our records show that you
haven't visited with us before. Is this your first time with
hypnotic therapy? He asked Yes, it is.
I replied. Great, it's super simple.
I'll dangle some swirly object in front of your eyes.
Say some magic words and you'll think you're a duck.
He laughed quack I sneered. Exactly.
It's already working. But really it's a little
different than that before. We begin.
I'd like to know the reason you think hypnotic therapy is right
for you. I took a long pause searching
for the words. I'm dealing with trauma from a
particular event and to move on with my life.
I feel that it would be healthy for me to embrace the entirety
of that moment instead of drowning it out with alcohol or
tasks to face my emotions. But anytime I try on my own
terms I end up having a panic attack.
He stroked his chin taped his pain a few times and then jotted
something down in his notebook. I see the road to recovering
from trauma is not one. I would recommend traveling
alone. The good news is that I believe
I can be of use to you today. Now if you wouldn't mind lying
down on that sofa and just takes some time getting comfortable.
I obliged as I rest my head against the arm of the sofa the
doctor got up from his desk and walked over to one of the
chairs. He began scooting it closer to
me and then sat patiently. Now keep your eyes closed and
begin focusing on your breathing.
As you do this, I want you to let go of anything and
everything in your mind. Troubles stresses to do that you
left at the door when you walked in.
Focus on having an empty mind and take as much time as you
need. It took me a while, but
eventually I was able to clear my head.
I felt relaxed calm and even a bit sleepy.
When I began drifting off into sleep, he spoke softly into the
silence. Now when your mind I want you to
Envision where you were before the events of the ordeal before
the memories become inaccessible.
Imagine that you are there now both fully in mind and body.
Immediately the terror crept in I began breathing faster sweat
building on my brow. In the theater of my mind the
horror show began to play out just as it did that night.
I spoke aloud the events that took place and in the order in
which they did. I got right to the point before
the creature came out of the clearing and stopped.
Okay, now take a deep breath Focus dig deep recall to me the
events as they come to you. I took a deep breath holding for
a few seconds. The memories began to
materialize amidst the mental fog. the creature galloped Out
of the Woods towards us We both took a step back it began to
swipe a claw at me when I saw James raise his hands taking aim
with a small handgun. James fired five times the
bullets hitting the beast in the neck and cheek area.
Thick oily Crimson spurting the creature spun around to face
him. Guilt and regret crashing down
upon my soul in a wave of Sorrow.
I recalled running as soon as the creature lost interest in
me. Right before I made it past the
trail leading into the clearing. I looked back one last time to
see James line on the ground the Beast towering above him.
Stood on its hind legs and in a moment, it's rib cage splayed
open in hungry. Gullet it began to come down on
James as he fired three more shots and trying to kick the
monstrosity away. I turned away and kept running
and running my legs numb and lungs burning.
I heard James scream then. Hey, hey help know.
Ah, I recalled the bleeding and gurgling on the run home
fumbling my keys in the lock pushing the door open and
slamming. It.
Shut behind me. I locked the door ran into the
bathroom locking that door as well and then climbing in the
bathtub where I shook and cried until I couldn't cry anymore.
Then I remember waking up in the bed.
I could feel the warmth of Tears streaking down my face my body
convulsing as I fought unavoidable sobs.
I opened my eyes to see the doctor holding out a tissue.
You don't think I am crazy. Do you I spoke not at all son.
You won't tell anyone about this.
Doctor patient confidentiality you don't have to worry.
I wiped the tears from my face and then began to sit up.
I felt as though an enormous weight had lifted from my soul
in its place and mighty began to kill for myself.
But two for the Beast I turned to face the Doctor Who was
scribbling furiously on his note pad to ask him.
What should I do? I left my friend out there to
die. That thing needs to be stopped.
I owe it to him. It's my all my fault.
I shouted in between sobs. I can understand your
frustration. It's natural to feel a sort of
obligation or responsibility to The Departed.
What happened out there was a freak thing you acted on
Instinct. You are not required to be a
hero in those circumstances. spoke animals act on Instinct as
well I know that some male deer can be aggressive and
territorial. And Kentucky is home to a few
species of black bear. I know that the females can be
very protective of their young. It's very unfortunate that some
people can end up in the wrong place in time with these
animals. And I would advise not to travel
back to the area to search for him.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
My situation was being downplayed and I began to grow
irritated with the doctor. I took a sharp inhale and then
spoke. It wasn't a bear or a deer.
It was something that could make itself look like an animal.
So what? You suggest I just forget about
him do nothing. No, not at all.
I can begin a program with you starting.
I don't want to do a program. I want my friend back or that
thing dead. I interrupted.
I jumped up off the sofa and began to walk towards the door.
On the way out. I turned to look back at the
doctor a look of empathy on his face.
Look, I appreciate what you've done for me and I'll pay for
today's session but my mind is made up either this ends with me
or it and I'm okay with that. With that I left the office and
began to plan my next visit to our favorite spot once more.
I've heard that hatred weakens the heart ironic how it feels
like it's the only thing keeping mine pumping.
I hate that creature hate it for taking his life.
But I hate myself even more. I should have told James know
that night. We shouldn't have been walking
around at night in toxicated in the first place.
I hate myself for running away for doing nothing for so long.
I sat in my car arms folded over the steering wheel head resting
on top a light rain began to tap on the roof of my car.
I didn't leave the parking lot until about an hour had passed
like the rain I let all the memories wash over me.
Then I made my way back to the apartment.
I opened the door dripping water all over the carpet, but it was
the least of my concerns. It didn't keep the cat away
though. He jumped from his cat tower and
made his way towards me rubbing up against my soaked pants legs.
He always knew when I was upset. I bent down to pet him on the
neck his eyes closing in a moment of bliss.
I had it set in my mind and soul that I would go back there and
end that thing or it end me. I needed to prepare though.
I didn't have any experience killing ancient shape-shifting
beings, but I knew just going out there with a knife was a
brainless idea. Odds are I was going to die
either way, but I didn't want to go down without giving a good
fight. I recalled the gift my parents
had given me for my 16th birthday.
It was an older model a Browning 12-gauge shotgun from the 1960s.
Originally owned by my grandfather.
It was given to my mother and then passed on to me in the
past. I had shot at multiple times
only at non-living and non-moving targets though.
It was a semi-automatic shotgun. So no pumping was needed.
You would load the shells in from the bottom pull back the
slide and it was ready to fire and as fast as you could pull
the trigger. I had kept it under my bed for
years with the intent of using it as a self-defense weapon, but
completely forgot about it. I knelt beside the bed and
bending down. I reached under and grab the
case handle. A nice layer of dust had
accumulated on the top. Unlatching the locks.
I lifted the lid up and behold there it lay.
I don't really care for vintage things, but I had to admit there
was an undeniable attraction to this weapon.
The stock was made of fine grain.
Mahogany, and the steel was black with a blue sheen.
Despite the years it hadn't sustained much damage save for a
few scrapes on the metal and scratches in the wood.
I reached in and picked it up mindful to grab it by the wooden
Parts a habit deeply rooted inside my brain.
Thanks to my old man. I brought the stock up to my
shoulder widening my stance. I raise the barrel up and took
aim this would do fine. I kept it on loaded because a
loaded gun in the house just made me nervous, but I pulled
the slide back to check and with a metallic catching sound it was
empty. As for ammunition, I only had a
box of 12 gauge slugs, but there was no way I could open the
shells and pour the ashes in. I ended up buying an entire
shell manufacturing kit, which would come in early Friday.
I spent Saturday watching countless tutorials on how to
build shotgun shells how to mix the powder correctly and
practicing making the ammunition.
Sunday I even visited a friend who had a large plot of land and
allowed me to assess my ammo. I didn't add any Ash.
I just wanted to make sure I could make a round that wouldn't
blow up on me. Once I verified that I could
indeed fashion 12 gauge buckshot.
I returned home to make the ash lace slugs.
The gun can hold eight slugs Max.
So I made the first eight and loaded them in then an
additional 16 with the supplies I had left.
I had bought a utility belt in a couple of satchels as well to
hold my ammunition and a bag of the ash mixer for the knife.
I had a sheath for the knife on the back of the belt a satchel
of ammunition on my left and Ash on my right.
I hope I didn't have to get close enough to use the knife.
I decided Monday that I would head out during the night even
though I would have much preferred going during the day.
The issue was being seen armed to the teeth and people don't
take kindly to that sort of behavior nowadays.
I had left a note for my mom in the apartment.
Surely after not returning her calls for a few days.
She'd be over to see if I were okay.
It was a farewell note. I told her everything regarding
how I felt and that I plan to take my life.
I didn't mention the creature. She wouldn't believe that part
anyway. I left the entire bag of cat
food open for the cat so he could Gorge himself over the
next few days, which would be more than enough time until mom
started to panic. Around 11 p.m.
I started my journey to the clearing.
I bypassed the drainage ditch having no interest in going down
there anymore and proceeded towards the trail.
The trees loomed above me disconcertingly and the moon
Shone above but in an unwelcoming way.
Now that the fall season had come most of the trees had shed
their leaves, but there were still a few tinged with red and
yellow. And icy chill blew against me,
but what made me shiver was that?
I heard nothing no signs of life just the swaying of trees and
rusting of bushes from the wind. I had an overwhelming sense of
being watched. I held the gun tighter to me
finger right above the trigger. I had to convince myself several
times on the walk not to turn back.
But finally the clearing came into view.
What once brought me so much joy and peace now brought Contrition
and despair. I walked upon the desecrated
grounds until I reached the center of the clearing as I
reach the center something caught my eye the light cast by
the Moonlight glinting off a small reflective surface.
I bent down to investigate and discovered.
It was a phone James's phone to be exact.
It was faced down riddle with cracks.
I picked it up and turned it to its front side the front had
sustained even more damage, but it was undoubtedly his a blue
Samsung S21. As I examined the phone even
further attempting to turn it on.
I had completely missed the thunderous pounding of hooves
against the Earth and looked up to see the Beast was charging me
on all fours gaining ground fast.
I stood there petrified as it continued to close the gap
between us. Right as it was a few feet in
front of me fear gave way to rage and I lifted the shotgun up
and took aim. Five shots rang out ears ringing
and the overwhelming smell of gunpowder in my nostrils.
I tried to regain my composure from The Recoil as the creature
slammed into me. The force of the Beast had
launched me several feet away where I landed on my back the
wind knocked out of me. I inhaled deeply pushing myself
up into a sitting position and then as I began to shift onto my
knees, I looked up to see the creature again.
It was moving towards me once more.
Now it appeared as if it were bleeding thick viscous blood
leaking out of unseen wounds. It stood on its hind legs and
turned to face me opening its Ma and letting out a voracious
growl. Then it started to run at me in
a panic I grasped from my gun, but it was about a foot away.
I only had a few seconds before it would reach me my body
already starting to ache and stiffen from the trauma.
I leaped out for the gun grabbed it and swung it up to aim at the
creature. But I was too late before I
could even pull the trigger the Beast had slapped at out of my
hand my hand nearly flying off my wrist as I watched the
shotgun Soar Off into the distance and crash into the
trees. It was over I had no right
thinking this would work. At least I went down fighting it
grabbed me by the shoulders digging its claws deep through
skin muscle tissue all the way down to Bone the pain made me
nauseous. I began screaming and writhing
and pain as it pinned me down to the ground.
I began losing Consciousness when it brought its misshapen
head towards my face. I caught a glimpse of something
familiar. Illuminated in the Moonlight.
I saw the eyes first then the nose.
It was James face. but the skin was stretched far too thin over
its large skull tearing in various places and revealing red
tissue underneath the eyes bloodshot the jaw hung on by a
single sinew and a long black tongue hung haphazardly flopping
as it moved. Then it stood up and to keep me
in place. It brought a hoof down hard onto
my shin splintering the bone into hundreds of pieces.
I wasn't going anywhere now. I let out another scream still
looming it stared at me through his eyes before it began to
gurgle out words. I just need to get it off my
chest. With that it's rib cage splayed
open in a Macabre explosion of bone in viscera.
It began to lower. Its torso over me avoid stared
back. It was though a black hole had
nestled into this creature's bosom and it was going to suck
me in and pull me apart from every direction imaginable.
I thought of how I was going to be consumed.
How it would go on to masquerade itself as me.
How it would lure my mom or friends out in the woods and
then mutilate them and continue the cycle.
I thought of how it spoke with James voice.
How much that angered me? Was I going to just let this
thing eat me like it did James? I was going to die no matter
what so it didn't matter what I did at this point.
As it brought its body on top of mine the rib cage began to close
in on my side's puncturing the skin an unseen Force began to
pull me deep inside like a large vacuum.
I arced my back and reached under to pull the knife from the
sheath. I brought it up and then quickly
stabbed into my Satchel making sure to move it around and coat
the blade enough accidentally stabbing myself in the process.
With my other hand, I grabbed the beasts neck to leverage
myself up and plunge the blade into its neck.
James I stared at me and widened the creature yelped like a
wounded dog and immediately jumped up and off me.
I watched as it brought a claw up to its neck and pulled at the
blade. It came out with a thunk more
oily liquid shooting out in a geyser like fashion.
Rised and thrashed about swinging its claws aimlessly
before collapsing on the ground next to me.
I watched it as it went through its death throws taking long
laboured and flemmy breaths. The breathing of eventually
stopped and it was dead. I watched it for a while longer.
Not sure if I was out of danger just yet and then I noticed the
skin began to shift and bubble. The Beast was shrinking in size
reshaping itself. The horns clause and fur began
to shrivel away and it began to take the form of something else.
It happens so fast, but right before it disintegrated into a
plume of Ash. It looked like a middle-aged man
with long black hair. The knife lay in the pile of
Ash. I crawled over to pick it up and
put it back into the sheath. I lay on my back for a few beats
to catch my breath before pulling out my phone and dialing
Emergency Services. They managed to dispatch a
helicopter since they wouldn't have been able to get an
ambulance on the trail and due to the severity of my injuries.
I was losing a lot of blood so I barely remember being strapped
into the gurney and lifted onto the helicopter.
I spent the rest of the week in bandages in a leg cast enduring
hospital food and my overly concerned mother.
I was discharged Thursday and would have to walk on crutches
for a little while, but I was glad to be home.
My furry friend was thrilled to see me and hasn't left my side
since The first thing I did when I got home was sit down on the
couch and then I cried. I didn't cry that much other
than the first night not even at the funeral we had for James.
I don't do well with my emotions.
I tend to drown them out with hard liquor or fixate on
something else. I avoid them but all the tears
that had been stored up came out like a damn opening its Gates.
It was over. I felt like James was at peace
and I sat with my emotions for the first time embracing them
even. I don't know what I will do from
now on I suppose with my life now that I have closure.
I am sure I need some sort of psychological help from all of
this and will plan to get that soon.
The last few days of this week. I spent a lot of time sleeping
and I had the dream about the clearing again.
But this time when I revisit the dream, I am always in a
different place. I feel nothing though.
Just emptiness. And I've been feeling that way
all week now come to think of it.
Anyway, thank you for reading this and for all the
suggestions. This will be my last post.
Stay out of the woods at night, especially when drinking and
ignore any 10 year old girls. You may hear calling out to you
amidst the trees. For those involved in dealing
with Cryptids, if any of you are reading this, why do you do it
other than the money? Of course, I feel a lot of you
do it for The Rush the adrenaline, but where's the line
drawn where does exhilaration of evolved into panic?
Don't get me wrong. A little risk-taking is food for
the soul. But so many factors can go wrong
in any situation in particular. What do you do when you find the
corpse of a Cryptid you were hunting eviscerated and
dismembered when the abrupt realization hits you that
there's a bigger fish. My grandpa wasn't quite on the
level of Monster hunting. But boy was he a crazy idiot
once he hunted a Grizzly using nothing but a crossbow wet mud
and leaves and his wit. He's had his head mounted above
his Forest house fireplace ever since.
I can't say how far back his love for the Wilderness is
rooted. But I know he grew tired of the
city long before retiring from his job as a metropolitan
engineer. Since then he's lived out in an
old house in the Northwestern reaches of the Olympic National
Forest about 40 miles from the park itself, Washington State.
I can only imagine how lonely it must have been living out there
by himself. But he never seemed any of the
worst for it. In recent years, I've come to be
good friends with a guy I met in college Martin.
I could see the same fire in his eyes as my grandpa's when it
came to the outdoors always pestering me to come with him on
camping trips going fishing hunting.
You name it. It was a no-brainer bringing him
along for a visit to my grandpa's.
Honestly, I feared they might get along too.
Well, and Martin would never return with me in the end.
It didn't matter because both of us have been ingrained with a
morbid aversion to the woods since that day.
Martin was particularly eager this time practically vibrating
in the passenger of my Jeep last trip grandpa promised.
He'd show him the ropes of skinning and pelts.
Martin often went on about how he'd feel sitting a front a
roaring fireplace with a great deer skin rug laid out beneath
it. My motivation was simply to
check up on my grandpa. He hadn't been responding to my
attempts to contact him for the past week.
So naturally I was a bit worried.
We ran into a problem early driving up the long dirt road to
my grandpa's. Rounding a corner I slammed on
the brakes seeing a slew of Fallen trees lying across the
road. Damn, what happened here Martin
exclaimed there haven't been any storms recently.
Right? I sat with my hands 10 and 2 on
the steering wheel lost for words.
No. It's been pretty clear whether
around these parts since March. Weird shutting the engine off.
I hopped out of the Jeep. The only sounds were the leaves
flitting in the mid spring Breeze Nature's white noise.
We were a little over two miles away from the house and easily
walkable distance. Grandpa had enough equipment
that we didn't need to bring much of our own so our bags were
light. I had my phone a flash light
water spare clothes and my utility watch strapped around my
wrist. My plan was to get up to
Grandpa's and come back down in his truck to chop up the Fallen
Logs with a chainsaw. We thought it would be more fun
to go through the woods alongside the track. a long dirt
road means only boredom after all we scrambled down the left
side slope and began our Trek keeping an eye on the road to
follow its root. Only a few minutes later the
smell hit us putrid carrion. It was nothing unexpected
animals in the forest die all the time even so that hardwired
part of my brain was repulsed at the smell.
Damn, something's festering out here.
I said can't imagine how it'd smell in summer.
Martin let out a small retch but agreed.
The stench only grew stronger as we went on it was at its peak
when I almost tripped over a sharp object on the ground.
I thought it to be a cluster of branches at first, but the
notion quickly dissolved upon seeing their pale ceramic
reflections. A decapitated Stags head lay
right in front of us. It was wrong though.
The teeth were too long and the bone of its face was exposed.
Even with the older I could tell it was fresh from the viscous
black liquid that seeped from its neck and mouth.
Martin spoke up. Damn.
That's freaky. You think a bear did this?
I mean, there's only black bears here, right?
I doubt they could pull off something like this a cougar
Maybe. I don't know never seen one
straight up decapitate a stag like this though.
My eyes were drawn to a trail of red forming a jagged streak
ahead of us on the ground my gaze followed it until it
terminated at the Stag's Grizzly mess of a body.
Well, it looked quadruple from a distance.
But as we moved closer, I found myself sorely incorrect.
The body was that of a monster large in stature, but bony and
gone long razor sharp claws lying splayed across the ground
like kitchen knives and all covered in patches of dark
wizened fur. Is it bad Martin called out
approaching from behind me to get a look when he saw it?
He went still and quiet as had I there was no statement that
could do the site Justice. I'd heard the old tales of the
horrors lurking deep inside the forests, but never experienced
them face to face. It was still flying dead as the
fallen leaves beneath it. it looked crushed and broken
littered with what seemed to be wide and deep puncture wounds
Martin managed to speak up is that But before he could say
anymore a sudden snap broke the tension the snap of a twig know
a branch. My spine shot straight upright
against my better judgment. I found my head gradually
swiveling in the direction the noise had come from when I
caught a vast hulking shape in my peripheral vision, I whipped
around to face whatever was there.
I saw something just for a moment enormous long limbs
draped in shaggy hair the color of pine bark.
But as quickly as I turned the image vanished.
Rising dread threatened to Prime my lips apart in a scream.
I looked far and wide but nothing was there.
Kel what is it? Wait, the cougar isn't still
here. Is it Martin whispered?
No, it's nothing. Let's keep going.
We can talk about this later with my grandpa, but the cat
could still be loitering about somewhere.
It's best. We don't stay in the same place
for too long. Before departing I snapped a few
pictures of the corpse on my phone zooming in on the head
without backtracking to get a better angle.
Something told me that turning back however, briefly would be a
terrible mistake. We went on with an urgent Pace
pretending to ignore the heavy movements between the trees
nearby. Large animals will inevitably
give away their movements, but they snap Twigs not entire
branches. Even so the movement sounded
anything but clumsy. No, they sounded calculated
those of a stalking predator. As hard as I tried to filter
them out. I caught myself glancing to the
sides and behind very often. I don't know whether I was
hoping to see something or nothing.
Still the woods around us were empty other than ourselves.
Hey Kel, if there's a mountain lion around here, we should go
up onto the road for a bit. It'll be easier to bolt if we
need to. I agreed and we veered off to
the right climbing up the roadside slope.
Deep down. I knew that whatever was out
there. It wasn't a big cat.
We only told ourselves that skirting the subject of
Monster's now made it very real to us. the forest fell silent as
we walked along the road that was far from comforting though
if the woods are quiet predators are about This is a well-known
idea among Wilderness enthusiast.
What did he is my mind to a degree was the site of a herd of
deer standing on the track? They cocked their heads to look
at us but didn't seem all too disturbed by our presence.
At the same time the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable
grew as a hard lump in my gut. They started to move on as we
got closer wandering off the road and Into the Woods. one of
the deer stayed in place it wasn't Frozen know but
constricted it twitched and whimpered as it started to rise
off of the ground as if weightless.
It happens so quickly. It screams were cut off as its
limbs were snapped and crushed and deep wounds erupted over its
body. And then like it had been there
the whole time it stood. It was a nightmare.
Huge unimaginably so rivaling two elephants stacked up.
It was hunched over resting on impossibly long and thick for
limbs ending in spindly sloths like claws.
Its body was long too ending in a pair of shorter legs knees
inverted with feet supported by spur like appendages.
The lulling head that sat at an arched neck looked like some
bizarre cross between a horse and a crocodile.
Halo pits and place of eyes the torn skin around its mouth
revealing horribly uneven and misshapen teeth that jutted out
at a regular angles. The Fading sunlight glinted off
of the long gashes covering its sides and head the dead creature
from earlier had definitely put up a fight But it could never
have been enough. As we stood stood it
reciprocated our stare the only real movements being the sets of
rib, like appendages undulating on its Underside rendering the
deer into a torn sack of Flesh and Bone fragments the poor
animals seem to wither before our eyes as the sharp ribs
forced deeper into its body like a juice box having the last
drops sucked out of it. At that moment.
We were part of the herd paralyzed some had already run
off, but others were a statues in the presence of this Beast.
Another smell hit us then different from the stench of
Decay like earlier, but equally a sickening.
Like moist Earth sulfur methane and dead fish.
Its source was clear as wisps of gas from the beast's mouth
became thick billowing fumes Rising into the evening sky.
The tension was broken with the deer's mutilated husk thudding
to the ground. The remaining deer took flight
scampering off into the trees and in response the Beast
snapped its head in their Direction.
Something was wrong with its head flopping around clumsily as
it turned. I took a step back as it let out
a deep guttural rattle before bounding off after the herd.
It's matted hair swinging violently.
It splintered a tree as it went but was totally unfazed by the
impact. We waited until it's thundering
gallops faded into the quickly darkening night before saying
anything. Well, what the hell what the
hell? What was that thing Martin
sputtered tears welling up in his eyes.
I don't know man, but we have to get to the house before Sundown.
I have a feeling our chances at escaping it or little to none in
the dark. Are you crazy?
We have to go back. I want to get as far from this
place as Poe. What about my grandpa?
We can't just leave him here with that thing.
Martin didn't look over to me but wasted no time disagreeing
starting his jog up the road. We were already over halfway to
my grandpa's house. And even if we wanted to escape
it would be a menial task for the creature to smash the Jeep
off-road. The solitary light in the
distance looked like the Gates of Heaven.
It radiated safety, but I knew we couldn't continue out in the
open completely exposed. I looked down at my utility
watch making a mental note of the direction of the House North
Northeast before grabbing Martin by the arm and leading him off
the left side of the road. Nature's cruel irony manifested
in the steepening terrain and the thickening brush The house
is light quickly faded leaving us with only our bearings to
navigate. I thought we might have gone off
track for a terrifying moment. But I saw the column of smoke
above the distant tree canopy. That could only be from my
grandpa's chimney. Come on this way.
As we neared no light became apparent maybe he'd already gone
to bed. I could only guess with his lack
of communication. We came up onto the lip of a
hill sloping down towards a flat clearing, but there was no
house. There the pillar of smoke but
there was no source. It began in midair from nothing.
As we stopped to look the point where the smoke came from jerked
around in the air. When I picked up on the organic
stench, it clicked in my mind. Just like before there it was
looking directly at us the thick fumes spewing from its mouth,
but I noticed something else this time.
Now that the moon hung in the sky its light glinted off of
something beneath the creatures head.
Six black orbs shiny like obsidian three on either side of
its neck. They darted about independent of
each other and I knew immediately what they were. eyes
What kind of abomination was this if those were its eyes and
it ate the deer with that structure resembling a rib cage
then that must mean it had a false head a distraction a
defense mechanism may be it made sense how this head flopped
around limply with the beasts on natural movements.
I blinked in quick succession and looked down to my watch.
Dew East do we had been misled it had circled around us to lie
in wait. In one motion, I gripped onto
Martin's shoulder and pulled him in the direction.
We were meant to be heading in a wild Sprint for survival.
The Beast erupted into movement ribs Rippling as it let out
another rumbling Trail. Martin looked over at me
confused. Hey, dude, what are you doing?
There's nothing the shut up just run as fast as possible now
don't stop for anything. Are pounding feet were matched
by heavy thumps and Loud cracks of trees being smashed.
I dared not steal a glance behind fearing that even the
slightest break in Pace would mean death.
There I struggled to see what Martin was talking about until
the yellow light became visible between the tree trunks.
We were only a few hundred yards away, but I was surprised the
creature hadn't already caught up to us.
Even the trees in its way stood no chance of impeding it.
It had almost caught up. I could feel the air pressure
from its massive body charging through the trees behind.
It was close enough that at any moment.
I might feel it's claws. Cleave my body into pieces. a
Saving Grace coming up on our left was a dense patch of old
oak trees. I swerved towards them leaping
through the space as between trunks just large enough for us
to get through. I hit the ground rolling
sideways. There wasn't even time to be
days as an immense slam sounded from where we just been.
I scrambled backward looking to see a great arm slinking through
the gap. It was thick but not as thick as
the Oaks. The claws taped about searching
blindly for our frail bodies. Go I shouted and the both of us
shot to our feet and bolted towards the light.
As we ran the sounds grew distant.
Was it stunned or did it still think we were behind those
trees? I didn't care all that mattered
was being inside and not out. Gravel clattered against the
front of the house as we skidded to a stop.
I wrapped on the door devolving into pounding when they went on
heard on what was probably the 20th knock my fist met only are
and I stumbled in through the now open doorway.
I looked up to meet my grandpa's gays.
His eyes were wild. He didn't look like himself?
He glanced behind me at Martin then behind him whatever he saw
out there his pupils contracted in response.
Hurry boys get inside. He whispered.
We filed in and he went to bolt the door but hesitated. his hand
fell limply a no use he was right if the Beast wanted to pay
a visit it would do so regardless of our home security.
We followed him quietly to an uncovered floor hatch.
What's this Mr. Barnett? Martin asked regarding the
hatch? Huh?
Oh this here's my old wine cellar.
Martin went to ask further before being interrupted get
down. The ladder first son.
You can shoot your questions once we're safe.
He pulled on a handle opening the hatch to reveal a sturdy
wooden ladder leading into a dim space beneath.
One by one we clambered down its Dusty rungs meeting the cold
concrete floor at the bottom. Grandpa was last tugging a heavy
rug over the open hatch before closing and securing it.
I take it you've seen the thing, right?
Jesus Granddad we barely got away.
I gasped still out of breath from our Escape.
Unscathed. Yeah, mostly other than some
scratches. Good.
He walked over to an upturned crate and plopped down onto it.
Martin and I looked at each other and then back at him. well
Martin said you seem to know what we were dealing with.
So what the hell is it? Grandpa gave Martin a scowl of
disapproval quickly relenting into understanding I'd
scrutinize you on your manners boy, but now ain't the time.
He released a tired gasp letting his head drop down before
inhaling sharply and looking back up at us.
I saw it only once before in my Varsity years.
I had some Danish friends on my course who said I should come
visit them over there and do some backpacking in their home
country. Denmark has beautiful landscapes
really Peaks rise out of the trees, you know before he could
lose himself in a daydream. I cleared my throat to bring him
back to reality. Oh, right.
So we were pretty deep in the woods when it happened.
We'd all gotten paranoid because we thought something was
following us something big elk may be. but we never saw
anything only heard it and then God one of the girls in front of
me started to levitate I don't know.
She was just rising up off the ground gripped by something.
Whatever it was made a mess from her crunched her up like a
meatball being squeezed. I saw it then. curved bones
wrapped around her stabbing in deep ain't never gonna forget
the sight of it. It's like a stain on my mind.
We saw the same thing Martin piped up only it was a deer
looked like it sucked everything out of it when it was done.
Yeah, I can't say I know how it works.
You can only see it if you know something's there.
If it's there. Anyway, we ran as fast as we
could back down the trail and we seem to lose it.
The whole time there was this rancid stink though eggy and
earthy. We wound up back in the town
we'd started from when straight to the police station and
reported it. Apparently all they found was a
little chunk of meat a piece of thigh or something like that.
One of the other guys told me about the tail later on.
He brought up the smoke. We saw rising out of the forest
when we were back in the town. An old Danish Legend went that
people threw history seen smoke columns in the woods and most
who went to check it out never returned.
They said it would move around not like how a fire would spread
but like it was wandering to and fro.
Damn, that's a horrible story grandpa.
I said it doesn't help us figure out what it is though.
We already know the stuff. You've just told us.
Well, he replied. I'm sure it's got many names
seen how it can just pop up where it likes.
But I only heard it called the score in Deer means chimney
Beast if I'm remembering right? That makes sense.
We thought we were seeing the smoke from your chimney, but it
led us right to it. Kel Grandpa side this house
ain't even got a chimney. Martin looked over to me
scoffing then back over to Grandpa.
So it lures people in like that. Sure, but I don't think it means
to I'm going to take a gander and say it started up with the
fumes after it ate that deer. Yeah, I replied whatever that
thing is. It ain't from here.
It ain't from anywhere on the planet.
I think it eats something then starts giving off smoke a waste
product from digesting I'd guess. so crap gas Martin
chuckled he always was able to find a way to lighten the mood
in dire situations, even if just a little I looked up at the
monochrome ceiling above us mulling over what grandpa had
said? I remembered how this whole
thing had started and pulled out my phone to bring up my photos.
We found this after starting our way up to yours on foot.
I have an inkling, but do you know what it is?
Grandpa squinted at the screen then took it from my hand.
Scroll to the right that's only the head I said.
His silent Focus was only punctured by the dull Taps of
his finger on the screen recognition lit up in his eyes
his head bobbing up and down. Well, I'll be damned.
Wendigo, right? I asked I up.
I gotta say never seen one around these parts before but
then again I was never looking for one.
I doubt you needed but keep that as a reminder for what this
Beast is capable of. I put my phone back in my pocket
sighing and letting my chin drop into my hands in any other
situation. I would be shocked to find out
such a creature was real but not now.
This is all great Mr. Barnett Martin said with quivering
uncertainty, but it doesn't help us.
What are we going to do? What can we do?
I don't know. Well, I have a stupid idea but
it's just grasping at straws. Anything over sitting here and
waiting to die Martin breed staring off into space. anything
Grandpa looked up toward the basement window the only source
of natural light in the room what little of it remained?
Well, I was checking my traps out east from here about 6 700
yards into the woods only when I got there was there this smudge
I don't know what to call it. But that's the best I can
describe what it looked like it was like looking into it.
I couldn't register what I was looking at hurt my eyes after a
while. Never seen nothing like it.
Was after that I started seeing the scores and deer so he
traildonkey. So what I pressed leaning
forward in anticipation. Again, this is guesswork.
But I think that's where it came out from.
I threw a rock into it when I was there, but ain't here it hit
the ground like it went someplace else.
If we can just leave it back there.
Just get it to go back in. Wait, hold on.
I interrupted shouldn't we call someone police the damn Army?
What do you think will happen to the cops when they come out
here? What's a chief and a rookie and
one police car going to be able to put up against it and good
luck convincing US military to send out Marines.
You'd be lucky if they thought it was a joke.
I shut my mouth swallowing my next words allowing Grandpa to
continue with his proposition. Either the Beast leaves or we
die. I'm not even going to talk about
trying to drive away. You've seen what it does to the
trees. Stealth might work, but it's
better at that than we are big as it is, and I don't want to
risk either of you losing your lives.
His last remark sent a chill down my spine he'd said nothing
explicitly, but I already began to understand what he meant.
Granddad you don't worry about me champ.
I got something but you got to listen closely both of you.
Martin and I focused on him I wanted to hear his plan, but I
really hope it would be different from my expectations.
Now I want to make this clear before anything else.
I'm going alone and you boys need to sit tight and do as I
say. My heart dropped plunging into
the stone cold sea of Despair. Are you crazy?
No, I have to go with you. I Grandpa cut me off shushing me
as I say he commanded I knew he was right, but in the face of
laws my thoughts wrestled against the idea.
Okay. Now I'm going to call you when
I'm a Waze off. All right.
You have to pick up and stay on the call with me.
It's vital. You keep your attention on my
voice. I need both of you to be brave
for the next part. I need you to make as much noise
as you can. Martin's eyes bulged in fear
won't that just get us killed? I haven't finished that's only
up until I call you when I do you shut up and you hide in the
darkest corner of this Cellar, okay?
I was heaving for breath now cold beads of sweat butting on
my forehead, but I closed my eyes and stilled myself.
Yeah, okay. Good once we're connected I'll
start we were silenced by a single muffled thump from
overhead. So forceful that the ceiling
spewed cement dust down on us. Then another thump and another
and another. I fell off my perch in shock
when a booming crashed sounded from above chased by the
clattering of rubble. The steady thuds Drew nearer
louder until the only sound was that of the floorboards groaning
under immense weight. I looked over to Grandpa who
looked over to me and whipped a finger to his lips.
I nodded then slowly turned toward the basement hatch.
The Beast was trying its best to move silently.
A stifled whimper escaped my lungs as I saw the hatch buckle.
Allowed bang shook. The House's foundation's the
nothing. In the silence, I could make out
the beasts ticking growl. It was toying with us.
Trying to catch us out make us think we'd been foiled.
So we'd burst out in a panic and try to flee its intelligence
terrified me so much more than its grotesque appearance.
It tried this bait a few more times before huffing angrily.
The heavy Creeks grew distant until we could no longer hear it
aside from the single crash of a Fallen Tree somewhere outside.
I stood up eager to set this plan into motion only to be
dragged back down by a firm grip on my arms.
My eyes fell to meet my grandpa's looking at me with a
wide-eyed scowl. Sit down.
He hissed not yet. It's clever.
It's probably waiting at the tree line watching for us to
come out. The three of us sat in silence
ears attuned for even the slightest noise to indicate its
presents. After an excruciating weight,
Grandpa Rose to his feet and crept over to the ladder.
He scaled it wincing at the Creak of a wrong then pushed
open the hatch ever so slowly. The rug that had been above was
tattered torn fragments slipping down into the now open space.
He peeked out from side to side checking rigorously that we were
safe. As he pressed his hand upward
what sounded like a broken tile was Disturbed clattering to the
floor above us. Grandpa froze in place visibly
tensing crack the heavy step followed by the guttural rattle.
I prayed to God I wouldn't hear forced Grandpa into action.
He pushed himself off of the ladder tucking and rolling to
the floor right before the hatch was slammed by immense Force
cracking it and warping the hinges.
Grandpa shot to his feet adrenaline far outpacing his old
age. He glanced around wildly at the
floor before looking up at us with Newfound determination.
Ah, crap dammit change of plans. Martin distracted makes some
noise Kel. Give me a leg up to the window.
Martin's jaw fell open and his breathing quickened.
Damn. He yelled pressing fingers into
his temples but to his credit. He turned toward the hatch and
started up a racket straight after.
Come get you idiot. You ugly sack of crap.
While Martin was busy cussing out the chimney Beast Grandpa
and I hurried over to the window and braced myself in Anil
fingers locked together forming a foothold where he planted a
foot. One two three, ivid him up
holding my posture while he unlatched and swung the window
open. My body was already tired from
running away and Grandpa was heavier than he looked.
Still I hauled him up further until he was out past the waist
and he pulled himself out into the hazy night.
I kept my focus on him as he turned around refusing the urge
to look as I heard Claus cleaving away ravenously.
All right. I'll be calling in a minute.
He panted when I do tell Martin to zip.
I love you, bud. You too grandad.
