When the call about the missing campers and the abandoned
campsite came in, I was sitting in front of the park ranger
station, watching a fire that crackled in the Rusted old pit
that's been here for decades. The Flames were slowly eating
the would the heat occasionally sputtered and spat as the Pine
logs were devoured. It's one of my favorite ways to
pass the time out here. A fire like watching, fish in an
aquarium or animals. In a zoo is endlessly
captivating because it's a tiny bit of nature captured and put
on display. Play the same reason, people
come here to the spruce, Ridge National Park and just like a
fire, the woods here can Scorch you if you're not careful, I
shuffled back inside, took the call and headed out for the
Rendezvous point after listening to the report for a few minutes.
Another couple gone missing, nothing too out of the ordinary
at least, not yet. So I loaded my gun hopped in my
Jeep and headed out as the sun began to recede past the trees.
The Searing Summer Sun peeked out from between dense fur That
surrounded. The rocky terrain on all sides,
sweeping Over the Horizon. As far as I could see, I passed
glimmering pawns filled with plant life, in Pavilions filled
with brown, picnic benches as the Jeep.
Bounced up and down on carefully, maintained blacktop
and rutted brown roads filled with rock.
I could practically hear the croak of frogs, the chirping of
crickets and the hum of a few dragonflies.
As I sped past. No matter how long I was a park
ranger. I never got used to the thrill
of The Great Outdoors. The serenity you could find in
the fresh air was eternal as was its sheer size.
It reminds me of pioneer days when it was just a few families
alone in the vastness of the frontier and it was a very
unforgiving Frontier back. Then there were no Rangers or
Park security like me to make sure no families got lost.
First aid, didn't exist and mother nature, never suffered
fools. Some people have forgotten that,
but Mother Nature never hesitates to remind people about
what she can do lately. She seems pretty Regularly
active on that front in these parts, I carefully maneuvered
the jeep through Hills, which were bigger the farther.
I got away from the base, the wind last through the cracked
Windows, as I passed Fallen cedar trees on the way to my
destination. I love these woods, but I never
forget how merciless they can be.
And how many people have met their end out here.
How many bodies have been buried right here?
How many people went out into these woods and simply never
came out? There's no way of knowing for
sure but these Woods have been around For centuries, and that's
enough time for death to plant a seed.
For every tree out here, I was dispatched to find Libyan Dale
Morrison, a well-to-do couple that had gone out on a camping
vacation they're empty camp site had been found by a group of
hikers and since no one had seen the couple for a few days, I was
sent out to take a closer look funny enough.
While I've always loved the outdoors, I've never liked
camping, if you fill out enough, missing persons and death
reports, you learn fast to treat the woods like a tiger.
Lion. They might be stunning to look
at but never forget what can happen when you encounter them.
Although, plenty of people have wised up and learned how to Camp
safely camping. Certain places alone is a bit
like putting out a candy Bowl on Halloween with a please.
Take one sign with no one to watch.
Not everyone who walks by has to ignore the rule and do whatever
they please. All it takes is one.
It may have only taken one person to make my
brother-in-law. Jerry vanish, a few weeks ago,
national parks, Um, so humdrum and tame, but anyone who works
at one knows there's a lot of dark things that happen within
those trees. Colts will meet here, drug
deals, go down and go wrong and plenty of people vanish Within
These Woods. People are dumped here and found
days weeks or even months later. All Torn to Pieces from the
animals and no, coroner could figure out how they got that
way. I've interviewed plenty of
applicants who think this job is some cake walk and an easy
paycheck. They all get a nasty wake-up
call sooner or later, and it either.
Sobers them up or makes them run out of here.
Like they've been chased out. And I've seen things that I
don't blame them for wanting to run from people have been afraid
of monsters in the woods for centuries.
I don't expect that to change anytime soon, no matter what
modern technology exists, that's why the single best alarm system
that ever existed is man's best friend.
The minute, a dog starts barking.
You know someone or something is there, but when you're outside
in your dog whimpers and runs away like the ground is on fire,
Sure. That's your cue to get out.
It's no coincidence. That in all the time I've been
on duty here, I've never had to deal with a situation where one
or more person involved had a dog, never back at the station
that houses, my office. There is an entire bulletin
board with missing persons Flyers.
Most of them are couples or entire families.
Wholesome looking happy and smiling at the camera.
Like, they don't have a care in the world, which is usually how
they end up on the wall in the first place.
I was about to find out. Whether the Morrisons would join
them. It's not a task.
I enjoy at all. In the five years.
I've had this job, I've taken off maybe 10 of those flyers and
not because the people on them were found safe and sound
either. Most people on it are the type
of people who think just because they have GPS and cars with all
the latest bells and whistles. There is nothing to worry about
when you camp or Venture into the woods.
A lot of people who venture out here have that attitude.
If they're lucky, they realized the mistake can lift.
To talk about it other times, not so much but maybe they're
fake can help teach others a lesson.
I've certainly had to deal with my share of journalists
documentary filmmakers law enforcement officers from
various divisions private investigators and inquiring
relatives and friends the professionals.
I have no problem dealing with they're just doing a job.
Same as me. That's not to say they don't
take what happened, seriously or feel bad for the parties
involved. Not at all.
But they're used to dealing with stuff like this for the most
part and it rarely touches them. Personally only rarely do I see
the look in their eye? That tells that what happened
here will haunt them on the other hand dealing with family
members and that situation is by far, the worst part of my job.
I'd rather stumble upon a million bodies that have to deal
with grieving family members. I've done it too many times, but
it never gets any easier. Never, and it shouldn't it was
dark. By the time I arrived at the
Morrison. Campsite Site which was a long
way from any main area as expected.
They had spared no expense and had gone camping with brand new
gear that I was certain. They had just bought brand-new
equipment, cooking gear and a black SUV that was still
gleaming like it was fresh off the lot.
I did have to concede that mr. And mrs.
Morrison. Picked a terrific spot right on
the lake. It was a clear night and the
moon glistened off the calm surface which looked like glass
no matter what happened on the job.
Nighttime was always my favorite time to Or do anything else.
So long as I took proper precautions I suppose it's the
same reason. People think about hitting up an
old flame late at night in the modern era.
It's easy to look down upon more primitive times and their fears
about what lay just out of sight in the darkness, the come out
here at night when its pitch dark and those fears suddenly
become far more, relatable modern technology may be the
21st century but where your flashlights ends it's the 19th
century. All it takes is for your
flashlight to Run out of batteries, your GPS to fail or
your car to not start, and you're no longer in modern times
out here. You're right back where your
ancestors were, but at least they knew how to survive in
conditions like that as I looked around.
The campsite the star is gleamed out of the sky and looked
brighter than usual. I don't think people think about
space as in really think about it and what it entails it is.
A stunning concept to behold the vastness of the Galaxy and all
the galaxies Beyond it when you think about it.
Earth is nothing more than a tiny apartment in a massive
skyscraper when you think of how massive space has a phrase.
Outer space invokes gargantuan size and a scale that is
unfathomable. When pondering this the two most
terrifying Concepts and their implication are that you are
completely alone in the universe and you are not alone in the
universe, which one is more? Terrifying.
Depends, a lot on the person, the phrase in space.
No one can hear you. Scream is so much more than a
movie tagline. It's a simple fact.
T', because not only can, no one hear you scream, you might not
even be able to scream, which is one of the most horrifying
feelings, a human can experience.
It's like calling for an ambulance.
Only to be told help isn't coming.
The woods are the same way as it's no coincidence.
They refer to space as the final frontier.
It's also what makes someone going missing in a huge Park
like this? Such a nightmare for a search
party in a populated area you can rule areas out and narrow
things down. But out here in the woods
someone could Literally anywhere the Morrison campsite wasn't
torn to shreds, like it had been attacked by a wild animal, nor
did it resemble the scene of a horror movie style.
Bloodbath. It looked like countless
campsites that had been abandoned without an
afterthought. Had it not been for their car
nearby, I would have thought they just left on a whim, their
car, a shiny black Cadillac SUV with a grill, hood that gleamed
in the light, from my flashlight was still here.
So that meant they either left in someone else's car.
They ran off somewhere outside the Park or they were still
here, but it wouldn't be the first time I've seen couples
ditch one vehicle out here to get in another.
So, the question was, what caused the Morrisons to flee?
From where they'd set up shop? It certainly wasn't because they
needed to use a bathroom in my experience.
People almost always flee due to fear but fear of what I scan the
area slowly with my flashlight, the Morrison certainly spared,
no expense the RV was top of the line is certainly a step up from
sleeping in a tent You don't leave equipment like this for no
reason. Especially if you're someone
with money a quick check revealed that none of the cars
tires have been slashed, and from all appearances at look, to
be in good condition. Since the RV's front door was
halfway open. I wasted no time in climbing,
the metal steps and peering inside as expected.
Everything inside, was top of the line, most of it looked like
they had just bought it at the store, a week ago.
I carefully climbed inside and with one hand on my gun, I
slowly checked the bathroom. Room and bedroom.
The bathroom was a jumbled mess of tubes and bottles and the bed
was unmade, but everything was perfectly in order nor did it
look like anything was stolen, I stepped back outside and started
to walk towards my Jeep to radio.
What I had seen the when I was over halfway there, the skin on
my arms prickled and I felt a chill, run down my back despite
the billowing humidity. I was chilled to the core.
I took a deep breath carefully. Placed one hand back on my gun
and carefully walk. The remaining distance.
Students taking care to keep my back aligned with the RV.
As I had the sense I was being watched.
I had felt this sensation before and you never get used to it and
just like dealing with grieving families, you shouldn't because
if you do, the next grieving, family may be yours with
paranoia and fear growing with each step.
I mercifully made it to the Jeep.
Okay, and slammed the door shut, before I radioed back to the
base, I leaned back in the driver's seat and tried to
relax. As I took another deep breath,
and reminded myself. Off to remain calm.
I surveyed the terrain, again, no car tracks aside from mine or
the Morrisons. No evidence of a struggle and no
sign of any other life out here, but that did not mean nothing
else was out here besides me as if to answer me a guttural roar
burst out from the woods to my right and I practically shot out
of my seat. It was the ugliest sound I've
ever heard. And there was no way a human was
capable of making that noise. It was the kind of sound that
seems to be a living breathing physical entity.
Thunder without waiting another moment.
I started the engine floored the gas pedal, and the Jeep, roared,
to life, as I drove out of there as fast as I could, as I pulled
away, I swear I could see the trees where the roar came from
Trumbull slightly. It wasn't until I had been
driving for about 10 minutes that I noticed.
Some heavy breathing that sounded paint.
When I realized it was mine, I tried to take a deep breath and
calm down. Once I had done the former and
was attempting the latter, I picked up my radio with a clammy
hand and Called in what I found and heard.
I was surprised as my voice was Far calmer than I felt on the
other line. My colleague, sounded surprised,
but not skeptical. Maybe it was sincere or maybe,
when I had backup and we all headed back there, together, we
might find nothing and they might just declare me paranoid.
I didn't really care either way, I'd much rather be called
paranoid than a crime statistic. I rolled along at a good Pace
until I rounded a corner and a figure standing in the middle of
the road made me slam. Breaks in the harsh light from
the vehicles headlights. I could see the figure was
Slender wearing badly tattered clothes and was pretty beat up,
but when the figure took a step forward, I couldn't believe it.
It was my brother-in-law. Jerry, I rolled down my window
in shock. What the hell is going on?
Bobby, we got to go. Didn't I said before he ran on
steadily towards the passenger seat the minute.
He sat down. I hit the gas and we reward out
of there. He panted for a good.
He s before his breathing evened out.
What happened Jerry I asked after he had a chance to rest,
there's something out here. Bobby some kind of creature a
monster like something out of a TV show and there's this group
of people that know about it and treat it.
Like it's real important. They think it's so important.
They even kidnap people and offer it to the monster to eat.
That's what happened to me. What kind of monster is it?
It was the only thing I could think of tasks.
I don't know. How did you get away?
Remember that knife you got me for Christmas last year?
The one you can store anywhere. That's right.
I had it in my shoe at the time. They grabbed me once.
I had a chance, I put it to good use.
And here you are saving my neck. Again, I'll never be able to
repay you his voice broke as he spoke.
I always like to Jerry not like Tyler, Marion's last boyfriend.
The sentence was barely out of my mouth.
When the car went around a bend and I had to slam On the brakes
again. But this time the site was far
more chilling as the road was filled with people wearing
identical monochromatic. Black plastic masks.
The kind you get in bulk at a party store.
They also wore plain black hooded sweatshirts with the
hoods pulled up, no one moved an inch as I stopped, they all just
stood there facing me all 25 of them.
Then almost on command. They all started walking at once
towards my vehicle, that was the only Q I needed to start the car
and run right through them. That was my plan before out of
the corner of my eye. I saw a blur of color and two of
the masked people went flying and slammed into trees when they
landed. Both of them were sporting deep
scratches that were bleeding. This made the other stop
immediately before they started to flee in opposite directions.
But that wasn't enough because more of them fell prey to
whatever was out there. Which I couldn't see, either way
I hit the gas harder than I ever had in my life and it wasn't
long before the screaming. And wailing was a faint
background noise. What's the matter?
Jerry gleefully called out from the cracked window?
You can't handle what you tried to do to me.
The two of us, didn't say a word to each other, until we reach
the park ranger station. Gathered around the front were a
few of my colleagues, but two of the people were dressed casually
and matched. The description of the
Morrisons. Whose campsite I was sent to
check out my face must have showed my surprise because mrs.
Morrison walked over to me and shook my hand, the be Morrison,
paranormal investigator, My husband and I were investigating
the rumors of strange occurrences out here, and we
left the campsite abandoned. In order to try to record what
happened. Well, congrats you found
something was all I said before, I briefly explained, what
happened? And left it to the professionals
altogether. The bodies of 10 mask, people
were pulled from the park. The rest were rounded up by law
enforcement and charged with various things.
And while that was going on, I handed in my resignation, while
Jerry went home with my sister. I eventually got another job
related to the outdoors, but this time it was a job related
to outdoor retail no more searching in the forest for me.
It was one of those late nights on the job but that didn't
bother me at all. In fact, it was one of my
favorite parts of being a park ranger hanging around late at
night with just a few of my fellow Rangers in the middle of
the woods. It was just like huddling around
a campfire, while you told stories except we were indoors
around a fireplace. It was the middle of spring but
it had been cold lately. So while the afternoons were
pleasant, the nights have been chilly, which was why we were
all inside gathered around a fire.
While on the clock, the ranger station was beyond comfortable
with a fire. So I was contently sitting in
one of the many leather couches facing it.
We were all Midway through a shift and like many nights on
the job. It was quiet.
So we got to talking about nothing.
In particular, there is nothing like the natural flow of an
unplanned conversation outside. The evening had slowly given way
to night and the Darkness had settled upon the woods with its
usual silent. Thoroughness the area, maybe a
park during the day, but at night it was the The woods Parks
inherently sound fun and brings to mind cookouts whereas the
woods has an inherently spooky vibe.
There were four of us sitting by the fire in the ranger station
on that. Chilly night me Harland Anthony
and crake crake had just finished talking about his
cousin's wedding. When Anthony asked Harland what
his scariest story was from working here, all these years,
usually Harlan, just chuckled and said, he'd heard some crazy
things over the years. But not this time, this time he
sat there. Italy for a moment before he
said, the witch of Blackthorn Creek, that was when we all went
completely still, if we were just like people huddled around
a campfire, Harland was the one in charge of building the fire.
He was the ranger. We always deferred to he'd been
on the job. Long enough to have her in that
right. Harlan's family had also been in
the area for Generations. So if anyone had any stories to
tell about what may have happened here, it was him.
Plus, he was a terrific guy, hardworking, and Beyond helpful.
When you need I needed something.
So when someone like Harlan tells you, he's heard of a story
like that you listened, intently, especially with the
tone of voice. He used serious and No Nonsense
without a trace of amusement. The Witch of Blackthorn Creek,
Harlan began in a clear voice as we all gave him, our full
attention. The story was first told to me
by my Uncle, George, who had been a lumberjack for years.
According to him, people said there was a curse on the land,
which was placed there by a witch.
It all started one year when the Harvest went bad since there had
been nothing but plentiful Harvest every year and made
people Beyond suspicious. There was barely enough grain
and stuff to get through winter. It didn't help matters that the
town had generally been prosperous, but had recently
started to go through some financial difficulties, then
numerous bits of Misfortune happened within the community
over the years houses burning down people going missing and
never being found again. Periodically there would be
something Odd left lying around near where someone had vanished
creepy. Things like weird looking dolls
made from wood that never failed to Rattle people.
There wasn't anyone around who people thought was capable of
anything like this. And since one of the families in
town had experienced something like this before, in a different
town, many years ago, they suspected there was some kind of
curse put on them, especially after a few people who kept
track of all the strange events realized.
Every one of them took place on a full moon Harlan took a sip of
his coffee before. For he continued.
It all came to a head. When there was a terrible
accident at the Town, lumber mill a fire that, no one could
figure out how it started several employees died.
And many others were badly injured and the lumber mill,
which was one of the biggest employers around closed that was
when the paranoia that had been lingering under the surface
boiled over. So when some people from town
found an abandoned Cottage in the woods near Blackthorn, Creek
with weird, symbols written on the walls and the floor, they
grab their torches. Set the place on fire and
watched it burn. According to the crowd, the
cabin took forever to burn much longer than the people thought
possible. But once it did finally burned
down, they took the ashes and buried them deep in the woods
and didn't mark the location. Hoping that would be the end of
it. And for a while that seemed to
be the case. But every once in a while,
something would happen that would make people in town, look
over their shoulders, nothing major a bit of bad luck in the
form of an injury, or some suspicious.
Always is outside the house after dark and perhaps some
scratch marks on the door or the wall.
But ever since then people would be very careful what they did.
Especially if there was a full moon, then he paused for a
moment to look at the fire which was crackling pleasantly in the
fireplace. I couldn't tell you how old I
was when I first heard the story but I remember exactly how I
felt confused because the story although creepy and entertaining
didn't quite make sense to me and I said something too.
Uncle George About that and he left, then he said, he agreed.
That the story was long on atmosphere and short on
believability, that's when he got serious told me that,
although the story was a bit of fiction, he never doubted that,
it came from somewhere, and there was indeed something going
on out in the woods. Then he added that it didn't
matter. How old I was, where I was, who
I was with, or what was going on.
If I got a terrible feeling, I should listen to it.
And I've listened to every feeling I've gotten since then,
it's never Me wrong. He looked around towards us
slowly taking us all in. I've never quite believed that
story but I will be the last person to deny that in all the
years. I've been out here, I felt
things on occasion things that made the hair stand up, on the
back of my neck and on, even fewer occasions.
I've seen things fleeting glances at things that I wasn't
sure. I saw that there was one time
when I not only felt something, I heard something the are in the
ranger station was completely still, I briefly glanced.
A my colleagues, as Harlan, said this, and they met my glance and
I could see, they were just as gripped by the story.
As I was, it was about 30 years ago, Harland explained.
I was just starting out as a park ranger.
This was back in the early 90s when technology and life in
general was very different from today.
I'd grown up out in nature and I'd seen plenty of scary movies
and more importantly, I'd grown up hearing countless spooky
stories about what may or may not have been lurking outside.
So I In exactly sheltered. But there are some things you
are. Never truly prepared to
experience the fire in the fireplace popped in the great,
but we were so absorbed in Harlan story, we barely noticed.
There was plenty of wood in the fire so we didn't have to worry
about that for a while. It was early, November Halloween
had just ended which made everyone's sad because I
remember that year was a particularly fun.
One Darkness seemed to be arriving earlier, so I was
barely halfway through my shift when the sun was going down.
And I remember it had been raining almost every day.
So the days were all gray and cloudy and the Knights were
damp, with plenty of fog, but that particular morning was dry.
All the leaves that had clung to the trees have been scattered by
the winds and rain. So they lay there on the grass
all damp and torn. My job on that particular day
was to go around, breaking them up, so they didn't completely
cover the trails and paths. People walked on the chill in
the air. Was that chill only late fall.
Can bring the dampness that seems to soak into your Skin and
never let go. I had just finished one section
of the park and was walking back to my truck when the rain
started up again. And it did so with a fury.
So I hustled it to the truck got inside and headed back to the
ranger station, where I plan to spend the rest of the evening.
And since it was a quiet night at the ranger station, it looked
like I would get what I wanted. I was used to working the late
shift by myself, as the night supervisor.
So being alone didn't bother me. I'd always been a quiet type who
like to read a book. So it is an ideal situation for
me. Except for that night, Harlan
took a deep breath before he continued because Halloween was
over in the rain had been steady the park hadn't received as many
visitors as it usually had. But I was inside the ranger
station, this ranger station in fact which was just as cozy and
warm as you see it. Now plus now that I was done
with my task, I was free to read a book so I wasted no time in
curling up by the fire with a paperback.
I'd spent many a shift this way. And it was fine by me.
I'd happily read a book on a nice day, but on a rainy day,
nothing better. Eventually I started to get
hungry since I just brought a light snack but turned out to be
craving something bigger. I decided to order pizza.
There was a local place that was only a few minutes away that
often delivered out here back then.
So I didn't hesitate to give them a call.
I ordered a medium pizza with pepperoni and as I hung up, the
rain started to really pound heavily on the station roof.
I knew Knew from experience that the rain pounding on the
station, roof could truly be loud.
It seemed to surround you from all sides, but by the time the
headlights pulled into the driveway, the rain had faded to
a slight drizzle but I could see the grass leading up here was
pretty well soaked. And there were numerous small
puddles on both the grass and the road, the trees were swaying
along with the winds and the sky was getting darker by the minute
as night was settling in by now. The outdoor lights had started
to switch on as the car from the pizza, police pulled up.
In front of the station. It's windshield wipers going
back and forth as it stopped in front of the entrance.
I stood in front of it, under the part of the roof that kept
me out of the rain. The driver, a young guy named
Derek in his early 20s, got out of the driver's seat and grab
the pizza from the passenger's side.
Derek had delivered here before and he'd always done a great
job. We chit-chatted, as I handed
him, the cash with a generous tip.
Then Derek handed me the pizza and was just about to go back to
his car before he stopped and stared at Something behind me,
he paused and said that it would probably sound crazy, but it
looked like there was a woman lurking in the woods near the
ranger station, we all sat there silently for a moment before
Harland continued. I remember just standing there
when he told me the word, sounded almost foreign.
As Derek said them out loud. My first reaction was that it
was impossible but there was only one way to find out.
So I turned behind me to look at where he was pointing.
He took another sip of coffee, the cluster of trees.
He was poisoned. I think I was a dense area of
Tall Pine trees. They've been long gone by now.
But back, then there wasn't much in the way of Illumination out
there, but even I could see there was nothing there.
I stood there, the pizza, still clutched in my hand, as I waited
for anything to happen, the nothing emerged from the woods.
I was just about to turn back to Derek.
When I heard get out from beside me, in a hushed voice, clear as
could be I turned around immediately to look at Derek and
without saying a word I knew he'd heard it too but while It
was creepy as could be, I didn't know for sure what it meant.
It didn't come out as an ominous command, more like a warning,
but I won't lie standing there outside.
I'd never felt fear like that before.
I've been afraid before and I had been afraid after, but not
like that. That fear was less like a
feeling and more like a part of your body, like it's always
there and only rarely are you truly aware of, it sitting there
watching Harland, it was clear that although we were sitting
there in the present, he had been immediately transported.
Back to that cold November night, I couldn't have told you
how much time passed. They have only been a minute or
two, but despite the dwindling light, I thought I could see
shapes moving far out in the woods, very far out after a
moment. You couldn't see anything at
all. Then, Harlan's voice became
quieter to this day. I have no idea why that site
filled me with so much fear. Just like I also have no idea
how I knew it was people, but I did.
And I knew it was people as in more than one.
Much more than one but I had no idea exactly how many then
almost as if On Cue I heard the word now and it was all the
motivation. I needed to tell Derek we had to
go. He didn't need to be told twice
because we hopped in his car and got out of there as fast as we
could didn't stop for about 20 miles.