My words latched onto him fueling a forgotten Instinct
that slammed his heels into the forest floor and sent him
sprinting into the trees fading until he was merged with the
dark itself. I have grounded again when
Martin let out a shriek and I turned to see him back peddling
from those spindly Claus extending through the jagged
hole. That once was the hatch.
A thick trail of crimson smeared from him as he shuffled back the
same Crimson that's slicked one of the Titanic clause.
It got me. Oh God, it hurts.
He cried flipping over and resorting to a belly crawl
towards me. I rushed me over and dragged him
as far away as I could but he flopped to the floor and shocked
when I released my grip his calf was a mess of exposed glistening
Flesh and Bones sliced through like warm butter.
His mouth hung half open but without a sound so I rushed to
build a cacophony in his place. As booming as I tried to make
myself sound I devolved into whimpering shouts.
The beasts arm had reached almost halfway across the room
yet still it slithered further and further through the broken
hatch Claus tick tick ticking around in search of our flesh.
Backed up into the farthest Corner alongside Martin the
Monstrous hand grew closer slowly agonizingly.
So I only became aware of the incoming call from the vibration
in my jacket pocket it felt as if somehow safety lay in the act
of answering my grandpa's call. My hand shot into my pocket and
yanked the phone out fumbling with the touchscreen and picking
it up. Granddad I it's so close.
It's about to get us do something please I wailed into
my phone. Instead of a reply allowed crack
rang through the night and then the phone.
The beasts arm lurked backward freezing for a moment before it
tore out from the basement peppering the floor with wood
fragments. As simple as sound as it was I
recognized it. his Blackhawk he'd taken it with him.
I don't know when he picked it up.
He may have had it on him the entire time.
Out the window. I saw the hulking silhouette
Beryl into the trees at speeds rivaling my Jeep in fifth.
I jumped when I heard Grandpa abruptly begin shouting over the
call. The words were indiscernible
blending in with the scuffled sounds of movement.
I took the moment to take off my jacket and then my t-shirt which
I pulled tightly around Martin's upper calf as a tourniquet.
Hey Kel, grandpa said over the phone sounding Hollow and tinny.
Make sure you keep up your aerobics.
God it sure is crap doesn't get easier with the years.
I let out a half-hearted chuckle.
I will I want to go hiking through these woods with you
camping surviving off of the hunt.
I know you do I. Got I do too.
He said stifling a sob. You're going to have to stay
strong for your mom. Okay?
There ain't no chance. I'm getting out this time. but
you you two are I broke down then thick watery streams lining
my cheeks. I'm going to miss you so so much
grandad. I but we had some good times
Amazing times know I sure as hell did and well, this is a
pretty badass way to go out, right?
An unfamiliar Comfort swelled up inside me almost breaking
through the tears. Yeah.
All right. I'm here the smudge no idea what
I'll find through their I could hear the Thundering Beast across
the call as it gained on him. It's clicks and rattles, too.
I'm going in promise me one thing though.
Anything Granddad you'd be a good kid and make my daughter
proud. That's all.
A bizarre noise came from the phone speaker something akin to
the sound of a stone sliding across a frozen lake followed by
a splash that seemed to kill all noise.
That dead silence was broken when a shuttering voice spoke
again through the phone. What the where are you?
I yelled pleading for any small morsel of information.
He could provide I don't know. It's I'm in a pipe.
I think some kind of glass tube. I can see everything outside.
It's all there all at once. there are more of these tubes so
many more their branching and splitting but the connection got
progressively weaker as he talked jittering and buzzing in
my ears. I'm heading down this tube now
and their Central one, but it's huge enormous.
Holy crap. No, I don't think it's the
central in the distance. So many the hell is this place?
My exhausted brain couldn't fathom a single thing to say.
I just listened almost as confused as he was. streams of
through some of them and the he was cut off by a tremendous
Splash, but the sound quality at this point made it sound more
like a roar. I could only hear his whimpers
until that hissing Trill crawled its way under my skin once more
it melded with the audio glitches.
But then I heard something I never could have expected even
after seeing what I had seen. It sounded as if the creature
was stuttering clearing its throat before it spoke.
The unearthly nightmare Beast had spoken.
It's words were jarring like it was repeating after someone
taught at how to talk broken by animalistic clicks and hisses.
Grandpa screamed but the call lost connection completely and
Drew out in a high sine wave tone.
My hand acted off its own accord and loosened its grip sending
the phone clattering to the floor.
By the time I had crouched down to grab it only my home screen
greeted me as I pressed the home button. the call failed I looked
down at Martin. He was out cold, but breathing
the bleeding had died down, but he needed urgent treatment.
Even so I fell to the floor back slouched up against the cold
concrete wall and decided to wait it out until sunrise.
I was certain Grandpa's plan worked.
But just the slightest uncertainty held me in place.
The adrenaline was beginning to wear off.
My limbs ached and my head thumped.
I fought against my eyelids, but they felt as if dragged down by
anchors. All light vanished and I faded
into sleep. I woke to heat on my face and a
red orange blur. I opened my eyes grimacing at
the rays of sunlight that poured through the destroyed basement
hatch directly onto my face. Any Notions of a simple
nightmare were shattered Martin? I rolled over on my side seeing
him lying a few feet away. Thank God he was still breathing
the red liquid coating the skin of his left leg was dry and
crusted but a small amount of it still seeped from his mangled
limb. I chose to let him rest while I
turned to the broken ladder hauling myself up what remained
of its rungs and out into the house.
What remained of it at least? Utter Devastation, I do not
exaggerate when I say almost the entire front portion of the
house was gone. Wooden beams jutted out from
piles of rubble and dust but all was still.
Unlike the day prior bird song weaved throughout the woods and
into the ruins. I recall learning about how
forest animals would go quiet when a predator is nearby, but I
had been too on edge to notice until their sounds had returned.
Still subtle chills wormed their way up my spine I felt safe, but
I also felt safe with Grandpa in the basement until the attack.
No smoke plumed from anywhere across the tree line and no
stench to filed my nose, but I couldn't shake it.
I spent some time scrabbling around in the back half of the
house that still stood. Quicker than expected.
I found the keys to Grandpa's truck in the corner of the
kitchen counter. I practically leaped down into
the old wine cellar then slowed my Pace gently shaking Martin
until he stirred. He was groggy and Confused.
Don't worry, man. I'm gonna get you home.
I wrapped his left arm over my shoulder supporting him to the
latter. It was tough getting him out.
But I did and we hobbled through the ruins to the truck driving
faster than truly necessary. I swerved slamming on the brakes
when the fallen tree trunks came into view almost out of nowhere
the jolt shook Martin and he came to attention from the pain
in his leg. I apologized for it but wasted
no more time in getting out and helping Martin down from his
seat. The stench of death was stronger
in the air the wendigo corpse festering nearby.
It brought me back to the night before the raw Terror spawning
paranoia Within Me That Grew intense over the short walk
between the truck and my Jeep I felt exposed.
We made it across the trees and into my Jeep quickly even with
Martin's injury. Still without any warning signs
of the Beast. My heart was drumming so hard I
could see my chest pulse. After a messy three-point turn
the wheels slipped kicking up dust before we shot away down
the track. We drove until reaching the
small police station where I flew out of the Jeep and burst
through its double doors. Perhaps a rash action in
retrospect, but my mind was elsewhere.
Before anything else. I had them call an ambulance for
my friend followed by reporting a severe animal attack.
When I was asked what attacked us.
I spat out cougar. The officer grunted and I laid
out the facts Grandpa was gone dragged Away by our assailant an
ambulance arrived soon. Thereafter to pick up Martin the
EMTs were visibly surprised by the last serration, but attended
to him nonetheless. He'd lost a fair bit of blood
but they quickly got him in stable condition at the nearest
hospital where he stayed for the next week.
A search party banded together to look for grandpa, but they
found nothing of course. I was questioned about the state
of his house, but I think the trauma welling up in my eyes was
the best defense I could have had.
No Scorch marks on the ruble to indicate explosives nothing.
It's been a few years since this all happened and I've made it
through the stages of grief in one piece.
I'd like to say grandpa lives on in my memory, but that wouldn't
be entirely accurate to say. I can still remember him our
conversations days out the smell of his fireplace all that.
But no matter how hard I try. I can't remember what he looked
like. That's to say there's only an
imperceptible smudge where he once was in any pictures, I
still have. I don't know where he ended up
some massive network of tubes. But I get the distinct
impression that is grave lies elsewhere in another place
separate from this world. I'm eternally grateful for his
sacrifice. Yeah.
But I can't help but think that it was only our lives that were
saved from the score in Deer. Are there more of them or is it
somehow able to relocate itself? only my Grandpa would have
answers but Yeah, just in case if you find yourself out in the
wilderness and you see a steady plume of smoke rising from the
trees, perhaps even smell the organic stench of digestion.
It'd be best to call off the occasion entirely.
Once it's on to you. Well, I only hope you're as
lucky as we were on the day. My Grandpa died.
The moment I think back on that trip a shiver runs down my spine
the kind that doesn't come from the cold but from something
buried deep in memory. It's strange sharing stories
like this a bit like group therapy for those of us who
stared into the eyes of something Primal something that
doesn't fit into the neat categories of our modern
understanding but here I am ready to share ours not because
I want to relive those moments, but because maybe just maybe
it'll serve as a warning for someone else.
Fresh out of high school with the naivety of Youth still
clinging to us like the scent of cheap cologne.
We thought a camping trip was the perfect send-off before
College. There were four of us Preston
with his native American Heritage and a knack for
survival. That went beyond what you'd find
in any manual. Jamie who knew his way around
guns better than anyone. I'd ever met Mark a friend of
Prestons whose quiet demeanor masked arrest Restless spirit.
And then there was me. The glue trying to hold this
motley crew together. Our plan was simple.
Dive deep into the heart of the national forest surround
ourselves with the kind of wilderness that makes you forget
the world outside and just be we packed my old BMW station wagon
to the brim with everything. We thought we'd need tents food
camping supplies. And of course our guns the drive
was a mix of anticipation and Nostalgia the road unwinding
like the years. We'd spent together leading us
into the unknown. Setting up camp that first day
was a breeze a testament to the countless times.
We'd done this before. But as we settled down the
crackling fire casting Shadows that dance danced just beyond
our circle of life. I felt a prickling on the back
of my neck. For a moment.
I thought I saw a pair of green eyes framed by what looked like
antlers watching us from the darkness.
I brushed It Off. Chalking it up to the tricks the
Mind plays when the sun dips below the horizon.
We spent that first night as if it were any other camping trip
reminiscing about the past and dreaming aloud about the future
the campfire Curry we whip up was a makeshift feast and the
smores that followed felt like a nod to our not so distant
childhoods. It was perfect or as perfect as
any of us could have hoped for. But as I lay in my tent the
sounds of the night a comforting lullaby I couldn't shake the
feeling that something was off. It was as if the forest itself
was holding its breath waiting for something to break the
silence. Pressed and seemed undisturbed
his breathing steady in the quiet of the night and I force
myself to believe that it was all in my head.
Looking back. I wish I had paid more attention
to that feeling to the eyes that watched us with a curiosity.
That was far from benign. I wish I had asked Preston about
it but wishes are like leaves in the wind easily scattered and
impossible to gather again. That night as we slept the
Wilderness around us whispered secrets in a language.
We were not yet ready to understand and by the time we
would start to decipher them, it would all ready be too late.
The forest greeted us with a dense Mist that morning as if
the trees themselves were trying to dissuade us from delving any
deeper into their domain. Preston led the way his steps
confident yet cautious. A silent Testament to his
connection with the land that went beyond mere survival
skills. Jamie ever the Enthusiast kept
closed his eyes scanning the thick foliage with a mix of
excitement and weariness. Mark was quieter than usual his
usual nonchalance replaced by a contemplative silence.
And then there was me caught between the thrill of adventure
and a growing sense of unease that I couldn't quite shake off.
As we Trek towards the river the overcast sky and the lack of
clear landmarks made navigation challenging.
Preston's unease was palpable a stark contrast to the man who
had always seemed unshakable in the face of the wilderness.
When he stopped suddenly pulling me aside to whisper about a bad
Omen. I felt my stomach knot the
distant whooping noise that followed his warning sent a
chill down my spine a sound so alien and yet terrifyingly
familiar in a way I couldn't explain.
Preston's reaction to the creature we glimpsed through the
trees was the first real indication that this trip was
veering into Uncharted Territory his swear words spoken in his
native tongue added weight to the gravity of our situation.
Despite our Arsenal the creatures Swift to escape after
Preston shots made it clear that we were dealing with something
far beyond our understanding. The mention of a wendigo a
creature from Preston's cultural lore marked a turning point in
our journey transforming our adventure into a fight for
survival. The decision to cross the river
and sever our only means of retreat by destroying the
Tramway felt like a desperate Gamble.
As Preston cut through the Rope sending the tram crashing into
the waters below. I realized there was no going
back. His actions driven by a
deep-seated fear of the wendigo left us stranded on the far side
of the Wilderness cut off from the familiar and thrust into a
realm of ancient fears. Marks disappearance that night
was the blow that shattered any remaining illusions of safety.
The realization that we were being actively hunted by
something that could snatch one of us away without a trace was
paralyzing. The forest once a place of
freedom and Escape had become a prison it's bars made of
towering trees and its guards unseen entities that watched
from the Shadows. As we prepared to confront
whatever had taken Mark Preston's knowledge of the
wendigo became our only guide. His makeshift torches crafted
with a sense of urgency or symbolic of the thin line
between light and darkness. between hope and despair the
revelation of the wendigo's nature a cannibalistic demon
with a lust for human blood cast a dark Pall over our camp
transforming our fears into a tangible enemy.
That night as we huddled around the fire the weight of our
situations settled heavily on my shoulders.
The stories pressed and shared about the wendigo Tales passed
down through generations were no longer just stories.
They were a grim reality. We were living our decision to
stand and fight to face the ancient Horrors that lurked in
the depths of the forest was born out of necessity A
desperate bid for survival in a world that had suddenly turned
hostile. as I loaded my gun the reality of our predicaments
saying in we were no longer just Campers or friends on an
adventure. We were survivors Warriors
pitted against ancient evil in a battle that would test the
limits of our courage our friendship and our will to live
the forest with its hidden dangers and ancient Secrets had
become our Battleground and the wendigo a Nightmare made flesh
our adversary. As Dawn broke the forest seemed
to hold its breath a Stillness that belied the turmoil within
us. We had fortified our camp as
best we could but as the light filtered through the dense
canopy, it only served to highlight our vulnerability.
Preston moved with a quiet urgency his actions a blend of
ritual and survival strategy. Jamie kept a Vigilant watch his
usual bravado subdued by the weight of our predicament the
absence of Mark hung over us like a shadow a constant
reminder of the danger that stalked us unseen.
The plan was simple in its desperation.
Hold our ground and survived. Preston's insistence on watch
rotations under scored the severity of our situation.
As night approached the forest seemed to come alive with
Sinister Whisperers the sounds of nature Twisted into ominous
portends. When it was my turn to stand
watch The Darkness felt oppressive a tangible entity
that pressed in from all sides. Every snap of a twig or rustle
of leaves sent adrenaline coursing through my veins a
primal response to an unseen predator.
The fire became our Beacon a fragile barrier between us and
the malevolent force that lurked in the Darkness.
Preston's decision to use fire as a weapon against the wendigo
was born out of ancient wisdom a testament to the enduring
struggle between light and dark life and death.
The makeshift torches their Flames flickering in the night
were symbols of defiance a declaration that we would not go
quietly into the Embrace of the forest.
The attack when it came was both terrifying and surreal the
wendigo's house shattered the night a sound that seemed to
freeze the very blood in our veins.
As it emerged from the darkness the embodiment of nightmares our
preparations were put to the test.
The gunfire that tore through the night was a cacophony of
fear and determination each shot a police for survival.
The creatures resilience was unlike anything.
We had encountered a being forged from the darkness of the
forest itself. Preston's bravery as he faced
the creature with fire and steel was a Beacon of Hope in the
chaos. His knowledge of the wendigo
passed down through generations was our only Edge.
As the night wore on the lines between Hunter and Hunted
blurred each encounter with the creature a dance with death.
The realization that we were not just fighting for our lives but
engaging in a battle that spanned centuries lent a grim
significance to our struggle. The Siege wore on a test of
endurance and will The moments of Silence were almost worse
than the attacks pregnant with anticipation of the next
onslaught. Are resolve was tested not just
by the physical demands of the battle, but by the cycle of
facing an enemy, that was both myth and reality.
The fear of becoming like Mark lost to the darkness hung over
us like a specter driving us to fight with every ounce of
strength we possessed. As Dawn approached the forest
seemed to hold its breath the knights Horrors retreating into
the Shadows with the coming light.
The Siege had ended but the battle was far from over we were
survivors, but at what cost the scars we bore were not just
physical Butch deep within our souls a permanent reminder of
the night. We stood against the darkness
and prevailed. In the aftermath as we prepare
to face another day the forest no longer seemed like a
sanctuary but a Battleground a place where ancient evils lurked
waiting for the cover of night to reveal their true nature.
The morning sun did little to dispel the chill that had
settled in my bones a cold that came from within born of fear
and the lingering presence of death.
As we prepared to leave the relative safety of our camp.
The absence of Mark was a gaping wound Among Us. a silent
Testament to the price already paid the forest around us once a
place of beauty and Solitude now felt like amazed designed by
some malevolent architect each path potentially leading to our
Doom. Preston led the way his face set
in a grim Mass. Every line in curved etched by
the trials we had endured. Jamie followed his usual jokes
and laughter replaced by a quiet determination a result forged in
the fires of our nightlong Siege.
And then there was me caught between a desire to flee this
nightmare and the understanding that there was no turning back
not until we Face our demon once more.
The illusion of Mark's return was a cruel twist of fate a
momentary spark of hope extinguished by the harsh
reality of our situation. The creature that stood before
us wearing Mark's face, but devoid of his soul was an
Abomination a mockery of the friend we had lost.
The confrontation that followed was a blur of motion and emotion
A desperate battle against an enemy that was both familiar and
utterly alien. As we Face the wendigo armed
with little more than our wits and the weapons.
We carried the distinction between man and monster blurred
the gunfire that erupted between us and the creature was not just
an exchange of bullets, but a battle for our very Humanity.
With each shot fired. We reaffirmed our refusal to
succumb to the darkness to become like the thing that had
taken mark from us. Preston's voice raised in
challenged to the wendigo was a Beacon of Hope a reminder of the
strength that comes from standing together against the
odds. As the creature responded the
air between us crackled with the tension of ancient enmities a
battle that transcended time in place.
The wendigo's howl a sound that chilled the soul. was a
declaration of war a challenge that we met with determination
and fear. The final battle was a testament
to the power of fire and resolve.
As I charged makeshift flamethrower in hand.
I was driven by a singular purpose to avenge Mark to
protect my friends to end this nightmare.
The creatures screams as the Flames engulfed it were a
symphony of Victory and sorrow a cacophony that echoed through
the forest a final farewell to the friend we had lost.
In the aftermath as we stood among the ashes of our enemy The
Silence was oppressive void filled with the ghosts of our
actions Preston's decision to destroy the wendigo's remains
was a solemn Duty an act of respect and a final gesture of
defiance against the darkness. As we made our way to the
highway the forest around us seemed to watch A Silent Witness
to the events that had unfolded within its depths.
The journey back to civilization was A procession of the Wounded
each step taking us further from the forest, but never truly
leaving it behind. The scars we carry were not just
physical Butch deep within our souls a reminder of the price
paid for our survival. As Preston spoke of his plans to
inform his Elders to ensure that our battle would not be
forgotten. I realized that some Wars are
never truly one. They linger in the shadows
waiting for the Next Generation to stand against the darkness.
In the end our pact to never speak of what happened was a vow
made in blood. A promise to carry the burden of
our experiences alone. But as I share this story
breaking the silence that has enveloped us.
I do so with the hope that it will serve as a warning a beacon
for those who might find themselves on the edge of the
darkness. For in the wilderness among the
Beauty and the Majesty their lurks a shadow a reminder that
some myths are born of Truth and some monsters are all too real.
The clock was close to striking midnight and the whole house was
asleep except for me. In the dimly lit dining room
only the warm glow from the three bulbs of the table broke
through the darkness. I could barely make out the
hands of the clock as they moved closer to 12.
With a deep breath. I took out the shot glass.
I had kept hidden in the back of the cupboard and placed it next
to the bottle of Jagermeister on the table.
I don't usually drink not after what happened to pop.
But the first day of september is different.
It's the one exception I allow myself.
Rubbing my tongue against the inside of my cheek.
I felt my mouth go dry a familiar Sensation that always
accompanied this moment. The house was silent so quiet
that the ticking of the clock seemed to Echo off the walls and
then write it midnight the soft chime rang out sounding like
distant church bells. I filled the shot glass raised
it for a second as if toasting someone only I could see and
swallowed the familiar Burns slid down my throat warming me
from the inside. After the ritual was complete.
I took the shot glass to the kitchen to wash it by the Light
of the moon shining through the window.
Loretta my wife wouldn't mind me drinking but a used shot glass
left out would raise questions and talking about it.
Well, I've never been good at that.
I still have nightmares all these years later.
What I saw up on that mountain left a mark on me deeper than
anything else ever has. Deeper than the joy of seeing my
children born or the sorrow of watching my father drink himself
to an early grave. Loretta tells me I should talk
about it that it might help. She's probably right she usually
is. So here goes it was right out of
school when I joined the park rangers service.
School was never my thing. The outdoors always called to
me. I spent my school days
daydreaming about the weekends when I could Escape into nature
hiking or fly fishing with pop. It was our thing a bond we
shared. In the summer of 89 I found
myself stationed in the Appalachians.
It was my dream job. Our area covered the trails that
wound their way up the mountain a place where the air felt
different where the spruce trees thinned out and the clouds hung
low giving everything a touch of Mystery.
That's summer was mostly about cleaning up.
The winter storms had left the trails covered in Fallen
branches and debris. It was considered grunt work
something for the new guy which I was.
But honestly, I didn't mind it meant I was out there in the
thick of it all feeling more alive than I ever did in a
classroom. One day as the summer heat began
to wane and the number of visitors dwindled something
happened. That would change me forever.
It started like any other day, but it ended with me facing
something out of my darkest nightmares.
Something that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
Haunting my dreams and leading me to this yearly ritual.
That's the day I can't forget the day that compels me to raise
a glass every first day of septembar.
Trying to find some peace some closure.
But deep down. I know some experience is cling
to you shaping Who You Are Forever lurking in the shadows
of your mind. It was a morning like any other
in the ranger station damp and Misty the kind of weather that
clings to your skin and makes everything feel slower.
I was sitting at my desk thumbing through reports of
Fallen trees and planting my day when he burst through the door.
He looked wild eyes wide and darting around as if he was
seeing ghosts in every corner. He let out this moan a sound so
full of disparate froze me in my seat and then collapsed right
there on the floor. Stanley my fellow Ranger was
quicker to react. He leaned down trying to prop
him up into a sitting position. The guy was soaked to the bone
his clothes clinging to him dripping water all over the
wooden floor. I handed Stanley a cup of water
thinking maybe the guy was just dehydrated or something.
But when Stanley tried to get him to drink he just flailed
around knocking the cup right out of his hand.
The glass shattered on the floor, but he didn't even seem
to notice. It's out there.
He kept saying over and over like a broken record.
His voice was hoarse barely above a whisper, but you could
hear the fear. It was palpable filling the room
and making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
What's out there Stanley asked trying to keep his voice steady,
but the guy just grabbed Stanley's shirt.
His hands shaking. He was scared out of his mind.
Stanley and I exchanged looks we'd seen a lot of things in our
time as Rangers, but nothing like this.
Nothing, that could scare a man so badly he could barely speak.
Finally after what seemed like forever.
He managed to calm down enough to sit up and look at us.
He was a mess eyes red and faced gaunt like he'd been lost in the
woods for weeks without food. Stanley gently asked him where
he was from and after a long pause.
He said he'd come up from San Diego with a couple of friends
for a hiking trip. That's when the story started to
come together, but each piece was more troubling than the
last. They'd been planning to hike the
Trail North but something went horribly wrong.
He pulled out a stack of Polaroids from his backpack and
there they were his friends smiling in alive.
But the way he looked at those photos you could tell they were
more than just missing. Stanley took charge marking the
map with the last place. He'd seen them my stomach
churned as I realized. We were heading deep into the
mountains far from the safety of the trails.
This wasn't just another rescue mission.
It felt like we were walking into a nightmare.
We geared up trying to shake off the uneasy feeling settling over
us. The forest seemed different as
we set out more foreboding every shadow felt like it was watching
us every rustle in the underbrush a Potential Threat.
As we move deeper into the Wilderness away from any path or
sign of civilization. I couldn't shake the feeling
that we weren't alone that whatever had terrified that
hiker was waiting for us, too. The Silence of the forest was a
heavy oppressive thing broken only by our footsteps and the
occasional distant call of a bird.
It felt like the Calm before the storm and I had no idea if we
were ready for what was coming. The old Cabin in the Woods
looked like something straight out of a horror movie its walls
rotting in the roof half caved in.
By the time we founded Darkness had already swallowed the Woods
Hole turning everything outside the beam of our flash lights
into a sea of Shadows. The air felt thick with
something unsaid an ominous silence that seemed to press
down on us from all sides. Stanley was the first to move
towards the cabin his flash light cutting through the dark.
This will have to do for shelter.
He muttered more to himself than to us.
I followed close behind my heart racing.
Something about the place felt wrong like we were intruding on
something ancient and malevolent.
We barely had time to catch our breath before we heard it alone
gutter roll that seemed to come from all around us.
Stanley froze his flashlight beam darting around the
clearing. Did you guys hear that?
He whispered. But before anyone could answer
chaos erupted. Out of the Shadows it came at us
a Nightmare made flesh the Wendigo its eyes were like pits
of fire in the darkness and its body was a grotesque mix of
human and animal with long clawed limbs that seemed to
stretch unnaturally. We barely had time to react.
Stanley fired his rifle but the creature moved with terrifying
speed dodging the bullets as if they were nothing.
Panic took over I remember thinking we were going to die
out there torn apart by this monster from the legends.
But then something clicked inside me. fire the creature
seemed to recoil from the Flames of our torches hissing is if the
light caused it pain with a desperate burst of adrenaline.
I grabbed a branch from the ground lighting it on fire from
one of our torches wielding it like a weapon.
I lunged at the wendigo swinging the makeshift torch with all my
might. The creature shrieked a sound so
piercing it felt like it could freeze my blood.
For a moment it faltered stepping back into the shadows
as if afraid. That moment of hesitation was
all we needed. Stanley and Harry joined in
brandishing their own sources of fire driving the creature
further into the darkness. But the relief was short-lived.
as we were forced to flee leaving behind any hope of
sanctuary. As we ran the fire behind us lit
up the night casting long Sinister Shadows among the
trees. We didn't stop running until we
reached the ranger station the first light of dawn creeping
Over the Horizon. The forest was silent once again
as if nothing had happened. But the scars of that night
would stay with us forever. Looking Back Now it all seems
like a blur. a nightmare that I can't wake up from I still don't
fully understand what happened out there.
All I know is that the wendigo is real.
And it's out there waiting in the darkness of the forest. and
every year on the first day of septembar, I remember I remember
the terror the fire and the faces of my friends who were not
as lucky as I was to make it out alive.
Sometimes late at night when the world is silent and still I can
still hear the creatures screams echoing in the back of my mind a
constant reminder of the night. I came face to face with the
Wendigo. I'm posting this in hopes that
someone out there may be able to help me.
I've started writing and deleting this so many times over
the last six months or so that it would make your head spin.
At first I thought that no one would believe me.
So why bother? Then it became a matter of not
wanting to relive those events again.
Now, it's all I can think about and I just want to stop.
Let me explain. This past June my wife Michelle
and I took our two teenage girls camping.
I'd made our reservations online at a campsite.
We'd never stayed at before a quaint little place called Lost
Creek Campgrounds. It was a little farther away
than we usually went but the reviews were amazing and the
pictures were absolutely breathtaking.
I just couldn't pass it up. We use their online map and
found an isolated spot that looked perfect for us.
When we got there, we set the canopy up over the included
picnic table and were putting up the tent when I heard what I
thought was a family out hiking they seemed to enjoy themselves.
So I paid little attention until it seemed like they might be
lost calling out to one another for help.
I alerted Michelle and was heading to the nearest Trailhead
to lend a hand when the voice is stopped.
I chalked it up to a misunderstanding and helped her
finish setting up the tent. I was exhausted from the drive
and getting camp set up. The kids were complaining about
all the bugs and lack of cell phones service.
Michelle's energy kept us all going as she humbled some early
90s Tunes stuck in her head while getting the campfire
going. I started thinking about that
family in the woods again, but since I hadn't heard anything in
a little while, I could only assume everything turned out,
okay? It was getting dark.
So we roasted some hot dogs made some s'mores and took turns
trying to tell the scariest story before turning in.
The girls regaled us with some things they'd read on the No
Sleep subreddit about a search and rescue officer.
I went with some classic campfire stories like the
babysitter and the clown statue and the man with the hook.
Michelle was the clear winner with some story.
I'd never heard her tell before about the time.
She and her siblings encountered what they thought was a wendigo
while camping in San Antonio. In the morning, we spent some
time relaxing at the beach and just enjoying our surroundings.
It was a beautiful day and I couldn't help but think it odd
that we were the only ones in the water.
There wasn't even a single boat out past the buoys to disturb
the still and tranquil Lake. It was nice to have the place to
ourselves though. I went swimming with the girls
and teased them about all the things they couldn't see in the
murky Lake water while Michelle laughed from the shore and
worked on her tan. We had a few sandwiches for
lunch and didn't head back to Camp until the early evening.
As night fell I talked them all into doing some night hiking.
It was a family tradition that I insisted we keep up on every
trip. We wandered around the
circuitous trails near our campsite.
The woods were an entirely different place at night.
There could be something new and exciting around every twist and
turn of the trail. Having only the beam of your
flash light to illuminate things added that little taste of
adrenaline that kept us going for a few hours.
Heading around the last circuit back to Camp.
I began hearing familiar voices asking for help.
This time Michelle and the girls heard them as well.
We headed toward the voices to offer some assistance, but the
closer we got to where we thought they were the further
into the maples hemlocks and white ash trees.
The voices could be heard after 10 minutes.
I let us back to Camp. I didn't make a big deal about
it, but I sensed something was wrong.
I could feel it in my bones. Somehow I put on a fake smile
and teased the girls about our experience to calm the down.
We all decided that it was probably just some Bobcats.
You couldn't go camping anywhere in Ohio without hearing them at
some point or another. Sometimes they could sound like
a screaming woman or even a crying child.
They went to bed content with that information and fell fast
asleep in their sleeping bags. Michelle and I curled up by the
campfire to enjoy the rare silence together.
The older the girls got the harder.
It was to come by. An hour later, we heard our
youngest daughter calling for us from the woods.
That wasn't possible. She was still curled up asleep
in her sleeping bag. We could see her before we could
react we heard our other daughter's voice coming from the
other side of the Woods. She was also fast asleep in the
sleeping bag next to her sister. We rushed into the tent and
locked it down. It was an all-season tent it was
thick and durable with locking zippers.
We battened down the hatches and held onto each other while I
kept an eye out through the little window.
I must have dozed off because the sound of a zipper woke me
up. I had locked them from the
inside. So I assumed one of the girls
had gone to the bathroom. Still I moved to the entry
fearing the worst when I saw everyone in their sleeping bags,
my blood went cold. The zipper inched upwards.
I grabbed it and held it tight. I saw an impossibly long finger
through the screen. I told who or what ever it was
to go the hell away. I took a deep breath as I heard
quiet footsteps moving away from the 10th.
The lock was broken at my feet. Before I could process anything
I heard movement. This time it came from multiple
directions. I considered waking everyone on
one hand. I needed help on the other a
screaming Wife and Kids seemed like a bad idea.
I let them sleep for better or worse.
I felt surrounded and I smelled something odd copper and nag,
Champa. I could make out enormous shapes
through the tent fabric the voices rang out as more of them
moved in close enough to brush against the tent.
I bit my lip till it bled closing my eyes to steady my
nerves. I heard the voices of the family
from the first day. The voice is of my still
sleeping daughter's and wife. I nearly lost my hard-earned
composure when I heard my voice Whispering near where I
crouched. I realized what I had missed in
the voices all along. While they sounded like copies
of human voices, there was something distinctly off about
them. Like mimicking instead of
speaking. They were piecing words together
to form conversations without matching tones or tempos.
I focused so much on how they sounded that I wasn't listening
to what they were saying until it became one cacophonic burst
of repetition. Hungry as the first few Jagged
claws tore long streaks all around the tent a bright light
filled the camp from an unknown source.
Through a rip in the entrance door.
I could see one of them. It must have been seven feet
tall and was impossibly thin. Its modeled gray skin stretched
so tight over its bones that I could see its organs pulse
beneath. It glared at me with empty eye
sockets. So deep that no light could
Escape them? It lunged at me ripping the rest
of the fabric to shreds as I finally screamed to wake up
Michelle and the girls. I knew at that moment that I was
dead. There was no where to run and
soon we would all be devoured. I shut my eyes as it tore into
my chest and explosion of sound followed by warm liquid raining
down on me assaulted my senses, but somehow I was alive.
By the time I opened my eyes, I had heard a dozen more small
explosions in quick succession mixed with the confused screams
of my family as they were harshly awakened.
Men approached the wreckage of our tent shotguns in hand.
They ushered us to their trucks and drove us into the nearby
town. I had so many questions, but the
men stayed quiet till they got us to safety.
They called them Forest mimics. Something had been stirring them
up over the last few weeks and more people had gone missing
than usual. They'd shut down the campgrounds
until they could sort it out. Our online reservation had
somehow gone unnoticed and by the time they stumbled upon our
camp. It had nearly been too late.
We never went back for our gear as a family we stick to Resorts
and indoor lodgings these days. Michelle and the girls were
lucky they didn't see what I saw to them.
The story has become. That time a pack of wild animals
attacked our tent. For me, it's something different
entirely. I have developed PTSD and severe
insomnia since it all happened. Not even the medication.
I've been prescribed as helping. Some nights.
I swear I can still hear those voices chanting that word hungry
in the dark recesses of our home.
A month ago the dreams began and that's why I'm finally posting
this now. In those dreams, I can hear more
than just that single word. They call out to me in their
staggered amalgam of voices their Legion like staccato
shrieking and begging me to come home.
On those nights I wake up crying.
I don't cry out of fear or some sense of personal preservation
know I cry because the longing in their voices is palpable.
I cry because of the pain that flares up in the scar that they
left on my chest. I cry because because I'm
hungry. I just want to start by saying
that dating is hard. Once you get past all the Bots
adds and scammers and meet a real person the guessing game
begins. Why is this person actually
available right now? Are they really just down on
their luck or is it something else that you're happy or not
knowing Then once you figure out their deep dark secrets, the
question becomes are they willing to put up with your deep
dark secrets? this process can take weeks to
sort out usually resulting in a dead end somewhere forcing you
to start over the whole thing is frustrating demeaning and
humiliating enough that your physically and emotionally
exhausted making you just want to give up and be alone or Now I
know what you're wondering. What's this got to do with
anything? Well, it's kind of simple.
A little bit ago. I wrote about how my girlfriend
Wendy never eats and that I heard some.
Unsettling things at her house the last time I visited.
Well, I decided to keep seeing Wendy.
Sure, she might have some unusual habits, but she makes me
feel good about myself and I'm happy with her.
So what if she never eats or chases off Bears while nude in
the middle of the night? Compared to returning to the
dating scene. That's really not so bad.
We even have nicknames for each other now country girl and city
boy. I'll let you guess which is
which. Anyway, that's a rather long and
round about way of saying that yeah, I went on that camping
trip with her. And things didn't go quite how I
expected. First off I want to say that she
was right. The forest really is beautiful.
The sun's heat combined with the coolness of the shade while
listening to the insects drone lazily in the background seems
to slow time to a crawl making each breath a relaxing
experience in and of itself. It's entirely unlike anything
you'll experience during your morning commute.
Combine all that with the right company and soon you'll wonder
why you'd ever return and let me tell you Wendy is 100% the right
company. When he was quick with tips to
make the hike easier from how to properly distribute your pack
load to how to lace your shoes for maximum Comfort during the
Trek to where we were going to set up Camp She alternated
between offering interesting bits of information about the
local flora and fauna and walking in silence allowing me
to get lost in the experience. The whole Affair made me want to
give up the city life and move to the country.
There was just one thing during the walk that wasn't as pleasant
as everything else. At one point we must have walked
too close to a skunk or a rotting carcass or something
because the whole area around us started to reach.
At first it wasn't so bad. But eventually it got so strong.
It made me want to gag. I jokingly mentioned it to
Wendy, but she just looked ahead like she was determined and told
me pick up the pace. Well be passed it soon enough.
Sure enough. We eventually got past the smell
and things quickly became Pleasant again.
The rest of the hike passed without incident and when he
even helped me set up the tent. Her evident experience in the
matter showed through because it took no time.
Soon enough, everything was ready.
And we even had a nice cheerful fire roaring this time when she
pulled out the supplies for dinner.
I didn't even bat an eye when it was clearly only enough for one
whatever was going on with her. This was just the way it was
going to be it was up to me to accept that or move on and I
made my call. But I have to say for someone
who never seems to eat. She sure knows how to sear a
steak to perfection. After a pleasant evening, and an
even more pleasant night we passed out in the tent together
while listening to The Crickets and the more distant owls.
But of course if that's all that happened I wouldn't be writing
about it here. Sometime during the night.
I awoke to find I was alone in the tent.
This wasn't too unexpected because when he was both an
outdoor Enthusiast and a bit of a night owl, I debated calling
out to her but something in the air felt like I shouldn't
disturb it with such an out-of-place sound.
However, Mother Nature did have her demands and it was time to
answer her call. As I unzip the tent and stepped
out. I couldn't help but look up into
the night sky, the stars were breathtaking.
You never see this many this vibrant in the city.
However, their beauty couldn't distract me for long in the face
of more. urgent demands Do you know that feeling when you've
been holding it in a little too long and finally experienced
relief? Maybe it distracted me from the
fact that all the usual night sounds had suddenly gone quiet,
but it couldn't distract me from the sudden smell of Rotting
Flesh. It was even stronger than it had
been on the trail and was accompanied by the kind of fear
that you usually feel when you're very young and just
starting to wonder if there might be reasons sounds go bump
in the night. I gagged as I struggled to cut
off the stream zip up my pants and Retreat into the tent again.
Once in the tent I reached for the flash light then has a
tated. I desperately wanted to see
better but something in the back of my mind told me it was better
to remain hidden. Of course, I don't know how well
hidden in the blue tent in the middle of the forest can be but
turning on a flash light would be like activating a beacon for
everything within a few miles to see.
I sat in the dark for I don't know how long feeling my heart
pounded through my chest loud enough that I was sure whatever
was out there could hear it clearly.
Thankfully the smell of eventually faded but I was still
so high on adrenaline that I knew I wouldn't sleep another
wink for the rest of the night. or so I thought the following
day. I awoke with Wendy cuddled in my
arm with one of her legs and arms draped over me.
And once again, she was totally nude.
Now I was pretty sure she'd put on some pajamas before going to
bed. But as she stirred and I got a
good look at what was on display.
I suddenly didn't care all that much.
Eventually, she smiled lazily up at me and spoke.
You sleep. All right city boy you seem to
have some pretty rough dreams in the middle of the night.
At the time those words made perfect sense in the light of
day. It seemed pretty clear that
whatever happened last night was probably just a vivid dream
brought on by the experience as of the day before and an
unfamiliar environment. After a bit more time to gather
we decided to get up and Tackle another day in the forest.
However, when I finally crawled out of the tent I could see our
entire Camp was in disarray. It was like something had gone
through and tossed everything around.
A few of the more delicate items were totally demolished.
After a moment, I called out. Um, hey, you might want to take
a look at this. As Wendy crawled out of the
tent. She made a face.
Must have been a bear. They usually don't come out this
way. So I wasn't too worried about
them. I guess that's on me.
Sorry. A bear that kind of made sense.
At least I told myself so as we were cleaning up I even saw
tracks though in my inexperience as a city boy.
I would have said they belong to a dog not a bear. a huge dog
maybe a wolf What was even odor was when I found what looked
like hoof prints? Looking at the prints.
I realized that deer must be much bigger than they look on TV
since they were more than twice as long as my hand.
There isn't much more to say about the day we fixed the place
up had breakfast when on a hike made dinner and called it a
night with a few other minor activities sprinkled throughout.
I was back to enjoying the trip so much so that I had mostly
forgotten about the night before.
But that night things took a bit of an unexpected turn.
Once again, I awoke in the middle of the night.
Thankfully I wasn't alone this time as Wendy was still asleep
half on top of me again. However, that stench was back
and stronger than ever. It was amazing how bright it
seemed in the tent. It must have been a full moon or
at least nearly full because I could clearly see the shadow of
a large deer passed between us and the night sky, but there was
something wrong with this deer. It was clearly too tall as if it
was standing on hind legs and when it opened its mouth I could
even make out a mouthful of very sharp teeth.
I couldn't help it. I felt myself breathing more
heavily by the second as my heart rate skyrocketed.
My mind went blank when I suddenly felt Wendy stir.
remembering the presence of my considerably smaller girlfriend
I suddenly felt protective. As if I couldn't let anything
happen to her. I was just about to tell her to
be quiet when I noticed her looking up at me with a finger
on her lips as if telling me to do the same.
Then she whispered to me. Stay in the tent.
And started to get up. I don't know what I was thinking
or if I was thinking all I knew was I couldn't let Wendy go out
to face whatever that was. So I reached out and grabbed her
wrist before she could exit the tent.
However, when she looked back at me, I released her immediately
almost as scared of her as whatever was outside the tent.
Her eyes reflected light back at me like a cats and I could see
the nails on her hand growing as I watched.
In half a moment. She turned back around opened
the tent and climbed outside. I will never forget the sound.
I heard at that moment. After I got home, I looked up
the calls of a bunch of wild animals and in hindsight I'd say
it was like a compilation of an elk call a rabbit scream and a
mountain lion scream but impossibly loud.
When he shouted in answer her tiny human voice sounding so
frail and comparison. At least it did until it started
to change morphing and twisting into the howl of an impossibly
large wolf. I couldn't help it.
I peeked out the tent flap and standing in front of the tent
was what I could only describe as a werewolf.
The little five foot and change Wendy was now standing at least
seven feet tall covered in fur with claws and fangs that looked
like they could tear through steel and she looked ready for
murder. Then some movement on the
opposite end of our camp Drew my attention and I witnessed a
living nightmare that suddenly made a werewolf seem like less
of a problem. It looked kind of like a deer if
a deer had more articulated limbs far too long for its body.
The feet ended in Hooves, but the hands ended in Long bony
clause. The whole thing looked
desiccated its skin drawn so tight over its ribs and arms you
could make out the skeleton beneath.
The fur was spotty and looked partially rotted with open holes
leaking bodily fluids. That should never see light its
teeth were long and serrated clearly meant for tearing rather
than chewing. I sometimes hear Hunters talking
about deer being eight or ten points.
But if I had to estimate this thing had a 30-point antler with
many of the tines covered in what I suspected to be dried
viscera from previous victims. The two monsters charged each
other the nightmare which I now know was a wendigo lowered its
head intending to impale its opponent.
But at the last second when he threw herself nearly flat on the
ground only to rock it up into the wendigo latching onto its
long neck with her powerful jaws while her hind feet kicked
gouges into its vulnerable stomach.
However, the wendigo didn't seem willing to give up that easily
and tossed Wendy aside. She hit the ground hard and was
soon set upon by the other monster.
She raised an arm to defend herself only for the wendigo to
latch on with its own teeth easily tearing through her skin
and muscles. With a powerful kick when he
pushed the nightmare back then started swiping at him over and
over making it Loose ground. However, lowering its head the
wendigo charged forward again and this time when he wasn't
fast enough as the when to go caught her on his antlers and
flipped her over his back with new blood darkening the tips of
the times but that was its downfall as Wendy sprung up and
again latched onto its neck with her teeth this time from behind.
The nightmare struggled in vain occasionally raking Wendy with
his claws, but she refused to let go and began ripping and
tearing her way through its neck until she grabbed hold of its
antlers and with one final jerk the head came free.
I don't have the heart to describe what came next but
let's just say the sound of Flesh being torn and eaten as
much more distinct through the thin membrane of a tent than a
closed cabin window. Time passed at least an hour,
maybe two or three it's hard to say for sure.
I don't know what I expected to happen next.
Maybe I was going to be next or perhaps I'd wake up from this
nightmare, but eventually the adrenaline passed my eyes grew
heavy and I fell asleep again. When I awoke in the morning, I
was alone this time. There was no sign Wendy had come
back. I had hoped she'd still be here
telling me I had another nightmare.
But I don't think I would have believed it again.
It was kind of sad and lonely packing up our things by myself.
I debated bringing Wendy's stuff with me, but I'm not that good
of a hiker and wasn't confident I could pull it off.
So I just left her things in her pack and inside the tent.
When I exited the tent I was more than a little surprised to
see Wendy sitting calmly by the fire pit with no wounds in
sight. She smiled sadly.
So I guess I owe you an explanation.
I remember hesitating my mind blank before I settled on the
thought I had early. What?
You're not going to try and convince me.
It was a nightmare again. She looked around at all.
The destruction in the campsite Earth was kicked up trees had
claw marks gouged out and there were signs of blood splatter
everywhere. I didn't think I could convince
you this time. I nodded as I looked around.
Yeah, I guess not. Then I looked back at her.
You know for a bit there I was starting to think you were the
Monster eating people out here. Wendy pointed at herself then
laughed Wait me Wendy the wendigo don't you think that's a
little too on the nose? I couldn't help it.
As weird and messed up as everything was as disturbing as
everything I Learned was this was the Wendy I knew and cared
for. So I laughed with her.
Yeah, maybe so. Long story short, we're still
together. Sure.
My girlfriend might be a seven foot tall monster that eats
other monsters for fun. But everyone has their quirks
besides dating is hard and I'm happy where I am.
The first time I realized that the world wasn't as it seemed I
was just a kid a sprout really with more courage than sense.
That's how it is growing up in Greenville a town.
So small, it felt like a secret tucked away in the Cradle of the
mountains and bordered by an expanse of national forests so
vast it seemed like another world.
Douglas and I we were inseparable back then.
Two halves of the same coin always itching for the next
adventure the next mystery to unravel in the Wilds that lay
just beyond our backyards. We thought we knew every inch of
those woods every secret Trail and hidden Glade.
But the forest kept its deepest Secrets hidden.
Revealing them only to those with the audacity to look.
It was the summer of 1999 the kind of Summer that sticks in
your memory bright and Searing filled with the endless
possibilities that only childhood can believe in.
Our dads had taken us camping a tradition, but for Douglas and
me, it was just another chance to explore.
Once the camp was set in our father's settled into their
routine of fishing and Fireside Stories We seized Our Moment.
Slipping away into the thickening Woods as the Shadows
grew long. We played at being explorers
charting unmarked territories daring each other to venture
further to discover what lay beyond the next Ridge or
underneath the rotting log. It was a game until it wasn't.
Dusk crept upon us like a thief stealing the light and our sense
of direction The Familiar turned foreign and the sounds of the
forest once comforting now carried a hint of Menace.
Dad where are you Our calls went unanswered the forests
swallowing the sound. The realization that we were
lost truly lost settled in with the darkness.
I'm scared Douglas admitted his voice barely above a whisper.
I wanted to tell him I was too but the words felt like a
betrayal of the unspoken pact of Bravery between us.
Then we heard it the crunch of heavy footsteps deliberate and
fast coming towards us. My heart hammered against my rib
cage a wild drum beats signaling Danger.
Through the dim light a shadow darted Between the Trees Too
Fast to be natural it zigzagged an impossible movement drawing
closer with every heartbeat. What the hell is that Douglas's
voice cracked with fear. I didn't have an answer Panic
took hold and we ran the thought of our footsteps and the
crashing of our pursuer blending into a terrifying Symphony.
Glancing back. I saw it a blur of movement and
a flash of Amber eyes that seemed to pierce through the
veil of the night. Miraculously, we broke free from
the grip of the trees stumbling onto a trail lit by the beams of
flashlights. The search party our dads at the
Forefront had found us. Relief washed over me only to be
replaced by frustration. As our tale of the shadow
creature was met with skepticism.
Lying in my 10th that night the sounds of the forest all around.
I understood for the first time that there were things out there
beyond our understanding ancient and hidden.
And I knew with a certainty that settled deep in my bones that
Greenville and its surrounding Woods held Secrets darker and
deeper than I could have ever imagined.
It was a revelation that would shape the years to come drawing
me back to those Shadows time and again searching for answers.
I was only beginning to understand I needed.
Turning 21 in the wilderness of the mountains surrounding
Greenville was meant to be a rite of passage a step into
manhood with the Wilderness as my witness.
My father with his rough hands and face carved from years of
working under the Open Sky had planned it all out a father and
son camping trip with a bottle of Jack Daniels as the
centerpiece. To celebrate your stepping into
being a man. He had said with a grin that
crinkled the corners of his eyes.
The day was spent setting up camp and recounting tales of
past Adventures of days when Greenville was even smaller and
the forest even more mysterious as night fell the forest around
us came alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures a symphony
of the wild that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up
not out of fear, but reverence after my third shot of whiskey
the world felt slightly Askew a pleasant Buzz softening the
edges. That's when the night tore open
with a screech that curled my blood.
My dad often the trees were leaving himself.
Laughed off my startled jump. What's the matter?
Kiddo Jack on the Rocks too strong for you?
His Amusement faded when the Screech cut through the night
are again closer this time a sound so alien it seemed to
freeze the very marrow in my bones.
What in the hell he muttered a rare note of uncertainty in his
voice as he stumbled back to the campfire his face etched with
concern. He fetched our rifles his old
lever action and my 22 long rifle handling them to me with a
seriousness. I'd rarely seen.
What was that? I asked my voice steadier than I
felt. Boy, I don't know he replied his
gaze darting through the darkness that enveloped our camp
been hunting out here for years, and I ain't never heard nothing
like that. The Screech tore through the air
again this time right above us. So close.
I could almost feel the vibration of it.
It was a sound that defied natural explanation a blend of
Agony and anger that seemed to come from something neither
human nor animal. Without thinking my dad raised
his rifle and fired into the darkness the muzzle flash
Illuminating the forest for a fleeting moment.
The echo of The Gunshot was followed by a heavy thud as if
something massive had dropped from the trees.
The silence that followed was oppressive heavy with unspoken
fears. We sat back to back for the rest
of the night rifles in our laps jumping at every crack and
Russell in the underbrush. Sleep was an Impossible Dream
the whiskey in our veins no match for the adrenaline
coursing through us. As Dawn broke painting the sky
with streaks of pink and gold the forest seemed to return to
its usual self the terror of the night fading like Mist in the
sunlight, but the memory of that Screech and the undeniable
feeling of being hunted lingered long after we packed up camp and
headed back to civilization. That trip meant to mark my
passage into adulthood did more than that?
It peeled back the veneer of the natural world revealing a
glimpse of something older Wilder and utterly unfathomable.
It was a birthday to remember a stark reminder that there are
things in this world hidden in the dark and wild places that
defy understanding. The Disappearance of Jessica cut
through Greenville, like a cold wind leaving a chill of worry
and fear in its wake she was one of our own a familiar face in
the small constellation of our community and her sudden absence
cast a shadow over the town. It was Douglass who came to me
his eyes burning with a mix of concern and something else
something deeper. Jessica wasn't just another
missing person to him. She was the one who got away the
object of a quietly held affection that he'd never had
the courage to act on. We have to do something.
He said his voice tight with determination.
The resolved in his eyes was something I couldn't argue with
not that I wanted to. Despite the fear that Twisted in
my gut the thought of not stepping up to help was worse.
The search party gathered at dawn a Motley Crew of locals
armed with nothing but flashlights and a shared sense
of purpose. We were assigned to the
northeastern section of the forest an area so thick with
underbrush it felt like moving through another world.
Douglas led the way his usual easy-going nature replaced by a
focused intensity. I'd rarely seen in him.
Jessica are you out here? Our voices echoed through the
trees hopeful calls met with silence.
The search felt endless a futile gesture against the vastness of
the wilderness. As the day wore on the optimism
that had Boyd us began to wane replaced by the heavy
realization of just how easy it was to disappear in these Woods.
It was Douglass who spotted the cave an ominous gash in the side
of the mountain that seemed to swallow The Fading light.
She could be in there. He said his voice a mix of Hope
and fear. Everything in me screamed to
stay away memories of shadowy figures and unexplained
screeches flooding back with a vengeance.
But Douglass was already moving toward the Cave's mouth his
flash light cutting through the Twilight like a beacon of
desperation. I'll wait here.
I called after him my voice sounding small and Hollow in the
Gathering Darkness. There was a part of me that I
should follow that leaving him to face.
Whatever might be lurking in that cave alone was a betrayal
of our friendship, but fear rooted me to the spot a cold
heavy weight that refused to budge.
Time stretched each minute feeling like an eternity as I
waited for Douglas to re-emerge. In closer than a voice my voice
echoed from the depths of the cave a perfect mimicry that sent
a jolt of Terror through me. Before I could process it
Douglas's scream shattered the silence a sound of pure Terror
that had him stumbling out of the cave his face Ashton eyes
wide with horror. He couldn't speak.
He couldn't form the words to tell me what he'd seen in the
darkness. All I could do was stand by him
a silent Guardian against the night as the sounds of something
unspeakable echoed from the cave behind us.
That night changed us deep in the bond between us with a
shared secret two terrifying to speak aloud.
Whatever Douglas had seen in the cave, whatever had chased us
from the woods that day. It was a reminder of the thin
veil between our world and something much older much
darker. We had peered into the abyss and
the abyss had stared back leaving its mark on us forever.
The wildfire that swept through the national forests surrounding
Greenville in the summer of 2021 was unlike anything our
community had ever witnessed. It consumed everything in its
path with a ferocity that left us breathless heartbroken and in
a way, I couldn't fully understand at the time. relieved
the fire seemed like a cleansing Force purging the forest of its
dark secrets and perhaps the creatures that lurked within its
Shadows. In the aftermath as our town
struggled to rebuild From the Ashes I couldn't shake the
feeling that the fire had been more than a mere Act of nature.
The memory of that night in the cave of Douglas's Terror in the
inhuman sounds echoing from the darkness haunted me.
The forest had held a malevolence a presence that felt
ancient and hungry and now it was gone reduced to char and
Ash. But it was the arrival of the
government officials in the days leading up to the wildfire that
truly set my mind racing. They came without warning a
convoy of black SUVs rolling into Greenville with an air of
authority that was impossible to ignore.
I watched them from the port of the ranger station a knot of
unease growing in my stomach. They spoke in hushed tones with
the park superintendent their questions pointed and their
glances toward the forest filled with a weight.
I couldn't decipher. When they ventured into the
woods they were gone for hours emerging with Expressions that
were hard to read. And then just as suddenly as
they had arrived they were gone. six days later the fire started
the pieces of the puzzle were there but fitting them together
painted a picture that was hard to accept.
The government had known something had been searching for
something in the woods around Greenville and whatever they
found or didn't find had led to a decision that changed
everything. As I piece together the evidence
the theory that formed was one of desperation and Last Resorts.
The fire had been no accident but a containment measure an
attempt to eradicate whatever had been haunting the forest.
The wendigo or whatever it had been posed a threat that
couldn't be controlled or understood.
Fire a primal Force as old as the creatures themselves had
been the answer. Living with this knowledge.
This suspicion was like carrying a weight that never eased.
I found myself looking over my shoulder jumping at Shadows.
Wondering if the fire had truly been enough.
The disappearances had stopped. Yes, but it what cost.
And was it a permanent solution or merely a temporary reprieve?
In The Quiet Moments when the wind Whispers through the trees
that have begun to reclaim the burned land.
I can't help but wonder about the balance of Nature and the
Unseen forces that move within it the government's intervention
if that's what it had been felt like a breach of some ancient
packed a violation that could have consequences beyond our
understanding. Greenville has begun to heal but
the scars remain both on the land and in the hearts of those
who remember what was lost. The fire took so much from us,
but it also gave us a chance to start anew to rebuild not just
our town but our understanding of the world and the Mysteries
it holds. As for me, I keep searching keep
looking for answers in the Ash and the new growth.
Because to forget to let the memories and the warnings fade
would be the real tragedy. The forest will always be a part
of me a place of Wonder and Terror of beauty and darkness.
And I know deep down that the story is an over the Shadows may
have receded but they're still there waiting watching reminding
us that we're not alone in this world.
And maybe just maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.
For the sake of keeping things on the down low, let's just say
my name is Howard. Looking back I could never have
guessed how that weekend at Lake Huron would turn my world upside
down. It was late 2018 and I was just
a 13 year old kid trying to navigate the world one day at a
time. That weekend my family and I
were heading to my mom's friend Carissa's Place nestled about a
mile off the coast in the Northern woods of Michigan.
The thought alone sent shivers down my spine.
I've always had a thing for forests.
Just not the creatures that might be lurking in them.
The journey from our home in the south of Michigan was a quiet
one. At least for me my mind raced
with images of wolves and bears hiding just beyond the tree line
watching waiting. I don't want to go I remember
muttering more than once during the drive.
My mom in her usual comforting tone would reply it'll be fine
Howard. If anything happens, we'll
protect you but words were just words and they did little to
ease the knot of anxiety in my stomach.
We rolled into Bay City just as the sky began to dim the Setting
Sun casting Long Shadows that seemed to reach out from the
forest. The lake house sat in a large
clearing with the dense Woods in circling it like a dark unending
maze. That sense of dread.
I tried so hard to shake off. It hit me full force the moment
we arrived. But there was no turning back
now. Trying to push my fears aside.
I made an effort to mingle with Carissa and the others.
They were nice enough and for a short while I managed to forget
about the encroaching Darkness just beyond the windows.
We had pizza laughed and everyone seemed to be having a
good time. Well everyone except me.
The forest loomed large in my mind a silent Watcher just
waiting for the right moment. Later that evening while the
adults hung out in the basement. I found myself alone in the
kitchen. My only company being a YouTube
video playing on my phone. That's when I heard it a
scraping sound coming from outside right on the other side
of the wall. My heart jumped into my throat.
I was frozen too scared to move too scared to even breathe.
The noise continued Relentless as if something or someone was
trying to claw their way in. But then as suddenly as it
started the noise stopped. Curiosity overcame fear and I
mustered the courage to peek outside.
To my relief. It was just a deer its antlers
likely the culprits of the sound.
My mom checked on me shortly after chuckling when I told her
about my scare. Dear are a symbol of Peace and
Freedom Howard. Nothing to be afraid of she
reassured me. I wanted to believe her I really
did. That night I crashed on the
couch with my Jurassic world blanket the events of the
evening still playing in my mind.
Despite everything I slept surprisingly.
Well comforted by the thought that maybe just maybe my fears
were unfounded. But as I would soon discover
some fears are rooted in a very dark reality.
The next morning came way too fast for my liking Carissa with
her morning person energy chirped Hey Howard.
Wake up buddy. It's bright outside.
I groggy opened my eyes shocked to see it was already 2 p.m.
How did I sleep in so late? Not that I was complaining.
It just meant fewer hours of daylight to worry about the
woods. After a quick breakfast or
lunch, I guess Carissa decided we should all head to the lake.
The idea didn't excite me the lake meant the beach and the
beach meant people lots of them and I've never been one to
thrive in crowds to make matters worse when we got there.
I found out that people included a bunch of little kids.
Great just my luck. I've had enough experiences with
my younger cousin from Tennessee to know that kids especially the
loud and energetic ones were not my cup of tea.
So I did what any antisocial teenager would do.
I grabbed my phone and planted myself.
Just beyond the tree line far enough to avoid unwanted
interaction, but close enough to not seem like I was planning a
solo Expedition into the forest. I just watched some YouTube
videos until it was time to go back.
The hajat wins always knew how to get a laugh out of me.
Even when I was feeling completely out of my element.
But then something strange happened.
I was halfway through a video laughing quietly to myself when
I heard it. A voice unmistakably like my
grandmother's calling out to me from the woods.
Howard come here boy. It was exactly how she'd call me
whenever she needed help with something.
My initial reaction was confusion that fear.
I knew for a fact my grandmother was back on the beach with my
mom. I could see them from where I
was sitting. The voice sounded so real so
convincing yet slightly off. Like when my Grandma is out of
breath after climbing the stairs to her apartment every Instinct
in me screamed that this was wrong that I shouldn't head
towards the voice. So I didn't I ran back to my
grandmother and my mom my heart pounding out of my chest when I
told them what happened. They looked at me like I had
grown a second head. It sounded like Grandma I
insisted but they brushed it off thinking.
I was making it up or trying to find an excuse to go home. but I
wasn't I knew what I heard and it chilled me to the Bone.
We stayed at the beach for another hour or so, but I
couldn't relax every sound from the forest made me tents up
every shadow seemed to move. It was like the woods were alive
watching me waiting for me to let my guard down.
The ride back to the house was quiet at least for me.
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts trying to make sense of
what it happened. But one thing was clear.
I was not alone in feeling uneasy the forest had eyes and
it had chosen me for some reason.
What that reason was I couldn't tell.
But as the sun began to set and we approached the house
surrounded by the dark outline of the trees.
I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly
terribly wrong. After the beach incident the day
dragged on like a bad dream. I tried to stay close to my mom
and Carissa hoping their presence would somehow protect
me from whatever was out there. But as evening fell my sense of
unease grew stronger. The woods seemed to close in
around us a dark impenetrable wall of Shadows and secrets.
dinner passed in a blur I wasn't hungry my stomach tied in knots
everyone else seemed to move on from the days of events laughing
and joking as if we weren't surrounded by miles of
wilderness that harbored who knows what?
I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched that
something was waiting for the right moment to strike.
The breaking point came later that evening.
We were all hanging out outside trying to enjoy our last night
at the lake house. Blitz Carissa's husky had been
my one source of comfort throughout this trip.
He was always so happy and energetic a welcome distraction
from my fears, but even Blitz seemed on edge tonight, his ears
perked up his eyes scanning the dark tree line.
Then it happened. One of the kids probably
frustrated by blitzes lack of interest in playing kicked him
hard Blitz reacted instantly lunging at the boy with a growl
that sent shivers down my spine. I managed to grab his collar
just in time holding him back from doing any real harm.
The parents rushed over scolding and soothing but the damage was
done. The atmosphere had shifted
tension crackling in the air like electricity.
Carissa was Furious not just with the kid but with blitz,
too. I couldn't believe it.
How could she blame the dog for defending himself?
I stayed outside with blitz trying to calm him down, but my
mind was elsewhere. The forest seemed to press
closer the night sounds louder and more Sinister than before.
And then I heard it a stick snapping in the darkness heavy
and deliberate. Blitz 10 his growl low and
menacing he stared into the woods his body Ridgid with
aggression. And before I could react he
bolted into the trees disappearing Into the Night.
Panic took over Carissa's husband Steve and my stepdad
their guns and charged after Blitz Vanishing into the
darkness. The rest of us huddled inside
the windows now menacing eyes peering into the soul of the
forest. We turned off the lights hoping
to see or hear something anything that would tell us they
were okay. But there was only silence.
An oppressive terrifying silence that seemed to swallow up all
hope. After what felt like ours faint
gunshots shattered the night far off and desperate.
Carissa wanted to go after them. But reason held us back.
We had to stay inside safe and wait for them to return but they
didn't come back. the night dragged on an endless cycle of
fear and waiting eventually exhaustion took over and we fell
into a fitful sleep played by nightmares of Shadows and
screams. When morning finally came it
brought no relief only horror. The sight that greeted us on the
back porch will haunt me forever.
Steve and my stepdad or what was left of them late torn apart a
gruesome Testament to the Savage of the Knights of events.
It was clear then that we were dealing with something beyond
our understanding something ancient and malevolent that
called the dark woods of Michigan its home.
As the police arrived in question were asked I couldn't
help but feel a deep sense of dread what ever had attacked
them was still out there watching waiting and I knew deep
down that our nightmare was far from over.
I didn't sleep that night. How could I the images of Steve
and my stepdad mangled and lifeless played over and over in
my mind like a horror movie I couldn't pause.
The house felt different now. tainted by death and fear every
Creak and Whisper of wind sounded like a Prelude to
another nightmare. I lay on the couch clutching my
Jurassic world blanket listening to the silence and wishing for
Mourning. But morning seemed a lifetime
away my thoughts race trying to piece together what could have
done such a thing Bears wolves know the savagery of it.
It was something else something worse.
I remembered the story. I had heard Legends of creatures
that roamed these Woods Tails I dismissed as just that stories,
but now faced with the unimaginable.
I wasn't so sure. Then in the deepest Shadows of
the night I heard it again. the scraping but this time it was
different closer personal. My heart froze.
The sound wasn't coming from outside.
It was right there on the other side of the wall.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
Whatever was out. There wasn't just passing by.
It was here for me. I didn't dare move.
I barely breathed. The scraping continued each
sound a step closer to my doom and then silence. deafening
silence I strained my ears hoping praying it was gone, but
the nightmare was far from over. The next sound I heard was the
back door slowly creaking open a cold drafts swept through the
room carrying with it the stench of Decay and death.
My eyes watered not just from the smell, but from Fear I was
too scared to move too scared to even scream.
I just lay there hidden under my blanket hoping it would somehow
protect me from whatever horror was creeping into the house.
And then I saw it. A shadow tall and thin moving
with an eerie Grace. It was like nothing.
I'd ever seen before a creature of nightmares brought to life.
It paused as if sensing my presence and turned its skull
like head in my direction. I could see its eyes dark pits
of malice staring right at me. I remembered the stories then
the legends of the wendigo a creature of hunger and horror.
It all made sense the disappearances the savagery The
Voice mimicking my grandmother. This was no bear.
This was something much much worse.
The wendigo moved closer its clawed hand reaching out towards
me. I wanted to run to scream to do
anything, but just lie there but I was paralyzed by my own fear.
It spoke then in a voice. So like my grandmother's yet
filled with a hunger that chilled my blood.
Come with me boy. It said but I remained silent
refusing to give in to its called.
Just when I thought it was over that I was about to meet the
same fate as Steve and my stepdad I heard footsteps.
Someone else was awake moving around the house.
The wendigo hesitated then turned and vanished into the
night as silently as it had come.
The next morning couldn't come soon enough.
As we drove away from the lake house.
I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
The forest seemed alive with unseen eyes and I knew deep down
that we were leaving something evil behind.
We never talked about what happened.
Not really. The official story was a bear
attack, but I knew the truth. The wendigo was out there
waiting hungering and I had survived its call.
But the nightmare wasn't over. a month later Carissa and her
family disappeared vanished Without a Trace The only thing
left behind was a kid's shoe in a blanket.
The police searched but they never found a thing.
It was as if the forest had swallowed them whole.
I still think about that weekend about the horror we face.
I don't know if I'll ever truly understand what happened, but I
know one thing for sure I'll never forget the when to go and
I'll never ever go back to those woods again.
It was one of those blazing summer days in Indiana when you
could fry an egg on the sidewalk, and honestly, I was
over it. Over the heat over the endless
days of doing absolutely nothing and definitely over the boredom
that clung to me like a second skin.
That's why when my cousins called me up inviting me for a
camping trip to some Hidden Gem in Northern Ohio.
I didn't think twice. Ohio has to be better than
Indiana right? I'm used to myself packing a bag
with a mix of excitement and a dash of Adventure the drive to
my cousin's house was the first leg of my escape from monotony.
I arrived to find them already buzzing with energy their gear
spread out like they were planning an expedition to
Uncharted territories. We packed everything into the
back of an old but sturdy truck that had seen better days
squeezing in between coolers and camping gear the anticipation
building with every mile. We put behind us.
The journey to our destination was a mix of old Tunes blasting
through crackling speakers and Tails of what a weighted us.
My cousins were vague about the details teasing me with hints of
breathtaking views and knights under a sea of stars. as we
ventured further from civilization the paved roads
gave way to gravel and then to nothing but dirt and dust I
remember waking up from a nap to the truck bouncing on uneven
ground surrounded by Wilderness as far as the eye could see
We're Off the Grid now my cousin declared with a grin and I
couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought.
We parked the truck at the foot of a hill and hiked up to our
campsite our gear weighing us down but Spirits High.
The spot they had chosen was on top of a hill overlooking a
valley framed by dense Woods. It was beautiful Serene and so
incredibly peaceful. Setting up camp didn't take long
and soon we were sitting around a campfire the Flames casting
Shadows that danced in the Twilight.
As Darkness enveloped us the conversation turned to the land
we were on. In between fits of laughter, my
cousin's revealed that we weren't actually in a state park
but on Native American land. They said it was some sacred
Hills, but the way they were chuckling made me think they
were pulling my leg Yeah, right. I thought not fully buying it
but intrigued by the idea. They mentioned the name of a
tribe which sounded legit, but I was too caught up in the
adventure to question it further.
It wasn't until the first scream shattered the night that the
laughter died in our throats. It was a sound that seemed to
come from another world. A howl that carried across the
hills and settled in the pit of my stomach.
We tried to laugh it off, but the unease was palpable.
The more we heard it the closer it seemed to get and the more we
realized this was no ordinary camping trip.
The night had wrapped Us in its cool Embrace a stark contrast to
the days Heat. Our campfire crackled the only
light in a sea of Darkness that surrounded us Atop The Hill.
after the Revelation about the land being sacred a part of me
felt a strange thrill at the thought while another part
couldn't shake off a creeping unease that unease turned into
cold dread when the first scream pierced the night.
It was unlike anything. I had ever heard a howl a scream
something that seemed to tear through the fabric of the
peaceful night and embed itself into our bones.
We all froze the laughter dying on our lips as we try to
convince each other. It was just an animal.
But deep down we knew this was no animal sound.
We were familiar with the screams continued each one
sounding closer than the last turning our initial fear into
panic. I remember exchanging looks with
my cousins the same question reflected in our eyes.
What should we do? Before we could answer another
scream this one. So close.
It felt like it was right next to us made up our minds.
Then from the darkness of the tree line across the valley it
appeared at first all I saw was a shape a shadow that seemed Too
Tall too thin to be human. But as it stepped into the faint
glow of the Moonlight, there was no denying what we were seeing a
creature humanoid, but grotesquely elongated sprinted
towards us with unnerving speed. It was a scene straight out of a
nightmare and for a moment we were too shocked to move.
The shock quickly turned to Terror and without a word we all
turned and ran the woods dark and foreboding seemed to close
in on us as we stumbled through driven by the primal fear of
being chased by something. We couldn't even begin to
understand the creatures screams followed us a haunting
soundtrack to our desperate Escape.
Those woods felt endless and the terrorists seemed to stretch
every second into eternity. I don't know how we did it.
But eventually we burst out of the tree line the sight of the
truck a Beacon of Hope in the Darkness.
We didn't pause didn't look back just drove as fast as we could
away from that Hill away from the screams.
We ended up at a McDonald's the only place open at that ungodly
hour trying to calm our racing hearts and shaking hands.
None of us spoke much. What was there to say?
We had come face to face with something inexplicable.
something terrifying when Dawn broke we knew we had to go back
our gear our belongings. They were all still up there
returning to the campsite felt like walking back into a
nightmare. But in the light of day
everything seemed peaceful untouched it was almost as if
the previous night had been a collective hallucination, but
the fear we felt was real the screams we heard were real and
the creature. It had to be real too.
Later curiosity got the better of me and I looked up creatures
of folklore online stumbling upon the legend of the Wendigo.
The descriptions matched Too Close closely to what we saw
sending a shiver down my spine. It was a chilling confirmation
that what we encountered was not just a figment of our
imagination. It was real and it was out there
in the dark waiting. The screams echoed through the
trees I couldn't tell if they were human or animal.
All I knew was they were loud which meant they were close.
As I listened to the high-pitched shrieks, it almost
sounded like a couple of people having a shouting match if I had
been at my apartment in town. That's exactly what I would have
thought the sound was. But then the pitch changed and
it took on a feral quality. I knew whoever or whatever was
making the sound. I wanted nothing to do with
them. Thinking you're alone in the
wilderness. As one thing it gives us a
certain freeing feeling like you're so close to nature, but
knowing you're alone and hearing the terrifying nearly
Indescribable sound sent chills down my spine.
I quickly questioned how much longer I would be alone or
alive. Did those things know I was
here? where they planning their attack
Or was it just a gathering of? Something like a harmless chill
session in the woods in the dead of night.
My survival Instinct was screaming for me to get out of
there as quickly as possible. To hell with the tent in my
supplies. Just leave.
For a brief moment. I nearly listened later.
I would wish I had fortunately I hadn't made a fire yet and
decided against one. Now if by some miracle those
things didn't know I was here a fire would draw them in like
flies to well something I didn't want to be in.
Even though the screaming was still going at a fever pitch.
I quietly snuck into my tent and zipped it shut.
As if some flimsy material would magically keep it Bay.
Whatever beasts were raging out there.
Searching through my pack. I found my Swiss army knife and
kept it firm in my grass as I laid down on my sleeping bag.
I didn't dare settle in for the night sleeping through being
attacked by wild whatever and torn to shreds can be bad for my
health. As I lay their eyes wide
listening to the horrible shrieks that seemed to come from
everywhere. They suddenly stopped.
At first this was a relief. But when the sound stopped so
did all the other noises in the forest.
It was as if someone had hit the mute button on all of nature.
I heard a loud thumping sound that sounded like drums beating
faster and faster until I realized it was my heart.
Trying to calm myself, so I didn't have a heart attack on
the spot was a challenge. I tried to think of calm blue
oceans and sunrises of beautiful things that had nothing to do
with the situation. I was in apparently I did my job
too. Well.
I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember waking up in a
panic jumping up. I looked all around for the
beasts that were coming to get me.
When all that stared back at me where the contents of my
backpack and the Four Walls of the tent.
I allowed myself to take a few deep breaths.
It was morning the sun was up and the birds were singing.
I took both of those as good signs being alive was a bonus as
well. It was decision time.
Should I pack up and cut my trip short by two days or should I
write off last night's incident as a rare occurrence and not
worry about it today in the daylight as the sun bathed me in
warmth. It's funny how fear manifested
itself so much stronger at night last night.