An we were far away from the ranger station by that point,
the fear had slowly faded and I was starving.
So we split the pizza while debating what to tell my
superiors, I eventually decided to say.
I was feeling really sick and went to see a doctor.
I knew Harlan chuckled but it didn't take long for me to
realize my excuse for leaving would be completely forgotten.
Because after I left the ranger station had been broken into by
a group of people. The security camera we had at
the time Saul six of them dressed from head to toe in
Black break right through the front door.
Just crashed right through it then minutes later they came
back out without taking anything and vanished into the trees.
The cops thoroughly searched the area but found nothing.
I found out when I called my superiors to tell them, I had to
leave because I was feeling horrible from the time on the
camera, they appeared to arrive within mere minutes.
After I left with Derek, we all exchange to look as the fact
that he really was talking about this Ranger Station dawned on us
sitting across from us. Harlan, didn't say anything but
I knew he could tell the three of us were seeing the ranger
station. Like never before the conclusion
the cops reached Harland eventually said.
It is that it was a gang of professional criminals, who saw
the ranger station and decided to see what they could find
since there was apparently nothing they could make use of
they split. And every year, on that day,
since that happened, I've taken a single flower and left it by
word. Derek says, he saw someone that
night, I've never seen or heard that voice since that night, but
on occasion, I have felt the presence of something or someone
watching me and not in an unpleasant way.
But that's the thing about the woods, there's no telling what
you made. I find in them, and if you're
really paying attention, it's amazing.
What you can learn. Like, I learned that November
night, all those years ago, was a full moon, the clouds just
happened to obscure it out here. I was probably 19 when it
happened. Maybe newly 20, my then,
boyfriend. Christopher who I called kit was
visiting me from Seattle to celebrate my mum's birthday.
In our hometown, a city called Kelowna, British Columbia
Canada. I was living in Alberta
attending a university there. When kid arrived, we were
planning on driving out to my mom's place together.
I was very eager to introduce him to my family.
They were eager to meet him. The two of us were excited and
giggly while we were getting Ready to leave.
I was packing up the last of my schoolwork and closed while
rambling on about what snacks we should buy for the long drive.
Meanwhile kit, who hadn't unpacked from the flight already
had his bags. In the car, he was going to
drive for the first half of the drive and I drive for the second
half after only a couple hours of driving we had switched and I
was driving the sun was setting by now, I remember kid pointing
out how pretty the pinkish Orange Sky was.
And before we knew it, it was dark It had still been an
uneventful drive, we were listening to a podcast, pointing
out owls or raccoons and trash bins.
When we pass truck stops, nothing of note until a deer
appeared in the street out of nowhere.
I slammed on the brakes and we stopped maybe 20 feet from the
deer and it was just there. Standing staring back at us, not
unusual for a deer as I'm sure you all know, but it was staring
for an uncomfortable amount of time.
Even for a deer in headlights, like three to four minutes, at
least. I hunt the car horn, a couple of
times, no response after another couple minutes, a guy in a
white. Honda drove up behind us and
stopped. He was honking too, and we both
sat there honking at this deer, or maybe he was honking at me,
honking at the deer anyways. Eventually the deer walked off
into the woods, his nose pointed in the air, and we carried on
the Honda guy. Was clearly in a rush because he
passed us the second, he got the chance and then we were the ones
following him. That's when something.
Really weird happened. We heard a loud deep voiced,
help from a direction. I couldn't quite pinpoint.
It was loud. Enough to be heard over the
podcast yet, quiet enough to seem far away.
We slow down a little bit and glanced at each other.
I suppose just wondering if we actually heard that the Honda
slowed down to, we decided it was just a background noise in
the podcast, which was a true crime podcast.
So it made sense and carried on driving when again, we heard a
help help Please at this point, the podcast had ended and we
slow down again. Looking out the open window, the
voice was the same as the one before and sounded just as far
as the one before, but we were going too fast for anyone to
keep up with us. The guy driving the Honda stuck.
His hand out his window and gestured us to pull over.
We stopped at a touristy, photo area beside a lake with some
Factory across from it. I think it's a cement plant or
something, the Honda driver and his wife both got out.
They were both. In there, maybe late 50s and
asked us. If we also heard the Cry for
Help, we said yes, and the four of us chatted for a bit about
it. And then again from an
undetermined Direction, help, please, help the older man
called out to the voice. Hello is someone there are you
okay the voice responded help please help and he responded.
Where are you are you hurt the voice sounded significantly
closer this time and sounded almost contorted his Someone
there, the old man, after hearing the change in the voice,
went pale white. He looked at his wife, then at
us, then over at the forest and said yet much quieter.
Hello. And The Voice once again though?
This time, much, deeper, and even less.
Human sounding replied. Help is someone there.
We were all kind of freaked out so the older couple called the
police as did we? And then we went back to driving
as we continue down the road kid and I didn't talk.
We were both wildly uncomfortable.
We just watched the tree line counting the deer.
We saw quite a few of them for so late at night, although I'm
not a deer expert, maybe they graze at night or something, we
eventually arrived at my mother's house and I told her
and my sister's about the event and they all got really anxious
listening to it. My older sister scolded us
saying someone could have been in serious danger and I suppose
she was right but I'm not sure the voice of made didn't sound
natural. The more he called the less
human it. Added every Cry for Help, got
more and more Twisted. I'm not.
Well educated on the matters of local folklore mythology, I
don't know if there's some cryptozoological monster out
there who could explain it, or maybe all of us were just sleep
deprived and sharing some sort of mass hysteria, I'm not sure,
but it was still the creepiest event of my life.
I was going camping in the forest, as I used to do every
year, I have always enjoyed spending time in nature away
from the hustle and bustle of the city.
This time, I decided to explore a different area, a little
further from my usual campsite that was when I saw that someone
had made a trail as the vegetation was Disturbed and
this strange path extended all the way to the entrance of a
cave. I can't explain what caught my
attention. Maybe it was the sense of
mystery emanating from that place the cave.
See. Um, dark and scary.
But at the same time, it seemed to invite me to explore it.
I found a notebook in an old and Dusty backpack, that was lying
at the entrance. The backpack seem to have been
dragged and torn. There were bloodstains on the
cover of the notebook and on some pages.
As soon as I opened it, I noticed something strange.
The handwriting started off normal.
Like someone who writes without hurry, sitting at a desk, it
continued like that until the note day to, from the note day,
3, onwards, the Writing became a little shaky.
I thought it might be the cold but the shaky handwriting was so
intense. That it seemed like the person
who wrote it was trembling with fear or in a hurry, the contents
of the page has left me chilled. And with an inexplicable fear
day one, I arrived at the forest this morning, I set up my tent
near a stream and made a fire to keep warm at night.
I heard some strange noises, as if something was dragging on the
ground, I thought it could be some animal, so I ignored it and
tried to sleep. Day two.
I woke up with the feeling that something was watching me.
There was nothing your by but I still felt a chill down my spine
during the day. I walk through the forest and
notice that I was being followed I couldn't see who or what it
was but I felt its Presence at night.
I heard those strange noises again and started to get worried
day 3, a dark. And mysterious thing has been
following me in the forest and getting closer and closer.
It's almost like I can feel its breath on my neck.
And he It's heavy footsteps. It seems to know every corner of
the forest better than I do this night.
The creature approached, even closer, and I could only see a
dark shadow moving between the trees.
It's glowing eyes, were the only thing I could distinguish in the
darkness day for. I'm starting to feel, like I
won't be able to escape. It's getting closer and closer.
I know it's taunting. Me and enjoying seeing me
suffer. I couldn't sleep tonight because
the creature was outside howling and scratching at my tent.
Day, five, I can't take this anymore.
The creature was talking to me whispering things in my mind, it
was telling me horrible, things, things that I can't repeat here.
I tried to run, but it always found me today.
It revealed itself completely when I looked at it, I couldn't
believe what I saw. Its appearance was grotesque and
it seemed to have something sharp in its hands.
It approached, while insisting on whispering things in my mind,
I felt a chill run through my entire body.
Am I losing my sanity? I started running, but I knew it
was following me. I entered a cave and the journey
through it seemed endless. I heard the creature getting
closer and closer and started to panic.
The cave, has no way out or maybe I got lost in its tunnels.
I think this is the end I'm surrounded and I can already see
it's glowing eyes coming in the distance.
I'm leaving my notebook here in a hole.
I found in the cave wall hoping that someone finds it and knows
not to stay here if anyone finds this notebook Please don't come
after me. I don't want anyone to suffer,
what I am suffering. I took a deep breath and tried
to calm myself down. It was just a story, a work of
fiction. There was nothing to be afraid
of the notebook ended there, but shaky and blood-stained
handwriting left me with a feeling of fear and anguish, I
knew I shouldn't investigate, but my curiosity, got the best
of me slowly. I made my way towards the
entrance of the cave. I looked around, but it was too
dark to see anything. I took out my phone and turned
on the flashlight. I took a few steps towards the
darkness and try to illuminate where the light could barely
reach. I noticed that there was red
liquid everywhere and the walls were covered in scratches.
I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and quickly
turned around. It was just a bat, but it still
scared me. I was about to leave.
When I Heard a Voice, I turned around but there was no one
there. The Voice seemed to be coming
from inside my head. I tried to run but my legs.
Legs wouldn't move my body shuttered and I felt that
someone or something was watching me.
Fear froze, me and I couldn't move the forest was darker and
colder. I hadn't noticed that night had
already arrived, I tried to move my eyes and that's when I
noticed two shining eyes in the Darkness,
the air was crisp as my partner and I began our hike through the
national park. We had been planning this trip
for months and we're excited to finally embark on our adventure
betrayal was well marked and the scenery was breathtaking, but
something felt off as we walk deeper into the forest, we
started to hear strange noises that made the hairs on the back
of my neck stand up. At first it was just a rustling
in the bushes or a twig snapping in the distance but then the
sounds grew more intense. We couldn't tell where the noise
As we're coming from and that only added to our unease, we
quickened our Pace hoping to leave, whatever was making those
sounds behind. But as we turned a corner, we
came face-to-face with something that stopped us dead in our
tracks standing before us was a creature.
Unlike anything we had ever seen before, it had long, spindly
Limbs and its eyes glowed. In the darkness, my heart raced
as I realized that we were in serious danger.
I grabbed my partner's hand and we started to run, but the
creature was fast. Stir.
We could hear its footsteps behind us as we scrambled up, a
steep incline, hoping to escape its grasp.
Just when we thought we were in the clear the creature let out a
blood-curdling scream that echoed through the forest we
knew we were still in danger and that there was no way we could
outrun it forever as we pushed forward, we began to see other
strange figures lurking in the shadows are heart sank as we
realized that we were not alone in the woods, whatever was out
there with us was not of this world.
And we were trapped in its domain.
We had to find a way out or else we would be at the mercy of
these creatures until the end of our days.
But as we ran deeper into the forest, we couldn't shake the
feeling that something was watching us waiting.
For the perfect moment to strike our hearts were pounding and our
lungs were burning. As we ran as fast as we could.
We didn't know where we were headed, but we knew we had to
get away from those creatures as we ran the woods around us grew
denser and the path ahead became more treacherous my partner.
Stumbled A over a root and fell to the ground pulling me down
with him. We scrambled to our feet, but it
was too late. The creatures had caught up to
us, they were closing in on us from all sides.
And we were trapped, Panic, set in.
As we realized, we had nowhere to go.
We were surrounded by the creatures and they were closing
in on us. I could hear their breath on the
back of my neck and I could smell their foul putrid scent.
I was paralyzed with fear, and I knew that our time was running
out. Suddenly, we heard a voice
Distance. It was faint but it gave us hope
we knew we had to make a run for it and hope that whoever it was
could help us, we darted towards the sound, hoping it would lead
us to safety as we ran. The creature is behind us.
Howled in Fury. They were closing in on us, but
we could see a light in the distance.
It was the ranger station and we knew that, if we could just make
it there, we would be safe. We sprinted towards the light,
our hearts pounding. In our chests.
We burst through the door of the ranger station.
And gasping for air. The ranger looked at us with
concern and asked what had happened.
We tried to explain but our words came out in a jumbled
mess. The ranger listened patiently
and when we had finished he told us that we were lucky to be
alive. He explained that the creatures
we had encountered were unknown rare species that live deep in
the woods. They were known to be aggressive
and Territorial, and they were not to be trifled with we spent
the rest of the night at the ranger station, safe and sound.
Even as we slept, we could hear the creatures howling in the
distance, we knew that they were still out there, lurking in the
shadows waiting for their next victim.
We had survived this time but we knew that we could never let our
guard down again. The woods were full of mysteries
and dangers and we had stumbled upon one of the darkest Secrets.
They hold the next morning. We woke up with a renewed sense
of urgency. We knew we had to get out of the
woods as quickly as possible. We packed our bags.
Thank the Ranger and set out on the trail.
Well, we hiked for hours our eyes darting around the woods
searching for any signs of the creatures that had chased us the
night before. The sounds of the forest were
eerily silent and we couldn't shake the feeling that something
was watching us as we walked. We noticed that the trail had
started to twist and turn in strange ways.
It was almost as if the path was leading Us in circles.
We tried to stay focused but the woods around us seem to be
shifting and changing making it impossible to keep our bearings.
Just as we were starting to feel lost.
We saw a figure in the distance, it was a woman dressed in a
Rangers uniform. She waved to us and we ran
towards her relieved to have finally found some help.
The ranger introduced herself, as Emily and offered to guide us
out of the woods. We followed her trusting that
she knew the way as we walked, she told us about the strange
occurrences that had been happening in the woods lately.
People had been disappearing Without a Trace, and there were
reports of strange creatures. Roaming the woods at night.
Emily had been investigating these reports.
And she had found evidence of something truly terrifying.
As we walked Emily suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She looked at us her face pale with fear.
She pointed to a tree ahead of us and we could see what had
frightened her. It was a symbol carved into the
bark of the tree. It was a circle with three
lines. Intersecting it it looked like
nothing we had ever seen. Before Emily told us that this
symbol was a warning. It meant that we were Danger and
that we should turn back. We tried to protest, but she was
firm. She told us that we had to leave
the woods immediately and never come back.
We turned back following Emily's lead as we walked the would seem
to close in around us and the sounds grew louder and more
ominous. We heard footsteps behind us and
we knew that the creatures were following us.
Once again, we ran our hearts pounding in our chests.
We could see the edge of the woods ahead of us.
And we knew that we were almost there.
Just as we were about to break free from the trees.
We heard a deafening Roar from behind us, we turn back to see
the creatures closing in on us. They were bigger and more
ferocious than before, and we knew that we had no chance of
outrunning them, as the creatures closed in on us.
We brace for the worst, but then just as suddenly, as they had
appeared, they vanished Into Thin Air.
We looked around confused and frightened it was as if they had
never been there at all. We stumbled Out of the Woods,
our body shaking with fear We never spoke of our experience
again but the memory of those creatures stayed with us
forever. We knew that we had come
face-to-face with something truly otherworldly and that we
had been lucky to escape with our lives.
As I pulled up to the ranger station, I couldn't help but
feel a sense of excitement and nervousness.
This was my first day on the job as a forest ranger in this new
area and I was eager to get started as I stepped out of my
car and looked around. I was struck by the sheer beauty
of the forest, towering trees loomed overhead, casting dappled
Shadows. On the forest floor, the air was
thick with the scent of pine needles and damp Earth as I made
my way inside the ranger station.
I was greeted by a Few of my new colleagues, they were a friendly
Bunch but I couldn't help. But notice that they seem to bid
on edge when I asked him about the local Wildlife, they grew
quiet and exchange nervous glances as the day wore on.
I tried to gather more information about the area but
everywhere I went people seemed hesitant to talk it was as if
there was someone spoken taboo about discussing the forest and
its inhabitants. That night, I settled into my
new cabin, eager to get some rest before my first day on the
job, But as I lay in bed, I heard a strange sound coming
from outside. It was a low growling noise,
like nothing I'd ever heard before I got up and walked to
the window, but I couldn't see anything in the darkness.
Suddenly the growling turned into a blood curdling howl.
It was so loud that it made the walls of my cabin Shake.
I felt a sense of panic rising in my chest.
What kind of creature could make such a terrifying noise?
I tried to calm myself down telling myself that it was
probably bleah. Just a wild animal.
But as the night wore on the sounds outside, only grew more
intense. I could hear scratching and
clawing at the door and low growls that seemed to come from
all around. I realized, then that something
was terribly wrong. In this Forest, something that
was far beyond my understanding. And as the night stretched on, I
began to fear that I might never make it out alive.
As the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees, I
realized that I had survived the night.
The sounds that had kept me awake Four hours had all of a
sudden stopped, and I couldn't help, but feel a sense of relief
wash over me. However, as I stepped outside my
cabin, I saw that the ground was covered in strange Footprints.
They were too large to belong to any animal.
I knew of and they seem to lead in every direction.
The door of my cabin was covered in deep scratches as if
something had been trying to claw its way inside, I tried to
radio my supervisor but my radio seem to be malfunctioning.
I decided that it was best to pack up my things.
Things and move to a nearby Watchtower for a better view of
the surrounding Forest. Once I reach the Watchtower, I
spent the day scanning the area, with my binoculars trying to
spot anything unusual. But for the most part,
everything seemed normal there were no signs of any dangerous
creatures and the forest appeared to be as peaceful as
ever as the sun began to set. I prepared myself for another
long night. I barricaded the door of the
Watchtower and set up, my sleeping bag near the window so
that I could keep. Keep an eye on the surrounding
Forest around midnight. I heard a piercing scream that
seemed to echo through the forest.
It was like nothing I had ever heard before and it made my
blood run cold. I looked out of the window and
my heart nearly stopped. When I saw a pair of glowing
yellow eyes staring back at me from behind a tree in the
distance. I fumbled for my radio hoping to
call for backup, but all I heard was static.
I knew, then that I was completely alone with no one to
help me if something went wrong the night.
Reached on and the creature in the woods continued to scream
and howl. I felt trapped and helpless
unsure of what to do as the first light of dawn began to
appear in the sky. The creature finally disappeared
back into the forest. I knew, then that I had to find
a way to protect myself. I spent the rest of the day
Gathering supplies and fortifying the Watchtower as
best as I could. But as the sun set, once again,
I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me.
I knew that the creature was out there and that it Only a matter
of time before it came back for me.
The heavy rain poured down. Relentlessly pounding, on the
roof of the Watchtower like a thousand angry fists.
I knew that I was stuck there for another night with no escape
from the creature that roamed the forest as the night wore on
the screaming started again. But this time it was different.
It sounded like someone I knew like one of my friends from back
home. I couldn't believe it.
Was it possible that the creature was mimicking human
voices? The screaming continued Going
louder and more. Insistent with each passing
moment, I felt a creeping sense of unease settle over me as if
something terrible was about to happen.
Then all of a sudden the radio crackle to life.
It was my supervisor urgently trying to reach me get out of
there. He said his voice, trembling
with fear, you're in grave danger.
We've had reports of strange creatures in that area and we
don't know what they're capable of you need to get out.
Now, while you still can, I felt a cold shiver run?
My spine, as I realized the full extent of the danger, I was in
the creature outside was not just some wild animal, but
something much more Sinister and malevolent.
I knew then that I had to get out of the forest as soon as
possible before it was too late. I quickly packed up my things,
grabbed my flashlight and prepared to leave the
Watchtower. But as I opened the door, I
froze in Terror standing, right? Outside was the creature.
It's glowing. Yellow eyes.
Fixed on me for a moment. We stared at each other.
I've locked in a deadly standoff.
Then with a guttural roar the creature lunged at me its
massive claws. Flashing in the dim light I
stumbled backwards fumbling for my flashlight as the creature
closed in for the kill. But at the last moment I managed
to Shine the Light directly in its eyes causing it to recoil
and pain and confusion taking advantage of the creatures.
Momentary disorientation I bolted out of the Tower and ran
as fast as I could. Through the rain-soaked forest.
I could hear the creature howling And rage behind me, but
I didn't dare look back finally after what felt like hours.
I stumbled out of the forest and onto the road, where my
supervisor and a team of other Rangers were waiting for me.
They whisk me away to safety and I never looked back to this day.
I still don't know exactly what kind of creature it was that
stalk me through the forest that night, but I know that I never
want to experience anything like it again.
Growing up where I did, there was always more to do in the
woods than in town. We had one bowling alley and a
few bars, but that was all most kids played in the forest.
Climbing trees playing tag or even hide.
And seek with the understanding of potential hunting and
Wildlife dangers and the bridge, the bridge stretched over a
river bank, but halfway through was a small gate with a sign
telling us to not trespass, me. And the other kids always
theorized about what might have been on the other side.
One kid said they were doing Construction another set.
It goes down a big hill side. Kids have been known to fall
down one night, I decided to take a new camera, I got and
told the gang. I was going to sneak over the
gate and see what was on the other side.
And if I come back with a picture of, they only $10 each,
they all agreed. And I took my small, flashlight,
and camera and made out into the dark woods.
The dark wasn't a problem. However, seeing as I knew the
forest, like the back of my hand, after about 10 minutes of
walking, I make my way. To the bridge.
It was amazing. As I felt like an Explorer about
to chart, the Uncharted and explore A Whole New World.
By the time I had got my courage together, I jumped over the gate
and made my way to the other side of the bridge.
As soon as I got to the other side, it became darker.
It had gone from being pitch-black to downright Abyssal
my flashlight. Didn't light up much around me.
And when I looked up, I saw the sky had gone from stars and moon
to dark amethyst purple with Crimson clouds.
I was beginning to panic. I pulled out my My camera and
took a shot of the sky. A clear photo surprisingly, I
then ventured further down the path knowing that the picture
wasn't enough evidence to get my friends to part way with their
allowance, my flashlight stayed on the path which was becoming
less of a dirt road and more of an obscure pile of broken sticks
and leaves. I shined my flashlight around me
and what I saw paralyzed. Me and fear.
The trees had eyes. The base of the tree was as dark
as the atmosphere and seemed to Devour the light I shined on it.
Be As were the same as the sky, some amethyst, some Crimson I
took, lots of pictures, forget the bet I was going to sell this
to scientists and explorers at least that's what my dumb kid.
Brain thought, when I got to a clearing in the woods, I ducked
down into the thicket immediately.
I saw people humanoid figures and long robes with deep hoods.
I couldn't make out the color because depending how the
Torches around them reflected the light, it was some variant
of black Crimson or purple. That's when I noticed the torch.
Each lights were green like emeralds.
I raised my camera and silently took some photos.
The Flash was eaten by the darkness and the pictures came
out blurry. They gathered around a monolith
and began. Chanting us, some light was
pulled from the sky and channeled into the Rock.
The monolith had patterns on it, but they were ineffable runes.
And finally, above the rock formation, a terrible Darkness
began to stir the being of Shadow.
Baird any Theory, will shape with wings and horns of a rem.
The only color that could be distinguished for the eyes.
One Violet, and one Crimson I went to lift my camera but upon
seeing the thing I dropped it and ran as fast as I could.
I ran for what felt like a hours before I saw the bridge and with
the last of my strength, I jumped it and then collapsed.
I woke up in a hospital with my mother and father at my side,
they told me my friends found me passed out from dehydration at
the bridge. I was asleep for two days after
my friends found me. I lost the camera.
So my prize was forfeited. I honestly honestly couldn't
care less about the prize. I tried to tell them about what
I saw over the gate but they tell me it was just a bad dream.
So what prompted me to tell this story now, so many years after
the ordeal because to this day it has affected me negatively.
I have a phobia of the forest mirrors and the dark.
I also do not look out my window at night because the last time I
did, I saw one of the hooded figures outside waiting for me.
I remember the day vividly, it was a beautiful summer evening,
the kind that makes you want to sit outside and watch the
sunset. I was staying with my friend,
Kate at her family's Cabin in the Woods, it was a remote
location surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes.