The forest seemed like the most horrifying place.
I'd ever been today. It looks like all the beauty of
nature is spread out before me. I couldn't imagine anything bad
happening in such a picturesque place.
As I looked out over the clearing in the woods.
I saw a large dark spot that was moving towards me.
I dove into my tent and emerged with a pair of binoculars.
Peering through them I saw the spot was a bear and it was
headed my way. So much for nothing bad
happening in nature. My plan of action was to hide
and hope it went away or turned down another path before it got
here. That plan didn't work out so
well. Within 15 minutes, I could hear
it snuffling around the campsite looking for something to eat.
I hope it wouldn't be eating fresh camper.
The can of bear spray was firmly in my hand with my White
Knuckles clenching it having it was one thing using it was
another that was my last resort spray and run.
The sniffing got louder and I could see a large nose pushing
into the bottom edge of the tent my Knuckles grew a little white
or as I followed its progress along the edge and around the
10th. And then there was a pause. a
dreadful pause the kind of pause that horrible decisions are born
from I was contemplating my own horrible decision when the
sniffing started again this time leading away from the tent.
Breathing a cautiously optimistic sigh of relief.
I opened the tent flap just enough to see the bear lumbering
off into the woods. Again, I held a silent vote just
like the song said should I stay or should I go?
I'd only been camping up here once before but I didn't
remember it being this dangerous.
Maybe I just got lucky last time.
Not wanting my luck to run out. I packed up my tent and got
ready to leave. The sun was already high in the
sky leaving me just a few hours to hike out of what had taken me
a full day to hike in. I looked for Bear Tracks to see
which way it had left, but the ground was dry.
So there was nothing to see. Crossing my fingers.
I headed out on the trail hoping it had gone some other way.
It was easygoing making the terror of last night fade even
more. I still kept a wary eye for the
bear though. No use in getting so caught up
in nature that I ignore her dangers.
After a round an hour of walking, I found a large Rock on
the side of the trail and decided to take a break.
Pulling out a granola bar in a bottle of water.
I looked around as I snacked. There was a clearing in the
woods and a rough path leading to it.
It wasn't any official path. Just one that happens.
When a lot of feet go the same way and Tramp down the foliage.
There was a faint whiff of smoke coming from the clearing, but I
couldn't see exactly what was causing it.
My curiosity wanted to see what was there, but my Common Sense
said no way. In the end curiosity fought
dirty and said the smoke meant there had been a fire and the
ashes could blow into the trees if the wind picked up and caused
a wildfire. It was a good point, even though
the wind was uncannily still at the moment.
I took a quick look around to make sure the bear wasn't
sneaking up on me then started down the Narrow Path.
The trees blocked out some of the light as I headed down the
path toward the clearing making me literally descend into
darkness. It wasn't a good feeling.
My eyes darted around looking for anything out of the ordinary
and I slowed my pace. And suddenly the trees opened up
and daylight shown brightly on the clearing and the remnants of
a fire with a wisp of smoke. Still Rising.
Whoever had made it had been dangerously uncaring about the
safety of the Woods. The fire sat right in the middle
of a patch of grass with no ring of stones surrounding it.
My ire Rose at the carelessness of this person.
I found myself wishing very bad things on them when I noticed
something else. There were splotches of red all
around the fire. It was like someone had spilled
red paint all around. It was strange.
Why would someone bring paint out here to the middle of the
Woods? I stalked around the other side
of the fire looking for the answer to this mystery.
Unfortunately, I found it. There was something pale sitting
just outside the burnt grass of the fire.
It was next to a splotch of red. I bent down and moved the grass
to see more clearly. Picking it up.
I saw it was a severed human toe.
I dropped it and stood up like a shot.
The red splotches made sense to me now.
They were not painted. They were blood a chill ran down
my spine. I suddenly felt very alone and
surrounded my eyes darted all around the clearing and into the
trees as I did a slow Circle searching for whatever was about
to attack. As I searched I saw the red
splotches LED off into the woods in the opposite direction of the
trail. Curiosity tried to get me to
follow but I told it to shut the hell up in hightail it out of
there my head on a swivel searching for threats.
Just as I was about to reach the main trail, I literally ran into
the bear. I'd been so busy watching behind
me for whatever might be chasing me that I didn't see what was in
front of me. It turned to face me showing its
red teeth. Then it stood on its hind legs
dwarfing me and roared. I wish I had warned the brown
pants because I soiled myself in fear.
I was so terrified. I didn't move I couldn't I was
paralyzed. It dropped back down onto its
front legs and approached me teeth bared.
I knew right then it was responsible for the screams and
the dismembered toe. The only thing I couldn't figure
out was the fire. I'd never heard of bears being
able to start a fire. This was unfortunately the last
thought going through my head before being eaten its sniffed
and took a step back if I had known dropping a load in my
pants would save me I would have done it last night.
As I looked into the eyes of my death, it wasn't looking back at
me. It was looking past me.
I wasn't sure what kind of trick this bear was pulling it wasn't
like it had to fool me or anything.
It had me dead to rights. Curiosity made me turn and
follow the Bears gaze. I instantly regretted it.
Standing near the clearing was a monster.
It was like nothing. I'd ever seen before.
It stood on hind legs at least eight feet tall.
It had the horns of a deer, but the face looked like a deer
skull with no skin on it. Its shoulders were covered in
what looked like a cloak made of another animal's skin.
The bear let out a deep growl full of Menace.
I took the opportunity to back away and allow the bear a clear
path to its adversary it glanced at me for a moment then started
toward the monster. As soon as it was passed me.
I dropped my pack and ran down the trail with every ounce of
speed I could muster. It didn't matter that my car was
Milds away. It didn't matter.
There was no way I could Sprint all the way there without
collapsing and having a heart attack.
Just then I heard the fight. The growling roaring slashing
knocking trees down fight. That would have been awesome to
watch. from inside a bunker with two foot thick concrete walls
Just me alone without a rocket launcher to defend myself.
There was no way I was sticking around.
I ran for a solid 10 minutes before the stitch in my side
told me I had to at least slow to a walk.
I didn't dare stop. I knew I had to keep moving.
It was my only chance of surviving by some miracle.
The sounds of the fight echoed throughout the trees making it
seem surreal to hear it then hear it Echo back again.
It sounded like the fight was slowing down.
I hoped it would last for a while longer.
Maybe whichever one would forget about me or be too.
Tired to track me down. My walk had become a limp.
I was nearly out of energy and had a mild to go to the relative
safety of my car. Surely by now.
I could take it easy. As the thought rolled through my
brain the sounds of the fight ceased The Fading Echo was all
that remained. I wondered which one had been
Victorious and comforted myself that the Victor was surely
enjoying the spoils by feasting on the Fallen adversary.
But in the back of my mind, unease grew What if it didn't
forget me? What if it was following me
right now? I found myself walking a little
faster much to the pain in Chagrin of my legs.
The silence that fell in the aftermath of the fight was
disconcerting the animals around me that had been chattering away
suddenly falling silent was alarming.
I started jogging each step a new exercise and pain.
There was no doubt. I was being followed.
The footsteps behind me were getting louder by the moment.
My car was in sight. I was almost free the footsteps
behind me were very loud. Now.
I knew it was right behind me, but I didn't dare look back.
Run don't think just run my thoughts screamed at me.
Even my curiosity had no desire to look back 10 steps from the
car. I dug in my pocket looking for
my keys. For a brief terrifying moment.
I couldn't find them. Then I dug a little deeper and
came away with my prize. I hit the remote to unlock the
car and dove into the driver's seat.
The engine had just roared to life when the monster appeared.
I threw the car in reverse and stomped on the gas whipping
around and making the monster Miss crashing through the
windshield. I jammed it into drive in
Florida as the monster recovered and started after me for a long
horrid moment. It seemed to be catching up to
me. The road was gravel and had
several potholes in it. I found myself swerving to miss
the biggest ones so my car wouldn't bottom out.
But by doing so the monster gained ground.
It was almost within reach of my rear bumper when I slid sideways
onto the main road. Once on the pavement I floored
it and watched with satisfaction as the monster fell behind I
breathed the sigh of relief as I relaxed and settled in for the
ride home. It wasn't long until I was
pulling into my driveway and parking.
My head fell back against the headrest and I was tempted to
take a nap right there when my nose reminded me of the state of
my pants. Walking in empty-handed was a
mixed blessing. I'd left hundreds of dollars in
equipment behind but at least I was alive.
My shower called to me I stripped through my pants and
underwear in the trash then settled into the longest most
rewarding shower of my life. After drying, I threw on a
metallic a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
I came back out to the living room and settled into watch a
movie. Horror was out.
I knew I'd have nightmares for weeks about my ordeal.
I decided to watch an episode of Wipeout.
Three episodes later. I found my eyelids Fighting
Gravity and exhaustion. Heading to bed.
I turned out the lights and stepped up to the living room
window. Looking out over the lights of
town. I sighed seeing the Trees of the
park far in the distance and knowing I'd never visit there
again. Before I turned toward my
bedroom something caught my eye. It was impossible.
I rubbed my eyes to be sure the monster was creeping out of the
woods and coming straight toward my house as I watched it looked
up and saw me our eyes locked mine full of fear.
It's full of Menace. I ran through the house making
sure every door and window was locked after that.
I went to my bed stand and pulled out my snub nose 38
checking to make sure it was loaded and grabbing a handful of
extra bullets shoving them in my pocket.
Running back out to the living room.
I looked out the window, but it was gone.
Pressing my face against the glass.
I searched the front yard, but it wasn't there.
For an instant, I wondered if my imagination had been playing
tricks on me. I went to the kitchen window and
looked into the backyard. It was dark and I couldn't see
much. Reaching for the light switch.
I hesitated not wanting to see it suddenly appear in front of
me. But I had to know if this thing
was real or not. I would rather that I was going
crazy than ever see that thing again.
Flicking on the light. I took a half step back.
Nothing was there I scanned the entire backyard all the way to
the woods that bordered my property nothing I Shrugged and
was about to go to bed. When I heard it my foot stopped
on the first step and I turned back toward the door someone or
something was scraping against the front door.
Feeling like I was in a trance I was drawn to the door.
Leaning up to the people. I closed my eyes and breathed a
silent prayer that nothing would be there.
My prayers were answered. There was nothing out there.
As tempted as I was to just accept this audible
hallucination my shaking hand reached for the doorknob the
distance between my hand and the door seemed to fade like one of
those scenes in a horror movie where the cameras in while going
backward. I turned the knob and held my
breath while opening the door. Nothing was there.
I released a breath. I didn't realize I was holding.
Looking around the yard was empty just the evening Mist
clinging to the lawn. My imagination had gotten the
best of me. I turned to go back inside and
saw the door and door frame had long scratches on it. my blood
froze it was real it was here. It had tracked me down as Terror
gripped me. I saw a flash of brown fur and
instant before it charged me. In sheer desperation.
I fell back into the door just as it hit the door frame its
antlers slammed into the door frame sending Splinter's flying
as it struggled to get loose from the destroyed would I lay
on the door watching and Grim Fascination stunned by the fact
that it had missed gouging My Eyes by a mere fraction of an
inch. The doorway had saved me the
same doorway. That was rapidly disappearing
under the monster's onslaught. I regained my self and ran.
As I darted through the living room somehow I had the presence
of mind to grab the house phone and dial 911 as I headed down
the basement steps slamming the door behind me. 911 what's your
emergency? Came the lady operators voice.
I'm being chased by a monster who's trying to kill me.
I said vaulting down the stairs. I'm sorry.
Could you repeat that? I'm being chased by a monster
who's trying to kill me. Are you talking about a person?
No, what do you not understand about the word monster?
I shouted. Alright, it's my duty to inform
you that prank calls will be reported to the police and you
could face charges. Fine send the cops.
Maybe they can fight off the monster long enough to put me in
cuffs. the line disconnected son of a I said as I heard the
monster stalking around inside the house.
I squeezed myself into the far Corner between the wall and the
oil tank and tried to be as quiet as possible barley
breathing. I listened to its measured steps
as it crept from room to room. The floorboards complained with
loud creaks telling me this thing weighed considerably more
than me. I heard it turned toward the
stairs and thought about making a run for the Cellar Door that
led out side when my phone rang. Hello, I whisper screamed trying
to be as quiet as possible. Is this the person who just
called 911 about a monster? Yes, who is this?
There was a pause as I heard the footsteps change direction.
I'm from another agency. He said could you describe the
monster for me? So you're from one of those
three letter agencies that always say they don't spy on our
phone calls. Could you describe the monster
for me? It's huge.
I whispered at least eight feet tall covered in fur and wearing
the fur of another animal over its shoulders.
Oh and it has antlers like a deer.
I heard a sharp intake of air. Where is it?
I gave him my address. I meant where is it in the
house? It's on the first floor and I'm
in the basement. I whispered.
But I think it's coming down here.
Just then I heard the basement door open.
Got to go. I whispered that hung up the
phone. The basement stairs grown under
the weight. I hope that the wood would
collapse under the weight and it would fall snapping its neck.
No such luck. The stairs creaked as it
continued to the bottom. I had to duck in this basement.
So I was sure it was on all fours to keep from getting
tangled in the rafters my heart pounded.
I struggled to keep my breathing quiet so I wouldn't give away my
position. The chuffing of the monsters
breathing was getting closer. I wanted to close my eyes, but
had to know when it came close enough instead.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the gun aiming it at
the corner I waited. The skeletal snout appeared but
I didn't shoot the shot would just bounce off of bone.
I wanted to hit something more vital and hoped that I might
somehow survived. The rest of the Bony skull made
its appearance and went by without noticing me next came
the neck and the rest of the body.
I wasn't sure where this thing's vital organs were so I held off
hoping that it might not notice me at all.
Those hopes were dashed when it sniffed then whipped around and
stared right at me. I took that as a sign to shoot
it in the chest. The Gunshot was deafening,
especially in such a closed space.
My ears were ringing so loud. I could barely hear the monster
screaming and tearing my oil tank limb from limb trying to
get to me. I fired again trying to hit any
part of its body as oil flew from it thrashing around.
We were both covered in heating oil and yet it still kept
coming. Three more shots didn't even
slow it down. It was so close the muzzle of
the gun was nearly touching it. I shoved the Barrel in one of
its eye sockets and pulled the trigger.
The flame from the exploding gunpowder set the oil on fire.
I don't know if it was that or the Bullet bouncing around in
its skull that made it shriek even louder.
Flame engulfed its screaming form making it look like a demon
Straight From Hell it ran out of the basement through the outside
doors bursting out into the open air and disappearing Into the
Night. I was so relieved.
I didn't notice right away that I was on fire.
The oil that had splashed on me had ignited when the monster
caught fire. I tried to push my way out
quickly, but the monster had shoved the tank closer to the
wall pinning me. The fire devoured the oil on my
clothes and my bare skin making me scream in agony as I tried in
vain to get away from the fire. This was it I would die this
horrible agonizing death trapped in an Inferno.
The monster would get its revenge and not even know it.
Maybe once it extinguished its own fire.
It would come back and devour what was left of me like a
well-done steak. I must have been hallucinating.
I could have sworn a cloud enveloped me just before I died.
I woke in a white room with an annoying beeping sound.
That wouldn't stop. There was a smiling face sitting
in the corner staring back at me attached to a man.
I'd never met. How are you feeling?
He said stepping over to the hospital bed.
Am I dead I rasped not yet. He chuckled.
It was close though. If we hadn't gotten to you when
we did you would have been a shish kebab.
I tried to lean up but the pain put me back in bed.
Yeah, you're not gonna be taking any hiking trips for a while.
He said you've got Burns all over your legs.
That'll need some time to heal. I'm never going hiking again.
I said are you the guy I talked to on the phone?
Yeah, do you mind telling me the rest of what happened?
He said pulling out of pen and Notepad.
Sure, I said shrugging since you saved my life.
It's the least I could do. He pulled his chair over and got
comfortable. What happened to the monster?
Anyway, I said He has a tated it got away, didn't it?
Yeah, he said lowering his head a little.
We lost the trail after it extinguished itself, but don't
worry. We'll find it.
I didn't comment on my opinion of the competency of government
agencies out of respect for the man who saved my life, but
suffice it to say I wouldn't be sleeping very deeply once I got
back home. Where would you like me to start
I said the beginning is always a good place. hiding in plain
sight I never paid much attention to that phrase before.
I started my new job. Wanted nighttime security guard.
That's all the ad said along with a phone number.
The town I live in isn't very big barely a DOT on the map on
the way to somewhere else. But for whatever reason we have
a museum. I have no idea how it's still in
business. I can't recall ever seeing a
single person walking through their doors.
But when I call the number the man who answered told me to come
to this address this evening for my interview.
He seemed a little over excited that I had answered the ad when
I asked him about the job. He said oh, you know the usual
thing for a security guard. I've read some pretty unusual
things about security guards in subreddits, but I'm sure those
stories are made up. Walking up the wide Stone steps
built to accommodate crowds of people was a little intimidating
and creepy with no one for company besides the glowing
lamps mounted on the sides of the railings. the whole thing
gave off a very dystopian Ghost Town zombie apocalypse vibe I
guess the stone gargoyles staring down at me didn't help
much. I gazed into their eyes half
expecting them to jump down and carry me off to be sacrificed to
Gozer. If I hadn't already discussed my
hourly wage, I would have turned and high-tailed it home.
But the wage was more than acceptable for a security guard.
It was downright generous. I was wondering why he would pay
so much but walking up those desolate stairs gave me a clue.
Nobody wanted to go near this place.
The word haunted had been mentioned more than once.
Looking up at the front of the building the sporadic lights
made Shadows Fall all around and gave it an intimidating
presence. I paused at the top of the
stairs thinking about every horror movie I've ever seen.
There's always that one moment where the characters could turn
back and live another day, but they never do.
The wind whipped up blowing against me threatening to push
me back down the stairs almost as if warning me not to go
inside. For a moment.
I considered heating the warning and climbing back down the
stairs. Knowing that my rent and car
payment were due made me re-evaluate that decision.
I stepped up and opened the door wondering if I would ever come
out. Fully expecting the door to
Creek on its hinges. I was pleasantly surprised when
it opened silently and with little effort despite feeling
quite heavy. The ornate decorations and
beautiful Decor took my breath away.
I wasn't sure what I expected but I found myself regretting
that this was the first time I had ever visited this Museum.
I hadn't made it two steps until an elegantly Dressed Man
appeared and smiled at me. He didn't so much as walk up to
me rather. He glided showing an air of
dignity bordering on royalty. Mr. Welton, I presume he said
wearing a warm smile. Yes, sir.
I said offering my hand. He glanced at it with an amused
look. Right then follow me and I'll
show you your duties. He said turning on his heels and
gliding away. I pretended to smooth my hair as
I followed feeling like an idiot for offering my hand.
He glided past several works of art toward a small desk.
Right, then. He said you'll be in charge of
checking the door. So nothing gets in he paused or
out. You mean stolen I said, yes.
He said slowly stolen. So I got the job he stared at me
blankly. Did you show up?
I nodded you got the job. Do I need a uniform or anything?
Let's see how your first night goes He said.
There's a set of rules on the paper on your desk, please
adhere to them. You must do at least one round
per night through every room and check every door. one round
That's it. This place is rather large and
challenging. I looked around with a hint of
hesitation. Maybe there was a reason why it
paid so much. He smiled.
If you have any problems, just call the number on the paper.
That's it. I believe so.
I'll lock the door on my way out and unlock it again at 9:00 on
my way back in. I stepped over to the desk and
began reading the paper. What does this mean?
I said turning around, but he was gone.
Hello, I called but only my voice echoed back to me.
I looked at the puzzling paper again and read the rules.
Rule number one there are no rules.
Rule number two. There are no rules.
What is this fight club I said to myself.
Every time you break a rule return to rule number one.
Wait a minute. How can I break a rule when
there are no rules? Rule number three how you
follow? The rules is as important as why
you follow the rules. That made no sense at all.
Rule number four if you are caught breaking the rules the
penalties may be severe. Okay, there's something wrong
here. This is just talking in circles.
I read back over the rules and they looked strange more than
just the strangeness of the rules non rules themselves.
It was the way they were written.
I went back and looked at each letter.
Then I paid attention to the Letter's that were capitalized.
It looked like some hidden message.
They're watching I hesitated. Who's watching?
I decided to keep reading in hopes that this would begin to
make some sense. Rule number five do not under
any circumstances make noise. Every time you do around message
received don't move. I stood there immobile wondering
how long I was meant to play this game.
And if someone would come by and tag me to unfreeze me and allow
me to start my round. As I waited chuckling to myself
at the ludicrousness of this insane game of freeze tag.
I felt the air grow cold clouds chugged out of my mouth like an
old steam train as I fought the urge to rub my arms a chill that
had little to do with the sudden temperature drop ran down my
spine as I felt a presence in the room.
It crept up behind me silent as the grave.
I could feel its hot breath wash over me as it sniffed.
Instead of enjoying the sudden warmth my temperature plummeted.
My heart hammered in my chest. It was all I could do to keep
from running away and sheer Terror.
As it passed by I was overwhelmed by the stench of
death. This thing was every nightmare
I've ever had personified. I refuse to open my eyes and see
its hideous form for fear of passing out.
Instead I focused on imitating a statue which was nearly
impossible with my freezing body aching to shiver in Frozen
dread. The nameless Terror passed to
the far side of the room taking some of the cold with it and
then as suddenly as it came it was gone.
The room returned to normal temperature, but I waited a few
moments before moving just to be sure.
Once I felt it was safe. I nearly collapsed to the floor
in relief. After giving myself a moment to
recover. I glanced at the paper with a
newfound fear. Was this a harbinger of Doom or
a warning label meant to keep me safe?
Unsure if I wanted to read the rest.
I took a moment to reevaluate my current career choice.
Could I just walk out and say I quit?
After a brief internal debate I decided it wasn't worth the
money if I was about to be dragged through a portal to
hell. Just a short time ago.
I would have considered that thought laughably ludicrous, but
it was seeming more plausible by the moment.
I started toward the exit door with every intention of calling
and telling my boss. I wouldn't be finishing the
shift. Unfortunately the door had other
plans when I pushed on the crash bar.
Nothing happened. I tried turning the deadbolt,
but it refused to move. After a few minutes of futility,
I gave up frustrated and determined to just sit in this
room until morning came around. Sitting at the desk I spun
around in the chair waiting for the next nine hours and 13
minutes to pass quickly. Five minutes later out of sheer
boredom. I glanced at the paper.
Roll number six you can't just sit at the desk and wait for the
door to open at the end of your shift.
Suck it up. Are you serious?
I said in frustration someone thinks they're funny, huh?
glancing back at the paper below rule six was three letters y e s
I backed away and got up to do my round.
If nothing else to get away from this All-Seeing sheet of paper
that I had grown afraid to look at.
Hesitating I reached for the door to the room where the
nightmare had disappeared glancing up.
I saw a slip of paper taped to the door.
It said the only way out is through.
Sighing heavily. My trembling hand turned the
knob and slowly opened the door. As I closed it on the other side
was another slip of paper. This one said avoid eye contact
and you'll be fine. Confused by the cryptic
statement. I turned and realized what it
meant. The room was full of stuffed
creatures of many shapes and sizes.
Most of them seem to be mythical in nature of the Cryptid
variety. There was a Bigfoot Skinwalker
dog, man, Jersey Devil wendigo and many others.
As my eyes scan the room. I noticed movement.
It wasn't much but it was enough the skinwalker turned its head
just slightly to look right at me.
I quickly darted my eyes away in fear and disbelief when the dog
man turned its head to stare at me.
As Panic course through my veins.
I turned to go back through the door remembering what the piece
of paper on both sides of the door said The only way out is
through. And avoid eye contact and you'll
be fine. I felt the last statement was
akin to saying if you hold on tight enough on a roller
coaster, you won't need the safety harness.
Aiming my eyes at the floor. I turned and started toward the
far side of the room. I hope that all they would do
was watch that. Hope was dashed.
I heard growls and footsteps from all around the room.
Hesitating. I wondered if I would need a
clean pair of pants by the time I reached the Far Side.
That is if I survived. The sounds of footsteps grew
louder behind me when suddenly there was a pair of hairy legs
blocking my path. I stopped as a low growl made
the air vibrate. Oh dear God, I whispered knowing
that my life was about to end horribly and painfully fighting
the urge to look up. I sidestepped and went around
the legs hoping to pass on notice.
I counted my footsteps. Hoping each one wouldn't be my
last. Silently praying.
I continued toward the door with my eyes aimed down watching
nothing more than my feet. It seemed like the longest Walk
Of My Life listening to the mythical creatures behind me
come to life and sounding every bit like they were following me.
Just waiting for the right moment to grab me and turn me
into a late night snack. It came as a surprise when I
bumped my head into the far wall.
Shocked not only that I had made it but that I had missed the
door. I glanced over and found my
glorious Escape Route. As I opened the door, I
accidentally glanced back into the room and made I contact with
the wendigo. It's Roar of rage is something
I'll never forget. It charged at me with blinding
speed and Claws unsheathed fangs ready to tear me to shreds as I
dove through the door in the nick of time slamming it behind
me. The impact on the other side of
the wall made dust settle to the floor causing me to sneeze.
I stood and saw another piece of paper taped to the door.
Whatever you do. Don't make a sound it said.
As I was about to make a comment about it being too late a giant
set of fangs flew at me from the semi-darkness.
Attached to them was the biggest snake.
I'd ever seen or heard of. It shook off the impact with the
door as my legs took over and sprinted for the far side of the
room the dim lighting made it impossible to see the far door
as well as rocks and other obstacles littering the floor as
I made my desperate Dash to safety.
I swear the rock that tripped me moved into my path on its own.
Instead of a death sentence. It saved my life as the snake
flew over my prone body having tracked me down had I not
tripped. Its massive fangs would have
gone straight through me. Not waiting around to celebrate
my accidental Good Fortune. I jumped up and raced toward the
door again. It was now within sight but so
was the snake it had recovered and was coiling for another
strike running around a large Boulder to make myself a harder
Target. I aimed for a spot five feet
from the door. When I was almost to the door, I
dove just as the snake passed over me slamming into the wall
as I jumped up and opened the door.
Closing the door behind me. I took a moment to catch my
breath and think about asking a lot more questions when I
interview for my next job. I tried to open my eyes but
realized they were already open. The room was engulfed in total
darkness. Pulling out my flashlight.
I shown it around but couldn't see anything aside from the door
and the floor in front of me. There was no sign of anything in
the room not even a ceiling it was as if the darkness sucked
the light into itself never to escape.
Being robbed of sight. I relied on hearing taking a
long. Listen.
I waited to hear any growls or slithers anything to give me a
hint of what I might have to deal with.
But there was nothing only Soul crushing silence.
Having scan the room the best. I could I set out to find the
far door. Nothing seemed strange, even the
echo sounded like a normal large room.
It was just devoid of light. The normalness of it terrified
me. All I could find out of place
was a slight of disinfectant. I wasn't sure if that was
because whatever horrible creature that called this room,
it's home had killed people here and they wanted to cover the
smell or if the creature itself had passed away leaving some
poor janitor to clean up the mess.
In either case I was on full alert.
They say that when one of your senses falters the others become
more acute to make up for it. The same thing was happening
with my paranoia. I imagine Shadows moving around
in the total pitch of darkness. My steps were small and slow as
my arms waved in front of me acting as my eyes searching for
any obstacles. It took what seemed like an
eternity to get to The Far Side walking so slow.
I guess that's the price of being careful.
As I approach the wall the flash light Envision became useful
once again. I must have gotten off track as
I walked because the door was far off to the side.
I had to walk a good 50 feet along the wall to find it.
When I opened the door, I was greeted by a horrible sight the
snake was coiled up in front of it.
I quickly shut the door as it prepared to strike.
Why would they have two snake rooms?
But then why wasn't much of a relevant question in this place?
My mind came up with a terrible answer.
It wasn't a second snake. It was the same one.
I must have gotten turned around in the darkness and done a
circle. As my brain had to go around
with denial. I tried to figure out a way to
get across this room without unintentionally doubling back.
Keeping in mind that even though I had yet to see or hear
anything in this room didn't mean it wasn't there.
Searching for any ideas. I looked down at my flashlight
then squared my shoulders against the wall to regain my
bearings and tossed the flashlight straight in front of
me. It landed with a loud clatter
then rolled around in a playful circle before coming to rest.
If there was anything in the room most likely I just woken it
up and showed it exactly where I was.
I Stood Still and listened after a few minutes, I didn't hear any
movement. It seems safe to walk to my
flash light pick it up and toss it another 15 feet hopefully in
a straight line. I did this the whole way across
the room still listening for sounds but becoming more
confident with each step that I wouldn't hear any.
The door was just a few feet to the side of where I aimed.
Somehow I had gone in a straight line.
Grabbing the door knob I slowly turned it.
So as not to alert the snake if by some trick I ended up back in
that room. But there was no trick and no
snake. The door opened to a blinding
light. I covered my eyes to give them
time to adjust. Once they had acclimated I
looked around at a beautiful room full of clouds.
There were even clouds on the floor.
It was disconcerting at first and almost made me lose my
balance because they were so well painted that it literally
looked like I was walking on clouds.
I took a tentative step into the room making sure that it was an
illusion and I wasn't about to fall thousands of feet to my
death. Holding my breath.
I stepped onto the first cloud and let go of the door frame.
It was firm like a floor should be.
My second and third steps were more confident as I realized how
effective the illusion was. Once I acclimated walking on
clouds was fun. This was turning out to be the
easiest room. I'd been in so far.
That's when I heard the scream. It was deafening and seemed to
come from everywhere at once. I dove to the floor only to
realize there was no where to hide from whatever it was.
I stood out like a sore thumb against the blue sky and fluffy
white clouds painted on every surface of the room.
The scream sounded again and I began to run having no idea
which way I was going or where the screaming was coming from.
For all I knew I was running toward whatever it was.
I just knew it didn't sound human and I had no desire to
find out what it was. Soon the choice was taken out of
my hands. I saw a dark spot appear against
the clouds that quickly became larger.
It was almost on me when I dove to the floor feeling something
sharp rake my back. Pain shot through me as I
reached around and found the back of my shirt and shreds.
Not only that but my hand was covered in blood whatever it was
had sliced my back open and I was bleeding.
Adrenaline kicked in and I ran faster than I ever have.
The problem was I didn't know where I was running to or what I
was running from. I was just running.
I heard Wings flapping and I looked back just in time to see
the largest bird of prey I've ever seen.
It looks like a golden eagle only the thing was massive.
The wingspan was easily 20 feet. As I was running I turned to get
a closer. Look at this thing at the same
time. I was trying to get away from
it. My feet got tangled up and I
fell backward just as the razor sharp talons passed over mere
inches away from my face. I jumped up and started running
again. As I glanced back to find my
attacker. I was met with the strangest
sight. There was a smear of Blood on
the floor where I had just been lying.
It looked like someone had wiped blood on a cloud.
The wings flapped again. I knew it was close.
I had run out of luck. It would be ready for anything
this time. It's razor sharp talons would
rip me to Pieces. There was no doubt about it.
There was only one option. I jumped and whipped around and
mid-air throwing my flashlight as hard as I could.
It connected with its head that was mere feet away.
It screamed and Dove off to the side impacting with the floor so
hard I felt the vibration and landing in a heap.
I didn't stop to check on it the door loomed ahead of me and I
pushed myself for every ounce of speed my body could muster.
Turning the knob in opening the door in one smooth motion.
I dove through and slammed it shut laying on the floor
breathing hard trying to catch my breath.
I knew I was a Sitting Duck for whatever monster lurked in this
room. I rolled over to get in some
defensive position for whatever was about to attack when I saw I
was back in the main hall. I had somehow survived my first
and as far as I was concerned last round.
I stumbled my way to the restroom in the back of my mind
wondering what kind of insanity I would find in there.
What I have to crawl through the mirror into another dimension to
get a role of toilet paper. Fortunately the restroom held no
surprises. I took off my destroyed shirt
and ran water over it to clean up my back as best I could.
When I was done, I put some paper towels on the wound and
put my jacket on top of it. The desk and chair where I spent
the rest of the night. So surprisingly it had taken me
almost an hour to complete the round.
As I sat there pondering if I could survive another night at
this job. I saw a dark spot for on the
wall and detached itself only to float over toward me.
I closed my eyes and sat perfectly still ignoring the
sudden drop in temperature. The stench of death surrounded
me, but I refused to move. For a moment.
I thought I heard a sound like sniffing and then it seemed to
diminish. Once the temperature rose again.
I opened my eyes and The Apparition was gone.
As bored as I was for the next few hours, I wasn't tempted to
do another round not even in the slightest.
When 9:00 rolled around the boss curator appeared and glided over
to me wearing a little grin. I see you managed to make it
through. He said congratulations.
You're the first one in some time.
The first one to make it through a single round.
He nodded. How many others have there been
I said with a haunted look in my eyes.
He shook his head. Let's not worry about that.
Shall we he said? Here is the amount we agreed
upon. He handed me a stack of bills
and I gladly took them. Would you be interested in
staying on and being my permanent night time guard?
I looked at the money inside as much as I would like to I don't
see how this job could be called permanent when the Mortal danger
is so real. It is a challenge.
I'll admit however you Rose to it last night.
He said I'm prepared to offer you twice the amount I gave you
if you agreed to stay on. I stared at the Fistful of money
in imagined not having to struggle with bills or any other
expenses. Then I turned a little and my
back painfully reminded me of the dangers.
I'd have to think about it I said.
While you're thinking consider this you have yet to see the
basement. basement He nodded it's considerably more
challenging. I'll let you know very well.
You can see yourself out. I recommend getting that back
tended to. With that he vanished Into Thin
Air right in front of my eyes. I looked at the money wondering
if it would vanish as well. Fortunately, it remained firmly
in my grass as I walked toward the front door.
For some reason I felt hesitant to open it and leave.
It was as if some force was exerting itself against me like
the museum didn't want me to go. It wasn't a pleasant feeling
more like a dog losing its favorite toy.
I pushed the doors open and left. this whole ordeal made me
Ponder my concepts of reality as well as being terrified of the
day when the things in the building would Escape somehow
The big question was did. I need the money that badly?
Was I willing to put myself in Mortal Peril just for a few
measly dollars? I turned and looked back at the
Museum in the daylight. It looked innocent.
None of the Terrors that lay within showed on the outside as
I turned to head home. I swore I saw fleeting glimpse
of The Apparition. It seemed to be following me.
I looked again, and it was gone must have been my imagination.
I don't know when you're going to read this, but I can tell you
when it started. I was out for a walk alone in
the woods when the entity came for me.
It was beyond a blur. It was for lack of a better term
absence of meaning. Where it hid there were no trees
where it crept closer. There was no grass through the
ark it leaped it me there was no Breeze of motion.
There was no air at all. As it struck I felt the distinct
sensation of claws puncturing me somewhere unseen somewhere.
I'd never felt before my hands and arms and legs and torso
seemed fine, and I wasn't bleeding, but I knew I had been
injured somehow. As I fearfully ran back home, I
could tell that I was less. I was vaguely tired and it was
hard to focus at times. The solution at that early stage
was easy a big cup of coffee helped me feel normal again.
For a while that subtle drain on my spirit became lost in the ebb
and flow of caffeine in my system.
You could say my life began that week actually because that was
when I met Marv she and I got along great though.
To be honest. I'm pretty sure I fell in love
with her over the phone before we even met.
It was almost as if the strong emotions of that first week made
the entity fight back. It was still with me latched
onto some invisible part of my being.
The first few incidents were minor and I hardly worry about
them. The color of a neighbor's car
changed from dark blue to black one morning.
And I stared at it before shaking my head and shrugging
off the difference. Two days later at work a
co-worker's name changed from Fred to dance.
I carefully asked around but everyone said his name had
always been Damned. I figured I'd just been
mistaken. Then as ridiculous as this
sounds I was peeing in my bathroom at home when I suddenly
found myself on a random street. I was still in my pajamas pants
down, but now in full view of a dozen people at a bus stop.
Horrified I pulled up my clothes and ran before someone called
the cops. I did manage to get home, but
the experience forced me to admit that I was still in
danger. The Entity was doing something
to me. And I didn't understand how to
fight back. Marsh showed up that evening,
but she had her own key. Hey, I asked her with confusion.
How do you get a key? She just laughed.
You're cute. Are you sure you're okay with
this? She opened a door and entered a
room full of boxes. I know living together as a big
step, especially when we've only been dating three months.
Living together. I'd literally just met her the
week before. The thing was my mother had
always called me a Smart Cookie for a reason.
I knew when to shut my Yap. Instead of causing a scene.
I told her everything was fine. And then I went straight to my
room and began investigating. My things were just as I had
left them with no sign of a three-month Gap in habitation,
but I did find something out of the ordinary the date I shivered
angrily as I processed the truth.
The Entity had eaten three months of my life what the hell
was I facing what kind of creature could consume pieces of
one Soul like that? I'd missed the most exciting
part of a new relationship and I would never understand any
shared stories or in jokes from that period something absurdly
precious had been taken from me and I was Furious.
That Fury helps suppress the entity.
I never imbibed alcohol. I drank coffee religiously.
I checked the date every time I woke up.
For three years. I managed to live each day while
observing nothing more than minor alterations.
A social fact here and there someone's job.
How many kids they had that sort of thing.
The layout of nearby streets the time my favorite television show
aired that kind of thing. Always those changes reminded me
the creature still had its claws sunk in to my spirit.
Not once in three years, did I ever let myself zone out?
One day I grew careless. I let myself get really into the
season finale of my favorite show.
It was gripping a fantastic story right at the height of the
action a young boy came up to my lounger and shook my arm.
Surprise. I asked who are you?
How did you get in here? He laughed and smiled brightly.
Silly Daddy. my heart sank in my chest I knew immediately what
had happened. After a few masks questions, I
discovered that he was two years old and that he was my son.
The agony and heartache filling my chest was nearly unbearable.
Not only had I missed the birth of my son.
I would never see or know the first years of his life.
Mar and I had obviously gotten married and started a family in
the time I had lost and I had no idea what Joys or pains those
years contained. It was snowing outside holding
my sudden son in my lap. I sat and watched the flakes
Fallout side. What kind of life was this going
to be of slips and concentration could cost me years.
I had to get help the church had no idea what to do.
The priests didn't believe me and told me I had a health issue
rather than some sort of possession.
The doctors didn't have any clue.
Nothing showed up on all their scans and tests, but they
happily took my money in return for nothing.
By the time I ran out of options I decided to tell more.
There was no way to know what this all looked like from her
side. What was I like when I wasn't
there? Did I still take our son to
school did I still do my job? Clearly I did because she seemed
to be none the wiser, but I still had a horrible feeling
that something must have been missing in her life when I
wasn't actually home inside my own head.
But the night I set up a nice dinner in preparation.
She arrived not by unlocking the front door, but by knocking on
it, I answered and found that she was in a nice dress.
She was happily surprised by the settings on the table.
A fancy dinner for a second date.
I knew you were sweet on me. Thank the Lord I knew when to
keep my mouth shut if I had gone on about being married and
having a son she might have run for the Hills.
Instead. I took her coat and sat down for
our second date. Through carefully crafted
questions. I managed to do the truth.
This really was our second date. She saw relief and happiness in
me, but interpreted that as dating jitters.
I was just excited to realize that the entity wasn't
necessarily eating whole portions of my life.
The symptoms as I was beginning to understand them were more
like the consequences of a shattered Soul.
The creature had wounded me broken me into pieces.
Perhaps I was to live my life out of order.
But at least I would actually get to live it.
And so it went for a few years from my perspective.
While minor changes in politics or geography would happen daily
major shifts in my mental location only happened every
couple of months. When I found myself in a new
place and time in my life, I just shut up and listened making
sure to get the lay of the land before doing anything to avoid
making mistakes. On the farthest flung leap yet.
I met my six-year-old grandson, and I asked him what he wanted
to be when he grew up. He said writer.
I told him that was a fine idea. Then I was back in month 2 of my
relationship with Mars and I had the best night with her on the
riverfront. When I say the best, I mean the
best. Knowing how special she would
become to me. I asked her to move in.
I got to live through what I missed the first go around and I
came to understand that I was never mentally absent.
I would always be there eventually.
When we were moving her boxes in she stopped for a moment and
said she marveled at my great love as if I had known her for a
lifetime and never once doubted. She was the one That was the
first time I truly laughed freely and wholeheartedly since
the entity had wounded me. She was right about my love for
her. But for exactly the reason she'd
considered a silly romantic analogy.
I had known her my whole life and I had come to terms with my
situation and found peace with it.
It wasn't so bad to have sneak peeks at all the best parts
ahead. But of course I wouldn't be
writing this if it hadn't gotten worse The Entity was still with
me. It had not wounded me and
departed like I'd wanted to believe the closest I can
describe. My growing understanding was
that the creature was burrowing deeper into my psyche fracturing
it into smaller pieces. Instead of months between major
shifts. I began having only weeks.
Once I noticed that Trend I feared My ultimate fate would be
to jump between times and my life Heartbeat by heartbeat
forever confused forever lost. Only an instant in each time
meant I would never be able to speak with anyone else never be
able to hold a conversation never express or receive love.
As the true depth of that fear Came Upon me.
I sat in an older version of myself and watched the snow
falling outside. That was the one constant in my
life. The weather didn't care who I
was or what pains I had to face nature was always there.
The falling snow was always like a little hook that kept me in a
place. The pure emotional piece.
It brought was like a Panacea on my mental wounds and I had never
yet shifted while watching the pattern of falling white and
thinking of the times I'd gone sledding or built a snow fort as
a child. A teenager touched my arm
Grandpa a he'd startled me out of my thoughts.
So I was less careful than usual.
Who are you he have grinned as if not sure whether I was joking
handing me a stack of papers. He said it's my first attempt at
a novel. Would you read it and tell me
what you think? Of course pursuing that dream of
being a writer I see. He burned bright red.
Trying to anyway. All right run off.
I'll read this right now. The words were blurry and
annoyed. I looked for glasses.
I probably had for reading being old was terrible and I wanted to
LEAP back into a year, but not before I read his book.
I found my glasses in a sweater pocket and began leafing through
Mar putter in and out of the living room still beautiful, but
I had to focus I didn't know how much time I would have their.
It seemed that we had relatives over.
Was it Christmas? A pair of adults and a couple of
kids I didn't recognize trumped through the hallway and I saw my
son now an adult walk by with his wife on the way out the
door. As a group the extended family
began sledding outside. Finally, I finished reading the
story and I called out for my grandson.
He rushed down the stairs and into the living room.
How was it? Well, it's terrible.
I told him truthfully, but it's terrible for all the right
reasons. You're still a young man.
So your characters behave like young people but the structure
of the story itself is very solid.
I paused I didn't expect it to turn out to be a Horror Story.
He nodded. It's a reflection of the times.
expectations for the future are dismal not hopeful like they
used to be you're far too young to be aware like that.
I told him. an idea occurred to me If you're into horror, do you
know anything about strange creatures?
Sure. I read everything I can I love
it. Wearily I scan the entrances to
the living room. Everyone was busy outside for
the first time. I opened up to someone in my
life about what I was experiencing.
In hushed tones. I told him about my fragmented
consciousness. For a teenager he took it well.
You're serious. Yes, he donned the determined.
Look of a grown man accepting a quest.
I'll look into it. See what I can find out.
You should start writing down everything you experience build
some data. Maybe we can map your psychic
wound. Wow.
Sounds like a plan. I was surprised.
That made sense and I hadn't expected him to have a serious
response. But how will I get all the notes
in one place? Let's come up with somewhere for
you to leave them. He said frowning with thought.
Then I'll get them and we can trace the path.
You're taking through your own life.
See if there's a pattern. For the first time since the
situation had gotten worse. I felt hope again.
How about Under the Stairs? Nobody ever goes under there?
Sure. He Turned and Left the living
room I peered after him. I heard him banging around near
the stairs. Finally he returned with a box
laid it on the carpet and opened it to reveal a bursting stack of
papers. He exclaimed.
Holy crap. But of course being a teenager,
he didn't really say crap. Taken aback.
I blinked rapidly forgiving his cussing because of the shock.
Did I write those? He looked up at me with Wonder.
Yeah, or you will you still have to write them and put them under
the stairs after this? He gazed back down at the papers
then covered the Box. So you probably shouldn't see
what they say that could get weird.
That much I understood right? He gulped there are like 50
boxes under there all filled up like this.
Deciphering these will take a very long time.
His tone dropped to deadly seriousness.
But I will save you Grandpa because I don't think anyone
else can. Tears flowed down my cheeks then
and I couldn't help but SOB once or twice.
I hadn't realized how lonely I had become in my shifting prison
of awareness until I finally had someone who understood.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
And then I was young again and at work on a random Tuesday.
Once the sadness and relief faded anger and determination
replaced them after I finished my work.
I grabbed some paper and began writing. while the weeks shifted
around me while those weeks became days and then hours I
wrote every single spare moment about when and where I thought I
was I put them under the stairs out of order.
My first box was actually the 30th and my last box was the
first once I had over 50 boxes written from my perspective and
once my shifting became a matter of minutes, I knew it was up to
my grandson to take it from there.
I put my head down and stopped looking I couldn't stand the
river of changing awareness any longer names and places and
dates and jobs and colors and people were all wrong and
different. I'd never been older.
I sat watching the snowfall a man of at least 30 whom my
vaguely recognized and entered the room.
Come on, I think I finally figured it out.
I was so frail. That moving was painful.
Are you him? Are you my grandson?
Yes, he took me to a room filled with strange equipment and sat
me in a rubber chair facing a large mirror twice the height of
a man the pattern finally revealed itself.
How long have you worked on this?
I asked him aghast. Tell me you didn't miss your
life. Like I'm missing mine.
His expression was both Stone Cold and furiously resolute.
It'll be worth it. He brought two Thin metal rods
close to my arm and then knotted at the mirror.
Look, this shock is carefully calibrated.
The electric zap from his device was startling but not painful in
the mirror. I saw a rapid arcing light
silhouette appear above my head and shoulder the electricity
moved through the creature like a wave briefly revealing the
terrible nature of what was happening to me.
A bulging leeched like mouth was wrapped around the back of my
head coming down to my eyebrows and touching each year and its
slug like body ran over my shoulder and into my very soul.
It was a parasite and it was feeding on my mind.
My now adult grandson held my hand as I took in the horror
after a moment. He asked removing.
It is going to hurt very badly. Are you up for this?
Fearful I asked is Marv here his face softened.
No not for a few years now. I could tell from his reaction
what it happened, but I didn't want it to be true how We have
this conversation a lot. He responded.
Are you sure you want to know it never makes you feel better?
tears brimmed in my eyes Then I don't care if it hurts or if I
die. I don't want to stay in a time
where she's not alive. He made a sympathetic noise of
understanding and then returned to his machines to hook several
wires diodes and other bits of technology to my limbs and
forehead. While he did so he talked.
I've worked for two decades to figure this out and I've had a
ton of help from other researchers of the occult.
This parasite doesn't technically exist in our plane.
It's one of the Lesser spawns of Zen and it feeds on the plexus
of mind soul and Quantum Consciousness reality.
When details like names and colors of objects changed you
were not going crazy. The web of your existence was
merely losing strands as the creature ate its way through
you. I didn't fully understand.
I looked up in confusion as he placed a circle of electronics
like a crown on my head in exact line with where the parasites
mouth had ringed me. What Zen?
He paused his work and grew pale.
I forgot that you wouldn't know your lucky.
Believe me. After a deep breath, he began
moving again and placed his fingers near a few switches
ready. This is carefully tuned to make
your nervous system extremely unappetizing to the parasite,
but it's basically electroshock therapy.
I could still see Mars smile, even though she was dead.
I just been with her moments ago.
Do it. The click of a switch echoed in
my ears and I almost laughed at how mild the electricity was.
It didn't feel like anything. at least at first then I saw the
mirror shaking and my body within that image convulsing.
Oh, no, it did hurt. Nothing had ever been more
painful. It was just so excruciating that
my mind hadn't been able to immediately process it.
As my vision Shook and the fire burned in every nerve in my
body. I could see the reflected
trembling light silhouette of the parasite on my head as it
writhed in agony equal to mine. It had claws six clawed lizard
like limbs under its leech like body.
And it cut into me in an attempt to stay latched on.
The electricity made my memories Flair.
Mars smile was foremost lit brightly in front of a warm fire
as the snow fell passed the window behind her.
The edges of that memory began lighting up and I realized that
my life was one continuous stretch of experience.
It was only the awareness of it that had been fragmented by that
feasting evil on my back. I had never managed to be there
for the birth of my son. I jumped around at a dozen
times, but never actually lived it.
For the first time I got to hold Mars hand and be there for her.
No, no. That moment had shifted
seamlessly into holding her hand as she lay in a hospital bed for
a very different reason not this God why it was so merciless to
make me remember this. I broke down in tears as nurses
rushed into the room. I didn't want to know I didn't
want to experience it. I'd seen all the good parts, but
I hadn't wanted the worst part the inevitable end that all
would one day face. It wasn't worth it.
It was tainted all that Joy was given back 10,000 fold as pain.
The fire in my body and in my brain surge to share white
torture and I screamed my scream faded into a surprise shout as
the machines and electricity and chair faded away.
Snow was no longer falling around my life.
I was out in the woods on a bright summer day.
Oh God. I turned to see the creature
approaching me. It was the same absence of
meaning the same blank on reality.
It crept forward just like before.
But this time it hissed and turned away.
I stood astounded at being young again and freed from the
parasite. My grandson had actually done
it. He'd made me an unappetizing
meal. So the predator of mind and soul
had moved on in search of a different snack.
I returned home in a daze and while I was sitting there
processing all that had happened the phone rang.
I looked at it in all and sadness.
I knew who it was it was Marjorie calling for the first
time for some trivial reason. She did Mitt 30 years later was
made up just to talk to me. But all I could see was her
lying in that hospital bed dying.
It was going to end in unspeakable pain in loneliness.
I would become an old man left to sit by myself in an empty
house his soulmate gone long before him.
At the end of it all the only thing I would have left.
Sitting and watching the falling snow.
But now thanks to my grandson. I would also have my memories.
It would be a wild ride no matter how it ended.
On a sudden impulse. I picked up the phone with a
smile I asked. Hey, who's this?
Even though I already knew. My great-grandpa's story is
something that still haunts me to this day.
He was a young man of 23 when he was drafted into World War Two
in 1943. And now at the astonishing age
of 103, he shared with me an experience that he claimed was
the most terrifying of his life. It was a tale.
So chilling that even the memory of it gave him nightmares.
Curiosity got the better of me and I asked him if the story
involved the vicious Japanese soldiers of that time.
But he shook his head and told me it was something else
entirely something that no one ever believed.
He had been stationed in the Philippines in 1943 tasked with
holding off the Japanese forces along with his comrades.
One fateful day, he and his friend Samuel got separated from
their platoon while navigating a forest within the mountainous
region. The exact Province alluded my
great-grandpa's memory, but he remembered the dense forests and
Scattered Villages that surrounded them.
As they called out for their comrades, they ventured deeper
into the Wilderness until they reached the forests end.
I asked him why they didn't simply radio their platoon for
help. He explained that they tried but
for some inexplicable reason their Communications were
scrambled and unintelligible a fact that unsettled both him and
Samuel. Still they continued mindful of
the possibility of encountering Japanese soldiers.
Emerging from the forest. They noticed that the sun was
about to set prompting my great grandpa to suggest setting up
camp. Samuel agreed and as they
prepared they noticed a small wooden Hut in the distance.
Curiosity LED them to approach the mysterious structure.
They knocked on the door, but there was no sign of anyone
inside only scattered clothes strewn about the floor.
My great grandpa suggested that the inhabitants might have fled
in a panic a theory Samuel concurred with They decided to
make Camp inside the hut but something felt off.
As they ate dinner Samuel proposed taking shifts to keep
watch throughout the night. Wary of the potential danger.
They could face. While my great-grandpa slept
Samuel abruptly woke him up his voice trembling with fear.
He claimed to have seen movement outside and my great-grandpa
grabbed his rifle demanding to know what he had spotted.
Samuel handed him binoculars and pointed towards a field 300
yards away. At first my great grandpa saw
nothing, but then he noticed a figure moving in the Darkness.
As he focused his binoculars he realized it was just a wild boar
and he reassured Samuel. However, their peace was
short-lived. And side the Hutt began to
Flicker and went out. My great grandpa went to
relighted but despite the abundance of oil it repeatedly
extinguished. Samuel started feeling uneasy
about the situation and they couldn't shake the feeling that
something was amiss. Suddenly the wild boar
disappeared Into Thin Air leaving them both puzzled
allowed thud from above startled them as if something had landed
on the Hutt's roof. My great grandpa and Samuel
grabbed their rifles sensing impending Danger.
Samuel urged them to leave immediately and as they gather
their belongings and exited the cabin my great-grandpa turned
his light toward the roof. What he saw still haunts him to
this day a grotesque and malevolent creature perched
there. It had a humanoid appearance
With Enormous Wings, resembling a mix of bats and Hawks blood
red eyes that glowed in the dark jet black skin wild unkempt hair
and enormous fangs that protruded from its closed mouth.
Terrified my great grandpa fired his rifle at the creature and
Samuel did the same. To their astonishment the
creature remained unfazed its gaze fixed upon them.
Panic set in and they started screaming as they fled for their
lives running blindly through the night.
Miraculously the creature did not pursue them and they
eventually stumbled upon a small village where they found Refuge.
The locals explained that what had attacked them was known as
an ass Wang a common Supernatural entity in the
countryside. They considered my great grandpa
and Samuel fortunate to have survived such an encounter
reunited with their platoon after a few days.
They shared their harrowing Tales, but only a few believed
them most assumed they had been intoxicated and encountered
enemy fire attributing Samuels neck wound to that.
After the war ended they returned home haunted by the
dramatic encounter. Samuel however passed away at
the age of 80 due to a stroke the story sent shivers down my
spine and I spent hours researching aswangs to learn
more about these terrifying creatures.
It's a tale that is left an indelible mark on me leaving me
with more questions than answers about the unknown Horrors that
migrate Grandpa and Samuel face that night. as I loaded up my
motorbike with the essentials for my solo hunting trip the
Chris bear of Ross River nipped at my skin reminding me that
summer in Yukon was nothing but a fleeting guest I'm Kevin just
a regular guy with a taste for the Wilderness and a knack for
hunting. Ross River my little corner of
the world is a place where the Untamed beauty of Canada's
Wilderness meets The Quiet life of a small community.
It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and the
land feels like an extension of your own backyard.
The plan was simple. Head out to a secluded spot
between Sheldon Lake and mcqueston meet up with a couple
of Pals from work the next day and spend three days hunting
moose before returning to the humdrum of everyday life.
Seemed like the perfect getaway, but as I revved up my bike and
set off on the North Canal Road a sense of unease settled in my
gut. It was a feeling I couldn't
shake off. Like a shadow clinging to my
back. The weather was turning and not
for the better. The temperature had dropped
noticeably since I left home and the sky was a brooding canvas of
gray ready to spill its contents at any moment.
I've always been the kind who respects Nature's moods, but on
that day if it felt more ominous than ever.
The gentle onset of rain soon turned into a steady downpour
forcing me to pull over and layer up wet and cold.
I continued my journey the discomfort a small price for the
anticipation of the hunt. There's something about the
Wilderness that speaks to me something raw and Untamed.
As I rode the vast expanse of the Yukon and enveloped me.
It's wild beauty a sharp contrast to the growing unease
in my mind. It was a strange day.
Even the Birds seemed to sense it their songs muted and
distant. By the time I reached the
trailer at Dewhurst Creek dusk was creeping in uninvited.
Soaked through I shivered as I lit a fire the Flames casting
Eerie Shadows against the walls. Hunger was the last thing on my
mind, but I forced down a quick meal before exhaustion claimed
me. I remember thinking as I drifted
off to sleep that tomorrow would be a new day clear skies, and
hopefully a successful hunt. But the Wilderness has its own
plans and sometimes they don't align with ours as Dawn broke.
I was greeted by a clear sky the rain having retreated as
abruptly as it had arrived. Eager to make the most of the
day. I dressed quickly loaded my
firearm and hopped back on my bike.
The air was fresh and the world seemed renewed washed clean by
the knights downpour. I wrote at a leisurely Pace the
engine's whom a comforting companion.
The landscape unfolded before me a tapestry of greens and Browns
punctuated by the rugged mountains in the distance.
It was picturesque Serene and for a moment.
I let myself get lost in it the earlier unease momentarily
forgotten. But life I've learned is full of
unexpected turns. And what happened?
Next was as unexpected As It Gets.
The morning was unfolding like any Hunter's dream.
The air was crisp and clean the kind that fills your lungs with
a refreshing chill. I was in my element the
Wilderness of Yukon embracing me in its vast untouched splendor.
There's a unique kind of Silence out here the kind that makes you
feel both insignificant and at one with the world.
I've always found comfort in this Solitude a piece that the
bustling streets of Ross River couldn't offer.
As I navigated the rugged terrain on my bike scouting for
signs of moose the sun began to cast its early light painting
the mountains in Hues of gold and Amber.
It was during one of those moments the kind when you feel
like you're the only soul for miles that I saw it.
At first glance it looked like an airplane a silhouette against
the brightening sky, but something was off.
It was too low too quiet. I squinted trying to make sense
of what I was seeing. It was large about the size of a
school bus and it moved with a purposeful Grace slicing through
the air without a sound. It seemed to flicker like it was
struggling to stay in this world.
I remember feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the
morning are this was no plane. It was something else something
otherworldly a UFO perhaps the thought should have scared me
should have sent me racing back to Ross River but it didn't
instead. I felt an overwhelming sense of
calm as if whatever was out there in the sky was telling me
that everything was all right. I instinctively reached for my
camera a habit. I've developed over the years to
capture the raw beauty of Yukon but as my fingers grazed the
lens that same calming sensation washed over me again it
whispered to me in a way that words can't describe that.
I didn't need to take a picture that this moment was meant for
my eyes only. And just like that the object
was Gone Van Vanishing behind a conical Hill leaving me alone
with the rising sun and a Heart full of wonder.
I stood there for a while trying to make sense of what I just
witnessed. Was it real?
a trick of the light or something more as I pondered a
sudden noise snapped me back to reality.
It was a sharp metallic clang like the sound of a heavy trunk
slamming shut. It came from just around the
bend in the road and my Hunters Instinct kicked in quietly.
I walked towards the sound my senses on high alert rounding
the corner the sight that greeted me was something
straight out of a science fiction novel there standing in
the Tall Grass were two figures. They were short maybe five feet
tall clad and blue jumpsuits that hugged their slender
frames. But it was their heads that
caught my attention. They were not human.
They were insect like with pointed gray faces and enormous
eyes that seemed to pierce through me. for a moment time
Stood Still then one of them raised a hand holding what
looked like a flash light a bright flash and developed me
and the world went black in that instant.
I felt a sense of Detachment as if my very being was being
pulled away from my body stretching towards the sky and
then nothing in the days that followed that inexplicable
encounter on the North Canal Road.
My mind was a tumultuous River of confusion and fragmented
memories. I found myself back at the
trailer the events between seeing those insect like beings
and waking up on the roadside lost in a fog of uncertainty.
The Shadows of the trees told a story of missing time hours
unaccounted for and the sun was already beginning its descent.
I tried to Shake it Off telling myself.
It was fatigued maybe a trick of the Mind.
But deep down. I knew something extraordinary
had happened the Wilderness had always been my place of clarity,
but now it felt like a Labyrinth of unanswered questions.
As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months.
Snippets of memories began to surface like debris after a
storm. They came in flashes unexpected
and disorienting. I remembered the sensation of
being scrutinized by those gray beings their large unblinking
eyes examining me with an intelligence that was both
terrifying and mesmerizing. I recalled the interior of what
I could only describe as their craft.
A place that defied the laws of physics as I knew them.
There were glimpses of being led through corridors that seemed to
shift and change. And the feeling of being both a
specimen and a guest. The most vivid memory was
standing before a window or what?
I thought was a window gazing out at the vastness of space.
There were stars galaxies and celestial bodies.
I couldn't name all spread out in an infinite canvas. a gray
being its presence somehow comforting and authoritative
communicated to me not in words but in thoughts Showing me
visions of Earth from afar a tiny fragile orb in the void.
They told me I would forget that it was necessary.
And for a long time I did but the mind has a way of holding
onto truths no matter how deep we bury them.
I found myself drawn to stories of others who had experienced
similar encounters tales that spanned across cultures and
decades. It became clear that what I
experienced was not unique that these beings these insectoids
had been visiting us for longer than we could fathom.
The more I delved into the world of ufology the more I realized
how complex and layered the phenomenon was.
It wasn't just about lights in the sky or mysterious crafts.
It was about a connection. However a elusive with something
beyond our understanding. But understanding was what I
craved. I needed to make sense of what
happened to me to know that I wasn't losing my grip on
reality. I poured over books interviewed
experts and even tried reaching out to other experiences.
Each story added a piece to the puzzle yet the complete picture
remained elusive. I wrestled with questions that
had no answers. Why me?
What did they want? Were they observers guardians or
something else entirely? The more I searched the more I
realized that some truths might be beyond our grasp.
As Time passed I learned to live with the mystery to accept that
some things are meant to be experienced not explained.
But the longing for understanding the need to
connect the dots never really left me.
It became a part of who I was a silent companion on my journey
through life. Months turned into years since
that surreal morning on the North Canal Road, but the
encounter never faded from my mind.
It was like a shadow always there always lurking in the
background of my thoughts. I had come to terms with the
fact that I might never fully understand what happened to me,
but that didn't stop me from seeking answers.
I spend countless hours researching diving deep into the
world of ufology. I found stories from all corners
of the globe each has bewildering and varied as my
own. from the dense forest of Yukon to the sprawling deserts
of the American southwest people had encountered beings that
defied explanation. The Mantis like creatures I had
seen were just one part of a much larger more complex
phenomenon. These stories these encounters.
They were not just isolated incidents.
They were part of a tapestry that stretched back through
history. From ancient folklore to modern
day sightings The Narrative remained consistent being from
the Stars visiting our little blue planet.
Summoned counters were benign others terrifying but all were
transformative in their own way. I couldn't help but wonder about
the purpose of these visits where they simply observing us
like scientists studying a lesser known species.
Or was there a greater agenda at play something beyond our
comprehension? The theories were as varied as
the encounters themselves. some spoke of Intergalactic diplomacy
others of sinister experiments The truth it seemed was as
elusive as the beings themselves.
Despite the Myriad of stories and theories one thing became
clear. These encounters had a profound
impact on those who experience them.
Like me, they struggled to reconcile their experiences with
the reality. They had known.
Their lives were forever changed marked by a sense of otherness a
connection to something greater than the selves.
In my quest for answers. I came across other experiences.
We shared our stories our theories and our frustrations in
each other. We found a sense of camaraderie
a mutual understanding that was hard to come by in the outside
world. We were a community Bound by our
experiences Seekers on a journey for truth.
But the truth I Learned was a tricky thing.
The more I searched the more I realize that some Mysteries
might never be solved. Perhaps that was the point not
to find answers but to keep seeking to keep questioning.
Our encounters had opened our minds to possibilities we had
never imagined. And maybe that was the real
gift. As I sat on the porch of my
cabin in Ross River looking up at the star-filled sky, I
couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
The universe was vast and mysterious full of Wonders.
We had yet to discover my encounter with the unknown had
been a small glimpse into that vastness a reminder of how
little we truly understand. The questions remained but so
did the sense of wonder. The universe was a puzzle and we
were all pieces trying to find our place in the grand scheme of
things. My encounter with the Mantis
like beings was a part of my journey a chapter in a story
that was still being written. As the night deepened in the
Stars Shone brighter. I realized that some Mysteries
Were Meant To Be embraced not solved.
And in that Embrace there was a kind of Peace a recognition that
we are all part of something much larger than ourselves.
The Enigma of my encounter would always be with me.
But so would the sense of wonder the unending quest for
understanding in a universe full of mysteries.
I've always believed that some nights are just different, you
know, like they have this weird energy that makes you do things.
You wouldn't normally consider. That Friday night was one of
those I'm Sullivan by the way, the guy with a quarter Native
American blood and an uncomfortable.
Knack for feeling when things are about to get weird.
Alex and Ted my two best friends since middle school were with me
aimlessly driving around the streets of our small New Jersey
Town Ted The Joker of our Trio was behind the wheel of his
beat-up Ford and Alex who could best be described as the brains
of our operation rode shotgun. I was lounging in the backseat
my head resting against the window watching streetlights
flicker by. Guys, what if we did something
different tonight? Alex suddenly said breaking the
silence. Like what drive to another town
and find a new Diner Ted joked drumming his fingers on the
steering wheel know something more adventurous.
What about that Lake between central and North Jersey?
The one people say is haunted or something Alex proposed his eyes
lighting up. Ted's grin widened haunted you
say now were talking. I sat up straighter.
You mean the lake near the Pine Barrens The One supposedly built
over in Indian burial ground. I added a bit uneasy my grandma
used to tell me stories about respecting such places.
Yeah, exactly that one Alex confirmed.
I hesitated. Something about the idea seemed
off, but the thrill of Adventure and the excitement in my
friend's eyes were too contagious to resist.
All right, let's do it. I finally agreed trying to shake
off my apprehension. We drove to the lake the car
filled with a mix of excitement and nervous energy.
The Pine Barrens at night were like something out of an eerie
movie with tall shadowy trees and an unsettling Stillness.
As we reach the trailhead the last Ray of the sun were
disappearing casting a Golden Glow on the dense foliage around
us. We began our hike towards the
lake the sounds of nature are only company.
I couldn't help but feel a deep connection to the land a
reminder of my heritage. Ted and Alex were in High
Spirits laughing and joking as we walked, but I couldn't shake
off a feeling of unease. It was like the forest was
watching us aware of our every step.
We talked about school the latest video games and girls
trying to keep the mood light yet the deeper we ventured the
more I felt a strange energy in the air.
It was as if the forest had a secret one that it wasn't keen
on sharing without ciders like us.
And then Ted in his typical fashion to lighten the mood
pulled up some creepy goat man sounds on his phone.
This will make things more interesting.
He chuckled playing the Eerie noises.
I frowned feeling a chill run down my spine.
We should be respectful. You know, this is native land.
I warned half-joking half serious.
Ted laughed it off, but I couldn't help but feel that we
were not alone. Little did we know our
light-hearted adventure was about to take a turn into
something much darker and more inexplicable than any of us
could have imagined. As we walked deeper into the
Pine Barrens The playful banter between Ted and Alex continued,
but I couldn't shake off a growing sense of unease.
The sun had dipped below the Horizon now and the woods around
us were bathed in Twilight. The beauty of the setting was
undeniable, but so was the Eerie feeling that we were not alone.
I've heard stories about this place.
I said my voice a bit more serious than I intended.
They say the spirits of the land aren't too fond of visitors.
Alex rolled his eyes Sullivan you and your ghost stories.
He said with a laugh. Ted however seemed intrigued.
What kind of spirits he asked his eyes scanning the darkening
Woods? old ones Native American legends
speak of spirits that protect these lands I explained feeling
a strange responsibility to share my heritage's lore.
They say some can be vengeful. But Ted ever the prankster
wasn't going to let the opportunity pass to add some
spookiness to our adventure. He played those Goatman sounds
from his phone again. The Eerie cries echoing
unnaturally in the dense forest. I felt a shiver run down my
spine. Dude, cut it out.
I said half joking half serious. You might attract something.
We don't want to meet Ted laughed but his laughter was cut
short. We all stopped in our tracks
there behind us was a figure it was distant barely visible in
the fading light, but unmistakably there.
Alex whispered his usual skepticism replaced by fear.
I squinted trying to make sense of what I was seeing the figure
was tall too tall to be human and unnaturally thin it stood
motionless watching us. Is probably just a tree or
something Ted said but his voice lacked conviction.
We hesitated then continued walking picking up our pace.
I glanced back and my heart skipped a beat.
The figure was following us matching our speed with an eerie
Grace. Its following us.
I said my voice barely above a whisper.
Don't be ridiculous. Alex said but I could hear the
fear in his voice. We walked faster the jokes and
laughter now replaced by tense silence.
Every time I looked back the figure was there always the same
distance behind us. Guys, what if it's a I started
to say but I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence
the word Skinwalker lingered in my mind unspoken.
We reached a clearing and for a moment.
We thought we had lost it but then there it was at the edge of
the woods watching us with its unnerving Stillness.
Run I said and we did. We ran as fast as we could not
daring to look back. The sounds of our heavy
breathing in the pounding of our feet on the trail where the only
things we could hear. But even as we ran I couldn't
shake the feeling that we were not running from something but
towards something even more terrifying.
The Shadows of the Pine Barren seemed to close in around us and
I knew our night was far from over.
We didn't stop running until we reached a part of the trail
closer to the main road where the sounds of distant cars
brought a small sense of relief. Panting we leaned on our knees
trying to catch our breaths. The Eerie Silence of the woods
was now replaced by the distant hum of traffic.
We lost it, right Alex panted looking back towards the dense
trees. I wanted to believe we did but
something deep inside me said otherwise I'm not sure.
I admitted my voice shaking that thing.
It wasn't normal. Ted who was usually the bravest
Among Us looked genuinely scared.
What was that Sullivan, you know about this stuff tell us it was
just a bear or something. I wished I could I wished I
could explain it away as a trick of the light or an animal but
the image of that tall slender figure silently trailing us was
burned into my mind. I don't know I whispered.
But we should keep moving. We resumed our walk but now with
a heightened sense of vigilance every rustle in the bushes every
snap of a twig made us jump the playful Adventure had turned
into a nightmare and I couldn't shake off the feeling of being
watched. As we approached an open area
near the road. I thought we were safe.
But when I turned around to check once more my heart sank,
it was there barely 100 feet behind us.
It had followed us silent and relentless.
It's still there. I said my voice barely audible
Ted and Alex turned and I saw their faces drain of color.
The creature was closer now and in the dim light of the road, we
could see it more clearly. It was humanoid, but grotesquely
thin its skin pale and stretched over its bones.
It had no face just a blank expansive skin where features
should have been. We need to get out of here Ted
said and we started running again fueled by pure fear.
We sprinted down the trail the creatures silent Pursuit
haunting every step. As we neared the parking area
our hopes were dashed. The lot was empty except for
Ted's car. It was a stark reminder that we
were alone out here. Quick get in the car.
Ted yelled fumbling for his keys We piled into the car slamming
the doors shut and locking them. Ted started the engine in
Florida the tires screeching as we sped away from the trail.
As we drove I looked back through the rear window half
expecting to see the creature following us.
But there was nothing. Just the dark empty road.
None of us spoke as we drove the radio usually blaring.
Our favorite songs was now silent.
We were all processing the terror.
We had just experienced. When we finally reached my house
we sat in the car for a moment the safety of familiar
surroundings doing little to ease our shaken nerves.
That thing what was it Alex finally broke the silence.
I shook my head unable to provide an answer.
I don't know I said but I have a feeling this isn't the last
we've seen of it. Little did I know how right I
would be. The next day was Eerie in its
normalcy. The sun Shone brightly and birds
chirped as if last night's Horrors were just a figment of
our imagination. I couldn't shake off the events
though. Every shadow seemed to hide a
threat every noise made me jump. While walking my dogs a sense of
dread washed over me as a stray cat emerged from the woods.
Its eyes fixed on me. Grandma's stories echoed in my
head about skinwalkers creatures from Native American lore that
could mimic any animal. I hurried back inside.
My heart racing was this paranoia or had last night's
Terror followed me home. later that day Ted called Hey, can I
come over? I don't want to be alone.
He said his voice trembling. Sure, man, I'll pick you up.
I replied trying to sound more confident than I felt.
But when I pulled up to Ted's house something was off.
He climbed into the car his face pale his eyes darting around
nervously. Ted you okay.
I asked as we drove back to my place.
He was silent for a moment before he spoke.
Sullivan I need to tell you something.
When we got back to your house last night, I saw it that thing
it was outside. My grip tightened on the
steering wheel outside my house. I managed to ask my voice barely
above a whisper. Ted nodded I didn't want to
scare you, but I think I think it's following us.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. The creature had followed us out
of the Pine Barrens. But why and what did it want?
We spent the evening trying to distract ourselves with video
games, but our hearts weren't in it.
Every Creak of the house every rustle of the wind outside sent
waves of fear through us. That night lying in bed.
I couldn't sleep. The shadows in my room seemed to
move and every small sound was magnified.
I kept picturing that faceless creature lurking just beyond my
window. The following days were a blur
of anxiety and fear. Ted and I tried to act normal
but the shared experience had changed us.
We jumped at Shadows avoided the woods and barely spoke of what
happened. A week later Alex called a
meeting at his house. We need to talk about what
happened. He said his usual skepticism
gone. We sat in his living room the
three of us a sense of solemnity hanging in the air.
Do you think it was a skinwalker?
Alex asked looking directly at me?
I sighed. I don't know but whatever.
It was, it's not something we should take lightly.
We can't just pretend it didn't happen.
Ted added his voice shaking. We agreed to do some research to
try and understand what we had encountered but deep down.
I knew some Mysteries were better left unsolved.
The Pine Barrens had revealed a glimpse of something ancient and
terrifying a reminder that some Legends are rooted in truth.
And as we delve deeper into the lore trying to find answers I
couldn't shake off the feeling that the creature was still out
there watching waiting. The Shadows of the Pine Barrens
had followed us and our lives would never be the same again.
I've seen my fair share of mysteries in my time, but
nothing quite like the Enigma that is the Round Valley
Reservoir. They call it the Bermuda
Triangle of New Jersey and the more I delved into its history
the more I understood why. It wasn't just a catchy
nickname. It was a warning.
It started back in 71 with Thomas trimblett and his
brother-in-law Christopher. Just a couple of guys out
fishing on a clear day. They were in a 12 foot aluminum
boat the kind. That's a common is Cattails
around these parts. No one thought much of it until
they didn't come home. The search party found their
capsized boat, but of tamas and Christopher there was no sign.
Not then not ever it was as if the reservoir had swallowed them
whole. I remember talking to one of the
old timers at the local Diner about it.
He had this way of stirring his coffee slow deliberate.
It's not just the drowning that gets you.