As we sat on the porch, sipping iced tea and chatting.
I had no idea what Horrors were about to unfold.
We decided to take a walk through the woods as we often
did in the evenings. It was quiet, except for the
sound of the leaves. Rustling beneath our feet, the
sun had almost set and the Shadows were growing longer.
We walk for what felt like hours until we stumbled upon an old
abandoned house, it was hidden behind a thick patch of bushes
and I could barely make out its silhouette through the leaves.
The house was old and it looked like it hadn't been lived in for
years. Its roof was caved in and the
windows were boarded up. Kate being The Adventurous type
was eager to explore it. I on the other hand was hesitant
but I Followed her anyway, as we entered the house.
We were met with a musty smell that made me cough.
The walls were covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs
hung from the ceiling. It was dark except for the beams
of sunlight that streamed in through the holes in the roof.
We walk through the old living room and Kate noticed a
staircase that led to the Upper Floor.
She insisted we go up there but I didn't want to something felt
off about the house but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Reluctantly I followed her up the stairs.
As we climbed the creaky old steps, the feeling of unease
intensified, we finally reached the top floor.
And I noticed that there was only one room.
The door was partially opened, and I could see a faint light
coming from inside. Kate, pushed the door open and
we stepped inside. It was, then that I saw her, a
woman is sitting in a rocking chair, by the window looking out
at the woods. She didn't acknowledge us and I
couldn't see her face clearly, but I could tell she was old.
Kate walk. Or but I grabbed her arm pulling
her back. Something's not right here.
I whispered feeling my heart racing in my chest, just then
the woman turned around. And I gasped, her face was
twisted and anger, her eyes cold and unfeeling.
I could feel the fear rising in me as she stood up.
Staring directly at us. Kate didn't seem to notice
anything was wrong and she walked towards her hand
outstretched, but as soon as she got close, the woman lunged at
her revealing a long, sharp knife hidden behind.
Behind her back. Kate screamed as the woman threw
the knife and I was frozen in fear.
I watched in Terror as Kate fell to the ground hurt.
I tried to run, but the woman block, the door trapping me
inside. She Advanced towards me, the
knife glinting in the dim light. I was sure I was going to die,
but then I woke up, it was all just a nightmare or so, I
thought I looked around and I saw the same abandoned house
outside my window, the same woman sitting in the rocking
chair by the window. And Kate lying next to me.
Not alive. I don't know what happened that
night, whether it was real or just a dream, but one thing is
for sure, I'll never forget the terror that I felt that day and
I'll never forget the feeling of waking up to the same scene that
had haunted me in my nightmares. It was like, my mind had been
projecting my fears into reality, or maybe I had stumbled
upon something in those woods that I was not supposed to see.
I quickly called for help, but it was too late for Kate, the
authorities came and investigated.
A gated the area, but they never found any evidence of the woman
or the abandoned house. I was as if they had vanished
Into Thin Air, be incident. Haunted me for a long time.
And I struggled to come to terms with what had happened years
went by, and I tried to forget about the incident, but it
always lingered in the back of my mind.
It wasn't until one day when I was browsing through old photos,
that I found a picture of Kate and me in front of the abandoned
house, I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at the picture,
the Woman was sitting in the rocking chair, looking out at
the woods. It wasn't just a nightmare.
It had really happened. That realization left me with a
sense of unease that I couldn't shake off.
How would we miss seeing her in the picture?
Was it a coincidence or something?
More Sinister. It was a mystery that would
never be solved since that day. I've never gone back to those
woods and I've warned anyone who would listen to stay away from
that area. The incident changed me in ways
I couldn't even explain. I don't know what the future
holds. Holds, but I know one thing for
sure. Some Mysteries are better left
unsolved and some places are better.
Left unexplored. Growing up, I always loved
visiting my aunt and uncle in the Pacific Northwest, they had
a secluded house out in one of the sprawling.
Pine forests and owned a large portion of the surrounding
untouched land. It was lonely, but not Lonesome
far away but not without a touch of civilization within driving
distance. My uncle Verne built a place
from the ground up together with my aunt.
Ellie they gradually renovated it from a small cabin into the
kind of place. They could have made a
ridiculous amount of money had they converted Into a rental
property. They love living there too much
to even consider it every year. Right at the end of summer, my
folks and I always made the Trek up to visit them, 12 hours in
the car, both ways, but entirely worth it.
Watching the sagebrush infested desert scape slowly transform
into the Lush Greenery of Washington state.
Honestly, felt as if I was venturing into a Fantastical
Place lost. Holy in another time, I grew
real close to my aunt Ellie amongst those trips.
She really was something else while Uncle Vern was a
contractor, turned Carpenter turned Master Artisan, making a
mint performing Renovations for folks who did want to turn their
rural slices of life into lucrative rentals.
Ellie was this hermit survivalist?
That wasn't so much living out in nature but living as a part
of it, she knew everything. There was to know about the
surrounding Woods. Literally she had an
encyclopedic knowledge about every plant and Critter within a
hundred miles. I memory alone she could trace
out paths To the forgotten Depths of the woods.
Reaching beautiful Retreats, you typically find only on some
travel exploration blog. Most importantly of all she
loved to show me all of these neat things and I couldn't get
enough of learning about everything she told me, it's
largely why I kept up the tradition of going to visit her.
Even after I grew up and started Living On My Own, Ellie would
still call every year and asked if I would be making the trip
with how amazing she made every visit feel it was impossible to
say, no even more. So after After Uncle Vern
passed. There was no exception when she
called that particular year. We made the usual arrangements
and my departure couldn't come soon enough.
The moment I was on the road Bound for the Deep forests.
Once more, I remember my heart soaring in a way I haven't
experienced since and possibly never will.
Again, it was early evening when I arrived, the sun was already
dipping low. As I pulled into the gravel
driveway. It's distant light, not quite
able to pierce the enveloping shroud of nature that deep
quiet. Cold immediately.
After stepping out of my car, even with only enough of a
breeze to occasionally nip, at my nose, I could hear it
rustling through the pine needles.
There was no one within a five-minute Drive of this place
curiously, the house was dark excited, as I was for the trip.
I made sure to call Ellie that morning to confirm that she was
expecting me. She sounded ecstatic when we
spoke. So I quickly reason her being
out at this hour could be any number of things, grocery
shopping in town came to mind as I made.
It to the front porch there. Also might have been some kind
of emergency at the workshop. She inherited alongside Uncle
Vern's business, or maybe, just maybe she was out there in the
woods as she typically was, and at simply lost track of time.
Didn't matter much, I had a key in the alarm code memorized I
let myself in without any issue and dropped my bags off near the
door. There was time enough for those
later as I was drawn further into the beautiful home, both
she and Uncle Verne had put so many years of their lives into
The floor plan, wasn't anything special, the front door opened
into a short hallway that had Uncle Vern's.
Now, unused office, just off to the left.
At the other end of the hall was the living room, a lofty.
Two-story arrangement with tall Windows lining, the far wall
that looked out to the rear of the property.
Every inch of those walls was polished wood.
With the columns, separating the windows being hand-carved by
Uncle, Vern himself with an ornate Woodland, Motif against
the left wall, aside the stairs leading up to the second floor,
An Alcove housed an odd, especially modern entertainment
center. It's wide adorning, Archway in
the carved, mural above to Anglers fly, fishing on a river
where more of my uncle's, Masterwork carpentry.
I took it all in swiftly retreating back to the simpler
days of my youth. I was all but ready to sink into
the sofa and turn my brain off before I remembered my luggage
was still in the cramped. Entryway hoisting, my bags up
the stairs, to the second floor, the guest room.
I typically use during my stays was right there at the top.
I'm curious I glanced down the connecting Hall to both the
bathroom and Ellie's room. Finding them just as dark as the
rest of the house. By the time I finished
unpacking, she still hadn't put in an appearance.
Still not overly concerned. I headed back downstairs through
the kitchen and out the back door onto the rear porch.
There was someone else here. I could visit with of sorts in
keeping with my aunt's nature. Concerning nature.
The rear of the property was dedicated holy to being a
self-sufficient as possible. Near the large porch in the
back, she kept a small herb garden that paled in comparison
to the much larger acreage further out dedicated to fruit
and veggie cultivation in front of the Farmland.
A small barn stood with a fenced-off pasture large enough
to accommodate a single steer. Hank was his name, originally
purchased one Uncle Vern wanted to try his hand at cattle
raising however, upon arrival Ellie promptly deemed Hank was
too damn cute to be in since then, the old boy had been
living the good life as an entirely.
Early pampered pet. The big oaf was about as
friendly as most dogs. And just as lovable, however,
just like Kelly old, Hank was nowhere to be seen both his
pasture and the barn were empty the massing of.
Hey, he slept in, was there in the corner as expected and not a
single thing, otherwise out of place, as I got dumbfounded at
the empty Barn, some things started to click, Hank might
have been the reason. Ellie wasn't here to greet me.
This wouldn't have been the first time Hank had escaped and
wandered off. You could be out They're roaming
the forest like the oversized innocent goofy was with Ellie
hot on his Trail. Grabbing my phone from my
pocket, I was about to try a call to my aunt when I noticed
the no service message feature prominently upon the screen that
was rather strange. As I never had any issues with
my phone up here, it was then that I remember.
Delhi had mentioned that her own cell reception had been spotty
recently my conversation with her that morning had only been
possible when I called her actual land line with that
realization, Ian, I made my way back into the house to try and
reach her by calling, from there, along with the TV set up
and the alarm, the cordless telephones were about the only
hints of modern technology about the house.
Sure, the kitchen had a full range of common large and small
appliances, but we're all dated by a minimum of 20 years
dialing. Her number on the handheld, the
call failed to ring. Even once before it went
straight to voicemail seeing no immediate alternative.
I left her a message that I had arrived safely and I was
concerned About her and Hank. I tried to assure myself.
Everything was probably fine and remember that she was beyond
capable and about every situation that came calling
around here, but I just couldn't wandering over to the TV.
I flipped it on and parked myself, on the couch, with the
requisite, remotes and hand, the silent shifting tides of
static-filled the screen, and I began hunting through the local
channels for any sort of news program reporting local
troubles. Problem was the only thing I
could get out of the TV was that same A shower of static on every
channel concern, mounting deeper.
I tried the satellite box, next it, powered on readily, but when
I swap to its input, only a reception error came up on the
screen. Even the guide failed to load
properly by the time I had given up on the TV and frustration, it
was well into the evening. I stood facing the whole back
out to the front door keys in hand, trying to decide if it was
worth a trip into town to ask around.
I was still half convinced, I was making a mountain out of a
molehill. At this point and any moment
Ellie would walk in with a story to tell though honest I believe
what held me back at that moment was my lack of knowledge about
the area beyond the woods. Sure.
Had been coming up here since I was a kid but most of that time
spent was largely in the house or the surrounding Woods.
Occasionally we'd make a trip into the nearby town but only
over to the diner, Uncle Verne's Workshop or the gas station.
I could tell you plenty about the clearing of five minute,
hike Northwest through the Pines.
But when it came to the town itself, I was an absolute
tourist. Eventually, my apprehension one
out, and I resigned myself to making dinner.
Instead, I found the fridge stocked likely in anticipation
of my visit. I quickly threw together
something for the both of us, hoping she would return sooner
than later, after dinner. I tried the TV.
Again, with no luck, trying to find any alternative to Simply
fretting away. I snatched an old, Earl Stanley,
Gardner novel from Uncle, Vern's office.
Not sure how far into I reached before I passed out there on the
couch in the living room can't say I slept long as a house
shaking crash of Thunder woke me around.
Midnight days from the abrupt Awakening, not even sure if it
was actually Thunder that I heard I dragged myself over to
the large Windows. Sure enough, a storm had
descended with an absolute onslaught of staccato.
Drops hammering against the house.
It sounded bad out there like dirt roads, washing away, kind
of bad. I immediately checked the house
and found it. No less He then, before I passed
out, at least dinner was still on the table cold and uneaten
and all I could think about was her being stuck somewhere out
there, in the rain, grabbing my phone again, no service was
still displayed meaning. No messages had come in while I
dozed. I went for the cordless and
punched a Nellie's cell number. Once more momentary relief,
came, when it didn't go directly to voicemail that faded shortly
thereafter, the ringing sound cut out as someone answered on
the other end. They didn't say anything.
Not even after I said, Hello and asked after Ellie the only thing
I heard from the other end was a rough ragged gasping unnerved.
As I was by the sound. I quickly blurted an apology and
something along the lines of wrong number before ending the
column trying to settle my racing heart.
I rationalize the whole thing is simply waking someone in the
middle of the night with my untimely.
Calm. Calm, somewhat returned but
didn't stay after confirming that it was Ellie's number that
I had dialed thumbing the redial anxiously.
I put my ear back to the Receiver anticipating the
ringing once more at the other end only.
It never came instead. It was those same painful.
Staggered gasps. After shouting myself hoarse to
no response. I what I could only imagine was
an injured Ellie on. The other end of the line.
I hung up and went for the emergency numbers, posted on the
fridge, finding the contact, info for the sheriff.
I punched in the numbers checked.
All were correct and fumbled for the talk button.
I couldn't have been waiting for all that long before someone
answered but each Holding pulse of the call ringing out,
heightened the panic. I wasn't sure what was going on
with Ellie, but if those calls were any indication, it
definitely wasn't, right. I nearly left right off the
couch, when the call connected and the voice of the other end
announced, I had successfully contacted the Stevens County
Sheriff. After a stretch of rapid-fire
exposition, the deputy stopped me short and calmed me down
after a deep breath. I was able to explain who I was
and all about Antilles disappearance.
He asked me a few. More questions to better,
establish my identity and repeated a few bits back to
ensure he had taken down everything correctly.
Unfortunately, that was all that could be done at that point.
While the deputy promised to send someone out of entually, it
was unlikely, it would be anytime soon.
The storm had hit the area harder than anyone had
anticipated. And the unpaved roads outside of
town were far from safe that was nothing.
Unreasonable as much as I wanted this all to be over and my aunt
home safe. There was only so much.
That could actually be done even if she was lost out there in the
woods, it's not like a search. Could be safely conducted with
how bad the storm was without anything else to do.
I convince myself to try and sleep instead of worrying, I
checked the locks around the house and made sure the security
alarm was properly armed, not that I was entirely expecting
trouble, just a healthy precaution.
I then, hold myself upstairs, I tried to focus on my bedtime
routine to help, steer my mind away from the dark thoughts that
It kept bubbling to the surface. I sure as hell couldn't get
those raspy gasps out of my mind, even as I headed toward
the bathroom to brush my teeth, convinced it wasn't something,
my panic-stricken mind had trumped up In the Heat of the
Moment. My imagination began running
wild with the possibilities. Not a single one of them even
remotely Pleasant preoccupied. As I was, I suffered an awful
start as a flash of lightning came in, through the window.
At the end of the hall. My attention focused just in
time to catch sight of the Storms Fury, ripping through the
darkened sky and trance by its Brilliance.
I was drawn to the window in hopes of catching sight of an
equally marvelous repetition. Another glaring, barrage erupted
branching through the sky brighter than the last and that
fleeting moment. It illuminated the whole of the
property below, maybe my memory was filling in the gaps but I
swear I could clearly see all of Hanks pasture and the adjoining
Barn that and what could have been a figure lurking there at
the far fence, my skin. Crippled, as I try to make sense
of the Dark Shadow. It stood out starkly against the
blanched landscape burned. In my eyes, someone was out
there and I had never felt sure of anything else in my entire
life immediately. My thoughts turned to a
waterlogged, Ellie barely managing to drag herself out of
the storm without realizing I was already halfway back down
the stairs. It wasn't until I reach the
living room floor, that the possibility crossed my mind.
That it could be someone else out there someone that might
account for, why? My aunt Her pets.
Deer were now missing, I froze, their white knuckling the
banister. When I recalled the deputies
words about it being unlikely, they would be able to send
anyone out here at that moment. I knew I should have gone back
upstairs. Barricaded myself in the guest
room called the sheriff and start praying that.
I'd be alive to see morning. I couldn't do it though.
The idea that it was Ellie in need of help, simply wouldn't
leave my mind instead, I made my way over to the fireplace Guided
by the various Night Lights placed in walls.
Sockets around the house and grabbed the poker, I then passed
through the darkened kitchen and into the adjoining mudroom.
I was reaching for the switch, that would turn on the rear.
Porches floodlights when I stopped.
Suddenly it took me a minute to figure why as I was standing
there listening to my own frantic breathing.
I realized that it was the only thing I could hear not a
particularly uncommon thing. This deep in the woods were good
insulation deaf and the sounds of the forest at night but why
couldn't I hear the rain anymore before?
Be reasonable answer, took form a bolt of Thunder list,
lightning tour opened the night, shining through the large window
on the door, it cast an impossible, Shadow through the
mud room, someone or something lingered at the threshold
towering, well, over the doors height, I couldn't move the rain
choke night of the rural Woodland, had reduced everything
to utter Darkness, even without the clouds.
And the rain, unless the exterior lights were on, you
often couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of you
after Sunset around here. Said, I could feel something was
out there every hair on my body standing on end, Primal
sensation at taken, hold ancient fear and unspoken reminder that.
There were reasons why we were once undeniably Afraid of the
Dark, there wasn't even time to try and explain away the dread
washing over me as I stood there.
Shivering from a cold, I couldn't feel my ears begin to
itch faint at first but growing louder over the silent
emptiness. A simple repetition filled the
void footsteps as I Lized. It was coming from the door.
Another ill-fated flash of lightning arrived and the
impossible. Shadow remained cast in the
brief moment as the light burned, I vaguely.
Remember bloodless skin, pale near, Blue pulled tightly over a
frame far, too elongated a finger with too many Knuckles
extending towards the door. I choked on my screen, back
through the house. Full Pelt, merely sliding into
the wall at the foot of the stairs up, and up, and up, door.
Slamming loudly. That was it, it's all that.
I can remember amidst the blur separating seeing what I saw.
And the first grey light of dawn, framed by the drapes, the
pain in my hands came first there, after having been wrapped
tightly around, the fireplace poker all night shakily.
I Rose from where I had been kneeling opposite the bed from
the door trying to take careful stock of both surroundings and
situation aside from a few cramped muscles and a racing
heart, I was largely fine. The guest room, door was still
firmly. Shut I held my breath a good
long while. Ring, what sent me running up
here? Terrified that at any moment.
The tapping would resume upon the door, I heard the rain.
Steadily pounding upon the roof long before my chest started to
burn. Other than that, the house
brooded in Stony silence. I reminded myself that if
someone had tried to force their way in the alarm would have been
screaming. So loud that set my mind at ease
long enough to recall, I had brought the cordless phone up
here last night before all the commotion dialing up.
The sheriff station from the phone's memory was easy.
Enough. I could only hope the threat of
a Prowler on the property would be enough incentive for them to
send someone over sooner than later, I was anxious to the
point of bouncing my knees. As I sat on the edge of the bed,
the moment someone answered I fell straight into frenzy
ranting close to gibberish. I hastily tried to recount the
prior night's encounter managing, to call my madness and
a kind and concise manner. It was clear.
I was not this deputy's first Stark raving lunatic.
Once my composure returned, I told him all about The prowler
though, I left out more of the incredulous details at that
point. I wasn't exactly sure if my mind
was just playing tricks on me after taking everything down.
The deputy promised me that he would see what he could do about
making this a top priority for the Department, given a promise
that someone would be by within the hour, pending hazardous
driving conditions from the Storm still, in progress, I
reluctantly hung up for a good long while I sat there,
listening to the Stillness of the house, nothing stirred
Within In and there was only the rain falling upon the roof and
windows. The Quiet gave me heart or at
least enough to go take a look around upon muffled footfalls
fireplace poker. Clenched firmly, I began roaming
the house. I checked every room opened
every closet and Cubed. I concluded.
I was assuredly alone after checking the mudroom with no
small amount of apprehension. No one lurk there in.
And the easily, broken glass pane, remained wholly intact.
The door was locked dead-bolted while the Interface nearby
proudly displayed armed feeling a bit more secure about things
and confidently. Attributing last night's care to
an overactive imagination. I settled on taking a shower.
While I waited for the deputy to arrive.
I was in and out rather quickly though lessened the lingering
threat of a home invasion. Prompted swiftness more than
missing the deputies untimely, arrival after showering I headed
into the living room to try the TV.
Again, the satellite was still complaining about reception and
nothing local was coming through either.
Fortunately, I didn't have to gross over it too long as the,
deputy arrived, shortly thereafter.
However, I wasn't about to let anyone inside without peeking
out the window. And Uncle Vern's office.
First, when I saw the clearly Mark, Stevens County Sheriff
Insignia on the truck. I opened the door without any
further. Hesitation, the deputy himself
was a trim, man. Of no remarkable features aside
from the uniform and badge. These days, I couldn't picture
him, even if I really Did he asked me a lot of the same
questions as we systematically? Move through the house.
I rehashed. Both Ellie's, disappearance, as
well as the story of the prowler.
It didn't take much to convince him.
It was worth taking a look around the property exterior.
He gladly did it twice over before we reconvened on the back
porch, mostly a whole lot of nothing was what he came back
with. If anyone had been here last
night, the persistent rainfall washed out, any and all tracks.
The only other thing that caught his eye was that the Dish Up on
the Roof had been torn, free of its perch something else.
He attributed to the weather aside, from more reassurance has
that, they would begin looking into Ellie's, disappearance
immediately and another promise to send someone by later that
night to check in on things, nothing else could be done.
Then, in there before leaving, he mentioned that the department
had their hands full with a number of accidents, brought on
by the sudden and unrelenting storm.
He stressed that I should exercise all due caution and it
might be a good idea to stay inside until the Let up.
So there I was alone yet again and largely unable to do
anything productive, anxious and upset.
I was stuck trying to Stave off imaginings of all the worst-case
scenarios before I could start screaming and sheer panicked.
Frustration, I resolved to head into town to see if anyone had
seen Ellie recently, hazardous road conditions, be damned
deciding Uncle Vern's Workshop might be as good, a place as any
to start. I grab my keys and ventured out
into the rain, once in my car. I wasted no time slotting, the
key in the ignition, the electrical system came to life
as expected, but the engine repeatedly failed to turn over
glancing down to the fuel gauge the display set empty in no
uncertain terms, an impossibility to join all the
others currently surrounding me. I ever filled the tank while
driving through town yesterday, there was no way the 30-minute
trip thereafter could have depleted, the entirety of the
tank getting out of the car again, I recalled a time before
where my car wouldn't start. Due to the gas cap not being
fully tightened. While it was highly unlikely.
That was the case this time around I still felt compelled to
check it as I reach the rear of my car.
However, the faintest touch of gasoline, hit my nose faint, but
present in the same fashion that a gas station, smells of the
stuff, the sent drew me downward to beneath the car itself.
It grew only stronger, they're not particularly staggering, but
strong enough to confirm that it was gasoline.
I was smelling grabbing my Phone out of my pocket, I turned on
its flashlight, I nearly dropped it.
When I saw what was waiting for me, just past the rear passenger
door. The undercarriage was gouged
deeply a quartet of long violent streaks.
Had torn through it and more than likely the gas tank
beneath, I may have taken a hard bump about a mile or so down the
road when I was coming in but there was no way it cause the
severity of the damage. I was looking at no something
else did this after pulling myself up in a daze State, my
gaze Sleep fell upon the woods opposite the road from the
driveway darken from the Perpetual storm.
The Deep shade beneath the pine boughs turns Sinister as that
creeping sensation of being watched prickled.
My neck. I didn't actually see anything
lurking there or at least I don't think I did.
I was gripped by the overwhelming Sensation that
someone or something, just beyond the tree line was
watching me watching and daring me to try and leave.
I sprinted hard back to the house, slamming the door and
bolting it. When I mustered enough courage
to peer out through the doors window, I genuinely expected to
see that same haunting Shadow bounding up, the porch.
Nothing was out there, but that didn't make me feel any better.