He said his voice a low Rumble. It's the not knowing the
unanswered questions that haunt you.
And haunt they did. As years passed the reservoir
claimed more victims Craig steer and Andrew finella vanished
while walking along the northern Shoreline.
One moment. They were there the next just
gone. No screams, no struggle.
Nothing. It was as if they'd stepped into
another world. the local started to talk you'd hear Whispers at
the grocery store. See the fear in people's eyes at
the gas station. It wasn't just a series of
tragic accidents something more Sinister was at play.
It's funny how a place can change in the eyes of those who
live there. I remember when the reservoir
was a spot for family picnics and lazy fishing days.
But after these disappearances it morphed into something else.
a mystery a place of unease I could feel it every time I drove
past a chill that wasn't just from the breeze off the water.
But it wasn't just the disappearances that got to me.
It was the lack of closure. Take Jeffrey Moore and Raymond
Barr. For example their boat capsized
on a day as calm as any. Ray was rescued.
But Jeff he was just gone vanished Into Thin Air.
I talked to Ray Once and the guilt in his eyes was something
I won't forget. We were just fishing he kept
saying as if he was trying to convince himself.
It was all just a normal day. The more I dug into these
stories the more I realized how deep the fear ran.
It wasn't just the reservoir. It was the unknown The
Unexplained that had everyone on edge.
I had sit at the bar and listen to the theories curses vortexes
even alien abductions. Each tale was wilder than the
last but in their voices, I heard something real fear.
As I looked out over the Still Waters of the Round Valley
Reservoir, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
This wasn't just a body of water.
It was a mystery a keeper of Secrets.
And I knew deep down that some secrets are never meant to be
uncovered. The Round Valley Reservoir had a
way of keeping its secrets. As the years passed each
disappearance seemed to deepen the mystery like layers of silts
settling on a sunken object obscuring it from View. 1989
brought a new chapter to this unsettling Saga with The
Disappearance of John kubu and Albert Lawson.
They went out fishing much like those before them and only one
came back but not in the way anyone hoped.
Lawson's body was recovered years later, but John.
Was just another question mark in the reservoirs murky depths.
I remember when the news broke about Lawson's body being found.
It was a cold morning in 93 the kind that bites at your cheeks
and numbs your fingers. I was at the station nursing a
cup of coffee that did little to warm me the discovery brought a
grim sort of closure, but it was like closing a book when half
the pages were still missing. The case of Jeffrey Moore and
Raymond Barr was a different kind of puzzle their boat
capsized on a day that couldn't have been more.
Perfect. Clear skies calm Waters Rey was
saved, but Jeff it was as if the reservoir had just reached up
and plucked him from the surface.
No Trace no clue nothing. The locals couldn't make heads
or tails of it. If a man could disappear on a
day like that, what did it say about the rest of us?
The authorities did what they could they brought in a
submersible in 77 state of the art at the time on Andre Gallery
piloted it a man who'd worked with the famed Jacques Cristo.
If anyone could find answers at the bottom of that Reservoir, it
was him. But after a week of searching
the waters gave up nothing. It was like looking for ghosts.
State troopers trained in underwater recovery took up the
torch in the years that followed.
They scoured the depths combed through every inch they could
reach but the reservoir was stingy with its secrets.
I spoke to one of the divers once over a beer his eyes had
that far off. Look of a man who'd seen too
much and found too little. It's like the water just
swallows them whole he said a hint of bewilderment in his
voice. In 2006 the community rallied
again armed with another state of the Arts submersible.
Hope has a way of hanging on even in the face of Relentless
uncertainty. But again, the reservoir
remained silent its depths impenetrable its Secrets locked
away. I'd often drive by the reservoir
my thoughts as turbulent as the waters were calm.
The place had a way of getting under your skin of making you
question the line between the natural and the supernatural in
the diner in the bars. The theories flew like Sparks
from a fire curses hidden underwater chasms even a
submerged Ghost Town. But beneath all the speculation
and fear a sad truth lingard people had vanished leaving
behind families friends and a community grappling with the
unknown. As I gazed out over the
Stillwater I couldn't shake the feeling that some Mysteries are
too deep too dark to ever see the light of day.
And in these depths the truth about the Round Valley Reservoir
lay waiting silent and inscrutable.
There's a strange comfort in knowing even when what you learn
is Grimm. The Round Valley Reservoir with
its pension for keeping its Secrets.
Finally yielded some answers albeit few and far between Like
a puzzle slowly piecing together each recovery brought a fragment
of truth, but the full picture remained elusive.
In 2013, the reservoir gave up one of its long-held secrets.
Kenneth Harton a 56 year old fisherman was found in 70 feet
of water. The state police's Marine unit
had picked up an unusual signal an anomaly that stood out like a
sore thumb in the otherwise mundane reading of the lake bed.
Divers were dispatched and there in the depths they found him.
The community was abuzz with the news a mix of relief and renewed
anxiety. If Harten could be found after
all these years who else might still be down there.
I remember standing on the shore the day they brought heart
enough. The sky was a steal gray the
kind that presses down on you heavy with unshed rain.
There was a solemnity in the air a quiet acknowledgment of the
man's fate finally coming to light.
It was closure. Yes, but it was also a stark
reminder of all those still missing their stories Untold
their Fates unknown. The discovery of heart and
prompted fresh talks theories and speculations.
Some clung to logical explanations the reservoirs
unique geography creating sudden lethal weather conditions.
The Frigid Waters slowing decomposition keeping bodies
hidden in its depths it made sense in a cold scientific way,
but it lacked the finality the absolute answers we all craved.
The more outlandish theories can continue to circulate too.
Curses Supernatural forces, even extraterrestrial intervention
were discussed in hushed tones in the corners of diners and
bars. It was easier for some to
believe in the Fantastic then to confront the harsh randomness of
nature. Then there was the discovery by
those amateur divers a reminder that sometimes the truth was
more straightforward than we wanted to admit.
They had stumbled upon the remains of a fisherman who had
gone missing in 1976. It was a grim find a skeleton
still clad and rubber boots and tattered clothing 11 months
later. Another body was found in almost
the same condition. It was a chilling echo of the
past a reminder that the reservoir held more than just
water in its depths. These discoveries as sparse as
they were brought a kind of Solace.
They were proof that not all was lost to the murky Waters that
answers could still surface even after decades.
But with each answer came more questions more whys and hows
that lingered in the air as palpable as the Mist that often
hung over the reservoir in the early mornings.
As I walked away from The Waters Edge, I couldn't help but feel a
sense of unease the Round Valley Reservoir was more than just a
body of water. It was a keeper of stories a
holder of Secrets. And for every secret revealed it
seemed a dozen more were born. The truth it seemed was as
Elusive and deep as the reservoir itself.
As the sun dipped below the Horizon casting Long Shadows
over the Round Valley Reservoir. I found myself reflecting on the
legacy of this enigmatic place. It was more than just a body of
water. It was a symbol of the
unexplainable a testament to the Mysteries that lie just beneath
the surface of our understanding.
Over the years I've seen how this Reservoir has gripped the
imagination of the community and Beyond it's a place where logic
meets Legend where fact intertwines with folklore.
Each disappearance each unexplained incident added
another layer to its Mystique. And despite the occasional
breakthroughs the reservoir retained its air of mystery its
ability to both Fascinate and terrify.
I've walked these shorts more times than I can count each
visit leaving me with more questions than answers.
Theories about the reservoir ran the gamut from scientific to
Supernatural. Some folks spoke of underwater
ghost towns remnants of a bygone era submerged beneath the Placid
Waters fueling the reservoirs Eerie reputation others
whispered of curses laid by displaced Native American tribes
their Spirits restless and vengeful.
But amid the Tails and theories there was a palpable sense of
loss a collective mourning for those who had vanished Without a
Trace. It was a reminder that behind
each Mystery there were real people families left grappling
with the unknown their grief a constant undercurrent in the
community. The reservoir with its dark
Waters and deeper Secrets had become a character in its own,
right? an enigmatic presence that
loomed large in our Collective consciousness I've seen the way
people's eyes would flicker to the water when they spoke of it
a mix of fear respect and awe. It was as if they were
acknowledging an old and scrutable adversary.
As I stood there the chill of the evening are creeping through
my jacket. I couldn't shake the feeling
that the reservoir was watching listening.
It was as though it was aware of its own Legend basking in the
Intrigue and speculation at inspired.
The truth I had come to realize was as elusive as the Shadows
that played on the water's surface.
Perhaps some Mysteries weren't meant to be solved their secrets
destined to remain hidden in the depths.
And maybe that was okay. After all, it's the unknown that
draws Us in that stirs our imagination and keeps using even
when we know some answers May forever elude us.
As I turn to leave casting one last glance over the darkening
Waters. I knew that the legacy of the
Round Valley Reservoir would endure its stories passed down
through generations. It would continue to haunt to
Intrigue to remind us of the thin line between the known and
the unknown. And in that space in the gap
between light and Shadow truth and Legend the reservoir would
remain. A silent Sentinel keeping its
secrets in the Deep. I remember that day like it was
just yesterday. The woods near our neighborhood
were always assorted Sanctuary for me a place where the tall
trees whispered secrets in the wind and the small Creeks
babbled stories of far away lands.
It was the kind of place where kids from all around would come
to ride their bikes through the winding Trails the sound of
their laughter mingling with the rustling leaves.
I loved those woods not just for their beauty, but for the sense
of adventure they offered on that particular afternoon around
4 p.m. The sun was casting golden beams
through the canopy creating a tapestry of light and Shadow on
the forest floor. I had decided to take Bertha my
faithful Labrador for our usual walk.
She was more than just a pet. She was my companion my
confidant. As we got out of the car
Bertha's tail wagged with excitement her brown eyes
gleaming with the joy of another adventure in our special place.
We began our walk along the familiar Trail the crunch of
leaves underfoot the scent of Pine and Earth filling the air.
Bertha led the way her nose to the ground eagerly sniffing out
the sense of the forest. Everything was as it always was
Serene and peaceful until something strange happened.
It started subtly at first a faint tingling sensation that
washed over me like the Gentle Touch of an unseen hand.
It wasn't fear or apprehension rather.
It was a feeling of unexplained happiness a sudden lightness of
being that seemed to lift the weight of the world from my
shoulders. My usual aches and pains the
remnants of an old football injury vanished as if they had
never been. A smile spread across my face
and a laugh bubbled up from deep within me.
Wow, I feel so good. I thought to myself.
I feel like a little kid. I'm brand new.
This Euphoria lasted for what seemed like an eternity but in
reality it was probably only about 20 seconds.
That's when everything changed. It was as if the forest itself
had decided to reveal one of its secrets.
From the corner of my eye. I noticed movement in the
bushes. It wasn't the usual of a small
animal scurrying away. This was different.
The bush shook violently as if something or someone was holding
on to it intertwined in its branches trying desperately to
remain hidden. Bertha reacted instantly her
body tensing a low growl emanating from her throat.
She lunged towards the bush pulling me along.
I struggled to hold her back my heart pounding in my chest.
Whatever was in that bush was big and it was close.
I could hear it moving heavy thuds like the footsteps of a
giant accompanied by the sound of branches snapping under its
weight. I wanted to run to take Bertha
and flee back to the safety of my car.
But something held me there rooted to the spot. curiosity
fear I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I had to see
what was making that noise. As I stood there heart racing
the forest around me seemed to hold its breath waiting for what
would happen next the creature whatever it was moved again this
time through another Bush its presence felt more than seen.
I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was on the verge of
discovering something extraordinary something that
would change everything. And so with a mixture of fear
and excitement. I stepped closer to the unknown.
The mysterious rustling in the bushes had only deepened the
Enigma of the woods each step. I took now felt heavier as if I
was walking into a story yet to be told.
Bertha sensing my apprehension stayed closed her ears perked up
alert to every sound. That day as we ventured deeper
into the woods the atmosphere seemed to thicken with suspense
the once familiar trees now appeared as looming specters
their branches reaching out like the fingers of a giant hand.
My heart raced with a mix of fear and excitement.
What was hiding in these Woods? A part of me wanted to turn
back, but curiosity propelled me forward.
Then it happened again. The same heavy rhythmic thumping
that we had heard the day before but louder this time closer.
It was as if something massive was walking or rather stomping
just beyond the line of sight. Birth a growled her body tends
to bolt or fight whichever came first.
My mind raced the sound was unlike anything I had heard
before it was like the footsteps of a colossal creature something
out of a monster movie. The ground vibrated with each
thud sending Shivers up my spine. yet for all the noise it
made there was nothing to see the bushes Shook and the leaves
rustled, but there was no visible cause It was then that
the most terrifying sound of all filled the air.
Allowed guttural Roar, so deep and resonant it seemed to come
from the very Earth beneath our feet.
It was like the Roar of a T-Rex from the movies only this was
real. happening right in front of me Bertha and I stood Frozen
our eyes scanning the woods for any sign of the creature.
Sounds like a T-Rex from the movies.
I whispered allowed my voice barely a breath.
The Stomping stopped abruptly as if the creature had heard me. a
chilling silence fell over the woods I could feel the
vibrations of the last footstep fading away leaving us in a
suspenseful Stillness. Despite the fear gripping my
heart. I couldn't help but feel a
strange sense of connection to this unseen being.
It was as if it was aware of us, maybe even curious about us.
But why couldn't we see it? What was it hiding from?
Or perhaps what was it hiding? For what felt like an eternity
birtha and I stood there staring into the woods waiting for
something to happen. But nothing did the Creature if
that's what it was had vanished as mysteriously as it had
appeared. As we made our way back home.
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and questions.
What was this Invisible Presence?
Why did it make such terrifying sounds?
Was it watching us now hidden among the trees?
The woods once a place of joy and Adventure now held a secret
a mystery that both scared and fascinated me.
That night as I lay in bed the sounds of the forest replied in
my mind the rustling bushes the heavy footsteps the roar That
Shook the ground. I knew one thing for sure.
I had to find out what was lurking in those woods.
And so with a mixture of dread and determination I resolved to
return to the forest to uncover the truth behind the invisible
Terror that haunted it. The next few days passed in a
blur of restless thoughts and endless questions.
The woods had always been my escape a place where I could
forget the world and just be but now they were a puzzle a mystery
wrapped in an enigma and I was drawn to it unable to stay away.
Each walk with birth of became a mission a search for answers.
We treaded the same paths, but now with a heightened sense of
awareness every rustle of leaves sending a jolt of adrenaline
through my veins The Invisible Presence remain just that
invisible. But its effects were palpable a
feeling of being watched of something just out of sight
always there lurking in the shadows.
Then one day it happened. It was an experience so fleeting
yet. So profound that it shook the
very foundations of My reality. We were walking along a familiar
Trail the air crisp with the scent of pine the sun filtered
through the leaves casting a dappled pattern on the ground.
I stopped for a moment to take in the beauty of it all the
Serene Tranquility of nature. As I stood there lost in thought
a movement caught my eye. It was quick just a blur, but it
was there something large something impossible.
It moved between the trees a mere 80 feet away.
But in that fraction of a second I saw it.
It was humanoid at least 10 feet tall with broad muscular
shoulders and a large head. Its appearance was like nothing.
I had ever seen a perfect blend of human and beast.
But what was truly astonishing was its skin?
It shimmered reflecting the woods around it like the
Predator from the movie's cloaked and almost invisible.
the sight of it left me breathless my mind struggling to
process what my eyes had just seen It was as if my brain had
captured a snapshot of the creature etching every detail
into my memory. The thick shiny hair on its leg
The Contours of its muscles the way it blended into the
surroundings. It was all so vivid. so real I
stood there rooted to the spot my heart pounding in my chest
Bertha sensing. My shock whined softly nuzzling
my hand. The creature whatever it was had
vanished as quickly as it appeared leaving.
No Trace behind. As we walked back home my mind
raced with questions. What was this being?
Why was it here and most importantly why had it run from
me? Did it sense my presence or was
it startled by something else? The encounter left me with a
sense of awe and a deep respect for the mysteries of the natural
world. It also brought a newfound
caution. The woods were no longer just a
place of beauty and peace. They were a realm where the
unknown lurked where the line between reality and Legend
blurred. From that day on I became more
Vigilant on our walks always keeping an eye on the Shadows
always listening for the slightest sound.
I didn't know what the creature was or what it wanted.
But I knew one thing for sure. The woods were its domain and we
were just visitors treading lightly in a world.
We barely understood. Ever since that day when the
impossible became possible before my eyes the woods have
never been the same for me. they have transformed from a simple
Escape into a place of profound mystery and wonder Each time I
walk with Bertha along those familiar paths.
I find myself looking at the world around me with new eyes.
Seeing Beauty and complexity in every leaf. and every Whisper Of
The Wind in the days following the encounter with the
mysterious cloaked being I found myself lost in a sea of
thoughts. What was it?
Why did it choose to reveal itself to me?
Even if only for a brief moment? These questions spun around in
my head unanswered but impossible to ignore.
Yet despite the uncertainty and fear that accompanied these
thoughts. There was also a sense of
exhilaration a feeling of being part of something larger and
more mysterious than I had ever imagined.
I began to realize that perhaps we are not alone in our journey
through this world. Maybe there are beings entities
or forces that exist. Just beyond the reach of our
understanding Watching Over Us guiding us or simply coexisting
in a parallel reality. We seldom perceive.
One of the most profound changes in me was my newfound
appreciation for Bertha. She was no longer just a pet.
But a companion a guardian who seemed to understand far more
than I had given her credit for. Dogs I'm used might be more
attuned to the mysteries of the world than we are.
They seem to sense things. We cannot perceive things beyond
our comprehension. Maybe in their own way.
They are here to help us. to guide us through the Unseen and
the unknown this journey through the woods through the unknown
had also taught me a valuable lesson about life.
It reminded me that there is so much more to the world than what
meets the eye. It encouraged me to live
fearlessly to embrace the unknown and to find joy in the
journey no matter how mysterious or frightening it may seem.
As I continue my walks with Bertha.
I made it a point to tell someone where I was going to
take precautions. The woods were beautiful, but
they were all so wild and unpredictable.
I had learned to respect their secrets and to tread lightly in
their Realm. But more than anything this
experience had changed me in a good way.
It had opened my eyes to the Wonders and Mysteries of life to
the possibility of the extraordinary existing alongside
the ordinary. It made me realize that
sometimes the most incredible Adventures are not those we
seek, but those that find us. And so as I walk through the
woods now I do so with a sense of awe and respect.
I listen to The Whispers of the trees and the songs of The
Creeks wondering what other Secrets they might hold.
I watched the shadows and the light always aware always ready
for the next encounter the next revelation.
These Woods once just a place for a walk have become a gateway
to a world of Wonder a reminder that life is a beautiful mystery
waiting to be discovered and I along with birth by my side and
ready to embrace. Whatever comes our way with no
fear only curiosity and a sense of adventure.
Good evening, and thank you for sharing my story.
This encounter still troubles me to this day.
It was the summer of 2010 and I had recently turned 13.
My family thought it would be a great summer for a cabin trip a
departure from my usual Boy Scout camp Adventures.
We embarked on a journey from our home in Florida to South
Carolina where my grandparents from Canada would meet us.
The cabin we had rented was nestled in a Serene location
offering a breathtaking view of the lake and even its private
beach. My excitement knew no bounds as
I was the first to jump out of the car upon our arrival.
However, my initial enthusiasm was met with an encounter.
That would haunt me for years to come.
As I explored the surroundings. I came across a man who seemed
to be in his late 50s the owner of the cabin.
He greeted me with a warm smile that gradually morphed into an
uneasy grin. This strange reaction caught my
attention but being a shy kid I decided to move along and
continue my exploration. My curiosity led me to A
peculiar circular pit beneath the cabin.
It was an unsettling sight, but it didn't initially bother me.
I then spotted a treehouse under construction by the owner down
at the beach. Ignoring his warning to be
cautious. I ascended the ladder the top of
the tree house was riddled with protruding nails, but I managed
to find a secure spot to stand and gaze back at the cabin.
The wood cabin while appearing old exuded an air of sturdiness.
It boasted a spacious porch and outdoor storage underneath where
my attention was drawn once more to the enigmatic circular pit.
It was unlike anything. I had ever seen in the woods
resembling a colossal spinning ball dipped into the Earth.
I pointed it out to my father and the owner who was still
present casually remarked that a bear used to Nest there, but had
long moved on. His explanation didn't sit right
with me considering the strange appearance of the pit.
Shrugging off my unease, I entered the cabin and claimed
one of the bunk beds before my siblings could.
The initial Days of our trip were filled with outdoor
activities like hiking and swimming typical summer fun.
However, we knew that once our grandparents arrived.
We would spend more time with them.
On the 7th night something unsettling occurred that would
forever change the course of our trip.
I was roused from my sleep by strange sounds outside.
The shifting of dirt near the left side of the cabin caught my
attention where the trash bins were placed next to the kitchen
door. I heard something pushing the
bins around and I assumed it was raccoons or some Curious animal
being a Boy Scout. It was my duty to shoo them
away. I climbed down from my bunk.
And as I did the noises abruptly ceased.
I noticed a few rays of sunlight streaming into the room which
struck me as odd. I made my way to the kitchen
window to investigate but before I could reach it, I heard long
scratching noises emanating from the walls of the cabin.
It sounded as if long nails were digging deep into the sheets of
a bed. Feared me and I slowly backed
away from the source of the Eerie sound then a powerful Bank
shook the cabin door causing me to jump in Fright.
My brother and our loyal dog were the only ones downstairs
with me at the time. My dog sensing danger race
towards the door barking and growling as if ready to confront
whatever threat lurked outside. This commotion woke up my
brother who acted swiftly he grabbed me and handed me his
hunting knife his eyes conveying reassurance.
He instructed me to make my way to our parents room while he
headed towards the door flinging it open and stepping out my dog
followed barking fiercely the barks and running soon receded
into the distance as I climbed the stairs and woke up my
father. It took about 30 minutes from my
brother and father to return my dog was limping but had
displayed remarkable courage throughout the ordeal my brother
who had always been a brave and capable older siblings.
Now wore an expression. I had never seen before and one
I would never see again. He was typically unfazed by
getting dirty in the woods, but this experience had unnerved him
to the Core. With our dog's wound attended to
my mother and grandmother rushed him to the local vet.
While they were gone, my father grandfather my oldest second
brother and I inspected the cabin for evidence of the
strange events. I stayed close to the cabin
still trembling with fear. The trash bins had been
punctured with gaping holes as if something had punched them
open. Above the bins the cabin wall
board deep claw marks reaching about 6 feet from the ground.
Amidst the Eerie aftermath I detected an unusual odor that
didn't originate from the trash cans.
My anxiety grew as I crouched down to appear under the cabin
where the strange Pitt had peaked my curiosity earlier.
There I discovered a gruesome sight. a dead fox torn into
shreds I immediately alerted my father and he along with my
brother swiftly removed the remains using a shovel and
disposed of them. My father contacted the cabin
owner who tried to downplay the situation but provided us with a
flare gun and bear mace as a precaution.
A few days passed and my parents took the rest of the family to a
nearby restaurant leaving me behind with my oldest brother
who had chased the Intruder previously and are injured dog.
An hour after they departed I found myself gazing out of the
second floor window in the direction.
My brother had run towards during his previous encounter.
At that moment. I was petting our dog who
suddenly raised his head alert and sniffing the air.
I glanced outside and saw monstrous bear-like Creature
perched High in one of the trees.
This creature defied typical bear characteristics instead of
a rotund body. It possessed a lean muscular
physique resembling that of a human.
Its eyes were the most unnerving part piercing and yellow akin to
perfect human eyes that locked onto mine.
Fear surged through me triggering a fight or flight
response my dog sensing my distress joined in by growling
and howling at the window. In a state of panic, I turned
and sprinted towards my brother's room tears streaming
down my face as I yelled about the terrifying Beast outside.
My brother with a worried expression told me this
territory doesn't belong to us. He then Rose from his bed
grabbed his knife and baseball bat and descended the stairs.
I armed myself with the flare gun and bear mace preparing for
the possibility of the creature breaking in and attacking us.
Suddenly a tremendous impact against the cabins rear wall
sent the entire structure shaking like a boat.
My dog's barks and growls continued and I could hear heavy
breathing from outside a company by objects being hurled at the
cabin. A rock shattered one of the
front windows and struck my left leg causing me to wince in pain.
Without hesitation, I turned and fired the flare gun out of the
window the bright burst of light followed by a chorus of
profanities and enraged shouting.
Then abruptly everything fell silent.
My dog remained Vigilant growling and fixated on a corner
of the room that lacked a window.
I couldn't see what had captured his attention, but I could only
assume that the creature was lurking there.
Several minutes of tense silence passed before my brother and I
decided to call the police and our parents.
With trepidation we ventured out the front door and cautiously
made our way around to the right side of the cabin.
A slow snarl emanated from behind a bush and my dog inside
went berserk leaping and scratching at the door.
My brother began shouting at the Unseen creature and hurled his
baseball bat in its direction. The sound of impact.
However, didn't hit a tree it struck the creature it emitted a
pained grunt before a massive black furry mask darted out from
behind the bush and sprinted down the dirt road.
We lost sight of it in an instant.
Panicked we rushed back inside the cabin barricading the doors
and retreating upstairs. Moments later gunshots echoed in
the distance and my father's truck pulled into view.
I flung open the door and the rest of my family rushed inside.
My father recounted that a large bear had been chased away and he
had fired a few rounds at it. The police eventually arrived
after some difficulty locating the cabin.
We provided them with a story about an aggressive bear
attempting to breach our cabin. That night we left and my family
often recalls the tale of how my son and my oldest brother
bravely fended off a Hungry Bear.
However for my brother and me the truth was far more
unsettling. Upon Our return to Florida.
I retreated to my room still shaking by the harrowing
experience. My brother entered locking eyes
with me and uttered the chilling words.
It looked human didn't it? I simply nodded prompting him to
elaborate on his earlier remark about territory.
He explained that every animal has its territory, but when
something bigger comes along and takes it that's when things
change. The memory of that encounter
remains etched in my mind and I can't help but wonder if the
cabin owner knew more about the danger in the area than he had
led on. It's a story.
I can't forget a tale of a nightmarish encounter with a
creature that defied explanation and a lingering sense of unease
that continues to haunt me to this day.
A year ago. I had the opportunity to meet a
fascinating man who would later become a close friend.
Let's call him Jake to protect his identity.
We both shared a military background which naturally led
to conversations about our past experiences.
However, Jake had a story that was unexpectedly haunting and
when I finally got this channel up and running.
I knew I had to share it with you.
So here we go. This story takes place on an
undisclosed military base deep within the damp jungles of a
remote island. Jake recalls the Wilderness
being unnerving quiet for at least a week leading up to the
incident. The Personnel stationed there
attributed the silence to a change in Seasons or something
of the sort. There were rumors of bizarre
sightings fast-moving creatures that defied explanation anyone
who dared mention these sightings was typically met with
ridicule from fellow soldiers. These strange sightings were
notably inconsistent with one another.
Some claimed to have seen large unblinking eyes while others
reported smaller ones. Some heard the thunderous
trudging of a massive creature through the woods.
While others described the sounds of something small and
agile rustling through the underbrush.
No, one had seen anything worth defending against let alone
risking their reputation over. Jake at the time served as the
desk sergeant which meant heard every report that came in.
And anyone who saw or heard something unusual that could
potentially impact the base of security would typically seek
him out to have it documented in logged.
He never took the more fantastic reports seriously enough to
record them, officially. Unbeknownst to the concerned
soldiers who came to him some of them just wanted to talk about
their experience as off the Record these conversations often
ended with them sharing ghost stories of Their Own.
The night in question Jake and his team were stationed on the
far side of the island an area completely uninhabited with no
human presence for hundreds of miles in any direction.
This location had been chosen by the military for storing weapons
and explosives. Jake had a partner named Barry
and their mission that night was to conduct nightly checks on the
magazine storage areas, which were several miles deep into the
uninhabited Zone. As they drove slowly in their
Humvee with the windows down the jungle remained eerily quiet.
The silence was almost comforting for their mission
which involved detecting any foreign intelligence operatives
or tampering with us equipment or dealing with the occasional
Refugee group that washed ashore.
They were traveling along a narrow road that rested in the
valley between two imposing mountains. bordered by gigantic
Hills thick with tall grass Then out of nowhere they heard it a
heavy thud coming from the woods.
It was a completely unexpected and unnatural sound that
emanated clearly from the Tangled growth.
The first thud caught their attention, but it was quickly
followed by other equally unsettling noises.
Barry decided to shut off the headlights in the engine so they
could stealthily approach. Whatever was out there.
They knew that anyone attempting to navigate the dense vegetation
would have to do so carefully taking time to avoid injury.
But what they encountered next was truly unexpected.
Surprisingly they could hear fast-paced footsteps accompanied
by rustling through the tall grass.
After a few moments the sounds began to move parallel to the
road. They decided to restart the
vehicle and pursue the noise. The walking can continue for a
while as they followed it illuminated only by their
running lights. Suddenly it stopped.
They thought they had lost track of what ever was out there.
So they turned the headlights back on assuming it might be a
deer or some other animal. As Barry turned on the high
beams both men's eyes widened with shock and disbelief.
Approximately 30 yards ahead of them stood a humanoid creature.
the creature was over two meters tall with a small oval head its
movements were eerily Swift for its size almost reminiscent of
an impossibly Nimble frog Witnessing this creature
instantly sent a chill down Jake's spine as if he had been
punched in the stomach. His heart raced and adrenaline
course through his veins so rapidly that he began to feel
nauseous on the verge of vomiting.
Jake later lamented the fact that neither he nor Barry had
the courage to chase after the creature.
The overwhelming feeling of being at such a disadvantage in
the darkness was absolutely petrifying they couldn't shake
the unsettling notion that they might have become the hunted
with this mysterious creature having the Tactical advantage in
terms of position and Mobility. In a panic, they turned their
truck around and sped off into the night leaving the creature
behind. The woods remained silent for at
least another week before returning to the usual droning
sounds of the local wildlife. In the undisturbed heart of
Georgia's Wilderness. There's a piece of land that has
been mine since the day I was born. passed down through
generations since 1810 I often think about how the Oaks and
Pines here have seen more history than any living soul.
My property a sprawling expanse of a few thousand acres complete
with a Serene 268 acre lake is the kind of place where the only
neighbor's are deer Coyote's and the occasional eagle.
My wife and I we chose this life for the quiet for the Privacy
for a world that belongs just to us and our daughters.
The sun was beginning its slow descent painting the sky with
Strokes of orange and purple as I sat on the porch letting the
days work sink in this land. It Demands a lot, but it gives
back in peace in a sense of belonging. but recently that
piece has been Different disturbed by things I can't
quite explain. It Started With The Knocks not
the kind you hear at the door, but a distant rhythmic thumping
against the trees. I first thought it was just the
wind or some animal, but the pattern was too deliberate Too
Human. Then came the rocks.
Small ones at first hitting the side of the house in the dead of
night. I'd go out with my flashlight
scanning the trees for some prankster, but there was never
anyone there, but it's not just the knocks or the rocks.
There's a feeling a change in the air when the sun dips below
the Horizon. It's like the land itself shifts
become something older something Wilder.
My wife feels it too. She's got that intuition a sense
of things that can't be seen. We don't talk about it much in
front of the girls. They're only five Twins and the
world to them is still simple still safe.
Just last week. I was out at the edge of the
property checking the fences. It was getting late, but I
wanted to finish up. That's when I heard it first the
footsteps heavy deliberate. I've tracked deer chased off
coyotes, but this This was different.
It wasn't fear. I felt not exactly it was an
awareness that I wasn't alone. That something was sharing the
woods with me. I stood still listening as the
steps seemed to Circle then fade away into the Twilight.
That night I started digging into the history of this land.
There's an old family Journal leather bound and Warren.
Speaking of the Cherokee who once used these Woods as a
refuge. Maybe I thought there's an
answer in the past a clue to what's happening now.
I don't scare easy life out here at toughens you but there's
something going on in these Woods something that doesn't fit
into the world as I know it and I intend to find out what it is.
The days on our land are filled with the usual rhythms of nature
the chirping of birds the rustle of leaves the distant calls of
coyotes as evening approaches. But it's the nights that have
started to feel foreign as if the land itself is Whispering
Secrets. It's held for centuries.
Last night was different though. It was a night that etched
itself into my memory as clear and as sharp as a winter
morning. My wife and I were sitting on
our back porch the one overlooking the lake.
The sun had just dipped below the Horizon and the sky was a
canvas of deep blues and purples.
We sat there like we often do watching the day give way to
night. But as the darkness crept in the
usual chorus of wildlife sounds abruptly ceased it was as if
someone had pressed a mute button on the world.
In that Eerie silence, we heard it footsteps.
Not the light familiar tread of a deer but something heavy or
purposeful. They crunched through the
underbrush breaking the Stillness of the night.
My heart beat a little faster not out of fear, but a kind of
primal alertness. I've lived in these Woods all my
life and I know every creature that calls it home, but this
this was different. Then came the sounds that
chilled my blood. It wasn't words not in any
language. I've heard it was a chanting a
guttural rhythmic sound that seemed to resonate with the very
trees around us. My wife gripped my hand her eyes
wide. We've heard stories old Tales
passed down through generations, but this was no story.
This was real and it was happening.
Just beyond the veil of Darkness that shrouded our view.
I reached for my battery powered Spotlight a heavy duty thing
that could light up a good stretch of the woods.
But as I swept the light through the trees there was nothing no
eyes caught in the beam no movement.
Just the trees and the Darkness and the sound of that chanting.
Then as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
The night returned to silence save for the sound of our own
breathing. We sat there for what felt like
hours neither of us willing to break the silence.
The darkness fell different now heavier as if it was pressing in
on us. The last straw was the rock.
It came from nowhere a sudden jarring thud as it landed on the
porch near our feet. It was a big thing easily two or
three pounds. I picked it up turning it over
in my hands. It was just a rock, but it felt
like a message. I bagged it thinking maybe
there'd be something on it. a print a mark something I've
dealt with trespassers poachers and the occasional lost hiker.
But this was beyond my understanding something was
happening on our land something ancient and unexplainable.
And I was determined to get to the bottom of it the morning
after the incident with the rock.
I was up before the sun. There's something about the
Stillness of dawn that makes it easier to think to piece
together the puzzles that life throws your way.
As I sat on the porch coffee in hand.
I knew it was time to delve deeper into the history of this
land. Maybe the past held answers to
the present. The family journal A Relic
passed down through generations sat on my desk.
It's leather cover was warned the pages yellowed with age.
As a kid, I'd heard stories from it Tales of hardship and
survival, but I'd never really dug into it myself.
Now it seemed was the time. The journal spoke of the early
1800s a time when this land was a wild frontier.
It mentioned a Cherokee tribe that used these Woods as a
refuge. I'd always known about the
Native American presence on this land, but I'd never connected it
to what was happening now. Could there be a link between
the past and these unexplained occurrences?
The more I read the more intrigued I became there were
mentions of sacred rituals of a deep respect for the land and
its Spirits the Cherokee believed in a balance in a
Harmony between man and nature but there was all so talk of a
darker side of Ceremonies meant to appease or ward off something
the details were vague the words tinged with a superstitious fear
that was hard to fully grasp. That afternoon as I walked
through the woods the journals words echoed in my mind.
The land didn't feel just like mine anymore.
It felt shared. As if I was walking through a
history that was still very much alive.
The Whispers of the past seemed to rustle in the leaves to flow
in the streams I turned to the internet to the vast repository
of human knowledge and type in cryptozoology.
It was a shot in the dark, but what else could explain the
footsteps the chanting The Rock? The screen filled with tales of
Bigfoot of creatures that lived in the fringes of our
understanding I had always considered such things to be the
realm of fantasy, but now I wasn't so sure.
The idea of Bigfoot being real walking through my Woods was
both absurd and terrifying. But the more I read the more the
piece is seemed to fit. The descriptions of the
creatures their elusive nature the way they were said to
communicate it all mirrored what I was experiencing.
I didn't know what to believe, but I knew I couldn't ignore it.
Something was happening on my land something that defied easy
explanation. And I was determined to uncover
it to understand it. I kept my findings from my
daughter's they were too young too innocent to be burdened with
these questions. For them the world was still a
place of Wonder and simplicity. I wanted to keep it that way at
least for a little while longer. As the day faded into evening.
I resolved to explore the woods again this time.
I'd go further deeper. I'd find answers or at least I'd
try. The land was speaking and I
needed to listen the next day armed with a sense of resolve
and a backpack filled with Essentials camera flashlight
some food and water. My wife and I set out into the
heart of the Woods. The morning was crisp the air
fresh with the scent of Pine and Earth.
As we walked I couldn't shake the feeling that we were
stepping into a story much older than ourselves a narrative
written long before our time. We walked in silence our eyes
scanning the dense forest. The woods were alive with the
sounds of nature yet beneath it all lay a hushed and
anticipation as if the trees themselves were holding their
breath. I couldn't help but feel we were
not alone that unseen Eyes Were Watching our every step.
As we ventured deeper, I kept an eye out for any signs any clues
that might shed light on the recent occurrences. broken
branches unusual tracks anything out of the ordinary but the
forest gave up little its secrets well guarded we reached
a clearing where the sunlight streamed through the canopy
casting dappled Shadows on the forest floor.
Here we paused taking a moment to rest and gather our thoughts.