Even after I triple checked every lock in the house, I still
hold myself up in the guest room, almost going so far as to
slide the heavy dresser in front of the door.
The day might have only been half over at that point, but I
was already feeling exhausted bargaining with myself to do
with the moment. The alarm should sound.
I, we really Of the cordless phone to call the sheriff, yet
again, no use. I must have listened to ten
straight minutes of different music.
Styling of 90s, alternative music.
Before I hung up, the deputy wasn't kidding.
When they said they were going to be busy that day dejected,
but still far too antsy to Simply sit on my hands and wait,
I decided doing anything would be better than stewing in my own
anxieties. While almost anything.
I still wasn't feeling brave enough to chance wandering
around outside in the storm. So, I took two searching the
house instead looking for something anything which might
allude to Ellie's disappearance, I started in Uncle Vern's office
and methodically tore through the house for even the slightest
inkling of Foul Play or some sort of intended destination, it
wasn't until much later, nearly dark outside that I finally made
my way into my aunt's bedroom. Last place to look at least
inside. I still really wasn't up for
checking out the barn, going through her actual personal
stuff without her, their filth. Hesitantly, I open the keepsake
box on her dresser, how was actually shocked.
She still had the chin. See, plastic earrings in there
that I gave her, as a birthday present when I was a kid beneath
those lay Uncle Vern's wedding ring.
As I picked up the gold band to admire it closer, it slipped
from my grasp and hit the hardwood floor with a bounce.
It went scattering across the floor and beneath the nightstand
next to Ellie's bed chasing after it.
I found that the gap which it had slipped through was too
narrow for my hand too. Fit with no other choice but to
Move It, I displace the lamp from.
Atop it to the bed and easily half.
Did it off to the side waiting beneath was not only Uncle
Vern's ring, but what looked to be a photograph facing away as
it leaned against the wall figuring, it was nothing more
than an old picture had slipped off the night stand.
I reached down for it, as my fingers, brushed its age.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise, a sudden tightness
in my throat, something telling me that I really didn't want to
see What this particular picture depicted?
Retracting my grasp, I left it as it lightly a few glances over
my shoulder to the deepening Shadows from down.
The unlit hall, proved insufficient and I turned to
give them my full attention. I must have stayed pose like
that staring at nothing for a good few minutes before the
ominous Sensation that the dark was watching me finally faded a
bit more determined that my imagination was yet again.
Running itself ragged, I turned back and carefully scooped up
the picture with a few. Being breaths.
I flipped the glossy Side Up, bracing myself for the
possibility that this was going to be an Telly's last few
moments alive. Captured sinisterly upon film.
It was almost funny. How confused I was when I
realized what I was actually looking at, instead of something
gruesome, it was a half, Focus shot of a woodland scene.
I recognize the same styled Pines as those surrounding the
property perched, high above a small Hollow large Boulders,
free of overgrowth, formed a ring around, whoever had
captured the photograph. Thereupon, the one deepest
within the hollow for what I first mistook.
As a shadow gradually assumed its true form, the stone had
been scarred heavily and charred, black H deeply upon it
numerous branching lines, surged outward, in all directions, from
a single, intensely cleft Starburst drawn.
Immediately to it, I stared hard as my mind tried to puzzle
together, where I had seen this before.
I froze on the spot. My ears perking and straining
flashes of light burned into memory, the launch.
Shadow cast my eyes, traced the wounded Stone in the photograph
once more and possibly tall was the silhouette.
These Lions formed with a large grouping, surging together into
a lung outstretched limb. Then in there, I could hear it.
I swear, I could hear it echoing from somewhere in the house
loud. Footsteps fueled by pure horror
alone. I bounded toward the door and
threw it shut only after I had dragged the dressing over in
front of the door. Did I realize I had
instinctually sealed myself in the bedroom Crouch.
As I was the whole of my weight, bracing against both dresser and
door, I remain deathly. Still listening to everything
and anything in the house. The photograph remained as I
left it having landed facedown. When I dropped it, I could do
nothing else. Save stare intensely at its
blank backside, my ear stretched too painful ends.
As I continue listening to the silence, my legs began to cramp
as the low Rumble of Thunder. Overhead Brought me Back to
Reality by the time. My days Panic ended the last
reeks of sunlight were but a memory focusing intently.
I could hear the rain hitting the roof once more with erratic
flashes of lightning coming through the window.
Dragging myself, back up. I was trying to get the blood
moving back through my legs, when the landline began ringing
startled at first, but that was quickly dismantled.
When I realized it could be the sheriff station, someone from
town in the know, or even Ellie herself.
Calling I made my way over to the base on the untouched
nightstand, frowning? When it's paired, handset was
nowhere to be. Found taking only a moment to
check between the stand and the bed to see if it had fallen
there. I then threw myself upon the
dresser in hopes to move it before.
Voicemail answered in my stead, with some Furious tugging, the
bedroom door came open and I was halfway down the hall when
ringing Chimes ceased abruptly that didn't stop me from
entering the guest room, where I knew, at least one of the
handsets was waiting for me. Sure enough, it was on the
dresser where I had left it, picking it up with um, the
button to display the caller. ID and my heart practically
punch straight through my chest. It was the same number I become
far too familiar with since arriving here, Ellie cell number
mashing, the Callback button. I held the receiver to my ear
nerves fraying. As I waited for the tone to
begin wringing out a crackled. Click came through and then
nothing frantically. Turning my blurry gaze back,
upon the handsets display. Again, it showed the call was
connected, but I still didn't hear anything coming through.
I began shouting into the phone. Desperately crying out for my
hand asking if she was okay, if everything was all right,
nothing came through only as I was about to hang up and try
again, did I hear something from the other end?
Those same slow, and ragged gasps.
I put the receiver back to my ear and had begun renting a new
one. I was stopped short by a voice.
Coming through the other end, it's too late, Wyatt resigned
but definitely not Ellie. It's too late came.
The whisper again, it's too late.
I know. - began spreading through me as I slowly lowered.
The phone. The decisive click of
disconnection told me whoever was on the other end.
Had nothing else to say, within the last Bastion of Reason
feverishly trying to decipher the cryptic message was soon
overwhelmed by the Stark emptiness of shocked.
I didn't stay that way for long, as the clattering of the handset
on the floor, as it slipped. My grass, brought me back to my
senses. I was honestly startled by how
loud it was crashing into the floor between, it's echoing
impact, and the Ding already thumping away in my ears.
It was hard to hear anything else.
It was too late. I realized thereafter as the
frenetic, pounding of my heart, grew louder, still, the rain the
Thunder, all of it gone. I could see the lightning still
flashing through the window. It's Glarus playing.
My shadow upon the wall opposite, yet the air remains
still gingerly. I crept toward the door, seeking
to shut it as silently as I could.
I hadn't even begun reaching for a one, another eruption of
light, filled the dark and heavens.
It wasn't only my shadow on the wall.
This time I Whirled around throat closing fast over a
screen. Never heard I was alone facing a
darkened. Window whereupon noiseless
raindrops splattered incessantly.
Nothing penetrated, the awaiting Gloom.
The Dark Knight of the forest besieged by the storm held
complete this time. I didn't stop to confirm if my
Phantom stalker was lurking outside the window.
I surge blindly through the door.
I wasn't sure where my feet were carrying me, but I was willing
so long as they carried. Me away from there.
I didn't actually get far, as I mentioned, the guest room was
near the top of the stairs, leading down into the living
room. Pure instinct told me firmly in
place teetering, upon the edge of the topmost, step from Beyond
the room below muffled and heard.
As if through plugged ears, came the sound of the alarm wailing
in desperate and muted tones. My Panic only deepened as my
thoughts, blurred into one frothing mess that demanded
Sanctuary. I was going to retreat into the
guest room when a creeping. You paralyzed me once more just
as distant and suppressed as the alarms cries.
So, too, were the familiar beeps of the disarm code being
entered. The noise dropped off, sharply
leaving me alone and shivering silence.
My grip upon the banister tightened all, but to the point
of breakage, as I watched a ponderous Shadow drift between
the now dimming bulbs of the scattered Night Lights below
when it reached the foot of the stairs.
I still couldn't see what was now.
Lumbering up toward me? No footsteps, echoed as they
always did with someone. Through the predominantly.
What did living room? The third stair failed to Creek
as it did when any amount of weight was placed upon it.
Instead, my ears were filled with the sound of ragged and
raspy breathing. Bordering on absolute lunacy.
I ran back down the hall into Ellie's room in through the
door, shut between the swiftly closing Gap.
The shadow was seen rushing silently down the hall.
After me lock clicked easily into place the dresser groaning
across the floor. I didn't breathe again, until
both its weight and mine were Firmly against the door
collapsing. I saw because I leaned against
the dresser driven to Tears by a thick concoction of fear and
frustration as I pounded my fist against the floor in despair.
I was answered by the dull Buzz of the overhead light.
Now intensely brightening the droning noise of surging
electricity came to a fever pitch and before I could turn my
gaze properly upon the sharpening glare allowed pop
proceeded, both shattering glass and immediate Darkness, forcing
a hand over my mouth to suffocate.
Shrieks of surprise, a dreadful Clarity.
Within told me how pointless it was.
Whatever was out there already knew I was in here the way in
which the doorknob rattles violently, as the lock held it
firmly in, place, told me as much, then all at once, it's
simply stopped. The knob was stilled the grown
of the door frame as the hinges. Graded against them fell off
into nothingness, another flash of lightning through Windows.
Drew my gaze. As I have my Panic, gasps
against my hand, still pressed to mouth.
I waited for a A to appear beyond the glass as it had when
it first chased me from the guest room.
I waited for the next flash to cast that long impossible,
Shadow over me as it had the night before in the mudroom, I
waited for the slow, tapping its Rhythm already echoing in my
ears until it sounded upon the door behind me footsteps.
Gentle unobtrusive and yet harrowing enough to make my very
Soul burn with oppressive dread balling uncontrollably.
Now, I pleaded for it to leave, just leave and let me be Me and
came a voice that struggled to form.
The words between ragged gasps, it sounded distant and distorted
like listening to someone on the other end of a poorly connected
phone. Call, love me Anna.
And then came the words that stick with me.
Even to this day words, I had heard so many times before that.
Now leave me in frantic Shivers something often heard even in
that very house, echoing throughout my childhood, I want
to show you something neat that I found.
I have no idea what happened after that.
All gone, still gone nothing, but a long stretch of repressed
Darkness Remains the next thing I can actually remember was
gradually coming back into awareness and a hospital room
being treated for shock, severe exposure, and a number of other
smaller injuries. Apparently, I had gone missing
and a couple of deputies. Found me, roadside some 60 miles
away from Ellie's house. A few days after the encounter I
was conscious but completely incoherent at the time.
They had to fly me by helicopter to the next town.
For for treatment after recovering.
At least physically, I was released to go back home as
Sheriff was still investigating, Ellie's disappearance, but I
couldn't add anything more aside.
From what I could remember about the Intruder, I left out the
details that I couldn't that no one could properly explain.
But that was the end of my involvement for a good long
while they kept looking for her. During that time, I was
institutionalized for bouts of violent delirium whenever a
thunderstorm descended I eventually overcame the
dangerous outbursts, but I still see a therapist now, and again,
and I need earplugs on a sleep mask to make it through a stormy
night a few days ago. Just as I was getting a handle
on my life again, I received a call from the sheriff of
Stephenson County himself, amidst my treatment and therapy
seven, long years had already come and gone with my folks
passed on. I was Ellie's only surviving
next of kin as she still hasn't been found.
He was calling to inform me that she was to be Glared legally,
dead lawyers, began calling thereafter.
I alone stood to inherit her estate, including the house and
the assets from Uncle. Vern's now-defunct business.
They keep calling, and I keep postponing the meetings to go
over the execution of the will I know the moment.
I finally, show up all of this becomes real.
Again, I'm afraid, I'll have to go back to her house.
Even if only to sell the property.
I can't do that. I can't go back.
What? If it's still waiting for me and
those woods? I was 14 at the time.
I was visiting my dad. I would go back and forth from
my parents. My dad stays on a farm.
We have a pretty average size farm with a barn shed, a bunch
of farming equipment in silos. Now we are literally in the
middle of nowhere. Like I mean, in the middle of
nowhere, the closest town to our house was around 60 miles,
believe it or not, we actually had two neighbors, a couple
miles down. I'm going to give you the way of
the land. We have a long driveway,
connecting to the main road. Road when you pull in, it takes
around 30 seconds to go to the house driving at a comfortable,
20 mph. Once you pass the gate, we have
immediate left. We have the shed that holds our
shop. Then going back to the gate.
If you look straight ahead from it, that is our barn and a bunch
of garages for our farming equipment.
Then lastly, we have four silos going across that.
Then to your immediate, right when you enter the gates as our
house, our house is actually not that big compared to other farm
houses. It's a two-story.
But it's quite small. If you take a right from the
gate, you will meet a screen door.
If you enter that screen door, you will immediately be hit with
a big table. If you look to your right from
where you entered, that's the living room and then inside that
living room in the back is a spare room.
Where I slept if you take a left instead of taking a right, you
will meet a section where there's a bunch of rooms.
If you stand in the middle of that section to your left, will
be the kitchen. And then to your right, there's
a bathroom, a computer room, and my dad's room.
But there is one door that leads up to the second floor, but it's
basically just an addict because we barely go up there.
As it's freezing cold, once you enter the kitchen, if you take a
right in the corner, we have the basement and then the entrance
way where you enter from the front door.
But anyways, let's get with the story.
So like I said, it's just me and my dad at that house it was any
other average day. I woke up from the room and went
to go eat breakfast. My dad a hard-working man.
Woke up extremely early he would never Me up, but I liked eating
breakfast with him. But that being said, as I woke
up and went into the living room, I couldn't help, but feel
I was being watched. I know really ironic, but have
you ever had that feeling where you feel really uneasy or
nervous. But usually when that happens,
you just brush it off. And that's exactly what I did.
I walked to the kitchen and grab some bacon and eggs, and ate,
and talked with my dad, me and him laugh, but when we were
done, he went outside to go work on his truck and I stayed inside
and watch TV. Evie for a bit.
Now, even with me being 14 years old, I was pretty strong
mentally. Honestly, I rarely got scared,
but what happened next was something that I could have
never prepared for. So I was sitting in my living
room. When out of the blue, I heard
this absolutely massive bang, right above me.
I about soiled my pants. I jumped so bad.
I actually fell out of my chair and spilled all of my water.
It sounded like somebody just got dropped off of a skyscraper.
I looked up almost immediately thinking there would have been a
hole in Ceiling. But there was nothing at that
point. I knew there was absolutely no
way something would have fallen up there as there is nothing in
that room. Remember how I told you we never
went up there. Well the only thing in that
second floor was right next to the stairway When you entered it
had nothing else. So essentially either something
was up there or the roof just fell on top of itself and that
house was completely silent after that, I muted the TV and
sat in this Frozen State wondering if I should even walk
for a couple. Minutes.
Luckily, I seen my dad walking back into the house, but it
wasn't over as I didn't want to go investigate it.
I just thought I should lock the door, but as I was walking over,
I eerily heard some type of crying.
It was literally right next to that.
Door me being a fourteen-year-old.
My head was rushing through horror movies.
I locked the door in and sprinted.
The hell out of that house. My dad was now halfway walking
up. I immediately ran to him telling
him. What was going on?
Now, my dad was a. Jokester, and usually Messing
around with me when I did something like this.
But I'm just assuming he probably saw the fear in my face
and went in there. Now, this time, we didn't go
through the screen door and instead went through the front
door, you open the door and immediately took a left for
reference. When you open the front door and
take a left, we have a hidden gun.
In case of an intruder, he grabbed his Glock 19 and we
walked into the kitchen. I was a little behind because I
was scared to walk in there, but then I realized something the
base moment door. Sure as hell was not open.
As I went to, go check to make sure it was shut because the
heat from the basement was immense.
It's from our furnace. I didn't think much of it
though. Maybe thinking my dad opened the
door. I dad and I both went to his
room right next to the door. I locked.
And this is where I connected to when two together, the door was
literally swung wide open and the lock was busted off.
By the way, those locks were designed to hold shed doors shut
in case of a storm. As a matter of fact, the door
was Early leaning on the wall as the hinges were blown off.
My dad. Just looked at me and my entire
life. I've never seen him look so
worried. My dad was a former police
officer for one year, so he had some training.
He taught me how to shoot a gun, and I've hunted, my whole life.
So he handed me a gun. Also, this might sound like
something out of Call of Duty, but I actually cleared out the
living room and my room, I went back to him whispering to him.
That the rooms were clear. Now, at that point, he was at
the basement door, as I entered the Kitchen.
I saw him sitting in fear, I asked him what was wrong and to
my horror, he heard somebody whispering and crying down
there. My dad took a quick look at me
and said, we're going down there and I agreed.
Each step was horrifying enough. Let me tell you how the basement
is set up. Once you reach the bottom step
which is about 10 steps to your right.
We have a workout please and then to your left, you have the
washing machine and an additional bathroom with a
shower. Now, in the left corner, we have
a boxed out room, it's like one of those P trap door as you
would see in movies. We've only been in there.
Once it's maybe eight feet tall and 15 feet wide so as we
reached halfway, we could hear some blatant shuffling.
We check the right and the left place but didn't see anything.
I already knew that whatever, or whoever was in this house was in
that place. My dad reluctantly posted up by
it and signaled me to go to the other end.
The basement is almost pitch black because we didn't turn any
lights on the only light source was illumination from the
sunrise. Which wasn't enough as my dad
entered. I entered behind him.
Reluctantly, we were maybe two steps into the room.
When my dad tried looking for the light switch, then we heard
this absolutely horrifying Screech come from the corner, my
dad pushed me and told me to go to one end while he went to the
other end. We heard this screeching and
crying away from the corner and it got progressively closer and
closer as time went on to my dismay, I could see it.
That thing was told. It's head had to lean under
because it was hitting the ceiling.
Ling, we're talking eight feet tall.
What made it even worse? Was this thing was really
strong. It straight up looked like a
body builder. Now, since it was Pitch Black, I
could only see it because of the illumination not being able to
see my dad. It walked out and started
walking up the stairway one. My dad appeared, we stepped out
and my dad was ready to yell it. Completely booked it out of the
basement. I heard a loud slam and then
some more yelling my dad and I walked up the stairway, very
reluctantly Now on the fifth step, before we entered the
kitchen, my dad stopped again, he cursed under his breath, we
went to the side of the stairway and saw that the door was blown
30 to 40 feet away from where it was supposed to be.
The whole doorway was completely ripped off, but oddly enough, it
was still standing in the doorway.
My dad was about ready to shoot the thing.
When it's printed away, my Dad ran right up the stairway and
tried chasing it. I was quickly following behind
him. When we saw it disappear in the
cornfield me? Italy contacted the police and
it took them 45 minutes to get out here.
They scanned and surveyed the area for hours and found
absolutely nothing. We even checked the security
cameras but oddly enough, it wasn't working at that time.
It's been a while since that happened and I haven't seen that
thing in a while. If anyone can tell me what that
thing is, I would love to know. I have a hard time sleeping.
Now, I just hope we never encounter that thing again.
I've always tried to rationally, think through how we got here.
What happened to lead us down this path?
Why did life turn out like this? When I do my mind always comes
back to that Summer's Day in Scotland.
Everything stems from that like a collapsed vein.
A happier time cut off from us in the past and nowhere else to
go. But this tainted present back in
1977 my wife Jenna and I saw something, neither of us could
comprehend. It changed us forever.
We were staying in a small Scottish Village.
Village called a foil for a week at the time, it was a quaint
Place. Surrounded by Pleasant Rolling
Hills Woodland and locks from our hotel, we could explore the
Lush Scottish. Scenery something Jenna had
wanted to do since she was a kid, her mother was Scottish.
And although she had passed away one, my wife was very young.
Jenna, always felt a deep connection to the country.
It was a spiritual home of sorts.
She was fascinated by it, the vast spaces of green and rock.
Clear blue. As snow rain, wind and Sun
piercing through it. If you were lucky, it was the
natural world in its element. Most of all Jenna cherish the
few memories. She had of her mother telling
stories about Scotland. It was a mystical place for her
and her family and that poll to see it firsthand.
Only grew over the years, I had spent my childhood in a small
town in the midwest. I'd had my fill of Nature and
preferred the streets of Boston as an adult, but when my wife
turned 30, I knew that a trip across the Atlantic would make
the the perfect present. When I told her where we were
going, she was so happy. I prefer oil Village was barely
more than a main street at the time with our hotel.
Well, I say hotel but it was more of a bed-and-breakfast
sitting on one of the rare empty back streets at night.
The place shut down except for a solitary Pub leaving us to
breathe in the relative silence and darkness of the surrounding
Hills and forests. The first night there, we had
dinner at a small restaurant that night brought more than its
fair share of surprises. Sizes, the first was when I
surprised Jenna with a silver bracelet engraved with a
suitably soppy message on the underside but that wasn't
worthy. Unexpected ceased Jenna then
dropped the biggest surprise of all she was pregnant with our
first child. We had been trying for over a
year and we were beginning to worry that something was wrong
and so to hear that she was pregnant was overwhelming.
We celebrated it Jenna on the orange juice.
Me on the scotch the next day my head was pounding and I asked
that We stay closer to the hotel rather than have our plan trip
to Glasgow City. Jenna was a little tired, but by
lunchtime my headache had lifted a little and I suggested a walk
through the countryside, as a compromise, the night before,
one of the locals had told me about a Scenic walk through
Queen Elizabeth Forest, it sounded perfect and just a short
drive away. If I had to hurl at least I
wouldn't be doing it in front of other people.
Jenna was excited to get out and about and so we drove for about
20 minutes from A foil and parked in a small makeshift
parking lot inside the forest. This was the place, the trail
started and they could only be explored on foot when we got
out. The scent of Pines was sweet in
the air, and the fresh smell made me feel much better.
Although, I've been told the location is now more popular on
that day. We saw no other cars on the road
into the forest and the parking lot itself was empty.
The sun was high in the sky and as we headed on foot towards
what was supposed to be a relaxing Forest.
Walk, I remember smiling at Jenna, she was so beautiful.
A wooden information board. Showed us the route.
We were to take given her condition.
I didn't want Jenna to overexert herself so we took the path
marked in green, which meant it should have been the easiest
Trail and it was for a while. The path move through pockets of
pine trees, and had clearly been used many times before it was
picturesque. And with each step, I started to
understand why Jenna had been so happy to visit the place.
There's undoubtedly Necessary about getting away from the
world to lose yourself in nature.
It's like we still have an ancient part of ourselves that
gets nourished by the Deep Greenery.
As we strolled along the dirt path, we started talking about
what we would call the baby. If it were a boy or a girl, it
was then that we realized we were not alone in front of us in
the distance. A young boy, walked out from the
tree line and stood on the path ahead about 50 yards away, just
staring at us. You look to be about 8 or 9
years old being in an isolated area.
Area. It would have been unnerving to
begin with the sun reflected off of his skin and his pale color
was Stark against the Green of the forest.
What do you do in a situation? Like that?
This was in the 1970s? And although there were always
Whispers of terrible, things happening behind closed doors.
It was long before the public truly accepted, that many
children were being mistreated still.
The unsettling sight was soon replaced with concern.
For the child Jenna picked up the pace and shouted.
Hello. But something.
You made me grab her hand and stop her from running up to the
boy. I ask Jenna to stay put not just
for herself but for our unborn child's sake.
The last thing I wanted was for a stressful situation to affect
the pregnancy, reluctantly she stayed where she was and I
stepped forward towards the boy as I drew closer.
I realized just how pale and emaciated he was as though he
had been kept somewhere malnourished and away from
sunlight for some time. Are you okay?
I asked where are your parents? If you just looked at me the
skin beneath his eyes, darker than the surrounding skin
cautiously. I moved closer with my arms open
so as not to scare him, let us help you.
Maybe we could take you to the police or help you find your
parents. The closer.
I got, the more I felt the uncertainty of the situation.
There was something very wrong with the boy.
I expected him to move back or show some sort of fear, but he
didn't. In fact, I was sure that a
subtle grin momentarily flickered across his face before
returning to The same somber expression.
As before, by this time I was standing straight in front of
him. I asked him.
What's your name again? He said nothing but now he was
looking intently into my eyes and that gays carried with it.
Nothing but Menace, the boy, then reached out his right hand,
I turned to look back at Jenna down the path to ask her what I
should do. As I turned, I heard a rustling
sound and when I looked back towards the boy, he was no
longer there. I followed the wrestling to the
side of the path. The Round dipped down into a
slight incline there. The trees and bushes, created
thick, clumps of leaves and branches.
It looked difficult to Traverse and I thought that the boy must
have been scraped and cut to Pieces running about in there.
There was so dim between the trees, a tangled, green mess,
waiting for a moment. I listened, there was nothing
other than the occasional Creak of a branch swaying in the
gentle breeze above the sun, shined down directly onto the
path, but just a few steps forward.
And I would have been engulfed by the Dark of the Just the
difference in light was Stark in my mind and although I wanted to
help the kid everything about the situation left me in a
weary. State of mind seeing no sign of
the boy, I walked back to Jenna, she asked where he was.
I said I didn't know and told her that he disappeared into the
forest when my back was turned Jenna looked pale and she gave
me a look. I knew only too well I'd seen it
a few times over the previous few years.
Something was on her mind and she just had to get it out.
Jenna looked me straight in the eye.
The eyes and said, I never saw the boy.
Leave the path. She insisted that it was as if
he had just vanished. One moment, he was there.
The next he was gone. I was caught in a difficult
situation. This was before the common cell
phone, one of us needed to alert the authorities that there was a
young boy stranded, in the Woods, running around,
considering how deep and thick the section of forest around us.
Was he could easily have fallen and hit his head on a rock or
later passed of hypothermia. When the night came, there was
Only one thing we could do one of us would have to stay put in
case the kid needed help while the other would walk back to the
car drive into a burr foil and raised the alarm.
There was no question that I would stay in the forest, but I
didn't feel right about letting Jenna go back to the car by
herself. Even if she hadn't been
pregnant, I wouldn't have liked it.
But Jenna was always stronger willed than me.
And although I would try to pull the usual strong husband
routine. Common at the time she was
nearly always immune to it. Jenna insisted that.
She would head back down the path and that I should try and
find the kid but not stray too far.
She would be back as soon as possible with help.
I told her to honk the horn when she was leaving the parking lot
that way. I'd know she got back to the
car. Okay, I got a smile in a roll of
the eyes and return, but she promised to do it, if it made me
feel better, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked back the
way we had went, I watched her until she disappeared from view,
although I'd spent the last 10 years living in Boston, I grew
up in the midwest, so hikes through the woods were not alien
to me, but this was different. There was something off about
that long stretch of path. It was flanked by pine trees, so
close together that the forest was as dark as Twilight.
Once you stepped off the path and into it and that was
something. I had no intention of doing the
tree line was like an impenetrable wall to me,
nonetheless, I stared intently at it in search of the smallest
sign of life. I was sure that since I hadn't
heard anyone moving around in there, the Boy, must still have
been nearer, you would have made too much noise, moving through
the uneven and clutter terrain, it was a sense of loneliness
about that place. No, not loneliness, but
isolation. Like it was an arm cut from the
body of the world such environments.
Infect the mind with paranoia. And as I was entertaining, the
Stark atmosphere of the police, I kept my eyes on the side of
the path from where the boy had first appeared.
My imagination took over. I began to think about the kid
lost in the woods. I thought about how he'd gotten
into such a situation in those thoughts were too dark to dwell
on. I turn my mind to a lighter
explanation. Maybe there was a lock nearby,
and he was swimming there with his friends.
I thought they pranked him and then he'd followed the path
trying to get back to town. Yes.
That made sense, it must have been something like that.
But why did he not speak to me? And what of his skin, it was
unusually pale and that flicker of a smile on his face.
It caused me doubt just to think about it.
Continuing my vigil, I wondered why Jenna hadn't, honked the car
horn? Yet, as she left the parking
lot, I was sure she should have made it back there by then
that's when I thought I saw movement.
I didn't know if it was a deer or the missing boy himself
slowly. I stepped forward to the edge of
the path and peered in the quiet of the place took over and I
stared steadily for any hint of movement.
I was so focused that I had no time to react to the real
danger. Something walked out of the
woods from behind me at speed. I barely had a moment to turn
and when I did something large and white put its hands on me
and knocked me from the path. And as I fell down the incline
into the trees and bushes in front.
A searing pain cut across my vision.
A branch of pine needles scratched across my left.
Eyeball leaving me unable to see out of it Instinct kicked in and
I fled deeper between the trees, the branches cracking and
prodding around me as I did. So, red tears fell for my
injured left eye. And, as I looked back
momentarily with my, Right? I saw standing on the sunlit
path, two people a man and a woman.
Both were tall and their skin was as white as the boys.
I had seen gleaming in the Summer sun, both figures stepped
forward towards where I was and I quickly attempted to hide
within the cutting Embrace of a large pine tree.
But it was clear that they could see me somehow it was at that
moment that I heard the distant sound of a car horn, a sense of
relief, cut through my adrenaline, I could at least be
happy that Jenna had made it back to the car without without
incident. Hopefully out of the forest and
away from my attackers a man and woman stared at me through the
trees, their gaze dark and malevolent angry.
Even when he and the woman moved towards Where I Stood I panicked
and picked up a moss-covered rock on the ground at my feet.
It was the only way to protect myself.
I watched anticipating their movements waiting for them to
attack the woman, spoke to the man and her words, were unlike
any I had heard before. It wasn't just the language.
That confused me. But I'm uncertain, how any human
could make such a sound beneath the words.
There was an unusual noise. Each word lay on top of a breath
like a storm swelling and pushing through a constricted
space, the man answered with a lower yet.
Equally Airy voice there. We were waiting.
I might not have understood the language, but I knew they meant
to harm me. And for the first time, the
thought that I might never leave that Forest alive.
Rose up in my mind. Just as the man, finally Lurch
towards where I was my heart began to race.
Race. If the sound of Jenna striking
our car horn had made me feel more at ease.
The second time, it sounded put me on edge, when the horn
sounded for a third and then a final fourth time, I knew
something terrible had happened Jenna needed help.
There was no time for dialogue. These people, whoever they were
at undoubtedly hurt. That boy we had encountered and
now they were hell-bent on hurting me and my wife who knew
how many of them there were? I had to get back to Jenna to
make sure she was okay. A the man continued moving
forward. The pine branches breaking
against his skin. When he reached me, I left
forward and swung The Rock in my hand with all of my might.
When it contacted his head I was certain I had got him something
cracked inside his head. I felt it.
Crimson sprayed across me and he staggered back onto the trail.
I will never forget the piercing and human.
Screamed, the woman let out when she leaned over to help her
companion. The man's pale white face had
come apart from the Attack the woman, stood up to run at me and
shocked at what I had done. I ran back down the path.
Looking back with my one. Good eye, I could see that she
was still with the man's crumpled body and so I focused
purely on reaching Jenna when I got to the parking lot.
I wasn't sure what I saw at first.
The car door was open and Jenna was lying in the driver's seat.
A small pale. White figure was near her doing
something as I ran to the car. The figure who I could now see
was the boy we had first encountered.
Let out a screech and held a red mess in his hands.
I was too late, the boy scampered off towards the
surrounding Forest, but as he reached the Tall, Grass just
before the tree line, he stopped crouching down.
He turned and stared at me, his white skin bleached red.
I didn't care if I was going to die.
I took a deep breath and turn to look at what he had done to my
wife. She was sitting in the driver's
seat, her eyes glazed, but I didn't understand she was
looking at me in a daze smiling. And there was no blood no
visible wound that I could see I dreamt about our child, she said
then she lost Consciousness. I pulled her still breathing out
of the driver's seat and put her gently in the back.
She was talking to herself mumbling.
Something as though she were in a deep confusing dream, my only
thought was to get her to a hospital climbing into the car.
I slammed the door, shut all the while, the boy covered in
Crimson, nestling something in his hands, stared at me from the
tall grass. But he was no longer alone a
man, and woman I had encountered on the path were with him.
And the man, though he bore a scar down, the side of his cheek
looked as though, his entire face had been sewed back on,
they watch silently as I drove out of the parking lot and I was
left with the uneasy feeling that they allowed me to leave
Jenna recovered in a local hospital and to my complete
surprise. Enjoy, our baby was still alive
and healthy inside of its mother.
We spoke with the police, of course, no one believed us.
Us. And why would they there wasn't
a scratch on Jenna and bizarrely.
Even the Crimson witch had, sprayed across me during my
fight on the forest path had vanished like disappearing ink.
When I asked Jen about what happened at the parking lot.
She said, all she remembered was a flash of white on the
windscreen as if something had jumped up on the hood of the car
then nothing. But she did say, she dreamed
about a crying baby months later.
When we were back in Boston, Jenna gave birth to our son, he
was beautiful. We're happy for a few days to
our horror just a short while. After getting him home, his skin
began to change color. Like food, going bad, because of
the air is skin. Darken, does he cried for his
life? I called 911, but it was too
late. He stopped breathing in Jenna's
arms. We were overcome with grief.
I Can't Describe looking down at our beautiful boy his skin.
Now, the color of mold is eyes. Frozen Open.
Looking up at us. We heard the paramedics come
into our home downstairs, but before they They reached us the
miraculous happened, suddenly our son began breathing, again,
his eyes rolled around and then his skin began to change color
back to its original healthy tone.
But the change did not stop it. Grew paler and paler until there
was no doubt that we were staring at one of the children
of the forest before our very eyes and I will swear this until
my dying breath, our son then began to fade away.
Just as the Crimson had evaporated on my clothes as the
last outline of him vanished. He let out the laugh of Child
far older than his few days that laughs moved off into the air
and out through the nearest window fading to nothing if it
wasn't for the paramedics who saw the last moment themselves,
the police would have thought we disposed of Our Own Child.
We did not, he was never our child to begin with, he was of
the forest and I'm certain that's where he now lives lost
in a sea of green and would have our own unborn child.
Was he taken from Genna's body at the forest, is it possible?
He lives Is there to that possibility?
Haunts me as do these memories? I finally put into words Jenna
and I remain married though. He swore after that day, never
to have another child, perhaps the effects of what we
encountered in that Forest, still lingering her body.
Her knows what we would have brought into this world.
I got into cave, exploring with my friends.
A few months ago, it was a blast until last weekend.
I now wish I had never gotten into it at all.
My first, we found some local easily, findable ones that
provided just enough of a challenge to look forward to
going again. None of the ones that we visited
at. First seemed like there was any
cause for concern or even held a whiff of danger.
The first cave, we went to as a relatively popular one, just
about 30 minutes from our town. We took about four hours to
complete. Delete the on guided tour of the
Cave System, all the chambers were, well above 8 feet in
clearance and nearly impossible to get lost in.
There is also a ranger station, nearby that checks the caves and
most of the chambers at the end of the day so that nobody could
get left behind the closed and locked gate.
It was a blast, we had so much fun.
We all agreed to do it again the next weekend and every weekend
that we all could go together barring any family or work,
commitments. It continued like this over the
next couple of months. As we went further and further
away from home once even spending the night camping.
So we could make a weekend of it during the early summer, that
cave was awesome. And while it was a bit on the
more advanced side of things, we did, all the exploring we wanted
to with no injuries whatsoever. If you don't count scrapes and
minor cuts and bruises last week, I was doing some research
on bigger, more complex cave, systems in the Northeast and
came across a very helpful website plotting, all the best
ones to visit. I found that the website did
Fact have a rating system that should have been followed.
I didn't follow it. I'm single the two buddies.
I usually go caving with are both married with like five kids
between them. I wanted to head out to one
system that was a few hours away from our town but neither one of
them could make it that weekend. I told them that I would go up,
check it out and report back to them.
If it was worth taking a closer look the weather was supposed to
be spectacular and warm perfect to camp out overnight.
They both 'The told me that it wasn't a good idea to go alone,
I told them not to worry, I wasn't going to do anything
stupid. I was barely even going to go at
any of them. Just poke my head in, take a
look around jot, some notes down, Mark some coordinates for
easier, retracing of steps easy stuff.
I drove up before sunrise on the weekend morning, getting to the
area. Indicated on the map park.
My Jeep and began setting up a nice comfortable campsite.
I finished around 10:30 in the morning.
I didn't think that anyone And would mess with my stuff while I
was out exploring. I strapped my pack on with my
map in hand. I set off for the base of the
small. But nevertheless, impressive
mountain range that I was currently at the base of I was
walking down the trail for just over an hour heading for the
indicated entrance to one of the system's.
I wanted to check out I noticed something at the base of a large
rock, that looks like it had fallen down from somewhere up
higher and Millennia ago, it looked out of place to me like
it was deliberately placed at the foot of that giant rock.
Rock. I walked over to the spot and
began probing around with the handle of my climbing ax
stabbing, the sharp Spike into the center of the off color,
patch of whatever it was thunk, what the hell?
I said out loud, I got down on my haunches and began in Earnest
to probe and lift the cover, revealing, an entrance
descending down into nearly total darkness.
Now, you might be telling yourself as you listen to this.
You deserve whatever you get for going down there and you may be
right, but nobody deserves what I saw down there.
I stood above the whole hand on my back pack straps staring down
into the abyss a thousand thoughts, raced through my mind,
none of them were helpful in the slightest.
The rational site said rather loudly, do not go down there.
The Adventurous side said, almost in a whisper you only
live once I Shrugged off my pack, did a quick, but thorough
inventory of its contents satisfied.
I tied a 50-foot lengths of climbing rope to the top
carrying the handle of it and slowly lowered it down.
Down into the darkness. I tied the rope with a sturdy
clove hitch around a tree cracked, a chem light and
dropped it into the hole. It fell for about a second,
bouncing off the stone floor and skittering off into the darkness
barely Illuminating. My swing backpack in the air, I
got on my belly, pulling out my trusty 1000 Lumen flashlight
pointing it into the darkness and Blasting everything in
bright light, the chamber below me seemed like it was about 35
feet below as my pack was barely swaying, just above the floor.
I could see that the chem light I dropped had bounced into what
looked like a natural Arch way and came to a rest against the
wall. I could see it glowing brightly
from my current Vantage Point. Screw it.
I said to myself, grabbing the rope and begin lowering myself
down. Once safely on the floor of the
chamber, I unzipped my main compartment and pulled out my
helmet equipped with a petzl five hundred Lumen headlamp.
This thing had cost nearly 100 bucks but it could use both a
rechargeable battery of which I had For fully charged spares
tucked away in my left pocket of my adventure vest.
But it also took two batteries, 24 of which I had stored in my
pack. I also kept four of them and
each front pocket enough of juice to last for nearly three
days of continuous running. I also kept a 1000 Lumen
flashlight, clip to my vest one that had plenty of battery to
keep that thing on for hours. At a time, I put my pack back
on, snowed it, tightly down and began to creep around the
chamber looking for any signs of animal life.
I found none and began to sketch, a quick little map as I
went along in my field notebook, complete with some rough
dimensions of the chamber. I cracked another chem light
placing it directly at the foot of my rope and knowing these
things. Last for a few hours before
losing their light completely. I figured that would be a good
enough signal Beacon to guide me back to my rope, just in case I
had about two dozen chem lights in my side, pocket of my pack
easily accessible without having to remove the pack at all.
I cracked one about every 50 or so feet.
Making sure that the last one could be seen.
Before placing a new one on the floor.
A Trail of Light bread crumbs. If you will, I came into a large
spacious Cavern looking around with 500 lumens, it lit up the
chamber quite well just some dancing Shadows lurking in the
far reaches of the lights capabilities.
I could hear water dripping or running off to my left and a
nice breeze was coming in from behind me just to my right side.
That's when I heard a sound that chilled me to the Core.
The sound came from what it seemed like directly ahead of
me. I froze in place, barely
breathing straining my ears to hear and Chambers like the one I
currently found myself in the sounds bounce around like a
Super Bowl pinpointing. A sound down here is nearly
impossible. The sound sounded animal Lake
but not quite I keep a fixed blade knife clip to my belt in
the Scout carry position. I reached for it and pulled out
the well-honed blade from its sheath gloved, hand gripping,
the comfortable handle tightly. My head was on a swivel looking
about in a near dizzying display of Shadows and Light.
I had to see the origin of that sound.
Maybe it was a wounded animal that I would be able to help.
I crept forward. Nearly silent as a cat.
I could begin to see another entrance into another tunnel
pass. I slowly made my way to the
entrance of the passageway. I had cracked two more chem
lights. Walking across the nearly 50
feet, expanse of the chamber. I place one at the entrance to
the hallway, pulling out my flashlight.
I On to the max brightness and moved on the hallway.
Wasn't as long as I had anticipated.
Maybe 25 feet or so it spilled out into a much smaller chamber
with several offshoot. Hallways leading to God, only
knows where what I saw in the center of that chamber look to
be right out of a horror movie. Piles of Bones, antlers scraps
of hide in rotten flesh. I stood rooted to the stone
floor. Unable to move.
I looked around in horror at the several hallways, realizing that
they weren't passages. But more like smaller living
Chambers, you could see to the rear of each of them with my
powerful beam of light. That is when I heard that sound
again this time, much closer, it came from the far, left sub
chamber. I'm sure if it I had snapped to
the direction of that horrific sound and I could see for
glowing yellow eyes, blinking back at me, less intense light
from my helmet, was able to make out a rough shape of whatever
stood about 20 or so feet directly in front of me.
It was small about four feet in height and oddly shaped.
It stood, upright ish, not fully standing, but close enough.
It didn't appear to have any fur.
It was white like it has never been in the sun, white.
I snap my more powerful light to the pair.
I wish I hadn't, I got a good look at them.
This time I nearly dropped my light from sheer revulsion.
What I saw can't be explained they were humanoid but clearly
not human. They both had huge oval eyes
that squinted and almost closed as my powerful beam focused on
them, the bigger of the two. I can only assume was the mail
or whatever Screech that awful sound and clawed at the air, in
front of it size, the smaller one, retreated, back into the
Blackness of its chamber whimpering as it did.
At that point, I heard another sound coming from the right of
me, snapping my head in that direction.
I saw three more of them, hobble into the larger chamber.
One big one, one smaller, one in a very small, but equally
terrifying, child-sized one. This little one made a sound
that could break glass when my 1000 Lumen light hit.
It's Or sensitive eyes. I don't know what these things
were, maybe an offshoot of evolution, a freak of nature.
I have no idea. I began to back out of that
smaller chamber, forgetting about the pile of bones.
That was behind me. I tripped and stumbled over some
of the loose bones. And that is when I saw it a
skull with a gold tooth and Lee. No, I began yelling, dating my
solid footing again. I swept the light around seeing
only three of the five previously seen creatures.
I had no idea where they had gone in the few seconds that my
light wasn't trained on them. I had turned and ran towards the
big chamber hearing a shriek behind me as I gained speed.
I blasted out of that hallway. Only to find that all of the
chem lights that I had placed along.
My short Trail had been piled up in the center of the bigger
chamber. They were not just piled up, but
they were placed in a way that could only show some kind of
intelligence since there was only one way to go.
I ran for it. I could hear slapping a flesh on
the stone floor behind me. I'm about six foot two and have
a pretty good build. I take rather long strides while
walking and much bigger ones while running those tiny
creatures. Couldn't keep up with my much
faster legs. I ran toward the small glimpse
of light that I could see. It was about 75 feet in front of
me, coming from the entrance from which I went in shrieking.
Continue behind me as well as slapping feet on Stone.
I sprinted towards the light and I entered the first chamber, the
big male was waiting for me at the entrance its back.
Turn to the light. I dropped my shoulder and ran
full force into its torso, leveling it in one.
Savage, blow, barely. Even slowing down.
It got one. Good, swipe in on me.
Furling my right. Forearm, most likely deep enough
to require Stitches the body of the big male slammed into the
stone wall and you could hear an audible sound as its head
connected with stone, I left up grabbing the rope with both
hands, wrapping my feet around the rope and quickly as possible
climbed for my life, the other male.
Entered the chamber. As I was about 15 feet off the
stone floor, it slashed at the rope with razor like claws.
I got high enough to grab the side of the Rock and heave
myself up into the bright sunny day.
I rolled over to my side and quickly began pulling up my now
shredded rope, I lay there for a few minutes hearing the anchored
screams and shrieks coming from below.
I got back to my Jeep about 45 minutes later nearly spent after
running the entire way I got in my Jeep after I quickly packed
up my campsite I called my buddies and told them what
happened. Of course, they didn't believe
me at first until I showed them the pictures of the wound that
the big one gave me, three fingers of claws, raked across
my forearm. I drove to the nearest hospital
to get patched up seventy five stitches in all to close the
wounds. They took some DNA evidence from
the wound as well. I spoke with the local sheriff's
office about the incident. They took a statement and
promised to follow up. It's been two months.
I haven't heard anything from Law enforcement but I did hear
back from the hospital earlier. This morning, the DNA found in
my wound has no known species associated with it.
The closest relative would be a monkey.
Technology is your friend that was the phrase.
I'd had almost ceremoniously drilled into my head from a
rather young age. As someone who was born in the
early 90s, I was alive to witness the world, take the jump
into the digital age. Following the turn of the
Millennium. I grew up watching the old
technology of the 20th century. Everything from analog
television to Copper phone lines, get phased out and
replaced all the while hearing that the new versions were
better more efficient and safer. And for a while, I actually
believed it, I wasn't what you would call a stickler for old
Tech. I moved with the times adopting,
new technology as it came along, everything from broadband
internet to smartphones to Smart TVs and cars with self-driving
capabilities. I was excited about it all as
well. Hearing about a new leap and
progress, always excited, me greatly as it meant a step
closer to the Future. I'd seen in cartoons as a kid,
such as the Jetsons that all changed last year.
It started small enough, I'd be standing or sitting somewhere
scrolling through social media on my phone, when it would
glitch up and freeze on me. I hadn't done anything wrong,
and I had good anti-virus software installed on it.
So the fact that a less than 2 year old, phone was going on the
fritz annoyed. Me to no end.
Friggin piece of crap, I his third gritted teeth, as I sat at
my desk, during a particularly slow shift at work as my phone.
Once again, froze, then went black as it shut itself off and
rebooted Vivian. Coworker who sat in the cubicle
across from me, looked over with mild interest everything.
All right, Jared she asked I shook my head, this stupid thing
did it again to me, I exclaimed quietly.
So my boss wouldn't here, I wasn't working even on slow
shifts. He insisted we keep going to, as
he put it, prevent paying you to just sit on your lazy butts like
you're back in school. She Shrugged have you taken it
to a repair shop to try and have the problem diagnosed eyesight.
And rolled my eyes slightly, you know, I have Vivian three times
and each one said that my phone was running perfectly.
I said I saw her scrunch up her face and raised a hand to play
with her blond hair. Well, why not just toss it and
get a new one. She asked.
I scoffed, Vivian. I've worked here for four years.
You ought to know by now, I'm not into that whole disposable,
throw something away as soon as it breaks or goes wonky culture.
She Shrugged again suit yourself.
She said but it Be a hell of a lot easier for you to just get a
new one. I shook my head and turn back to
my computer, placing the now, rebooted phone screen down on
the desk. I may have been someone who
Moved with the times in terms of tech but I didn't like wasting
money just to get rid of something after less than two or
three years, I already got annoyed when people just bought
our least a car for a year which ran perfectly fine before
Hawking it and getting a single model year newer iteration 12
months later when I got home that night I hooked my Phone up
to my laptop running my own diagnostic software on it, just
like with the repairmen it reported that the phone was in
Tip-Top shape with no viruses or malware detected.
Maybe Vivian is, right? I thought as I climbed into bed,
maybe just this once I should take the owl and get a new phone
as I stared at my ceiling fan. Lazily spinning.