My wife always more attuned to the subtleties of nature.
Suggested we split up to cover more ground.
I hesitated. The protective part of me
wanting to keep her close. But I knew she was right.
We agreed to meet back at the clearing in an hour.
As I walked alone The Silence of the woods seemed to deepen every
snap of a twig underfoot. Every rustle of leaves felt
Amplified. I found myself glancing over my
shoulder a primal Instinct. I hadn't felt since I was a boy.
Then about half an hour into my solitary exploration.
I saw it a series of deep indistinct impressions in the
soft Earth. They were too large for any deer
two irregular for a bear. My heart quickened as I followed
the trail the camera in my hand now a Lifeline to reality the
trail led me to the edge of a Steep Ravine the ground Falling
Away into Shadow there perched on the edge.
I saw something that defied explanation.
A figure large and looming its back to me covered in what
looked like thick fur. It stood motionless as if gazing
into the depths of the ravine. I raised my camera my hands
trembling slightly. This was it the moment of truth.
but just as I was about to take the picture the figure turned
and for a brief second our eyes met there was an intelligence
there a knowing that shook me to my core.
Then in the blink of an eye, it was gone disappearing into the
thicket with a Grace that belied its size.
I was left standing there heart pounding the image of those eyes
seared into my memory. I made my way back to the
clearing my mind racing. When I found my wife I could see
in her eyes that she too had experienced something profound.
We didn't need words our shared looks set at all.
As we walked back home the woods seemed to return to normal the
sounds of birds and rustling leaves resuming their chorus,
but we had changed. We had touched something ancient
something wild and in doing so we had been changed ourselves.
The land had spoken and we had listened and though we had more
questions than answers. We knew one thing for certain.
We were no longer alone in these Woods.
I had the opportunity to hear this chilling story directly
from my friend Max during what started as a casual
conversation, but quickly evolved into a gripping live
interview. Gabriel had recently moved away
from our neighborhood and this was my chance to hear his
first-hand account of a spine tingling experience.
As we delved into the realm of the unusual and bizarre I
couldn't help but notice a certain spark in his eyes a
passionate glimmer that hinted at personal encounters with the
supernatural. Max originally from Costa Rica
had spent most of his life there before immigrating to the United
States. Intrigued by the unusual topics
that emerged during our conversation ghosts vampires
dogmen and glitches. I sense there was a story
waiting to be told Max's eyes widened as he responded to my
inquiry about whether he had ever experienced something
strange. Yes, I have he said his voice
filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
The tale he was about to share revolved around a dark night in
San Jose Costa Rica when he was just 10 years old.
He lived with his parents and older brother in a quiet suburb
named Las Animas aptly translating to the city of Lost
Souls. Their home a recently
constructed one was situated on a street with only two houses
separated by empty lots. Given the high crime rate in
their Town Max's father a metal worker had fortified their house
with steel doors door frames and window bars.
Their small backyard was surrounded by walls to deter
potential robbers and guarding. It was Rambo their loyal
Doberman. Rambo was trained to accept food
only from Max's father as local thieves were known to poison
guard dogs in attempts to gain access to home.
There was an unspoken curfew for children after Dark.
If they were away from home and without parental supervision,
they were expected to stay put to stay safe.
One fateful evening Max and his brother Miguel were visiting
their friend Carlos who happened to live in the only other house
on their Street. Time slipped away and it was
well past Nightfall when they decided to head home.
The debate about walking back ensued despite both houses being
well lit with floodlights. The daunting Prospect was the
unlit dirt road and knee-high. Grass that stretched for about
75 yards between them and home. Their mother who typically
waited outside to ensure their safety was nowhere in sight this
time. This absence added to the boys
apprehension and as they continue their debate, she
finally stepped out and waved for them to return.
They started jogging toward home bidding Carlos and his mother
could Knight. However, as they turned back to
look at their mother one last time she had disappeared.
In her place across the street in the middle of the field stood
a dog the boys slowed down their old tennis shoes scuffing the
unpaved road as they tried to make sense of the situation.
It was undoubtedly a dog, but it appeared far larger and more
imposing than their Doberman Rambo a thick chain was wrapped
around its neck and the Eerie sound of metal rattling in the
night are sent shivers down their spine.
For a moment they consoled themselves with the thought that
it might be Rambo who had broken free.
The brothers debated whether it was their faithful guard dog,
but as they continued to approach they realized this was
something else entirely. The mysterious dog seemed to
grow in size as they got closer and it became evident that this
was not their beloved Rambo. With hearts pounding the two
young boys froze in their tracks.
Max looked at Miguel whose expression revealed a fear.
He had never seen in his older brother before.
They didn't know it at the time but what they were facing was a
hellhound as we know it. The black dog fixated its
ominous Gaze on them alternating between their house and the boys
as if acknowledging that a confrontation was imminent it
stood as an imposing barrier between them and safety.
The boys realized that returning to Carlos's house was too far
and continuing down the road felt like certain Doom.
Their only chance was to retrace their steps.
Turning back. They heard the front door of
their house open and their mother emerged shielding her
eyes from the floodlights. Fueled by fear the boy sprinted
toward her their adrenaline surging as they ran harder than
they ever had before to reach her.
The hounds had snapped toward their mother and it launched
itself into the are covering at least 30 feet in one terrifying
leap before crashing to the ground.
The Beast began its Relentless pursuit of the house tearing
through the tall weeds in the field the metallic clinking of
the chain intensified as it closed in on them.
Somehow they managed to reach their mother just in time
slamming the door shut behind them.
Inside their mother prayed and disbelief as the front door
quivered from the Furious blows of the enraged creature outside.
After a few agonizing moments of Terror the noise abruptly cease
replaced by a blaring car horn from outside the garage Max's
father shouted at them to activate the metal clad garage
door from inside the house. Miguel quickly complied opening
the garage door in earning a scolding from his father for
supposedly letting the dog out. With trembling Hearts Max and
Miguel cautiously opened the front door and looked around
finding no trace of the hellhound.
As they continue their investigation, they discovered
poor Rambo cowering in fear hidden in a small crawl space
beneath the porch stoop. As I sat in my studio listening
to Max recount this harrowing experience.
His eyes welled up with tears. He confessed that despite all
the Mischief they had gotten into it was the first time he
had ever seen his big brother scared.
The encounter with the hellhound had left an indelible mark on
their memories. Forever etching the nightmarish
image of the hellhound into their minds.
Max concluded his tail with a cryptic smile saying You know
what? I have another story for you.
Have you ever heard of La Llorona?
I nodded acknowledging that I had but we both understood that
the chilling Legend of law. Your owner would have to wait
for another time leaving me eagerly awaiting the next
chapter of Max's spine tingling tails.
It's funny how some nights starts so ordinary you'd never
expect them to turn your world upside down.
That was how Halloween of 2022 began in Bolton a quiet
sub-district of Manchester. Around here.
We don't really make a big fuss about Halloween, you know, just
a few kids and make shift cost costumes wandering about with
their little pumpkin buckets. That's about it.
I remember settling down in the living room with my family that
night. the TV flickered with the Eerie scenes of The Exorcist a
classic horror movie that seemed fitting for the occasion.
My mum had popped some corn and my little sister was curled up
under her favorite blanket eyes wide with every suspenseful
scene. Dad as usual pretended not to be
interested, but I caught him peeking at the screen from
behind his newspaper. Just as Reagan was about to do
something particularly spooky a sharp knocking sound cut through
the room. It wasn't the front door.
That sound was familiar. No, this was coming from the
back door weird. I thought to knock their someone
would have to get through our wrought iron gate and that thing
was always bolted shut. We all pause the movie
forgotten. The knocking continued growing
louder and more urgent. It wasn't the kind of sound you
could ignore. I glanced at my family.
Their faces mirrored my confusion.
Dad finally set his newspaper aside his eyebrows knitting
together in concerned. Who Could That Be At This Time
more to herself than to anyone else?
I stood up first a mix of curiosity and unease churning in
my stomach. At 15 I was already six feet
tall. Thanks to the boxing training.
I'd started last summer. Not that I felt particularly
Brave at that moment. As I moved towards the kitchen
the knocking persisted. I peeked through the window half
expecting to see a neighbor or a lost trick-or-treater.
But what I saw made my heart jump into my throat out on the
lawn something was moving something big dark and
definitely not human. I stifled a gas and stumbled
back my mind racing. There's something out there.
I managed to choke out my voice barely above a whisper.
My mum was at my side in an instant.
What is it love? She asked concerned lacing her
voice. I pointed towards the window
struggling to find the words. It's big bird like but not a
bird it crawled to the Garden corner.
I stammered mum squinted through the glass but saw nothing.
Are you sure she asked sounding skeptical?
I nodded unable to shake off the image of that creature from my
mind. We returned to the living room
where the knocking had finally stopped.
Dad suggested it might have been some local kids playing a
Halloween prank. But I couldn't believe that.
What I saw wasn't human and it certainly wasn't a kid in a
costume. That night I lay in bed staring
at the ceiling every little sound made me tents.
I tried to convince myself. It was just my imagination a
trick of the Shadows but deep down.
I knew it was something else something unexplainable and the
scariest part. I had a feeling it was just the
beginning. Lying in bed that night.
I couldn't shake off the image of the Creature From My Mind.
It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie, but this was
real life and it happened in my own backyard.
I tossed and turned the unease growing with each passing hour.
As Dawn broke I made up my mind. I had to find out what that
thing was. I waited until the house was
stirring not wanting to alarm anyone with my early morning.
Escapade. Slipping on my jacket.
I grabbed a torch from the drawer and quietly made my way
to the back door. The garden looked different in
the Morning Light less menacing than it had the night before.
But the memory of what I had seen was fresh in my mind
propelling me forward. The grass was Dewey under my
feet as I walked towards the spot where I had seen the
creature. I scanned the area half
expecting it to jump out at me. But there was nothing just the
usual array of bushes and trees my heart raced as I approached
the corner of the garden the place where the creature had
vanished I could still feel the adrenaline from the night before
pulsing through my veins. As I reached the spot a sudden
rustling sound from the bushes made me jump.
I pointed the torch towards the noise my hand trembling
slightly. Hello.
I called out my voice sounding small in the vastness of the
garden. No answer came just the sound of
the leaves in the Wind. I took a step closer the beam of
the torch cutting through the dim Morning Light.
That's when I saw it a pair of eyes reflecting the Torchlight
back at me. My heart stopped for a moment.
It was here. The creature was huddled against
the fence its body obscured by the foliage.
It was smaller than I remembered about the size of a small child,
but its features were unmistakable the talons the
wings the pointed face. It was all there just as I had
seen it the night before I stood Frozen not sure what to do.
The creature stared back at me its eyes unblinking.
It looked scared almost vulnerable.
But I couldn't shake off the feeling of danger.
I took a hesitant step forward the Torchlight revealing more of
its form. It was like nothing.
I had ever seen before part bird part something else.
Just then the creature spread its wings a hissing sound
escaping from its beak. I stumbled backward fear
gripping me. I wanted to run but my legs
wouldn't move. The creatures Wings flooded and
it seemed to grow inside it Shadow looming over me.
Then as quickly as it had appeared the creature took off
soaring over the fence and disappearing into the trees.
I was left standing there my heart pounding in my chest the
Torchlight now Illuminating an empty patch of garden.
I turned and ran back to the house my mind racing.
What was that thing? Where did it come from and more
importantly what it comes back? As I burst through the back
door, my family looked up surprised to see me panting and
disheveled. I saw it again.
I gasped out my words tumbling over each other the creature
it's real. But as I looked at their faces,
I could tell they didn't believe me.
They thought it was just a child's overactive imagination,
but I knew what I had seen and I was determined to find out the
truth. As I sat at the breakfast table
trying to explain what I saw in the garden, I could feel the
skepticism hanging in the air. My family exchanged glances the
kind that said they were humoring me but not really
buying my story. I couldn't blame them.
Even to my ears the tale sounded fantastic. a bird like creature
in our own backyard But the fear I felt was real the image of
those glowing eyes etched in my mind.
My dad always the rational one suggested.
It might have been an unusually large bird perhaps an escaped
exotic pet. My sister Lily laughed at all
saying it was probably just a Halloween prank by some kids
from the neighborhood. But the more they rationalized
it the more isolated I felt in my conviction.
I knew what I saw wasn't normal. It wasn't something that could
be easily explained away. Later that day.
I found myself at the local library flipping through books
on local wildlife in mythology. I was desperate for any clue
that might explain the creatures identity.
But the more I read the more I realized how little we know
about the Mysteries lurking in our own backyards.
I stumbled upon a book about medieval Legends and folklore
and there it was an image that made my heart skip a beat it was
a depiction of a gargoyle eerily similar to the creature I had
seen. The book described gargoyles as
protectors warding off evil spirits, but sometimes they were
said to come to life. I shivered at the thought could
such a thing be possible. That evening.
I brought up my findings at dinner.
I talked about gargoyles and how some Legends spoke of them as
more than just Stone sculptures. But my family's reaction was
predictable. They chuckled dismissing it as
another one of my wild theories. I could see the disbelief in
their eyes and it hurt. I felt like I was the only one
taking this seriously. The following days were a blur
of unease and frustration. I felt torn between wanting to
prove what I saw and the fear of encountering the creature again.
I spent hours gazing out into the garden half expecting half
dreading to see those eyes staring back at me.
But there was nothing. Just the ordinary peaceful
garden. I had always known.
At school, I overheard some classmates talking about
Halloween pranks and strange sightings around town.
For a moment. I considered sharing my
experience. But the fear of ridicule held me
back. I was the new kid in the boxing
class the tall Quiet One. And I wasn't ready to be labeled
as the guy who saw monsters. As Halloween approached I
couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
What if the creature returned what if it wasn't alone?
These thoughts haunted my nights turning my dreams into a swirl
of Shadows and flapping wings. I realized then that some
Mysteries might remain unsolved and some truths might be too
strange for others to accept. But I couldn't let go I needed
to know. And so I decided to keep
watching keep searching for answers, even if I had to do it
alone. Because deep down I knew what I
saw was real and I couldn't just pretend it never happened.
As Halloween Drew nearer the memory of the creature I saw in
our garden refused to fade away. My family seemed to have moved
on dismissing it as a product of an overactive imagination.
But I couldn't. Every shadow in the corner of my
eye every rustle of leaves in the wind brought me back to that
night in the morning after. I was trapped in a loop of
uncertainty and fear with more questions than answers.
Despite their skepticism my family noticed the change in me.
I spent less time with them more time alone in my room or
wandering aimlessly around the house.
My grades started to slip and my boxing coach commented on my
lack of focus. I knew I had to pull myself
together, but the thought of that creature lurking Somewhere
Out There made it hard to concentrate on anything else.
I started to avoid the garden especially as dusk fell.
The place that once brought me peace now filled me with Dread
my little sister Lily who loved to play out there asked me one
day why I didn't come out with her anymore.
I didn't know what to tell her. How could I explain that?
The garden no longer felt safe to me.
Halloween night arrived and with it came a sense of foreboding I
watched from my bedroom window as kids in costumes roamed the
streets their laughter and chatter filling the air.
I wondered if they knew what might be hiding in the shadows
waiting watching. My parents decided to hand out
candy keeping the tradition alive.
But I stayed in my room the lights off pretending not to be
home. I couldn't face the possibility
of seeing that creature again. I felt like a coward hiding
away, but the fear was too much. Then there was a knock at the
back door. My heart stopped not again.
I heard my dad's footsteps as he went to answer it.
I wanted to shout out to warn him, but my voice was stuck in
my throat. I waited every second feeling
like an eternity. Finally my dad called out.
It's just some late trick-or-treaters.
Relief washed over me followed by a Pang of guilt.
I was letting my fear control me affecting not just me, but my
family as well. The next day I made a decision.
I couldn't live like this jumping at Shadows afraid of my
own backyard. I had to face my fear what ever
it was. I stepped out into the garden
the Autumn son warm on my face. I walked to the spot where I had
seen the creature half expecting it to appear again, but there
was nothing just the familiar sights and sounds of home.
Maybe I would never know what I saw that night.
Maybe it was a Creature From Another World, or maybe it was
just a figment of my imagination.
But I realized that I couldn't let it haunt me.
I had to move on live my life without fear of the unknown.
As I turned to go back inside. I took one last look at the
Garden. It was just as it had always
been peaceful and beautiful. And in that moment, I felt a
weight lift off my shoulders. I was ready to let go of the
mystery and embrace the world in front of me with all its wonders
and uncertainties. Life was too short to be lived
in fear, and I was ready to start living again.
It was one of those perfect Michigan Summers where the air
was just the right kind of warm and the skies were a canvas of
unending blue. I was 18 fresh out of high
school and ready for adventure. My name is Emma.
By the way, I've lived in the countryside of Michigan all my
life, but the thrill of exploring the wild still gets to
me. This particular weekend was
special my boyfriend Tony my older brother Brad and a couple
of our friends decided we'd go camping.
Tony's parents owned this old cabin out and letting by nothing
but Woods in a private Lake. It was our secret getaway spot
miles away from the nearest neighbor.
As we packed our bags with enough snacks to feed an army
and the kind of supplies only teenagers would think of
bringing I could feel the excitement bubbling inside me.
I threw in my favorite hoodie some jeans and of course my
worn-out sneakers. Tony was in charge of the fun
supplies a cooler filled with drinks and enough weed to last
us through the weekend. We were rebels in our own right
seeking a break from the mundane.
We piled into Tonys beat up truck the back filled with
camping gear and set off. The drive was a mix of loud
music off-key singing and laughter Brad sitting beside me
was his usual quiet self lost in his thoughts.
But even he couldn't resist the Infectious Joy of our little
group. The cabin was as rustic as I
remembered. Nestled in the heart of the
woods it stood like a relic of simpler times.
We unloaded claiming our spots in the dusty old rooms.
There was no cell service out here, which was part of the
charm. It was just us and nature.
No Digital World to distract us. As the sun began to set painting
the sky in shades of orange and pink.
We started our bonfire. The crackling of the fire the
smell of burning wood and the warmth against the cool evening
air was enchanting. We gathered around roasting
marshmallows and sharing stories.
It was one of those moments where you wish you could just
pause time. Brad who had been unusually
quiet since we arrived seemed a bit off.
I nudged him trying to get him to join in the fun, but he just
smiled weakly and kept staring into the fire.
I knew he had a lot on his mind with starting College in the
fall, but I wished he'd let loose for just one night.
As the night deepened so did our conversations.
We talked about our dreams our fears and the exciting uncertain
future that lay ahead of us. In the glow of the fire with the
Stars twinkling above us. I felt a sense of peace and
belonging. Little did.
I know this Tranquility was about to be shattered and our
little Adventure would turn into something out of a nightmare.
But for that moment, we were just teenagers laughing and
living without a care in the world.
It was the kind of night that memories are made of the kind
that you look back on and smile. And as I looked around at my
friends their faces illuminated by the firelight, I felt
grateful for this moment this night and this wild beautiful
life. The bonfire crackled and popped
sending Sparks dancing into the night sky.
We sat around it the six of us engulfed in its warm embrace
against the cool night air. I remember thinking how the
fires glow made everything feel more intimate more real.
Laughter filled the air as we shared stories and teased each
other. It was the kind of night you'd
see in movies. Perfect and carefree.
Tony was in his element entertaining us with his
ridiculous Impressions while the rest of us lounged on logs and
makeshift seats. The alcohol made our heads light
and our hearts lighter. I sipped my drink feeling the
warmth spread through my body. It was one of those rare moments
when everything just felt, right?
But then I noticed Brad he was usually the life of the party
but that night he was different distant and quiet.
I nudged him a couple of times trying to draw him into the fun,
but he barely responded. His eyes were fixed on something
in the woods a look of intensity on his face that I had never
seen before it was unsettling. Brad what's up?
I asked following his gaze into the darkness beyond the
firelight. The woods were thick and dark a
wall of Shadows and mystery but there was nothing there at least
nothing I could see. He didn't respond just kept
staring the others started to notice too and the atmosphere
shifted the laughter died down replaced by a growing sense of
unease. Tony tried to make a joke to
lighten the mood, but it fell flat.
We were all watching Brad now trying to figure out what had
caught his attention so intensely.
And then I saw it. At first I thought it was a dog
silhouetted against the darkness.
But as my eyes adjusted I realized it was too big to be a
dog. My heart started to race.
Guys, do you see that? I whispered my voice barely
Audible. The creature whatever it was
stood unnaturally still. It was as if it was watching us
just as we were watching it. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
This was no ordinary animal the way it stood the size of it.
It was all wrong. Suddenly it stood up on two
legs. That's when Panic set in this
was no dog. It was something else something.
I couldn't explain it towered over us at least six feet tall.
Its eyes glowing faintly in the Darkness.
We all saw it then and the air was filled with gasps and
muttered curses the creatures lack of a tail was eerily
noticeable a detail that seemed to unnerve us even more Tonys
friend Mark let out a strangled sound half gas half whimper.
What is that? One of the girls Jessica asked
her voice trembling? Tony muttered something under
his breath something about it having no tail.
Brad's eyes were wide his face pale in the firelight.
He looked more scared than I had ever seen him and that scared me
more than anything. In that moment my mind cleared
the alcohol's Haze lifting as adrenaline surged through me.
I remembered the stories My grandmother used to tell us
stories of creatures that roamed the woods creatures that were
not quite animal and weren't quite human.
Skinwalkers she called them. The realization hit me like a
ton of bricks. We were in Danger real danger
and as that creature stood there watching us with its unnerving
gaze. I knew we had to get out of
there. But before we could move before
we could even process what we were seeing the creature let out
a sound. It was a scream but unlike any
scream I'd ever heard it was other worldly chilling and it
cut through the night like a knife.
In that moment. I knew we had to run we had to
get away from this thing whatever it was.
And so I yelled run and the night erupted into chaos.
My heart was pounding in my ears a rapid drum beat echoing the
terror that gripped me. The scream of the creature still
hung in the air a haunting sound that seemed to freeze us all in
place, but it was my own voice yelling for everyone to run that
shattered the paralysis. We scrambled up tripping over
each other in our haste to get to the cabin the darkness of the
woods felt suffocating as if the trees themselves were closing in
on us. I could hear my friends panicked
breaths their feet pounding against the ground.
I was running blindly fueled by adrenaline and fear.
Brad was ahead leading the way he kept shouting something in
our native language words that I didn't understand but sounded
like a prayer or a plea. His voice was strong determined
a stark contrast to the fear. I felt.
We reached the cabin and I've never been so grateful for a
door in my life. We piled inside slamming.
It shut behind us. Brad was moving quickly turning
off all the lights his movements methodical and deliberate.
In the dim Moonlight filtering Through the Windows his face was
a mask of concentration. He pulled a small pouch from his
pocket spilling its contents a grayish powder into his palm.
He started at the front door sprinkling the powder along the
threshold then moved to each window repeating the action.
I realized it was Ash something. I remembered our grandmother
using in her rituals. What are you doing, Tony
whispered his voice laced with fear.
To protect us Brad replied without stopping his movements.
It's supposed to keep evil spirits away.
I watched him a mix of awe and fear churning inside me.
I had always known we came from a family with deep native roots,
but I'd never seen anything like this.
Brad had always been the skeptic the one who laughed off the old
stories. But now he was chanting his
voice steady and sure as he moved around the cabin.
The rest of us huddled together too scared to speak our eyes
wide and fixed on Brad. The cabin felt like a sanctuary
but also like a trap. We were safe for the moment, but
the creature was still out there somewhere in the Darkness. after
what felt like hours Brad finished his ritual He pulled
out our dads pistol checking it before setting it within Arm's
Reach. The site of the gun a stark
reminder of the danger we were in sent a fresh wave of fear
through me. No one slept that night.
We sat in silence listening to the sounds of the night jumping
at every Creak and Russell. The reality of what had happened
what we had seen was too much to process.
It felt like a nightmare, but I knew it was all too real.
As the first light of dawn crept into the cabin.
I looked around at my friends their faces were drawn pale
their eyes haunted. We were all changed by what had
happened. The innocence of our Carefree
camping trip was gone replaced by a harsh terrifying reality.
I knew we couldn't stay there. We had to leave get away from
this place. But as we began to pack up in
silence, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over.
Whatever we had encountered in the woods.
It wasn't going to let us go that easily.
The first light of dawn broke through the cabin windows
casting a pale Eerie glow on our exhausted faces.
The events of the night surreal and terrifying seemed like a bad
dream now. But the fear and everyone's eyes
told me it was all too real. I was the first to stir my body
stiff from sitting against the cold hard floor all night.
Brad was still awake his eyes red and weary the pistol lying
dormant in his lap. The ash he had sprinkled around
was still visible a reminder of The Nightmare we had lived.
Morning, I mumbled my voice hoarse from the tension.
No one responded. The cabin was filled with a
heavy silence the kind that comes after a storm we were
safe, but at what cost? Tony was the next to move.
He stood up stretching his limbs his face etched with worry.
We should go. He said his voice barely above a
whisper. No, one argued we all knew we
couldn't stay here. Not after what had happened.
Packing up was a silent affair. We moved mechanically each lost
in our thoughts the fun and laughter from the previous day
seemed like a distant memory. Now there was only the urge to
leave to escape this place that had turned from a Haven into a
horror scene. As we loaded the car Brad took a
moment to look back at the cabin.
He mumbled something under his breath a final farewell or
perhaps another prayer. I could see the weight of
responsibility on his shoulders. He had protected us, but I knew
he was thinking about what could have happened.
The drive back was quiet the roads once welcoming with their
promise of Adventure now felt ominous as if they were hiding
secrets in their bends and curves.
Every shadow in the woods seemed Sinister every rustle in the
trees a Potential Threat. At some point one of the girls
Sarah broke the silence. What was that thing?
She asked her voice shaky, but no one answered.
Some truths are too frightening to speak aloud.
We reached home in the early hours the Sun High and bright a
stark contrast to the darkness. We had left behind.
My parents were surprised to see us back so early but didn't
press for details. They could see something was
wrong, but I wasn't ready to talk about it.
None of us were. In the days that followed we all
tried to return to our normal lives, but something had
shifted. The Carefree Spirit of our youth
had been replaced by a sense of vulnerability a knowledge of the
darkness that lurked just beyond the light.
I still think about that night about the creature in the woods.
I've done some research talk to my grandmother about the legends
of our people. She believes we encountered a
skinwalker a being of immense power in danger.
She says we were lucky to escape with our lives.
I haven't gone back to the woods since then and I don't think I
ever will. Some experiences change you
forever leaving scars that are invisible but deeply felt.
That weekend was supposed to be a fun adventure a memory to
cherish instead. It became a lesson in respect
for the unknown for the mysteries of the world that are
better left undiscovered. As for my friends we've grown
closer in some ways, but there's also a distance now a shared
trauma that's hard to bridge. We don't talk about that night,
but it hangs between us. a silent acknowledgment of the
fear we face and the unspoken questions we all have what was
that creature? Why did it come to us?
Will it ever come back? These are questions.
I don't have answers to maybe I never will.
But I've learned to respect the unknown to understand that some
things are beyond our understanding.
And sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away and be
grateful for the Escape. In 2017.
I was a 21 year old college student in the final semester of
my education at a university in the south eastern part of South
Dakota. It was a far cry from my
childhood in the Greater Saint Louis area of Missouri a place
that felt like a distant memory. Ate long hours away from where I
now called home. During my time in South Dakota.
I had the privilege of meeting people from various backgrounds
and cultures one group that left a lasting impression on me where
the Native Americans from the Sioux Tribe.
Many late-night conversations in the library with my Sue
classmates exposed me to the rich mythologies of their
culture Tales of creatures like the Thunderbird and Sasquatch as
a child. I had been obsessed with
researching Cryptids and watching shows like MonsterQuest
and Mountain Monsters, but As I Grew Older I became more
skeptical of the stories I once believed in Conversations with
my Sue friends were now driven more by intellectual curiosity,
although some of their stories began to creep into my
nightmares. Stories of being capable of
shapeshifting and mimicking your loved ones enough to send
shivers down anyone's spine. Amidst my final semester my
girlfriend and I broke up and it took a toll on my mental health
and school work. She had been my first real
relationship and facing the prospect of being alone was a
new and unsettling experience. My two friends rich and Eric, my
roommates noticed my struggles. At first they gave me space But
as days turned into weeks their concerned grew.
One fateful night around 10 p.m. I was watching TV and sipping on
a bang energy drink when Rich knocked on my door so loudly
that my star blast flavored liquid splattered onto the
carpet. With a mischievous grin he
exclaimed come on, bro. We're going hunting.
Rich was a self-proclaimed Ladies Man from the West Coast
towering at six five and built like a former offensive lineman
much like the three of us who had bonded through football.
I had hung up my cleats due to an injury the previous year and
both rich and Eric had their own reasons for quitting.
Over time rich and I had gone from reluctant teammates to
close friends while Eric Haley from Nebraska was about my
height 6 by 2 and a solid 285 pounds of pure muscle.
He was the quintessential Country Boy rarely without
chewing tobacco or a cheap beer in hand.
Eric had gone hunting with Rich before but I had never been the
hunting type. My recent breakup had left me
sulking in my room making it hard for me to muster the
courage to ask if I could tag along.
When Rich urged me to join them I hesitated for a moment
contemplating a night of solitude and self-pity.
Eventually I gave in and said screw it.
Let's go. Eric was already in the driver's
seat of his truck as rich and I locked the front door of our
apartment. I reached for a nearly full 30
pack of cheap beer and Eric asked me to grab one for him.
Not the smartest decision drinking and driving, but we
were young and reckless. For the next two hours, we drove
through the back roads of South Dakota navigating dirt trails
that seemed to stretch into Infinity.
Surrounded by the vast plains cloaked in darkness.
The only source of light was the trucks headlights.
At one point rich in Eric abruptly stopped the truck and I
followed suit. There was a bang and moments
later Eric revved a dead raccoon shot by the tail grinning like a
mischievous kid. This odd ritual repeated a few
times but then something strange occurred.
Eric asked if we needed a bathroom break and both rich and
I raised our hands like obedience students rolling his
eyes Eric slowed the truck to a stop in the middle of a dirt
road. To our right there were about 20
yards of grass followed by a dense Thicket of trees that
seemed to stretch endlessly. To the left the Great Plains
stretched out as far as the eye could see.
We got out of the truck to relieve ourselves since there
was no one around for miles. We stayed on the dirt road close
to the running truck as I finished and zipped up my pants.
I looked over at the tree line and was startled.
Two glowing yellow orbs glowed in the darkness only about 20
yards away. Thinking that the alcohol had
caught up with me. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and
opened them again, but the Eerie yellow orbs remained.
I squinted trying to discern more details, but all I saw was
an impenetrable Darkness. except for those hauntingly luminous
eyes Frozen in fear, I dared not look back at Rich and Eric
terrified that Turning Away would invite the creature to
approach. Suddenly a hand rested on my
shoulder causing me to jump out of my skin.
It was Eric his voice calm but firm saying we need to make a
dash for the truck. If not, we're going to die.
I nodded unable to muster any words on the count of three Eric
continued one two. He never got to three as soon as
he uttered too a spine-chilling sound pierced the air.
It was a terrifying other worldly Roar a symphony of
hatred evil and imminent danger. The sound was both high-pitched
and deep as though the creature possessed impossibly large
lungs. Panic surged through my veins
and I broke free from my petrified state.
Eric and I turned and bolted for the truck our footsteps and
heavy breathing echoing in the night.
I could hear something in Pursuit closing in on us
rapidly. We channeled every ounce of
energy into running faster than we'd ever run before I
practically dove into the back of the truck while Eric jumped
into the driver's seat slamming the gas pedal as we lurched
forward. Glancing back.
I saw nothing, but the dust kicked up by the truck's tires.
And in that vast impenetrable Darkness, the two glowing eyes
stared at us. They remained fixed in place as
we sped back to our apartment. Eric pulled into our driveway
and we stumbled out of the truck shaking to our cores.
I fumbled for the keys and opened the front door.
And once inside we tried to process the harrowing and
counter. Sean had only heard the Roar not
much else. As I recounted what I had seen
Sean gave me a perplexed look, but Eric corroborated my story.
They had witnessed the same inexplicable phenomenon.
Dazed confused and utterly exhausted we all passed out
shortly after. When morning came I woke up with
a slight headache and went to the kitchen where Eric was
already eating breakfast. I grabbed a protein bar in
silence. Eventually, I looked at Eric and
asked the question that had been gnawing at me since the previous
night. Eric what the heck was that?
He stopped eating and locked eyes with me a look of someone
who had seen such things before. Well, I don't know he replied
slowly but I can tell you this it wasn't human and it wasn't
like anything I've ever Hunted. After graduating, I returned to
the Saint Louis area over the years.
I lost touch with Eric and Sean hearing that Sean had gone back
to the West Coast while Eric had returned to Nebraska.
I moved on with my life got engaged and secured a job in law
enforcement. Most days were good.
But every now and then when I found myself driving alone at
night those haunting memories of that encounter in South Dakota
would resurface. Serving as a chilling reminder
of the night. I narrowly escaped something
beyond comprehension. As I delved into research on
Cryptids once more I could only narrow it down to two
possibilities Bigfoot or a skinwalker.
Regardless of its identity those luminous eyes would forever
remain etched in my soul. a haunting reminder of that night
in South Dakota when I came face to face with the unknown to the
creature in the darkness of South Dakota.
I can only say this. Let's not meet again.
When I was 13 years old a young girl navigating the world this
story unfolded a memory that still sends shivers down my
spine despite the many years that have passed.
It was a time when Innocents mingled with ignorance and I was
blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking in the world.
The day began like any other as I embarked on my daily journey
home from school. A 4 kilometer Trek along a
bustling Road. It was a route.
I had traversed countless times. However on this particular day,
I was walking alone and little did I know that it would be a
journey etched into my memory forever.
As I crossed intersections the busy street became a stage for
an unsettling encounter. A tall unkempt man who appeared
to be in his early 30s caught my eye.
Back then deciphering an adult's age was a puzzle.
I had yet to master. He began to follow me his
footsteps echoing ominously behind me.
With an unsettling smile. He initiated a conversation
repeatedly emphasizing the beauty of the day and his desire
for us to become friends. He probed me with questions
inquiring about my home and whether my parents would be
there. I sense that something was amiss
and his peculiar interest in a child like me only fueled my
unease. Politely.
I avoided answering his inquiries and quickened my pace.
As we neared the block where I lived an overwhelming sense of
dread washed over me. I knew I couldn't allow him to
follow me home. He exuded an eerie aura that
adults rarely directed at me. To escape I concocted A
desperate plan. I would give him a fake cell
phone number agreeing to answer his calls later anything to
sever the connection and get away from him.
In my discomfort. I handed him a fabricated number
and fled the scene. Months passed and I convinced
myself that he was merely a random Oddity. a disturbing
episode best forgotten Little did.
I know that the story was far from over. 4 months later the
Grim Specter of that man resurfaced as I walked home from
school. My attention was elsewhere.
Until the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps jolted me
to awareness. I turned and there he was.
That same Sinister figure from the past.
He slowed his Pace yet his voice pierced the air with anger.
He had discovered my ruse and fury consumed him.
He berated me relentlessly accusing me of thinking myself
Superior to him. Panic gripped me I feared for my
safety, but my cries for help went unanswered by the passing
motorists. Desperation led me to the
nearest petrol station not too far away with the man trailing
behind his voice a cacophonous storm.
Upon arriving at the station. I caught the attention of two
Burly men standing next to their pickup truck.
They must have seen the terror etched across my face and the
man following me without hesitation.
They rushed to my side. They're protective instincts
kicking in words fail me as I shook my head frantically
seeking Refuge behind their imposing figures.
The two men demanded to know why the man was pursuing me.
He concocted a false story claiming to be my older brother
silently. I a suspicions through my
terrified demeanor realizing the gravity of the situation the men
berated him accusing him of actions.
I couldn't bring myself to our articulate.
In that moment of chaos as their attention was drawn to the man.
I see the opportunity to flee. He noticed my escape and made an
attempt to pursue me the Burley men incense by his audacity
reacted swiftly. They tackled him to the ground
and deposited him unceremoniously into the back of
their pickup truck his screams filled the air as they sped off
at an astonishing Pace passing me by and disappearing into the
distance. Relief washed over me as I
watched them drive away with the menacing stranger.
I didn't know where they were taking him or what they intended
to do and frankly. I didn't want to know I ran all
the way home my heart pounding in my chest trying to make sense
of the traumatic encounter. I confided in my parents and we
immediately altered my school route.
Thankfully, I never saw that man again and for that I remain
eternally grateful. Those two kinds strangers who
intervened when I couldn't find my voice.
Saw my distress and acted selflessly to protect me even
now after all these years I vividly remember the terror that
gripped me and the overwhelming relief when they took him away
saving me from an unthinkable fate.
I remember the day I first arrived at the Watchtower the
sun was dipping below the Horizon painting the sky and
strokes of orange and red much like a wildfire itself.
I loved my last bag up the wooden steps of the tower a
structure that seemed both ancient and Timeless perched
solemnly amidst the vastness of the forest.
I'm Alex Mathews, not your typical fire watcher, I guess.
I landed this job partly out of necessity partly out of a desire
to escape the clutches of City Life.