The abnormally warm spring are around my room.
I heard my phone, let out a soft ding indicating that.
I'd received a text message rolling-over.
I picked it up. The table next to the bed and
click the screen on with the hell is texting me.
This late as the screen flashed to life, causing me to wince and
close my eyes from the glare, it let out another little ding.
I opened my eyes and let them slowly adjust to the light as
soon as the screen came into Focus, I saw that I did.
Indeed have two texts waiting for me but I felt nothing but
puzzle. Mid wash over me like a wave for
one. There was no phone number.
Shown above the message notifications themselves.
It Don't even say it was an unknown number.
The area was simply blank. Something I'd never seen before.
Stranger still was the fact that both text messages comprised of
nothing more than single letters?
The first was the letter W and the second was easy.
I wondered I waited to see if any more messages would come in,
but none did the phone screen eventually flicking to block
from inactivity, I side and placed it back on the
nightstand. Then rolled over onto my side.
Great. Now, it's messing up so badly.
It's glitching Single Character, text messages, I let out a long
sigh making a mental note to take the phone back to the
repair guy at my local mall next week.
When he got back from vacation, if anyone would know what was
causing that it would be him. I thought one final time about
the glitch, then let out a soft sleepy laughs in the dark room.
We I muttered as I finally drifted off into a restful
sleep, the next day, went by normally until lunch time.
I was sitting in my buildings cafeteria Eating a cold turkey
and cheese sandwich with Vivian and my other office, buddy.
Davin when my phone went off three times in a row this time,
I picked it up saying that I'd receive three text messages all
with the same send time of 1248 again.
They were only single letters this time.
AR + e0. What the flip?
I groaned. Dropping it back onto the table.
What's up Davin asked through a large, mouthful of potato salad.
Vivian shot a glance at my phone.
Again, she asked I shook my head.
No it started doing something completely new last night single
letter. Text messages from nobody to
last night, and three. Now, Davin looked over at the
phone with mock fright, swallowing his food spooky.
It's the ghost in the machine. He let out in a poor imitation
of a creepy voice, raising his arms as though he were a
stereotypical ghost with a sheet over his head.
Very funny. Jerk I muttered letting half of
my mouth curl up in a smile at his stupid joke as I reached for
my bottle of water. Hey, at least I don't have a big
butt equipped back and this time the entire table laughed,
seriously though it continued. It's probably like Vivian said,
just a defective phone, just junk it and get a new one.
I slowly nodded my head. I've been beginning to lean
towards it but I don't know something just doesn't sit right
with me. I motion towards it.
I've had that thing for a year and like seven months and it's
Done this to me before, both my co-workers Shrugged, that
happens sometimes, Vivian offered I couldn't help but nod
she was much more versed on technology than I was out of
sheer. Curiosity, did the letter spell
anything out? She asked it was my turn to
shrug. Well, the first two letters were
wnd, these were a R and E so I guess it's spelled out.
We are the two of them. Shared a look, what I asked.
They didn't say anything still. Looking at each other.
What I demanded a little harder. Feeling a small sense of worry.
Come over me. Well, Vivian began.
Well, what I exclaimed all at once.
Both of them shot each other Grins and began singing in
unison. We are who we are as they
finished. I realized what they'd done as
they fell into peels of laughter.
Really I said, letting out a scoff.
You start singing that crappy annoying pop song from a few
years ago, they looked at me and both nodded Then began laughing
again. I shook my head and smirked at
the stupidity of it all slipping my phone into my pocket and
standing up from the table to dump.
My trash into the bin, those two could find a way to joke about
the beheading of Queen in. I felt my phone.
Begin to buzz continuously in my pocket but chose to ignore it.
I'd see whatever dumb letters were on it.
When I got home in a few hours for the moment, I put the whole
thing out of my mind and walked back to the elevator to my
cubicle that evening as I was driving.
Going home. I decided instead of cooking
something myself to stop by some place and grab something quick
to eat. I felt massively tired from the
workload that had been heaped on my shoulders and had no energy
to make anything I settled on the first place.
I came across, which happened to be a Subway as I stood.
In line, watching the teenager behind the counter make my
sandwich. I decided to pass the time by
quickly looking at the dumb messages.
I'd gotten earlier, pulling my phone from my pocket, I click
the screen on sir. Would you like a toasted?
The kid asked me momentarily. Distracting me?
I looked up quickly. Yeah, please.
I said then look down at my phone again.
There have been eight messages in a row this time too many to
see on the lock screen. I flicked my thumb across the
screen and tapped on the message icon, bringing up my texting app
just like before they'd all come from.
No, number I shook my head, tapping on the message to open
it up and then I froze. It felt like my feet had become
rooted to ooh, the well, clean tile floor beneath me.
The room suddenly felt as though it were far too warm and I felt
my head begin to spin like I would faint my heart began to
pound in my chest as I read and reread the eight messages, it's
spelled watching. What the actual hell.
I felt my breath hitch in my throat.
As I scroll back up to the previous messages then slowly
began to scroll down as I did. The message that each individual
letter. Spelled out sent a shiver up my
spine. We are watching.
I Suddenly overcome with the feeling I had eyes on me.
I slowly turned and looked behind me.
There were three other people in the shop.
What looked like a couple in their early 20s and an
overweight balding, middle-aged man alone at a corner Booth,
none of them had phones visible anywhere near them and no one
cast a glance. My way, still the feeling of
being observed, remained of sir, I Heard a Voice softly speak
behind me. I turned still feeling in a daze
to see the kids staring at me. His eyes filled with CERN and a
hint of annoyance. He held my toasted sandwich on
the sliding railing in front of him.
Waiting for me to tell him what toppings to add.
I shook my head, not wanting my expression to betray the
unwilling feeling of paranoia, which had overtaken me.
Oh, um, sorry about that. I stammered then quickly telling
him what I wanted. I paid for my sandwich, drink
and chips, and stumbled to my car opening the door and
dropping into the seat. I dropped the bag of food onto
the passenger seat, then, yank, the phone.
Of my pocket. I almost instinctively hurled it
away from me into the passenger foot well as though, it were a
venomous snake, what the hell is going on?
I thought, as I sat there hearing the pitter-patter of
rain, begin to drum on the roof that couldn't have been a
glitch, could it? I honestly didn't know.
All I did know, was that. I suddenly felt Beyond
uncomfortable, not to mention, thoroughly creeped out.
I reached out and push the start button.
Feeling the Cadillac vibrate beneath me as the V8 Rumble to
life. I began to debate what to do is
I put the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.
If I wanted to, I could take the phone to another repair shop,
one that was still open and tell them about what had happened,
but no, they likely wouldn't find anything wrong.
Again, I could also try taking the phone to the police again.
No, I thought miserably as the realization came over me.
They wouldn't be able to do anything.
Since there is no number attached to the messages.
I sighed as I came to a red light Staring out past the
rapidly flicking, windshield wipers, I could just go get a
new phone in the morning. I've got all my contacts in a
physical address book at home for backup.
I could stop by Verizon tomorrow.
Tell them. I need a new phone due to
unforeseen circumstances. This one is still under warranty
anyways as I debated I suddenly felt a chill / through me as a
familiar. Now, Sinister seeming.
Sound emanated from the passenger footwell.
Ding twisting my neck as though, it were on a swivel, I saw the
bright white light from the screen glowing up from the
floor. The light turned green, and I
stomped on the accelerator, the rear tires, breaking loose for a
moment, then shooting the car forward, as soon as I was
through the intersection, I yank, the car over to the side
of the road, almost curbing, the wheels jamming it into park.
I tore my seat belt loose and snatched the phone from its
resting place. The first thing I noticed was
that at the top of the screen, the Bluetooth symbol something
which I very rarely if ever used was now.
Visible indicating it had been turned on this brought back the
paranoia, which had begun to subside, but it wasn't what
scented into overdrive that was due to the two notifications
which appeared on the lock screen.
The first was one, which indicated that another device
had been wirelessly with mine. The area where it would show.
The devices name was filled with nothing but hashtags and star
symbols. The second was what made begin
to hyperventilate the device. Ask for camera privileges almost
on cue the A flashlight, which also functioned as the camera's
flash flicked on, almost blinding me with it.
That decided it for me. I let out a strangled Cry of
panic. Fumbling around in the cabin as
my hand, Claude for the driver's door, handle after a moment of
sheer Panic, my fingers found the metal godsend and I yanked
it back as hard as I could kicking the door open and
stumbling out into the pouring rain.
I raised the phone as high over my head as I could and through a
towards the ground with all the strength I had Crushed facing up
at me, the impact, letting out a huge cracking sound as the
plastic backing exploded. But I wasn't finished raising my
right foot. I began to bring it down on the
phone as hard as I could stomping, repeatedly, as though,
it were an actual attacker I'd encountered in my house.
I lost track of how many times I brought my foot down on the damn
thing. I feel like I must have lost
control of myself for a moment because when I came to my
senses, I was completely soaked to the bone, and the phone was
nothing more than a broken. Ian pile of plastic glass and
exposed wiring breathing heavily.
I looked up to see a homeless man, who taken shelter under the
awning of a donut shop staring quizzically at me.
Realizing how I looked. I dropped back into my car, the
seat letting out, a squelch from my soaked clothes.
I pulled the door closed. Allowing my breathing too slow
to normal. I swallowed then realizing my
throat was dry reached into the bag and pulled out.
The bottle of coke I bought with my sandwich.
I twisted the cap off and took a Once we get the cold, stinging
soda, quenching my thirst, I kept the bottle and placed it
into the cup holder, resting my head, back into the headrest.
It's okay Jared. You're okay, whatever.
That was the phone's broken. Now it's over.
I repeated the thoughts over and over to myself when I began to
feel a little better, I put the car back and drive and pulled
away from the curb as I drove away.
I glanced in my rearview mirror for some odd reason.
I don't know why I did, but Something had told me to look I
couldn't make out much in the dark and downpour but I swear I
thought I could see the faint outline of somebody standing on
the curb near where I'd been parked.
They stood absolutely still and though I couldn't tell which way
they were looking, I could almost swear, they were staring
after me. It made me drive home.
Just a little bit faster. The next morning, I returned to
the Verizon store, telling the woman behind the customer
service desk that I'd had an accident and had broken my
phone. She was great.
Just enough a smile, adorning, her face, as she told me that I
was eligible for a replacement phone under both my warranty and
my contract and gestured for me to pick out, whichever one I
wanted from the display section behind us.
I didn't really pay much closer attention.
As I browsed quickly selecting a random one from the lineup after
a few moments, she brought the phone and box out to me.
Okay, sir. Now there's just one final
thing. I need to check with you.
She looked up at me. I assume you'd like to keep the
same phone. Phone number.
We assigned to your old phone afterwards.
I felt a surge of panic course through me though.
I accidentally yelled out causing her to jump.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell that out.
I said, feeling embarrassed about the Outburst.
I just meant if it would be okay.
If I could just have a new number please.
The woman gave me a sideways. Look then plastered her working
smile back on her face. Of course sir, we can absolutely
do that for you. When I got back home after work,
Evening, I quickly entered in all my contacts, into my new
phone, then dropped it on my coffee table and walk to my
entertainment center, a good movie will help take my mind off
that honestly, rather scary experience.
I thought opening the doors, I reached in and pulled out.
One of my favorite movies, a British crime drama from 1956
called yield to the night. Placing the Blu-ray disc in the
machine, I dropped onto the couch and let my mind Drift Away
into the movie for the next hour and 40.
It's the world around me fell away, and I immersed myself in
the story of the main character who had murdered the lover of
her lover and had been sentenced to death for it.
When the film ended, I stood up and stretched my arms over my
head, a yawn, escaping my lips. I shut the TV off.
Then walk towards my bedroom for a moment.
I stopped and looked down at the new phone wondering if I should
bring it into the bedroom with me.
But I shook my head and left it where it was wandering into the
bedroom and dropping onto it after pulling off, Mike.
Close, I tossed and turned the movie.
Now, beginning to fall away from my mind and the last few days
returning, I tried to banish them away the same way a night
light, which you away a child's imaginary monster.
But no matter how hard I tried the image of those messages,
spelling out, the three words remained in my mind, and don't
forget that figure. You saw that night, I groaned at
myself from remembering that more than likely it had just
been a passerby someone interested in the odd-looking
fellow stomping on his Phone in the middle of a driving
rainstorm like a madman. I tried to repeat that idea to
myself soon though. I drifted off into a rather
uneasy sleep one filled with terrifying dreams of the dark
figure walking through the pouring rain towards my house,
the next day, my office had a huge meeting with one of the
members of the board to discuss a big merger.
We be dealing with over the next few weeks.
I sat in my cubicle waiting to be called into the huge
conference room when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
Sensation made me jump letting out a small gasp of air behind
me, though. I heard Vivian laughs.
I turned to look at her finding her smiling wide at me.
I just sent you. The funniest damn video I've
ever seen before. She exclaimed, pointing at her
own phone, I relax my shoulders, letting out a relieved sigh
nice. I said, beginning to reach into
my pocket for it, that's when the announcement went out over,
the speakers will all employees on the third floor Offices.
Please report to the conference France room.
I slid. My fingers through my hair and
looked at Vivian, I guess that's us.
I said standing up. She nodded then following me we
joined the Throne of others. Walking down the hallway, to the
meeting. The room was massive with the
giant mahogany table taking up the majority of the space and
the room. There was enough room for at
least 30 or 40 people to sit at once and we all dropped into
whatever seats. We wanted a moment later, the
board member entered, the room, greeting us, and moving over to
a slide projector. Actor for the next 10 minutes,
he spoke droning on and on about our responsibilities.
I was beginning to feel as though I would not off when I
felt my phone. Vibrate in my pocket, I ignored
it knowing the head honcho behind us didn't like us.
Looking away from his presentations.
However, I felt it begin to vibrate incessantly.
The sensation almost feeling like a bee had become trapped in
my pocket. Vivian, this better not be you.
I thought exasperatedly as I tried, as hard as I could to
fish the phone out of my pocket. Quiet without being noticed, I
had turned the brightness down earlier, so it wouldn't be easy
to spot policing. The phone under the edge of the
table. I clicked open the phone screen
and look down the sounds of the conference room and the words of
the board member disappeared into the ether.
As I stared at the screen, my poles began to Quicken, and I
felt my heart begin to thud hard and fast in my chest, almost, to
the point. It was painful, my breath caught
in my throat and for a moment, I thought I would simply pass out,
right? Here and now there were 21, text
messages waiting for me, according to the lock screen,
all of them sent by no number feeling a rising wave of panic.
Envelop me, I frantically flicked, open the screen and
clicked open the message app. I already dreaded what I would
see, but I still wasn't prepared for the amount of Terror and
Dread. I felt as I scroll through each
individual message again, containing only a single letter
this time though. They spelled out a message while
similar to the first was far worse.
We are watching you Jared as I stared at the screen to thought
zap through my mind. How did they get my new number?
Oh God. They know my name.
This second one was what made me feel like I wanted to throw up.
Whoever was sending the texts. Not only had gotten my new
number. They knew my freaking name
fighting back the rising wave of bile and my throat.
I stood to my feet, something the matter Wexler, the board
member asked me. I felt the eyes of everyone
turned to me in the far corner. I saw Vivian.
Giving me a weird. Look.
I forced a pathetic squeak of a voice out from my lips.
I am. I'm sorry.
I've got to go. And before anyone could stop me
or say anything. I stumbled on shaky legs from
the conference room, I didn't go to the bathroom though.
I went straight to my desk, grabbing the key, fob to my car,
and my jacket before taking the elevator down to the lobby, I
practically dashed for the parking, lot crashing into a
heap in the driver's seat. After wrenching the door open,
fine. Fine to hell with this.
I'm going to the cops. I said to myself, starting the
engine, I pulled out of the parking lot and did just that, I
went straight to the closest, precinct barging through the
doors to the desk, sergeant on duty, I sputtered out what I
dealt with for the last few days.
And after a few attempts to be understood, he guided me back to
where a detective, took my statement after I'd finished, he
leaned back in his chair, interlacing, his fingers behind
his head, while as much as I admit.
That is both an opportunity. An eerie thing to happen, mr.
Wexler, there's not really much I can do since you don't know
who's sending you these messages and don't have a number.
I can't do much, except tell you to contact us again.
If you receive them, I sighed dejectedly.
My head. Drooping down to look at the
floor. He spoke softly more kindly I
wish there was more I could do. I looked up to see him lean
forward if I may, can I ask to see your phone?
He asked I fished it out of my pocket handing it to him.
Sure. Can I ask why he glanced up as
he pulled his own phone out of his pocket?
I'd like to copy these messages to my phone for our records.
Just so if you get more of them, we know it's the same situation.
I nodded looking back down at the floor.
After a few minutes, I heard the detectives voice speak for some
reason, it held a trace of irritation in it.
Mr. Wexler. I glanced up to see him holding
out my phone. Where are the messages you told
me about? I felt my jaw dropped.
Open. I stared at my own phone screen,
the message app, he'd opened the only message app.
I had installed was empty there weren't even ones I'd sent back
and forth with my friends and co-workers, let alone the creepy
message, all it showed was a single line of texts messages,
empty, make a connection, and send a friend, a text, I
blinked, a couple of times willing for my vision to be
mistaken, but no messages reappeared, what I let out
trying to force my mouth to form words.
I don't understand the detective dropped my phone on the desk,
his irritation now apparent. I don't know what you're playing
at mr. Wexler, but we have a lot of
cases real ones to deal with. We don't have time for false
reports to be made which may I remind you as a crime in itself.
I tried to open my mouth to speak, but he held up a hand.
Now I'm not going to charge you with filing a false police
report he continued, but if you don't want to try my patience I
suggest you take your phone and Leave unable to say anything
else and feeling a wave of Despair wash over me.
I picked up my phone and left. As I walked outside, my phone,
vibrated and let out a soft ding feeling equal, amounts of fear
and anger, rush into me. I flicked on the screen.
This time that was a single message to words.
Nice. Try I began to feel true rage,
well up and me when it went off again, we're watching you Jared
and as if to emphasize the point I saw the Bluetooth symbol
flick. Khan, I didn't know what else to
do. I slammed the brand new phone
onto the ground, then raise my foot and brought it down onto
it. Screw you, I screamed out as I
destroyed the second phone in two days, a moment later, I
realized how I looked and glanced around everyone near me,
had stopped to watch the spectacle the couple teenagers
had even pulled their own phones out of their pockets and were
recording my, what I can only describe as a mental break, you
look utterly insane right now Jared I thought Looking around,
I felt another wave of paranoia, fly through me and felt the
sensation of being intensely. Watched come over me.
I didn't bother looking back though.
I didn't know where it was coming from.
Not with so many eyes and cameras on me.
I just rode away from the station, feeling equal parts,
terrified angry and paranoid. I made it to my car, dropping
into the seat before pressing my hands into my eyes at the
migraine which had fallen over me.
I took deep breaths, fighting to stay in control of my emotions.
A emotions did a grip, man, I whispered out after a moment, it
seemed to work feeling calmer, I started the car and drove away,
happily, and thank God for it. The next month or so seem to
pass by peacefully. I'd canceled my phone contract
with Verizon, which resulted in a rather large early termination
fee, but I willingly paid it. Instead, I use the money, I
would have on the monthly bill to instead purchase two
different things. The first was a landline,
something Hadn't had an almost 20 years, the lower textile just
somehow felt safer to me. The second was that I still
needed some kind of mobile phone for work to be able to be
reached when out of the house. So I went off to Walmart and
bought myself a burner phone. One of those you pay with a
physical phone card. I also didn't purchase a
smartphone. I bought the most basic flip
phone. I possibly could one that still
ran off the old 4G phone systems.
Instead of five G1 which had no With connectivity.
Barely any ability to access the internet and most importantly,
no camera on it at all. And for those next three weeks,
my life began to get back to normal.
That was until one Friday afternoon.
I had the day off, so I just lounged about the house watching
movies and playing video games, as I was attempting to get
through a particularly difficult section of horizon zero Dawn.
I heard my doorbell rang hitting pause, I got up and walked to
the front door. Other side through the glass
mounted on the sides of the door way.
I could see the unmistakable shape of a delivery man.
The FedEx logo was clearly visible on his hat and shirt.
I unlock the door and opened it. Yes, I asked Jared Wexler, he
asked smiling at me. I nodded he held out his
portable computer terminal. Sign here, please taking the
electronic pain. I quickly scratched out my
signature then took the thin sealed envelope, from him as he
turned. Began walking back to his van,
shutting the door behind me. I stared at the envelope, and
confusion, I didn't order anything offline.
Recently, walking into the kitchen, I sat at the table and
peeled open one side, shaking the envelope to items tumbled,
out of it onto the counter. The first, I couldn't tell as it
had fallen face down. The second, however, hadn't, it
had. Landed face up as I stared at
it. My eyes widened and I felt my
breath. Begin to come ragged and fast.
My heartbeat sped up, thudding wildly in my chest.
It was a single sheet of paper on which someone had typed out,
a single message, the letters had been typed in large font
size making each word crystal clear.
We'll be seeing you soon Jared fighting back a rising wave of
panic. I reached for the upended sheet
of paper with trembling fingers and after a moment's hesitation
flipped it over. What I saw on the other side
made, my breath stopped entirely.
I felt a scream begin to fight its way.
Way up from my chest. As I stared at it only turning
to look back into the living room and back.
It was a large glossy color. Photograph, the detail was
perfect and complete high definition.
What it made me want to scream was what the picture was of the
photograph was of me me, sitting on my living room couch, wearing
the shirt and pants, I'd worn. Two days ago, the shot was taken
straight on. As I'd relaxed watching old
horror movies, I could see the Dopey half smile plastered on my
face as I I'd laugh through Deep Rising.
I knew instantly were the photo had been taken.
The photo had been taken through the camera in my smart TV,
Almost as soon as the note and photo tumbled out of that, FedEx
envelope, two things happened in Rapid succession.
The first was that I immediately dashed over to the wall mounted
TV and clambered for the plug, yanking it out of the wall
outlet, hard enough to let out a small spark for a moment.
I stared at the small insect camera mounted at the top of the
frame, one night, previously regarded with joy and Intrigue
as I'd used it to video call friends and family who lived
across the country. Now though it Reminded me more
of something out of a dystopian horror novel.
The second thing that happened was I called the cops despite
how my previous interaction with them, especially the detective
had gone. I dialed 911.
Anyways, this time I had proof that couldn't be simply deleted
out from under my nose. Still, I wasn't taking any
chances while I waited for them to arrive.
I kept both the photo and note clutched, tightly in my hand,
I'd seen far too many films, were physical proof had been
left laying around. Around only to have it swiped
away when the authorities arrived like, hell, that's
happening here. A few minutes later, I saw the
two police cruisers pull up to the curb and I opened the door
just like with the detective, they treated my story with an
understandable sense of skepticism, at first, their
expressions changed. When I held out the two items I
had received in the mail, after looking at them and sharing a
look, they began to take me far more seriously.
Many phone calls and radio Transmissions were made Made and
half an hour later. The same detective I dealt with
before whose name I Learned was Detective Munch house had shown
up as well. This is very serious.
He said looking up from the now bagged and tact note and photo
at me, digital hacking and privacy invasion is a crime but
it's one, which can be very hard to track back down to the
suspect, mr. Wexler, I looked up at him from
across my kitchen table hearing the voices of other officers in
my living room, as members of the cyber crime, forensics team.
Them in the television. So what are you telling me?
I asked a note of anxiety audible in my voice that you're
not going to be able to find whoever is doing this to me.
He shook his head. That's not what I'm saying.
Mr. Wexler not entirely. At least he held his hands out.
There are many different types of cyber criminals.
Everything from amateurs who leave behind a digital paper
trail. You can observe from the space
station to some of the most knowledgeable black hats who
rarely if ever Get caught. We need to find out which
category this individual or group of individuals are in.
We may be able to find them. He gave me a look of sympathy,
but then again, we may not. I felt my shoulders slump at his
words and my head, lowered down to look at the wooden table.
However, I heard him say we are going to try our best to find
them if our own local cybercrime unit.
Can't get any Headway since. This seems to be Beyond just a
normal intrusion will reach out to some of the bigger.
For help. I looked back up and nodded a
uniformed officer one. With a great goatee, stuck his
head into the kitchen. Detective, the forensics team
have finished their overview, they weren't able to find any
way. The photo I've been taken here.
They're asking if they have permission to take it back to
the lab for further study detective, monk house shot me a
look. I wave my hand at him.
Take the damn thing as far as I'm concerned.
Keep it and lock it up in an Evidence Locker somewhere
forever. I don't want it in my house
anymore. He nodded at me.
Then nodded to the officer who disappeared back into the living
room. I saw him reach into the inner
pocket of his coat, pulling out a card and placing it in the
middle of the table. This has my personal cell number
mr. Wexler, if anything.
And I do mean anything else, shows up be it physical or on
your phone? I cut him off.
I got rid of my smartphone detective.
I held up the flip phone, which had been on the table beside me.
He turned his head and surprise them.
Started while regardless get in touch with me.
If anything else happens. He said, I nodded then thought
of something. What about in the meantime, I
asked him as he stood up from the table, he scratched his
head. Well, for a few days, I'll have
a squad car placed on the street in front of your house, it's
unlikely. These people will actually make
a physical move on you, especially now that you've
called us, but it'll be erring on the side of caution, I nodded
letting out a sigh of relief before.
Making him, he waved me away and began to follow the other
officers to carrying my TV out to a forensics van before
turning back in the doorway. I'm sorry I didn't believe you
at first mr. Wexler, he admitted.
I dismissed him with a wave of my own.
You couldn't have known. I admitted after giving me a
final hard. Look, he nodded then, close the
front door behind him. I was left alone in the silence,
which now seemed almost suffocating after the events of
the evening as I thought of Thing to do to help get my mind
off of things, something flashed into my mind.
I had to Smart TVs, one, which the police had taken and a
second up in my bedroom, which face directly at my bed before
the thought had even finished. In my mind, I was dashing up the
stairs and into my bedroom crashing through the half-open
door, it sat on top of my dresser dark, and Silent for a
moment. I thought about letting it be
after all the photo had come from the downstairs TV, Not this
one. Nope, I'm not taking any chances
here. I thought as I crossed to it and
pulled the power plug from the wall, I unhook the cable and
Blu-ray connectors, then carried it down stairs, and out the
front door where I dumped it on the sidewalk next to the trash
bins. The next day, as I had the
weekend off of work, I drove to my local Goodwill and purchase
two old TVs, both were the old box ecrt sets too old to have
any way to have someone spy on me through them.
I brought them back home and Setting them up when my landline
rang. I answered hearing davin's voice
on the other end Jared. What the heck happened at?
Your place Molly was driving by last night and she saw a couple
cop cars out front. I began to open my mouth to tell
him but stopped I'd known Devin for almost seven years.
Now, as long as I'd worked for the company, I trusted him
completely. He'll the man had even invited
me to his wedding. But at the same time, I had no
idea who was doing this to me. It could be someone many miles
away or it could be someone much closer to home the feeling that
I couldn't trust. Anyone was one.
I'd never had before and I didn't like it still, I kept my
cards close to the vest. Some homeless guy.
Tried breaking into my house through the backyard.
That's all I lied. Trying, as hard as I could to
sound casual. Wow, was all he said a small
moment of silence spreading out between us for a moment.
I thought he'd clicked off before he spoke again.
Anyways, Of the office we're talking.
And we thought about having an afternoon lunch tomorrow at
Chang's in the mall. You want to go.
I debated on it for the moment then nodded my head at.
No 1 and it'd be good for you to get out of here for a bit after
this sure. Why not?
I said, great. I'll let them know you'll be
going. He said enthusiastically before,
bidding me good night, I hung the phone up on its hook.
Then shook my head and went back to setting up the new TVs.
The next day I walked act out to my car at about half past noon.
I saw the squad car on the other side of the street and raised an
arm to wave to them. They did the same seeing I was
leaving and I saw one radio it in climbing into my car, I
started the engine and backed out of my driveway.
I decided I'd take a couple back roads instead of the main ones.
Not only would it save me some time and it also give me a
chance to admire the beautiful trees and lakes.
On the way I was happy to see very few cars.
Also taking the road. As I passed an old farmhouse,
the Red Barn in silos. Glinting in the light, my car is
dashed. Let out a little ring.
I looked at it feeling a bit confused as I saw the
notification, I had an incoming call displayed on the screen.
What the hell, my flip phone has no Bluetooth and I don't have
anything else paired to it. Feeling a slight sense of
uneasiness fall over me. I looked closer and saw davin's
name pop up on the caller ID I reached out with my thumb and
after a moment's hesitation hit The green accept button on my
steering wheel. Pillow a Davin.
I said there was no answer from the speaker's though.
I could tell. There was someone on the other
end of the line. I could hear someone breathing
very softly Davin. Hello.
I said, still no answer. Okay, this is beyond weird.
I thought and began to reach for the red disconnect button when
someone spoke, but it wasn't Devon.
Hello Jared. I felt the color drained from my
face and my hands gripped. The wheel It more tightly
whoever was speaking was using some sort of voice masking
software the same type. You'd hear people use on crime
programs. When they wanted to remain
anonymous, it continued, it's nice to finally speak directly
to you. My voice had become lodged in my
throat and for a moment, I looked down at the flip phone in
the cup holder. I'd program detective monk
houses number into it and I wondered, if I could quietly
flip it open and speed dial him, I found my voice finally, as I
slowly Took one hand off the steering wheel.
Watching a beautiful pond flash by on my left.
Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?
I said attempting to sound intimidating, but knowing I
failed miserably the person on the other end laughed.
Oh, come on now Jared. Where's the fun in?
Spoiling the surprise on that, it laughed again, maybe you'll
find out. Then again, maybe you won't my
right hand had made it to the flip phone, and I slowly began
to lift it out of the cup. That was when the brakes on my
car, locked up for no reason. At all, I was shot forward.
The only thing that kept me from smashing into the steering
wheel, being the seat belt, the flip phone flew from my hand and
landed somewhere. I couldn't see as the car began
driving again. What the hell was that I didn't
hit the brakes? No, don't be like that.
Jared The Voice through the speakers said you ruined the fun
for a while by going to the police and then try to again
when you called them last night. The Person clock their tongue.
I'm not going to have us disturb this time, it laughed again.
And as I reached down, I heard my car.
Let out a beep. Looking back up.
I saw something which sent a chill through me.
My car is a 2020 Cadillac ct-6 V.
I'd purchased it to treat myself.
When I gotten an extremely nice bonus, two years ago, as I had
never owned a car as new before. One of the options I'd insisted
on finding had been the true hands-free driving system called
super cruise and now as Stared in horror.
And even though I knew it was a road, it shouldn't have been
able to work on the green glow from the top of the steering
wheel indicated that it had been activated.
At the same time, I felt the car begin to accelerate even though
my foot wasn't pressing hard down on the accelerator, The
Voice laughed again, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to hack
into newer cars connected to the internet.
It said, almost in a boastful tone, all it takes is a few
keystrokes. And whoop, I stared at the speed
as a past, 80 miles an hour, Our and kept climbing rapidly,
please stop the car, I begged. All I got was a laugh in return,
then the voice lost all humor in it, enjoy the ride Jared it
said. Before the line went dead, the
car kept accelerating now, reaching 110 miles an hour.
I reached out and frantically tried turning the steering wheel
but it wouldn't move an inch in my hands.
All of a sudden, a new sound assaulted my years, the radio
had begun to play music all on its own.
Owner. I stared at the screen and felt
a sick sinking sensation in my stomach, as I recognize both the
opening guitar, riff and the name, displayed on the screen,
Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult in desperation, I
began jamming my foot down on the brake pedal, hoping
something would happen but even though it went all the way to
the floor of the car, only continued to pick up speed trees
houses and lakes went by in an almost indistinguishable blur.
As the car passed, 130 miles an hour.
The speedometer L almost on the far right side, know the lyrics
to the song one which for all my life.
I'd loved hearing now, held a sick, sadistic tone to them as
the singer belted out the song's title over and over.
What the hell do I do? I didn't know there wasn't much,
I could do. I felt tears begin to well, up
in my eyes, as I was pressed back into the seat.
That was when a sign whipped by on the right, it was too quick
to read, but I'd gone by it. So many times that I knew what
it said by. Now, it was a sign advertising.
Biggest lake in our town up ahead along with a parking and
viewing space as the car reached the bend in the road.
I expected it to take the turn but instead and with a new
feeling of Terror, the car kept going straight flying onto and
down the narrow dirt and gravel road.
I heard rocks and sticks slamming into the cars.
Underside over the Roar of the engine.
That was when a fresh dose of horror crashed over me like
freezing wave. I knew what they were going to
do to me directly at the end of the road, was the parking lot,
which Each sat behind a wooden fence, separating it from an
almost 40 feet, drop down to the lake.
They're going to drive me right off the edge into the lake.
I felt my breath hitch in my throat, screw that.
I shouted out at no one, I knew if I tried bailing out of the
car at these speeds on this road, I would sustain serious.
Possibly even life, threatening injuries, but it was still
better than possibly drowning. I made the decision and
unbuckled my seatbelt reaching for the driver's door handle.
As soon as my fingers wrapped around the cool aluminum, I
yanked hard, nothing happened the door, locks remained firmly
down the door on moving. I tried again.
Getting the same thing, though. I screamed then saw the narrow
road. Open up Beyond it.
I saw a few cars parked on the edges and Beyond The Thin wooden
fence. The shimmering blue Waters of
the lake. Oh no, I breathed out.
My words, barely audible over the still playing song which had
reached its guitar solo. I scrambled over my shoulder
grabbing the seat belt and frantically trying to hook it
back into place as it finally clicked, the car burst out of
the road into the lat, having slowed down somewhat on the dirt
but still traveling over 100 miles an hour.
I saw the panicked faces of people turning to see me flying
towards them. Some yanking their children out
of the way. I opened my mouth and screamed
out. As all I saw was the fence and
then the car was Airborne it smashed through the fence as
though it had been made of straw the Of the car lifted slightly
and all I saw were Treetops and the blue sky at the speed.
I've been going the car, made it halfway across the huge Lake and
then everything slammed to a halt as it, finally crashed into
the water. I flew forward my head slamming
into the steering wheel. Hard enough that I almost lost
Consciousness, the airbag didn't deploy, no doubt due to
something that loser had done to it.
I pulled back leaning into the seat as it sat in the water for
a moment. I put my hand to my forehead
coming away. Way and seeing bright red blood
on the palm. Ugh, I groaned out in pain.
Thankfully, the music had stopped upon impact along with
the engine, but worse was that it had been replaced with a new
sound, the sound of water, filling up the engine
compartment through the front grille and a days I reached down
and unbuckle the seatbelt sliding forward slightly towards
the wheel. Again, as I was freed, the nose
of the car, began to sink into the water slowly.
And as I regained, my wits, Panic returned, en masse.
Oh, Oh, the car is sinking. I knew I needed to get out.
No, I turned and grabbed for the door handle hoping that now,
whatever the Voice who had hacked, my car had done to it
would be useless without power, but the doors remained locked
refusing to open. And without power, the windows
wouldn't roll down, either. I fought back, the rising Horror
in my mind, as I saw water slip over the top of the hood,
reaching the bottom edge of the windshield.
Oh, crap, no, I mumbled out turning and gripping the back.
Of my seat. I leaned forward and looked into
the back seat. As my eyes swept over
everything, a small glint of metal wedged under the passenger
seat caught my eye. Yes, it was a tire iron
one-eyed. Used a few days prior to change
a flat tire. I had gotten on the highway, I
dropped it into the backseat when I'd finished and hadn't
bothered to return it to the trunk.
Reaching over, I fumbled for a moment, trying to dislodge it
from where it had caught, as I felt the car sink nose.
First further into the water after a few frantic.
Looks it finally came free and I turned around, I let out a sharp
cry. As I saw the water had slipped
over the entire windshield. All I could see out of it.
Now was the blue slightly murky Shadows of underwater.
At the same time I felt something cold.
Begin to Splash against my legs and looked down to see water
beginning to pour into the cabin at that moment.
A thought occurred to me. My phone, I frantically fumbled
around in the passenger footwell.
Hoping the water hadn't risen over it yet.
Thankfully, I found it just above the rising water line.
Snatching it up. I opened my center console and
yanked out a waterproof, baggy I'd put in there to hold some
miscellaneous items of mine. I appended it, dumping the
contents out then stuff the phone into it and sealed it.
Tucking it into my inner jacket pocket.
Then I picked up the tire iron engaged how far I'd have to
swing to shatter the driver's window, which for the moment
still, was above the waterline information.
I've learned when I was younger, came to the front of my mind.
And I knew I only had a few seconds before the water covered
it. Making it almost impossible to
break crying out. I swung as hard as I could.
The first blow did nothing to it ice.
Once again, this time to my relief, cracks began appearing
in the glass. As I saw water begin to creep up
the window. I let out a final screen and
swung the third time, the window.
Finally shattered, into a thousand pieces of small glass,
almost immediately water began pouring Into the Now, open
window. And The car rapidly began to
fill up with water and sink. I grab the roof of the car
struggling to pull myself out through the mountain of water,
pouring in as the water line. Finally, reached me, I took one
final gasp of air as I sank under water, the pressure,
finally, equalized and I pulled myself out of the open window
pushing away from the car with my feet.
I stared down for a moment. As I watched it sank down
eventually too deep for me to see.
Then kicked as hard as I could for the surface after Whew
agonizing moments during which my lungs began to feel as though
they were on fire. My head broke the surface, i
sputtered coughing out bits of Lake water which had made its
way into my mouth the shoes and clothes I had on way down making
me feel as though I'd sink. Again.
That's when I felt someone grab me from behind get off me, I
screamed thrashing around but the grip didn't loosen easy.
I've got you I heard a man's voice say and I realized one of
the people who'd seen me Crashed through the fence must have
jumped into the water. After me, I felt all strength.
Leave me and I laid back in the water.
As I was pulled back to shore, where a crowd of 20 or so people
had formed. They all had concerned or
frightened looks on their faces and after what they must have
seen, I didn't blame them one bit.
I heard one woman talking on the phone to the police and the
thought reminded me, I reached into my soaked coat and pulled
out the waterproof bag. The guy who had rescued me saw
me pulling it out and crouched down next to me.
I held it out to him. You said I muttered weekly call
detective, monk house. Tell him I wasn't able to finish
my sentence as the steadily encroaching Blackness which had
crept around the edge of my vision.
Finally overtook me and I passed out.
I awoke sometime later though. How much I wasn't sure in a
hospital. The first three things I saw
aside from the overhead lights, where the on-duty nurse
Detective? Munch house and a uniformed
officer after checking my vitals, the Nurse left me alone
with the two officers and still feeling groggy.
I told them what had happened. Both exchanged looks, especially
when I told them the only person who knew I was going out that
day had been my coworker. But I could tell now that they
believed me, especially after our previous encounter the other
day, the officer left for a moment to phone Davin.
When he returned, they spoke quietly to one another then
turned and spoke. To me, they told me that my car
had already been retrieved from the lake, I'd been unconscious
for. Two and a half days and that
even though it would be almost impossible to get anything from
the now. Waterlogged computers, they try
anyways. Detective Munch house, also told
me that they'd managed to keep a lid on what had really happened
saying. I just lost control of my car, I
sat up in the bed. What why?
I stammered out? That was when they dropped the
bomb on me, Davon was missing. He'd left his house about an
hour before I had but had never shown up at the Chinese
restaurant. That afternoon mom.
Ali, his wife had reported him missing the next day and as such
they were notifying higher authorities, due to the severity
of the situation, I felt numb. As they told me, this Devon,
he's not involved in this, right?
I knew I'd felt weary of him yesterday when he'd called, but
the idea he had anything to do with the hell I'd been dropped
into especially attempting to murder me with my own car.
Made me feel sick to my stomach. I trusted him.
The officers told me they'd station an officer at my door.
And when I went home, They'd station two squad cars outside
as they stood up to leave Detective Munch house turned to
me. We're going to find these people
Jared. He said firmly for the first
time using my first name, I nodded and he turned and left.
I stayed in the hospital for about three more days, while the
doctors and nurses. Check to make sure I was okay,
aside from the gash in my forehead, which required
stitches. I've been lucky not to break any
bones. Getting away with many bruises
and feeling as though, No, I've been run over by an elephant
when I was discharged. Vivian, was there near the
entrance to the hospital to greet me?
I was slightly surprised to see her but nevertheless, happy as
she flung her arms around me. Thank God.
You're okay. She exclaimed, I saw the
accident on the local news, the other day.
When I realized it was your car, they were pulling out.
I thought she trailed off and not for the first time.
I felt relieved, I had someone like her not only as a co-worker
but also a friend, a moment later.
Though, a feeling of Doubt, crept over me.
Why would she show up now of all times just, as I'm getting out,
how would she have known? I was getting out today.
The feeling of paranoia returned in Spades.
And I quietly untangled myself from her.
I'm fine. I lied.
Then motion to the officers waiting to take me home.
Look, I need time to myself right now.
I'll try and be back at work whenever I can.
I'll talk to you about this then.
Okay, I saw her hesitate but she know.
Nodded touched my shoulder one more time, then walked back
towards the parking lot as she went.
I looked around. I looked at all the people who
stood in the hospital lobby at the ones walking through the
parking lot. I saw them all holding up their
smartphones, scrolling through whatever taking photos or
talking on them. I saw the cameras for the
surveillance system both in the lobby and on the parking lot
lights. I suddenly was overcome with a
feeling of being unsafe and watched the same feeling I had
had twice. Ice before and quickly hurried
to the officer's Cruiser for the next few weeks.
Nothing again happened. Everything seemed to mellow out.
This time though, I didn't feel relieved.
It felt like whoever had set their eyes on me, were just
biding their time. Waiting for it all to die down
the police and the upper investigatory team.
Nobody would tell me how high up they were, but I could guess,
hadn't made any Headway into finding the culprit or culprits
behind the car hacking and text messages.
Whoever it was was good never using one IP address too long to
be tracked and using encryption as well.
That was all I was told. Anyways, in the meantime, I have
been placed on paid leave by my job, and I mostly stayed home.
I'd also purchased a new car with the money.
My insurance paid out for my Cadillac this time.
However, instead of buying a new car, I'd browse through
Craigslist, on my laptop, covering the camera with tape
though, until I found an early 70s for Limited.
For sale one, which had no possible connection to the
internet to it, I'd bought it immediately.
Then one Thursday, as I stood outside in the warm summer, air
washing my new car in the driveway.
I saw a van pull up to the curb in front of my house.
I felt my heart sink. As I saw it was a FedEx truck, a
different man from the first time, stepped out carrying a
familiar-looking delivery envelope feeling my heart begin
to thud hard in my chest. I drop the water hose and sponge
and ran around the side of the In the squad car was still there
and I frantically waved my arms to be spotted after a second.
The two officers stepped out and job to me.
What's wrong sir. One asked, I couldn't find my
voice. Instead, I jabbed towards the
delivery, man. Now walking across the front,
lawn to us, he froze as the officers, sped over to him.
After a confused moment he handed them the envelope while
one officer, detained him for questioning.
The other pulled on a pair of sterile gloves from his pocket.
And tore open the envelope appending.
It in his hand. Three items fell out.
The first was a local newspaper. Clipping of the accident I had
been in it had been laminated and in the giant front-page
picture, I could see the tail end of my Cadillac being hauled
out of the leak. The second was, another glossy
photo. It had been taken through the
broken fence. I'd smashed through, I could see
my own unconscious body surrounded by people, knowing
they'd been that close to me, physically been that close to
me, filled me with Saphir. I can't describe the third was
another typed note. Congratulations on Surviving
Jared. Enjoy your rest.
Will see you again soon. Mr. Wexler, we need to take you
into protective custody. Whoever is doing this to you has
now made a physical attempt on your life.
Detective Munch house said to me, is he once again, sat at my
kitchen table, the entire Street outside my house looked like a
big crime had just been committed with how many cop cars
stood on the curb. Some with their lights.
Still flashing, the entire Cavalry had been called in once
the two officers had seen the contents of the new envelope and
along with them. Had come the detective I sat in
Stared at him for how long I asked him?
How long would I need to whatever?
Protective custody means disappear, go away, whatever for
as long as is needed, until we can get a positive ID on these
people. He replied.
What about my job? My house.
He looked around. We let your company know you be
out indefinitely due to Police business.
And as for your house, we'd have someone watching it just in case
they came by. Here, I turned the thought over
in Head being locked away in some safe house.
Didn't exactly sound the most appealing to me.
But then again, neither did another repeat of the events of
the past few months. You don't really have a choice,
Jared, I saw, I'd okay. When would this happen, he
nodded seeming a bit more relaxed.
Now that I'd agreed with his plan while we need to get a safe
house sorted for you somewhere Off the Grid will have to use
encrypted channels to minimize the chance of the location being
given away. I'd I'd say he looked up at the
ceiling. I'd say tomorrow by the latest.
I nodded again, as he stood up in the meantime, prepare a
suitcase or two of your belongings to take with you.
I'll have two squad cars parked out front and a third in the
back. If you decide to go anywhere
today, let them know. I stood up and shook his hand, I
actually probably will go somewhere.
Today detective, I'm going to go to the bank to withdraw some
money from my account to prepay, at least the next few months of
rent as well. A few things I need.
If you're taking me tomorrow, he nodded we already have your bank
location so we'll keep an eye out for you there.
Where are you going to go for the items you need?
I didn't hesitate the shopping center in the mall.
There is a branch of my bank in it so I can get both things done
at the same time. I don't trust going to a place
right now that might be empty. In fact I raise my wrist and
looked at the watch on my wrist. I'll go to the mall.
Now he nodded again just Don't take too long.
He said here at the house, will be the safest place.
You can possibly be right now. I agreed, then after he let the
officers know I was leaving. We both exited my house as I
unlock the door to the Ford. I spared a glance at him as he
stood next to his unmarked Cruiser.
He was staring at me at after an uncomfortable moment, I nodded
at him and slid behind the wheel, I backed the car out,
still having to get used to turning and looking out the back
window instead of looking at a rear view camera then begin.
My To the mall as I stopped at a red light.
I heard my flip phone. Begin to ring looking around for
a moment. I pulled it from my pocket half
afraid I'd see. No number displayed on the
caller ID instead, I saw Vivian's name.
Displayed still feeling weary. After having seen davin's name
on my Cadillac screen, I flipped it open and crooked the phone.
In my elbow as the light turned green, hello.
I said slowly thankfully I immediately received an answer
Jared, are you okay? She asked you haven't been into
work in weeks and Harold in the Mailroom just told me he saw
squad, cars Galore in front of your place earlier.
The paranoid sensation I'd had one.
I'd seen her at the hospital returned but at the same time,
it felt so damn. Lonely to not be able to trust
anyone in the end. It won out over caution.
No, not really. I admitted you have a lunch
break soon. Yo, she said, as I cruise down,
one of the main streets, I have mine in 10 minutes.
Why I took a deep breath Meet me at the coffee shop in the mall
on the first floor by the bank, in 20 minutes, I'll tell you
what's happening, when I see you.
I heard her begin to answer me, but it was suddenly drowned out
by the sounds of chaos and front of me.
I snapped my head up to see, I was about to drive straight into
the beginnings of a massive pileup in the next intersection.
Not even 20 feet in front of me, trap, I shouted dropping the
phone and slamming, my foot hard on the brake pedal, I heard the
rear wheels lock up and the car began to kid for a few
terrifying moments. I thought I'd slide straight
into the hell of screaming metal and tires, which was still at a
crescendo, then it finally came to a halt.
My knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so
tightly and I fought to get my breathing under control and my
heart to stop pounding. Very faintly.