There's something about the forests Solitude that appealed
to my less social nature. But as I stood there on the deck
of the tower the forest stretching endlessly in every
direction. I felt a Pang of something akin
to fear. It was a respect maybe for the
sheer enormity of nature. The tower was rustic to put it
nicely inside everything smelt of pine in old would the walls
were lined with shelves holding an array of outdated equipment
maps and a Dusty old radio. That would be my only line to
the outside world in the back of a cupboard.
I found a leather journal left by some previous Watcher.
I presume flipping through its yellowed pages.
I felt a strange connection to those who had come before me.
My first night was a symphony of unfamiliar sounds the creaking
of the tower the whispering of the Wind Through the Trees and
distant calls of nocturnal animals.
I lay in my bunk listening learning.
The next day I started my routines.
I scan the Horizon for smoked reported weather conditions and
kept the radio close. It was a life of repetition and
vigilance. But the forest had other plans.
It was on the third day that I found the deer skull.
I was returning from a routine check when I saw it lying just
outside my door a chill ran down my spine as I examined it.
It was old weathered with bits of fur and flesh still clinging
to it. It felt like a warning a sign of
something more Sinister lurking in the depths of the forest.
I recalled the teenagers I had chased off of a few nights
before and figured it was their idea of a Praying.
Still like couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling at left in my
gut. That night as Darkness engulfed
the tower. I sat at my desk the journal
opened in front of me. I began to write pouring my
thoughts onto paper. It felt cathartic a way to
process the Daze Eerie discovery.
As the days passed the initial thrill of solitude gave way to a
gnawing sense of isolation. The tower once a symbol of
Escape now felt like a caged the endless expanse of trees seemed
to watch me Whispering Secrets. I couldn't understand I found
myself staring out into the forest searching for something.
I couldn't quite Define, but the forest kept its secrets and I in
my isolated Watchtower weighted watched and wondered little did
I know the true test of my resolve was yet to come. the
days in the Watchtower began to blend into one another each
indistinguishable from the last the forest with its sprawling
expanse of pines and hidden secrets watched me silently.
My daily routine scanning for smoked reporting weather
conditions walking the trails became my life line.
The only thing anchoring me to reality it was during one of my
routine Trail checks that I stumbled upon the old man.
He was a small wiry figure leaning heavily on a cane his
eyes squinting against the daylight. lost he said Couldn't
find his way back to the car park.
I remember thinking how out of place he looked in the
wilderness like a piece of a different puzzle forced into the
wrong box. I pointed him towards the trail
leading back to the car park watched him Shuffle away his
steps unsteady, but determined. There was something about his
resolve that struck a chord in me.
Maybe it was the way he clung to his independence or the stubborn
set of his jaw. I didn't know them that I see
him again under far different circumstances.
The next day I was woken by a crackle over the radio.
A search party was being formed. The old man hadn't made it back
to his car. my stomach sank I joined the search a sense of
responsibility weighing heavily on me.
We found him at the bottom of a steep incline his leg broke in
his face etched with pain and relief.
The sight of him lying there helpless made me feel both
guilty and grateful. Guilty for not walking him back
to the car park grateful that we found him alive.
After that incident the forest seemed to close in on me.
It's Shadows deeper its silences longer.
I started noticing things. I hadn't before the way the
trees seemed to move in the corner of my eye the strange
Arrangements of stones on the trails.
One day I found a series of stones stacked in a precise
unnatural way. It was unsettling like a message
left in a language. I couldn't read.
Then came the day I found blood under my station.
It was a small dark stain on the ground almost easy to miss.
But I saw it and it sent a shiver down my spine Jonathan my
contact and only Lifeline to the outside world said it was
probably an animal. But his words did little to ease
my mind. the forest felt alive watching waiting the most
disturbing Discovery came a few days later.
I was walking the mountain trail my thoughts lost in the
monotonous rhythm of my steps when I stumbled upon it a deer
its body mutilated hanging from a tree its entrails were strewn
about like some grotesque decoration.
The sight of its stopped me cold my heart pounded in my chest my
breath caught in my throat for a moment.
I couldn't move couldnt think all I could do was stare at the
Macabre spectacle before me. That night back in the safety of
my tower. I couldn't shake the image of
the deer from my mind. It haunted me a vivid reminder
that the forest was not just trees and trails.
It was something ancient something wild something that
didn't adhere to the rules of the Civilized world.
And I was a guest in its domain a fact I was becoming painfully
aware of. The days turned colder and the
forest seemed to hold its breath as if waiting for something to
happen. I felt it too a sense of
impending change a Prelude to something dark.
My days at the Watchtower once filled with a sense of purpose
now felt tinged with an undefinable dread.
The missing hiker David Green became my obsession his name
echoed in my mind as I walked the trails his unseen presence a
constant companion. The forest once a source of
solitude now felt like a labyrinth hiding secrets in its
dense foliage. The search for David was
exhaustive each day ending with the same result nothing.
Then the fire broke out it started as a distant glow on the
horizon a small flicker amidst the darkness, but it grew
quickly hungrily consuming everything in its path.
I radioed it in my voice steady, but my hands shaking.
The response was Swift a team of firefighters their faces set in
Grim determination their movements practiced and precise.
For six days and nights the battle raged.
The fire was relentless a living thing with a will of its own.
We dug trenches cleared brush and set backfires.
The air was thick with smoke the heat intense enough to sing the
hairs on my arms. My body ached from the constant
exertion, but I pushed on driven by a sense of Duty that was as
much about self-preservation as it was about the job.
When the fire was finally contained the forest was a
different place. Charred trees stood like
Sentinels over a scorched Earth. a black and testament to
Nature's Fury the air smelled of Ash and defeat but there was no
time to rest no time to process what it happened.
The missing persons cases piled up six in total all hikers who
had been in the forest when the fire started their cars were
found in the parking lot their belonging on touched it was as
if they had simply vanished into the smoke.
Jonathan and I combed our sector's our search now
including the burnt area. The destruction was complete the
landscape unrecognizable. It felt like walking through the
aftermath of a war the silence oppressive the devastation
complete. One morning as I walked to
familiar Trail my mind numb from the endless searching.
I stumbled upon a cave a low mournful sound emanated from
within like a cry for help. My heart raced as I approached
my flashlight cutting through the darkness.
Inside I found a mountain lion. Its eyes reflecting a primal
intelligence. Its body tense and ready.
The sight of it so wild and Untamed sent a shiver down my
spine. I backed away slowly my every
Instinct screaming to flee. That night back in the
Watchtower. I couldn't sleep the image of
the mountain lion haunted me. Its eyes a mirror to the forest
itself wild unfathomable and deeply alive I realized then
that the forest was not just a backdrop to my job.
It was a living entity with its own rules and Mysteries.
And I was an intruder in its domain a fact that both
terrified and fascinated me. The forest had changed since the
fire the blackened trees stood like Grimm Sentinels guarding
secrets that the Flames couldn't consume.
I walked the trails with a sense of purpose each step taking me
deeper into the unknown. The Mystery of the missing
hikers weighed heavily on me their absence a constant
reminder of the forests deceptive tranquility It was
during one of these patrols that I found the cave.
Tucked away in a part of the forest spared by the fire.
It seemed like a dark mouth ready to swallow anything that
dared enter. The air around it was cold.
And as I approached a sense of unease crept over me.
I heard it before I saw it. A low guttural growl that
reverberated through the still air. the mountain lion from
before its eyes gleaming in the dim light watching me with a
Predators interest. I backed away slowly my heart
pounding in my chest. There was something about that
cave something ancient and malevolent.
I knew I had to explore it further but not alone not
without being prepared. The next day I returned with
Jonathan. He was armed his revolver a
small Comfort against the unknown.
We entered the cave cautiously the beam of our flash lights
cutting through the darkness. The cave twisted and turned
leading us deeper into the Earth.
The air was thick heavy with the scent of damp Earth and
something else something metallic.
We found the room deep inside the cave.
It was like stepping into another world a place Untouched
by time. The walls were lined with
strange symbols their meaning lost to the ages.
In the center of the room lay a collection of objects.
Clothes tools things that had no place in a cave deep in the
forest. It was a cache of sorts a
hoarders Treasure Trove. Jonathan was tense his revolver
at the ready. We didn't speak our silence a
mutual agreement that there were things here beyond our
understanding. We left the cave with more
questions than answers the mystery deepening with each step
we took but it was the basement that truly shook me.
I found it by accident a small opening in the ground hidden by
the charred remains of what once was a forest.
I descended into the darkness the are growing colder with each
step. The basement was a tomb a final
resting place for things long forgotten.
The walls were lined with shells each holding jars filled with
unidentifiable substances. In the center of the room lay
the bodies. six of them arranged in a circle their faces Frozen
and expressions of Terror The seventh body lay apart from the
others a dagger clutched in its lifeless hand.
I stood there Frozen in shock the horror of the scene etching
itself into my memory. The Silence of the basement was
oppressive a tangible reminder of the finality of death I
backed out of the basement my mind reeling from the discovery.
I knew then that the forest held Secrets darker than I could have
imagined. secrets that were now mine to uncover that night back
in the safety of my Watchtower. I couldn't sleep.
The images of the cave and the basement haunted me their
Mysteries a siren called that I couldn't ignore.
I knew I had to go back to delve deeper into the forest secrets.
But I also knew that I was playing a dangerous game one
that could cost me more than I was willing to pay.
The forest had become a realm of Shadows and Whispers its Secrets
gnawing at the edges of my sanity.
Each night the darkness seemed thicker pressing against the
glass of the Watchtower like a tangible Force.
I felt it watching me an unseen presence lurking just beyond
sight. The dear creature haunted both
my waking hours and my dreams. It's grotesque form a twisted
mockery of nature seemed to symbolize the forests hidden
malevolence. I couldn't shake the feeling
that it was more than just a random occurrence.
That it was connected to the cave the basement and The
Unexplained disappearances. I spent my days pouring over the
cryptic message carved into the deer's body motso.
The words were like a puzzle their meaning just Out Of Reach.
I scoured the old books and maps in the Watchtower searching for
any clue. That might shed light on the
mystery. But the answer alluded me.
hidden in the shadows of Forgotten lore Then came the
night that changed everything. It started as a low Rumble a
sound that seemed to come from the very heart of the Earth.
The Watchtower shook. Its Timber's groaning Under The
Strain. I looked out the window and saw
it a fire but not like any fire I had ever seen.
It was alive writhing and twisting like a living thing.
And in its heart I saw the silhouette of the dear creature
its antlers outlined against the flames.
I grabbed my rifle and radio knowing that this was the Moment
of Truth. The forest was no longer a place
of Refuge. It was a battlefield and I was
the only one left to fight. I made my way down the tower the
fire growing larger with each step.
The heat was intense the air thick with smoke and Ash.
I could hear the dear creature moving through the forest its
footsteps heavy and deliberate. I followed the sound my rifle at
the ready the fire illuminated the forest in a hellish glow
casting long dancing Shadows among the trees.
I felt like I was walking through a nightmare each step
taking me deeper into the Heart of Darkness.
Then I saw it the dear creature standing at the edge of the
fire. Its eyes glowed with an Unholy
light its body twisted and malformed.
It stared at me a silent challenge in its gaze.
I raise my rifle my hands steady.
Despite the fear that gripped my heart.
But before I could fire the creature moved, it was fast
impossibly fast a blur of fur and antlers.
I fired blindly the sound of the rifle loud in the Silence of the
forest. But it was too late.
The creature was upon me its antlers piercing me.
It's breath toxic and Fett on my face.
As I lay there the life ebbing from my body.
I realized the truth. The forest was not just a place
of trees and trails. It was a living breathing entity
ancient and powerful and I had been nothing but upon in its
game a player in a story that was as old as the Hills.
The last thing I saw before Darkness claimed me was the fire
burning bright against the night sky a beacon of Destruction and
renewal. And I knew that the forest would
continue long after I was gone its Secrets hidden in the
shadows waiting for the next unwary soul to stumble upon
them. I've always had this strange
occurrence in the middle of the night where I awakened at the
Eerie hour of three or four a.m. In golfed by an unexpected surge
of energy. This peculiar habit began in my
childhood prompting my parents to consult doctors and
specialists. They were perplexed as they
would often find me aimlessly darting around the house
attempting to exhaust myself. Fearing for my safety my parents
took a drastic step to prevent me from wandering outside during
my teenage years. They relocated my entire bedroom
to the basement and installed a treadmill there.
Extensive neurological tests yielded no conclusive results
and sleeping pills proved ineffective.
Thus this midnight restlessness became a peculiar facet of my
life. Now as an adult living alone, I
have discovered that the best remedy for my nocturnal
restlessness is late night walks.
I embark on these solitary Journeys covering a mile or two
until I sense myself gradually winding down once I feel the
fatigue creeping in I retraced my steps and return home.
Surprisingly these nighttime strolls have proven to be quite
therapeutic and I've grown to embrace them as an essential
part of my nightly routine. I share this background to
emphasize that walking in the middle of the night has become
second nature to me. I don't experience
hallucinations fatigue or any impediments to my senses during
these walks. However, what I encountered last
night defies all explanation. At precisely 3:33 in the
morning. I awoke from Slumber the time
etched into my memory due to its specificity.
Given my history of random awakening's between three and
four a.m. I thought nothing of it and
quickly Dawn my sweatshirt and sweatpants.
My body was already pulsating with energy a sensation.
I'd grown accustomed to I knew better than to resist the urge
to walk. As I stepped out into the
deserted Street, it was bathed only in the Eerie glow of the
moon and the dim yellowish Haze of streetlights.
I've never been a fan of horror movies, but I could understand
why they often took place at night.
Even my tranquil Suburban neighborhood assumed a Sinister
aspect in the hushed Stillness of the night.
The pounding of my own blood echoed in my ears as I ascended
the Steep incline toward the forest that crowned our block.
Although I walked out at this hour every night the
disconcerting feeling of unease never waned.
I followed my usual weekday route tracing the path along the
tree line and the moderately maintained sidewalk.
This route led directly to an elementary school, which on any
ordinary night would be locked in shrouded in darkness.
However, as I approached I noticed something unusual.
All the lights were on. Not just a few lights as if a
teacher had forgotten to switch them off, but every single light
inside the two-story concrete building was illuminated.
Moreover I could discern Silhouettes in each window.
My initial thought was that some school event was taking place,
but then I remembered the time. A sudden realization struck me.
I had left my phone at home. Over the course of countless
nocturnal walks. I rarely took my phone with me
as it would only serve to keep me awake contrary to the purpose
of these walks. Now I wished I had it with me.
I felt compelled to investigate further despite the uneasy
Sensation that crept up my spine a chilling shiver ran through me
regardless of the warmth provided by my clothing.
Standing in the school's entrance was an impossibly tall
figure. Although I was still well over
100 feet away. I couldn't discern whether it
was a man or a woman. They filled the doorway and then
some there hunched posture indicating a height that
exceeded nine or ten feet. Common Sense urged me to turn
back but my curiosity prevailed. I veered off the path to the
left which led to the woods near the school.
If I intended to share my Discovery with anyone I needed
more than just a vague description of a tall Eerie
figure near the school. So I stealthily ventured into
the woods all the while keeping an eye on the figure lingering
at the entrance as I Disappeared into the dense foliage.
I had about 20 feet of cover ahead of me to formulate a plan.
I couldn't take any photographs due to the absence of my phone
and if there was any potential danger, it was unlikely that
anyone would hear my screams from the isolated spot.
I was in. Nevertheless I pressed forward.
Emerging from the woods near the Western entrance of the school.
I lost sight of the figure at the front door.
This lack of visibility unsettled me, but I continued I
cautiously approached the school Keen to catch a glimpse through
one of the many illuminated windows.
The first floor where my niece had attended School nearly a
decade ago contained Home Room classrooms.
I crept closer not spotting any other figures outside and peered
into my nieces former classroom. Although I stood about 10 feet
away from the window. It was evident that something
was amiss. The classroom born no
resemblance to a typical School setting instead it resembled a
laboratory. Massive jars containing murky
liquids tubes running through the hall way and Hefty power
cables protruding from the walls filled the room.
In the corner lurked a cloaked corpulent figure contorting as
if straining against some invisible force.
It was too large to be a human with an almost comical width and
roundness yet. It moved in a manner
characteristic of a person. Just before it spun around.
I hastily lowered myself to avoid being noticed.
However, I managed to catch a glimpse of what it was clutching
and oversized rat like creature with human eyes and human teeth.
It was at that moment. I wished I had my phone with me.
You see I failed to mention a significant detail about my
sleeping troubles. I also suffered from Night
Terrors. Although they were not a nightly
occurrence when they did manifest they were exceptionally
Vivid this rat human hybrid creature was a recurring entity
in my night terrors an entity. I had witnessed sitting in the
corner of my room since childhood.
And now I was encountering it just up the street.
At that moment. I tried to convince myself that
this was all a dream but no matter how many times I pinched
myself I couldn't wait in. I had no choice but to continue
observing. The next classroom over was
unfamiliar to me containing several hooded figures each with
a different size and peculiar physique.
They had strapped some grotesque creature to a large Gurnee. a
creature that resembled a real life Boogeyman They showed it a
series of photographs of children while another hooded
figure made incisions into its dark hardened flesh.
I couldn't hear what was transpiring inside but I
witnessed the creature snapping and growling at them.
I dared not linger there for too long.
As I passed by several more classrooms each more bewildering
and terrifying than the last I eventually reached another
unnerving Leaf familiar sight the elementary school gymnasium.
Inside I saw hundreds if not thousands of Shadows.
These were not the typical Shadow People one might read
about on line. These were tangible Shadows of
individuals. I knew.
It was a common theme in my night terrors.
I would encounter the shadow of someone I recognized only for it
to engage in horrifying Acts. Such as self-harm or attempting
to attack me. This particular scene was too
much for me to bear and I decided to head back home.
The sights I had witnessed were two bizarre and inexplicable for
anyone to believe. For all I knew this was still a
dream. However, as I turned to make my
way back to the woods I spotted him.
The ten foot tall man from the school's entrance was now
traversing the woods his grotesquely scarred and pallid
face marred by a gaping hole where his nose should have been
indicated that he was searching for something or rather someone.
Me I didn't hesitate adrenaline surged through my veins and I
bolted in the direction of my house.
I could hear pounding footsteps behind me, but I dared not
glance back. I had stumbled upon something
unspeakably horrific and Beyond Comprehension and it was
abundantly clear that it did not want to be seen.
It didn't want me seeing it. I raced back into my house
rushing to my bedroom and slamming the door shut.
Trembling I huddled beneath the covers feeling like a frightened
child. I glanced at the clock fully
expecting hours to have passed but to my astonishment the time
still read 333 in the morning. Desperately, I tried to ward off
sleep. I knew it wouldn't end well if I
succumb to Slumber. Despite my efforts my body
eventually betrayed me. And I reluctantly drifted into a
fitful sleep. I couldn't recall the specifics
of my dreams between 4 a.m. And 7:45 a.m.
When I awoke. But I knew they had been
nightmarish. Scratches adorned my arms and my
nails were chewed down and extreme physical reaction.
I hadn't experienced since my childhood when my night terrors
were at their worst. These nightly walks had
typically kept them at Bay, but it seemed this particular night
had exacerbated them. After witnessing those bizarre
scenes in the classrooms. I dreaded to think about what
Horrors my subconscious had conjured.
And then there was the note. Scrawled in my own handwriting
on a slip of paper next to my bed was a chilling message.
Don't come back. I find myself utterly bewildered
by the events of last night and consumed by fear about what may
transpire tonight. It's nearing midnight and I'm
apprehensive about succumbing to sleep.
I understand how insane this all sounds but I'm convinced I
wasn't dreaming. That school was a nightmarish
Factory where unspeakable Horrors were being created
Horrors that I had only ever encountered in my nightmare's.
I can't help but wonder if any of you have glimpsed these same
Terrors that now haunt my waking hours.
My name is Ken and I'm an anthropology student who grew up
in North America listening to the mysterious stories my
grandfather an immigrant from the former Soviet Union used to
tell. His house always had an
enigmatic atmosphere filled with memories and peculiar objects
from that distinct Nation. My family had immigrated from
the USSR decades ago, but my grandfather carried with him a
bag of skepticism and a story that he held dearly.
At 86 years old. He remained strong and skeptical
always ready to discredit or mock certain beliefs be they
folklore or political ideologies.
He used to say that ideologies were the mythology of a Man Who
Thought himself intelligent. However, there was one specific
Legend. He dared not joke about or even
mentioned. I recall a time when my older
cousin Nicholas casually mentioned the name of that
creature as a joke during a family gathering at my
grandfather's house only to receive a Stern reprimand.
After that incident, we never spoke of it again neither at my
grandfather's house nor at any other family gathering.
I'm sharing this for a reason. He told me about it during our
last visit. We have a close relationship and
I often visit him. Not to brag and I pray that
neither Nicholas nor any of the others see this but I am his
favorite. He always tells me how much I
resemble him when he was my age and I receive many gifts from
him. This time, however, I was
visiting him with a purpose. In college, we were studying
Slavic culture. The difference is in the
development of eastern and western Europe.
And who better to talk about it than my old Soviet grandfather.
I called him asking if he was free and we arranged to have
coffee in the afternoon. He prefers climates that remind
him of Home snow mountains. Therefore he lives near Aspen
Colorado. It's about a two-hour drive
until you spot his castle by which I mean a wooden cabin.
He built himself. It's a Charming place to say the
least. We talked for a long time losing
track of how late it had become he shared stories of Happy Days
his childhood running through the streets of Moscow his
beloved Babushka the monks Distributing bread in the city.
Due to my young age. He didn't provide many details
about the war since he remembers very little his father was a
radio operator and his mother a seamstress.
He had a good education learning to read early with early
exposure to his favorite authors Dostoevsky and Nietzsche.
His stories filled more than 10 pages and while I'd love to
share them. They don't fit the purpose of
this occasion. I'm here to report what happened
next. I glanced at the clock and
almost jumped backward. It was almost nine pm, and it
was really late. I grabbed my coat from the bench
saying I was leaving he didn't even say goodbye.
I thought he hadn't heard. But upon opening the door to go
to my car and seeing the snow falling heavily rapidly
increasing in level. I returned and found his
sarcastic smile. Ken he said he'll have to spend
the night here lad. It's not safe to hit the road in
these conditions. The old man was right and I
believe he was all so happy to have some company.
Since my grandmother passed away, he feels quite lonely.
So I was all so glad to keep him company.
He made a batch of black bread and borscht for us to eat.
While he poured the hot soup, he looked outside closed the
curtains and sat in his armchair more solemn this time.
Ken he said you came here wanting to know about my
history, but there's something I left out.
There are reasons why I didn't talk about it.
But look I'm getting old don't have much time left and I need
to tell someone. Don't say that Grandpa.
I replied referring to his earlier remark about not having
much time. You're so fit that you could
outlive us all. We laughed.
But now seriously he continued I need to tell you what made me
leave my country and start a life here.
The following account is a transcription of my
grandfather's words. I can't vouch for its accuracy.
But if a man is skeptical as him a sit with such certainty God
what might exist out there without our knowledge.
I was around 25 when it happened.
You must remember that I was a metallurgical worker strong and
full of vigor at the time as a result.
I enjoyed night's socializing with Factory comrades getting
drunk and going out with girls. He looked at the icon on his
table as if reflecting regretting past indulgences.
That night I hadn't been drinking.
I was too busy trying to win over a German Beauty at the bar.
My friends left while I was still talking to her attempting
to convince her to come to my place.
She left soon after leaving my night to end sober and alone a
true loss. He chuckled.
Without the comfort of vodka to warm my thoughts.
I had no choice but to walk home.
Public transport already scarce had ceased its operation at that
hour and vagabonds roamed the streets.
If a cop caught you well, you better have a really good
excuse. I must have walked about two
blocks after leaving the bar when turning into a narrow alley
I came across. it his gays was uneasy as was his voice in the
swallow in his throat. It was a slender thing pale
leaning over a guy. I didn't know but God Rest his
soul. The man's coat was stained with
blood a large hole in the fabric revealing a side wound.
The things seem to be draining the Crimson liquid oozing from
the wound. I took a few steps back, but it
was too late. The devil spawn had seen me
looked at me while growling and its eyes were so.
So bright. His hand holding the coffee cup
was trembling. I turned around to start running
but I could hear its agile footsteps behind me glancing
back. I saw it running on all fours
like an animal I could see my door just over 50 meters away
when it pounced on Me Knocking me down.
I turned and saw its deformed face a few inches from mine it
growled while its iron like breathe flooded my nostrils.
The creature seemed prepared to make me its victim just like the
previous man, but upon opening my coat it encountered my
crucifix. He clutched the crucifix around
his neck a constant companion since I can remember.
For a brief moment the creature hesitated fell backward and I
not being a full continue running.
I almost broke down my door with the speed.
I rushed out at it. I could see the Beast regaining
composure and coming this time more Furious.
I had already entered but there was no way to close the door
before it arrived. It was a few meters away when it
stopped out of nowhere. It stared at me.
My legs wobbled it circled for a few moments and then left.
I closed the door while Breathing heavily collapsing
into the armchair utterly incapable of standing.
My breath condensed into dense wet clouds when a quick subtle
knock on my door made me jump a knock that seemed to Echo the
Sinister events of that night. He made the sign of the cross.
Are you scared Ladd? Relax, if it's one of those
things, I have a bag of garlic in the kitchen.
He laughed again to himself as he walked to the door a muffled
Voice through layers of clothing sounded.
Hey, is anyone home? My car is stuck in the snow and
I can't go back home. Can I come in and use your
phone? My eyes met my grandfathers.
What kind of twist of fate was this?
I looked out the window someone in a thick orange coat a scarf
wrapped around the lower half of their face and a beanie on their
head. My grandfather opened the door.
Do you want to use my phone? He said stepping back.
Yes, please The Voice seemed clearer now without a door in
the middle and she pulled the scarf slightly away from her
mouth. My grandfather stared at her.
I swear I won't take long. I just with a subtle movement my
old man had taken off his crucifix.
The creature was now retreating. You're getting old Mikhail.
You won't stand there forever. She hissed as she moved away
from the door and disappeared into the forest.
That was the same girl from that night.
My grandfather seemed somewhat affected.
He tried to conceal it with his characteristic manner, but I
noticed he didn't let me leave until he was sure the sun
covered the entire plane. I came home constantly checking
my rear view mirror and taking extra care when entering my
house. It's been a few months since
that happened and I'm finally reporting it.
Two weeks after that encounter he disappeared.
Shortly afterward presumed dead. Probably some animal got him or
his old age and Confused mind made him lose his way will never
know. But I know one thing my
grandfather told me that for a reason and if that thing crossed
the ocean to reach him how much time do I have before someone
knocks on my door? I've never been one for ghost
stories or tails of Things That Go Bump in the night.
My name is Max and I guess you could say I'm a practical guy.
My journey across Canada was meant to be a break from the
constant Buzz of City Life a chance to find some.
Peace. But as I was about to find out
sometimes life has other plans the trip had been pretty
uneventful until I reached a town on the edge of this vast
Eerie forest in Canada. That's where I met Sarah.
She was the kind of person you feel like you've known forever.
Even if you've just met. Sarah was an artist always with
a Sketchbook in hand and she seemed to find something magical
in every little thing. She was full of stories and had
this easy-going charm that made everything seem like an
adventure. We hit it off right away.
And before I knew it I was inviting her to join me on my
drive through the forest to the next town.
I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some company and Sarah was
more than happy to tag along. The drive was smooth at first
Sarah pointed out every Scenic spot and told me all these
quirky tales about the area. It was fun.
And I found myself enjoying her company more than I expected.
Then as if On Cue my car decided it needed a break.
Right in the middle of nowhere it just sputtered and died.
Great, right. There I was a guy who prides
himself on being prepared stranded in the middle of a
forest with a girl I just met. But Sarah she was incredible.
She just laughed it off joking about Forest Spirits having a
bit of fun with us. As the sun began to set the
forest started to look different the Shadows grew longer and
everything seemed a bit more. I don't know mysterious I guess.
I remember trying to sound cool and in control when I suggested
we camped there for the night. Inside though.
I was kicking myself for not paying more attention to those
stories about the woods. Sarah seemed thrilled by the
idea of an impromptu camping trip as Twilight wrapped around
us. I felt this weird mix of
excitement and nervousness. I've always been a city guy.
So spending a night in the woods was way out of my comfort zone,
but there was something about Sarah's enthusiasm.
That was contagious. We sat by my car.
The only source of light around us.
The forest was eerily quiet and for a moment it felt like we
were the only two people in the world.
Sarah then started talking about the legends of the forest
Whispering about ancient spirits and wendigos.
I tried to laugh it off. You don't really believe in that
stuff. Do you I asked but my voice
betrayed a hint of doubt. She just looked at me her eyes
reflecting the dim light and said something that stuck with
me. Sometimes Max there are things
in this world that can't be explained by Logic or Reason.
I didn't know what to make of it.
The forest around us seemed to grow denser the silence more
profound. That's when we heard it a howl
that cut through the night. It was unlike anything.
I had ever heard a sound that made the hairs on the back of my
neck stand up. Sarah's grip on my hand
tightened. And for the first time I saw a
flicker of fear in her eyes. That's just an animal right?
I whispered more to reassure myself than her.
But Sarah didn't answer she just stared into the darkness as if
she could see something I couldn't.
I'll never forget that night the way the darkness seemed to press
in on us full of secrets and Whispers.
It was the beginning of an adventure.
I never expected. One that would challenge
everything. I thought I knew.
That night in the Canadian forest was like something out of
a storybook except it was real and I was living it.
After the car broke down Sarah and I decided to make the best
of it. We were stranded, but she seemed
to find the whole situation exciting.
I tried to match her enthusiasm but deep down.
I was uneasy. As the darkness enveloped the
woods the atmosphere changed. The playful Shadows of the
afternoon turned into something more ominous.
Sarah who had been full of lively stories during the day
became more reflective. She talked about the legends of
the forest about ancient spirits and mythical creatures like
wendigos, which she said were creatures of the night that
prayed on Lost Souls. I tried to laugh at all, but her
Tails mixed with the Eerie setting made my skin crawl.
I've always been a skeptic but that night every crack of a
branch or Russell of leads. Had me jumping.
Sarah seemed to sense my unease and squeezed my hand
reassuringly. It's just the forest.
She whispered her voice barely audible over the sounds of the
night. Then out of nowhere a dog
appeared. It was a strange looking
creature with a collar made of tiny bones.
Sarah was fascinated by it and mentioned seeing a similar dog
on a wanted poster back in town. The dog seemed friendly enough
and its presence was oddly comforting amidst the weirdness
of our situation. We sat by the car the dog at our
feet and watched the Stars peek through the Treetops.
Despite the beauty of the night sky, I couldn't shake off the
feeling that we weren't alone. the forest felt alive watching
and waiting Sarah's stories about the woods continued she
spoke of people who had disappeared of strange sightings
and unexplained phenomenon. I wanted to believe it was all
just folklore but part of me wondered if there was some truth
to her tails. That's when it happened a howl
pierced the night unlike any animal sound.
I'd ever heard it was long mournful and seemed to come from
everywhere at once the dog perked up its ears twitching and
then bolted into the darkness. Sarah and I exchanged a look of
alarm. We should follow it.
She said and without waiting for my response.
She was off into the woods. Chasing after her my heart
pounded in my chest. The forest was a maze of Shadows
and shapes that played tricks on my eyes every step felt like we
were moving deeper into another world.
I called out for the dog, but there was no sign of it.
Just the sound of our footsteps and the occasional distant howl.
We wandered for what felt like ours the darkness around us
growing thicker with each passing minute.
I couldn't help but think about Sarah's stories.
My rational mind told me there was a logical explanation for
everything. We were experiencing but in the
heart of that Forest logic seemed to have little place.
Finally exhausted and lost we stopped the dog was nowhere to
be found and the howling had ceased.
The silence was oppressive. And for the first time since I
started my journey across Canada, I felt truly scared.
I looked at Sarah trying to find some reassurance in her eyes,
but she looked just as lost and Afraid as I felt.
That night in the woods under the watchful gaze of the ancient
trees in the starlets Sky. I began to question everything.
I thought I knew the forest held secrets and Sarah and I had
stumbled right into the middle of them.
As we huddled together for warmth waiting for the dawn.
I realized that this adventure was only just beginning.
The deeper we ventured into the forest the more I realized how
out of my element I was. The once comforting presence of
Sarah and the Mysterious dog was now replaced by an overwhelming
sense of Solitude. I had lost track of time and
direction. The trees seemed to loom over us
their branches like arms trying to snatch us away.
I remember tripping over something.
It happens so fast one moment. I was on my feet the next I was
tumbling to the ground the world spun and then there was
Darkness. When I finally came to the first
thing I noticed was the silence. It was suffocating.
I called out for Sarah but there was no answer the dog was gone,
too. Panic set in as I realized.
I was alone. I scrambled to my feet my head
pounding with a ferocious headache.
The forest was a blur of greens and Browns and it took me a
moment to get my bearings. I had to find Sarah and the dog
I had to get out of this Forest. As I stumbled through the woods
a sense of dread grew Within Me. The story Sarah had told me
echoed in my mind Tales of spirits and creatures that
lurked in the shadows. Every snapped twig or rustling
leaves sent a shiver down my spine.
I was lost both physically and mentally in a world.
I didn't understand. After what felt like ours I came
across the cave. It looked ominous like the mouth
of some giant Beast. I hesitated but the thought of
Sarah alone and scared pushed me forward.
I entered the cave my heart racing with every step.
The cave was darker than the night outside and the air felt
thick and heavy I moved cautiously feeling my way along
the walls. My eyes gradually adjusted to
the darkness and that's when I saw it a scene that will haunt
me for the rest of my life. Bodies were strewn across the
cave floor. I froze my breath caught in my
throat. Among the lifeless figures I saw
her Sarah. She was lying unconscious her
face pale in the dim Light Relief and horror washed over me
and equal measure. She was alive, but we were
engraved Danger. That's when I heard it a low
guttural growl that seemed to come from the depths of the
Earth. My blood ran cold.
I remembered Sarah's stories about the wendigo a creature of
nightmares. I never believed in them, but
now faced with the unknown doubt crept in.
I knew I had to act fast. Gently I lifted Sarah into my
arms. She was surprisingly light but
every movement was a struggle against fear and uncertainty.
I had to get us out of there. As I made my way back towards
the cave entrance every shadow seemed to move every sound a
Potential Threat. My mind was racing with thoughts
of the Wendigo. Was it just a story or was there
truth to the legend? When I finally emerged from the
Cave the forest seemed different.
It was as if the trees knew what lay hidden in the depths of that
cave. The once welcoming woods now
felt like a prison. holding secrets too dark for the light
of day I didn't stop to look back with Sarah in my arms.
I pushed through the underbrush desperation giving me strength.
The forest that had once seemed magical was now a Labyrinth of
fear and mystery. I had come to Canada seeking
peace. But what I found was a nightmare
that would stay with me forever. The forest was a blur as I
carried Sarah through it. My mind was a mess of fear and
confusion. Every rustle in the bushes every
snap of a twig. Underfoot made me flinch.
The terrifying encounter in the cave and the shocking discovery
of the bodies along with Sarah unconscious in my arms weighed
heavily on me. But here's the twist.
This isn't my story. I'm not Max.
I'm a member of the search and rescue team that was sent out to
find Max and Sarah after they went missing.
What I'm about to tell you is piece together from a journal we
found near the cave. It belonged to Max and it was
filled with entries that described their journey into the
forest the breakdown of his car the Eerie Tales Sarah told and
their terrifying and counter in the cave.
As we read through the pages a sense of dread filled us the
details were Vivid the emotions raw.
It wasn't just a story it felt real too real.
The journal ended abruptly leaving us with more questions
than answers. We knew we had to find the cave
Max wrote about we found it. All right, and it was just as
Max had described the cave was unsettling an air of danger
lingering at its entrance. We ventured inside our
flashlights cutting through the darkness.
There were no bodies no sign of Max or Sarah just the remnants
of that dog Max mentioned and these weird wooden stick figures
with strands of hair that matched the DNA of Max and
Sarah. It was creepy to say the least.
We searched the area for days calling out their names hoping
for a response that never came. The forest seemed to swallow up
any sound we made. It was like stepping into
another world. One that was not meant for us.
The Experience left us shaking the mystery of what happened to
Max and Sarah hung over us like a dark cloud.
We had to face the fact that we might never find out the truth.
The forest kept its secrets. Well.
After the search was called off. I couldn't shake off the feeling
that we had missed something. That there was more to the story
than what we found in Max's Journal.
The tales of the wendigo the mysterious dog, the strange
figures in the cave. It all seemed like pieces of a
puzzle. We couldn't solve.
I went back to the forest many times after that drawn by a need
to understand to find some closure but each visit left me
with more questions. The forest was silent as if
mocking my efforts. I'm not sure why I'm telling you
this maybe it's a warning to stay away from places that are
better left unexplored. Or maybe it's just a way to keep
the memory of Max and Sarah alive.
Their story is a reminder of the Mysteries that exists in this
world Mysteries that we may never understand.
As for the forest it remains there untouched and unyielding a
reminder of the unknown that lurks just beyond the edge of
our understanding. And as for Max and Sarah,
they're just two more names added to the long list of those
who ventured into the unknown and never returned.