I could hear Vivian's. Frantic voice calling for me
from my phone which had fallen into the drivers footwell I
reached down and snatched it up Jared, what's going on?
She yelled. Vivian, I've got to go.
There's been a horrible accident.
I said, just get to the mall. I'll be there soon.
I flipped the phone close before.
She had a chance to reply and put the car in park and jumped
out. I felt sick to my stomach, as I
surveyed the Carnage in front of me, at least five or six cars
had been involved. All entangling with one another,
in a haphazard mess of torn metal and broken glass.
A small detached part of my mind realized, it looked somewhat
like a twisted Modern Art Exhibit.
Except for the people, several of them were still in their
cars. I saw people from the sidewalks
running over to help the people in the cars while another dialed
911, the driver of a Mercedes in the Middle, look to be
unconscious while an older gentleman stumbled out of his
wrecked. Honda screaming at a dazed
woman, who stood next to her minivan lady?
Are you out of your mind? He shouted.
The light for me was green and you ran the red.
Are you nuts? The lady looked incredulously at
him. Are you nuts sir?
The light was green for me, which means it had to be read
for you. Are you blind or something?
They continue to argue but their voices faded away from my ears.
I wasn't listening anymore. A severe chill.
Had shot up my spine. They both thought they had green
lights stepping away from my car.
I moved just enough to see the street lights hanging over the
intersection and felt another shiver shoot through me as my
fear was confirmed. Every light was green, all four
ways. They stayed green.
Never changing back to you. Lor read in any other
circumstance. I would have written it off to a
major glitch in the system, but my mind refused to let me think
it especially as I gazed up and saw the traffic cameras.
Mounted on top of the street lights one, had been pointed
directly where I'd been coming from.
I felt a new sense of horror sweep through me.
As I realized the accident had been caused deliberately with
the intent of having me drive straight into it.
Hearing, the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance.
I decided not to stick around and instead walked quickly.
Back to my car doing a U-turn, I looked in the rearview mirror at
the accident. Everyone was rushing to help
direct victims everybody except one person, what looked like a
man with a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, which
shielded his face from view. He was watching me drive away.
I took the side roads to the mall and perhaps, too much of a
hurry, constantly glancing in my rearview mirror.
While thinking I was about to see a car appear behind me.
Thankfully, one never did and I made it to the mall without At
any other incident I parked in the middle of the most crowded
area. Stepping out in hearing, the
familiar sounds of children screaming at their parents along
with teenagers laughing. I felt a double-edged sword of
emotions part relieved at the massive amounts of people.
I saw milling around and unwillingly and especially after
seeing the man at the accident staring at me.
Increasingly paranoid, I glanced at my watch, Vivian would be
arriving in 10 to 15 minutes, which gave me just enough time
to get the items. I Needed and get my money out of
the bank. I walked inside hearing a
comforting song from the 80s playing over the ceiling mounted
speakers as I made my way to the various stores.
However, the comforting feeling faded away as I watched the
cashier and the first store. Run my credit card.
I'm sorry. Sir.
But your credit card was declined.
She informed me handing it back. What?
I breathed, I'd always paid my bills for my card.
It had never once been declined, I froze.
Yes, they did this. I don't know how they got into
my credit card account, but they did something that thought was
followed by another one, which sent a surge of panic through
me. Very quickly, I paid for my
items with some of the little cash I had on me, then left the
store heading quickly for the bank.
No, please for the love of God. No, I almost jogged into the
bank and got in line when I was called up to the teller, I gave
her, my bank card, and asked her to check my account balance, she
stared at her computer. Screen for a moment then looked
up at me sir you withdrew all your money and close this bank
account this morning. I felt the color drained from my
face. At her words, I'd had almost
3,000 dollars in that account and someone had gotten into it,
taken all the money out, then closed it.
Not somebody Jared. I thought, you know, exactly
who. What about my alternate account?
I asked desperately, I had a safety egg account for
emergencies one, which I'd put almost 19,000 dollars into It in
case I'd ever lost my job or Fallen ill.
Nobody else knew about it. Other than me in the bank, after
a moment of checking she looked back at me according to this.
You did the same thing with that account as well sir.
She said, looking at me, Strangely, I couldn't say
anything. All ability to speak felt as
though it had drained out of me, leaving me as empty as my bank
accounts. It was all gone.
They'd hacked into my bank accounts and taken all my money.
I heard the teller ask me something.
I wasn't paying attention, I just turned and slowly walked
out of the bank. Feeling a sense of hopelessness
wash over me. They knew my exact weak spots
and they used the technology against me.
Like they were wielding a sword. I was so lost in my thoughts.
I almost didn't hear my name being called Jared.
I finally looked up Vivian, stood across the main hall from
me sitting at a table in front of the coffee shop, she held two
coffees in her hands and gestured for me to come over the
sight of her. Her standing there and having
been kind enough to buy me a coffee, almost sent me into
tears. Instead, I forced them back in
crossed over to her. I did drop my shopping bags then
did something I didn't normally. Do I hoped her hard she gasped
in surprise at the gesture of affection while she had hugged
me before more than a few times. I'm not someone who's into
physical displays of affection for friends family or anyone.
This was the first time I'd ever hugged her back and after a
moment's hesitation She embraced me as well.
The lavender scent of her shampoo was comforting in a way
after a moment, we let go and I slowly sat down opposite her.
Okay? Now I know something bad's
happened to you. If you're doing that.
She said, softly Vivian, you don't even know the half of it.
I said putting my face in my hands, then tell me, she
insisted Reaching Across the table and gripping my hand.
I shook my head, I don't even know where to start.
I admitted she She tilted her head, just start at the
beginning and tell me everything.
She said gently, I hesitated for a moment.
I still didn't know if I trusted her, even though I'd secretly
Harbor to crush on her for the last three years.
The feeling of being unable to trust.
Anyone remain deep in me. Just like before, though, the
need to tell someone, won out over caution, I saw it.
All right. I said, and then for the next
half an hour, I told her everything that had happened
about the threatening texts to the envelopes.
Liver to me with the messages and pictures to the hacking of
my car, which had almost killed me.
And finally ended with what had just happened with my bank and
credit card. When I mentioned, Davon might be
involved due to the coincidence with the car incident and his
disappearance. I saw her grow even more
uncomfortable and shocked than she'd already become.
I leaned forward and picked up my coffee, taking a large Swig
of the now lukewarm drink. But why are they doing this to
you? She finally asked, after a long
stretch of Silence. I shook my head, I'd asked
myself that same question a million times.
Now, I wish I knew Vivian, I said I've thought back my whole
life even to my childhood, to think.
If I might have pissed off for wronged someone somehow, I can't
think of anyone. I've always been nice to people,
I put my head in my hands again, another silence but I just can't
see Davin as part of this. She said I couldn't either but I
also couldn't deny the fact staring at me in the face.
I looked at her. You honestly probably won't be
seeing me for a while. The cops are going to put me
somewhere safe, until they can get a lead on who these people
are at this. She gave me a look of sadness
and I realized how much she'd enjoyed working with me.
The thought made me feel a tiny bit better.
She nodded try and let me know you're okay.
When you can please, she asked and I nodded at her, I promise
I'll try to as soon as I can, she stood up finally and I
mirrored her move. Move.
I walked close to her enough. I could talk low without being
heard. Just please watch yourself.
Okay. I don't think you'll get sucked
into this but if you ever think you are call the cops, okay?
She gave me a look of concern. Then nodded, I will she gave me
a hug. Then left leaving me alone among
the strangers. I still had a few items to
purchase and I thanked God that I'd taken a few hundred dollars
out of mine. Now, closed bank account.
A few days ago, I grabbed the bag I'd already bought and Talk
to the escalator to the second floor, getting behind a mother
with her two small children. I leaned against the railing as
I began the long ride up as it reached.
The halfway point, the mall speaker system, chimed a woman's
voice speaking. A moment later, ladies and
gentlemen, I've been asked to play a specific song on our
speakers and make a dedication as well.
This song goes out to JW. I felt myself.
Go still as a statue JW, Jared Wexler my name.
Oh, Well, I whispered a moment later the song began and if I
felt afraid just by the dedication, the song made me
feel as though I'd had a bucket of ice water dumped over my
head. It was Every Breath You Take by
the police and if you know that sound, you know, exactly why the
first few lyrics made. My heart began to pound like a
war drum, okay? Screw getting anything else.
Get out of here, that's what my mind screamed at me.
And I listened, as soon as I reach the top of the escalator,
I broke free from the crowd and sprinted back.
Down the neighboring stairs, taking them two at a time.
As I dashed through the mall, towards the exit with curious
eyes, glancing up and be running by my eyes.
Caught glimpses of things. I couldn't possibly be seeing.
I swore I saw the same man in the baseball.
Cap staring down at me from the second story of the mall.
I swore I saw a young woman aiming her smartphone at me.
I swore I saw every security camera in the main hall.
Turn to follow me and the flat screen TVs in the electronic
store, displaying videos of me running.
And I swear that I saw another man, this one wearing a hoodie
with the hood up and obscuring, the top half of his face,
flashed me a grin as I broke through the doors to the
outside. All the while accompanied by
that damn song, I sprinted through the parking lot for my
car, not stopping until I practically slammed myself into
the side of it. I felt like I was having a panic
attack, my breathing, labored and unable to calm down.
I just stood there for the longest time, fighting to get
ahold of myself. Finally, I felt myself.
Of begin to calm down and I unlock the car door and slid
behind the wheel. As I dropped my bags in the back
seat. I heard my flip phone begin to
ring. I pulled it out and felt my
breathing begin to Hitch in my throat again as I saw no caller
ID displayed it's them I didn't answer it.
I just kept staring at the phone until it stopped ringing a
moment later at vibrated giving the notification that I'd
received a new voicemail after a moment's hesitation.
I flipped it open and went to It after clicking through the
options, I heard a familiar, masked voice speak through the
phone. Well, that's a bit rude to send
me straight to voicemail Jared, but I guess I can understand the
person laughed. I hoped you enjoyed your run
through the mall. It was beyond entertaining to
see your reaction to our dedication.
So there was more than one person behind this.
The Voice continued seeming cheerful but the best part about
everything is beyond the accident or should I say both?
Accidents. We haven't even gotten to the
real fun yet which reminds me, thanks for the financial
donation to help us. Prepare your surprise, you're a
real friend. I wanted to scream and hurl my
phone away. But kept listening.
So keep an eye out for us. We'll be seeing you this time
and person very soon. They laughed again, then, like
they did before. Turn deadly serious, and don't
try and Escape, because there's nowhere on Earth.
We can't find you not with all the cameras and Technology
everywhere. Now the voice shifted back to
its happy taunting tone. Seeya, and with that, the
voicemail ended, I ended the call and in a panic fumbled to
bring up detective. Monk houses number, he needs to
know what just happened, but as I scroll through my contacts
list, the phone suddenly began to ring again.
I almost flung it away from me until I saw the caller ID,
displayed it was the detectives name and number, thank God.
I thought then Quickly hit answer detective.
Something's Happened Here. I almost shouted into the phone
on the other end. I heard a commotion brewing, a
moment later I heard detective. Monk houses voice speak.
No they're coming at us both. Then he said the Venom audible
in his voice. I froze.
What do you mean I stammered out?
They somehow got the drop on some of our uniformed officers
here. One was often and the other
three are missing. I slumped back in the seat.
They have literally managed to successfully attack for trained
cops. What chance did I have the
detective continued? What happened on your end?
He asked quickly, I really to him the events of the last few
hours leaving out speaking. To Vivian, I now believe she
wasn't a part of this and didn't want to bring her into the line
of fire any more than I already had.
When I finished, I heard the detective curse.
Look, we have to move up the schedule for getting you to the
safe house. He said, but I'm going to I need
you to drive yourself to the Meetup point with me.
I'm going to have to stick around here for a while to help
clean up this mess. Do you have a pen and paper to
write down directions? I did pulling a small notepad
and pencil out from the glove box, quickly scribbling down the
directions. He gave me and one more thing he
added when I told him, I'd gotten them, get rid of that
flip phone, I didn't think before, but they can still
likely triangulate your position through the cell towers.
As he said it, I felt like hitting myself.
In the head for not remembering every cell phone, including the
old flip phones could be tracked, okay, was all I could
say then get going. He finished with before hanging
up I sat for a moment longer staring out at the windshield
back towards the mall entrance. I thought I could see a bit of
movement in one of the windows to the side as though someone
were staring out into the parking lot.
Forcing myself to look away. I looked down as I pop the back
of the phone open, ripping out the battery before twisting.
Sections of the phone apart. Breaking it.
I rolled down my window, and dump the pieces onto the
pavement before, starting the car and backing out of the
space. I drove out of the lot stopping
only for a moment to completely fill the tank and purchase a
paper map from a gas station and then began the long drive to
where the detective had asked me to meet him.
I kept away from the highways and main roads, knowing they'd
likely all have traffic cameras on them, which could track me
easily, instead, taking the much longer, but safer back.
Roads, the miles crept by as the hours, passed the sun getting
low in the sky. I stopped one more time to fill
up the tank again, grabbing a gas station, hot dog, and a bag
of chips for dinner before continuing.
It was almost 10:00 at night. By the time, I reach the
approximate area. Where the directions had led me,
I was far out in farm country, having passed, by dark and farm
house after dark, and Farmhouse for the last two and a half
hours, all of them must be fast asleep.
Already getting rest for the long day.
Morrow for some reason, the thought of such a simple life
and especially one. So, low-tech comforted me, I
decided if I made it out of this, I'd give some serious
thought to ditching City Life and coming out to a place like
this for a much quieter and much more remote life.
The sign for the road I was instructed to take came and I
turned right onto a dirt driveway.
The old Ford rattled and squeaked as it made its way up
the drive towards another dark and Farmhouse, I could see the
outline of a grain silo and barn out.
In the accompanying field. As I got closer to the house, I
spied what looked like an unmarked police, cruiser and
older style. Crown Vic, parked next to the
house, the detectives already here.
Thank you, God. I thought I pulled up behind it
and shut the engine off the headlights shutting off and
plunging me into darkness, the silence for someone who lived
most of his life in the city. Felt Eerie.
All I could hear through the glass was the whipping of the
wind and the call of some owl are other birds somewhere in the
forest beyond the farm. He must be waiting for me in his
car. I thought and twisted the door
open the night air was chilly, rewarding me with the stink of
manure from the neighboring properties, shutting the door
quietly. I move towards the dark and
shape of the cruiser in front of me, I'd gotten about halfway.
When I stopped in my tracks, something went through my mind,
the police and my city stopped using Crown Vics three years
ago. Were still was remembering that
the car Detective Munch house had stood next to earlier today.
Hadn't been a Vic If it had been a Dodge Charger.
No, I whispered, suddenly feeling very vulnerable, jigsaw
puzzle pieces. Came together in my head, it was
a setup. They somehow mimic the
detectives voice, they made me get rid of the only way to
contact or find me. Then had me drive out to the
middle of nowhere suddenly every snap of a twig sounded like
someone moving towards me in the dark.
Every gust of wind sounded like someone breathing my head
swiveled around like an owl though.
I could barely see anything. Screw this.
I'm out of here. I turned and hurried back to my
car. Pulling, open the door, and
practically leaping into the driver's seat.
I started the engine and turn the headlights on when a sound
made the biggest chill I ever felt.
Run up my spine, it was the sound of someone breathing
behind me from the back seat. Welcome to the party Jarrod.
I heard a man's deep voice. Say, behind me, I was suddenly
grabbed from behind, as I tried to kick open the driver's door.
And I felt a rag of some kind forced over my mouth. and I
struggled for a moment, my muffled scream sounding muted in
the car's interior and then everything went black The sound
of people quietly talking to one, another was what began to
draw me out of unconsciousness. I couldn't tell how many people
were speaking, but I could faintly tell as my senses
returned to me that I was hearing both men and women.
Speaking, I opened my eyes finding I was lying on my back
and staring up at the Starry Sky.
It was still night time, the, whether it was still the same
night or another, I couldn't tell what I could tell.
However, was that I wasn't near the farm house anymore, large
trees Rose. On all sides of me.
Meaning, I had to be in the forest.
I'd seen Beyond the Edge of the property.
I also could tell my hands were bound with something.
I couldn't tell if there were tape or anything else, but I
couldn't force a part my arms from down near my waist.
Well, look, who's finally awake. I heard the same deep man's
voice. I had in my car carrying almost
the same friendly tone. One would have one talking over
drinks with a group of friends, well, don't be rude.
Guy's help the man up. I heard footsteps rapidly
approaching. Approaching me then.
Felt arms, grab me under the shoulders.
Roughly hauling me to my feet, a massive Spotlight, snapped on
almost blasting, me directly in the face and blinding me, I
closed my eyes and turned away from it.
You'll have to forgive the light Jared.
I heard the man say but there are some of our group who would
rather, you not know what they look like he chuckled even
though the chances of you making it out alive, are slim to none.
I felt a chill at his words. He continued.
However, I have Such qualms. Letting you see me after a
second. I heard more footsteps.
Approaching me. They walked around the other
side of me away from the light. Well come on now and open your
eyes. Then I opened my eyes blinking
away at the huge light, which cast everything had hit
including myself in Long, Dark Shadows.
It also cast on a man, the one who'd chloroformed me and
brought me here and I recognized him, you have got to be kidding.
I said causing first him than the men.
Any others behind me to begin laughing.
It was the FedEx driver. The one who brought me that
first package two. Or three months ago, he stood
flashing me the same smile. He'd had.
When he asked me to sign that day.
I curse myself internally for not thinking of him as a
suspect. When I'd been paranoid of almost
everyone else. His black hair blue slightly in
the crisp night Breeze. Nope, I'm not kidding.
You Jared. He said his eyes twinkling.
I took a step towards him feeling a mixture of fear and
rage. Surged through me.
What the hell do you people want with me?
I screamed. Why are you doing this?
Why me everyone? Including the man began to laugh
even harder. I heard a woman struggling to
breathe behind me from laughing so hard.
Once the man had gotten a hold of himself, he took a single
long stride before me. And I realized for the first
time how tall he really was, I hadn't been able to judge his
height through the door that day and have been distracted, but I
could see that he was at least a head taller than I I was, and
I'm not exactly on the shorter side.
His dark eyes, almost looked like coals in the glare of the
spotlight and his smile had turned sadistic.
Why not you? He asked causing any retort I
prepared in my mind to die away, whatever.
I had expected him to say, it hadn't been that it continued.
You're looking for a motive, aren't you?
Jared, you want to almost desperately.
So have me tell you that there was some ROM you committed
against me or anyone behind the light you want there to be
something. Wrong, you can't remember that.
You might be able to write as some way to bargain out of this.
He tilted his head letting out a snort, am I wrong?
I didn't reply the truth was, it was exactly what I've been
hoping for him to say the sound of an owl or Hawk screeching in
the woods, made me almost jump causing some of the people
behind me to chuckle until the man raised his hand.
Causing them to fall silent. He looked at me with a mixture
of what almost seemed like sympathy and a Sinister Glee,
the truth of the matter. Otter is my poor men, he began
as that there is no reason. There's no motive, none at all a
truly Wicked grin. Now, spread across his face, not
Beyond, just wanting to have someone to play around with, for
our own entertainment. My shoulders dropped along with
my jaw, they are just doing this for their own sick.
Amusement, I found my voice, so you just randomly picked me to
mess with before what? Now offering me.
I said in a shaky voice, he laughed again while You weren't
a random selection. He started then gestured for
someone behind the lights. I heard footsteps approaching us
one of our group suggested you to us.
And frankly Jared, I'm glad he did hear the most fun we've had
in a while. The footsteps moved around me
and a figure came to stand next to the man.
Hey, Jared, I felt my body turned to ice at both the voice
and the face. Vivian, I breathed out as I
stared at her. She flashed me a grin throwing
an Arm around the shoulders of the man and let out a giggle.
Oh my god. Do I?
Wish you could see your own face right now?
She managed out. You look like you just saw the
twist ending to The Sixth Sense for the first time or something.
I just kept staring at her as the man leaned his head down to
kiss her. I'd honestly expected Davin to
be the one to appear out of the darkness.
But not her pain seemed to reach around and clutch at my heart.
As I realized, the one person I decided to trust the most.
I'd been the one to betray me. I simply My head and turned away
staring out at the woods. Oh don't be like that.
Jared I heard her say using that same warm tone I'd gotten used
to for years. I like you and think you're a
cool guy. But when I mentioned you to my
husband, she leaned in close to the man, he insisted you be our
next little plaything. And what he says goes, she let
out another giggle. He leaned in close to her.
You think we should drop the final bomb on him before we
start our game. He asked her after a Meant she,
nodded enthusiastically laughing.
He looked back at the group of people.
Hey, would you like to come out here and greet our guests?
He called to someone, I heard more footsteps approaching in my
head, I already knew who they would be both Vivian.
And Devin are part of this group.
They both were in on it. The third figure step next to
them and any of those thoughts flew away like an eagle on a,
thermal for the longest time. I could only stare my mouth, now
fully open. Finally, I let out Strangled,
cry, you detective, monk house, flashed me a huge grin you
betcha sport. He said, simply then turn to
look at the man. So it hadn't been a voice
manipulating program or anything.
It was truly him. The fact that a cop was part of
this sick twisted, group of people filled me with a despair.
I didn't know, I had, he quickly added one thing, you'll have to
forgive me for deleting, and getting rid of all the evidence
in your case, along with clearing out the party spoiling
feds. Mortars from the boss here.
He thumbed at the man. Oh, I'm sorry.
I should say, the evidence was misplaced and lost.
He chuckled now, the man finally spoke so I can imagine you want
to know what we're going to do with you now Jared.
He unhooked himself from Vivian and move towards me stopping
about five feet away. While the thing is, after we
have our fun messing about with our Mark, it's no fun to just
stop and let them walk away. Not for us.
Anyways, that's why Frank here. He gestured to the detective,
gave us the idea about five years ago to have a grand
finale, monkhouse Grint the man continued.
So, what's going to happen now, is this your approximately 30
miles from the town you went into last night?
The Farmhouse would be the first thing you come across.
We're going to cut you free from your bonds and give you a three
minute Head Start the detective moved in and I resisted the urge
to strike out at him. There was no doubt that at least
one or more of these people were harmed and I didn't want to get
a bullet in the back, he pulled a knife from his belt and
reached out, grabbing my bound wrists and cutting the duct tape
from them before quickly. Stepping back once your three
minutes are up, we are going to come after you using all the
technology that this Society has grown a false sense of security
around. If we catch you, well, he
trailed off raising a finger to his throat and drawing it,
across his throat like a knife. But if you can make it to the
farm house and your car, you Feel free, he held up two
fingers Scouts Honor. He said mockingly causing
everyone to laugh. Of course, nobody's made it out
yet. Vivian said her voice taking on
a Sinister tone. I'd never heard before.
That's true. The man began before slapping
his forehead? Damn it.
Why did I almost forget, you're going to have a partner with you
on this. He let out a whistle and a
second later a figure landed roughly on the ground.
Next to me making sounds like they were in pain.
I turned to look at him Gavin, my coworker and friend, lay in a
heap on the grass. It was clear that group had gone
to work, on him old bruises covered his face.
They must have gotten him when he had gone to the Chinese
restaurant that day. I thought I quickly moved and
knelt down next to him. He looked up at me with dazed
eyes, Jared. He groaned out softly.
I felt a new sense of Rage rip through me, almost overwhelming,
the fear I had had as I knelt my code I still had on jostle din
the He's and I felt something gently tap my chest.
Something that hadn't been taken from me when I'd been
unconscious something nobody not the man or anyone else had found
as I was hunched over, I had the perfect opportunity to slowly
reach into the jacket and begin to pull it out.
So the man said, raising both his hands as he stood next to
his two friends. The two people I trusted most
it's time to begin. He leaned forward grinning at me
and put on a mocking tone. Trying to sound like A judge,
does the soon-to-be dead? Have any last words they'd like
to say at this the entire group? Let out the biggest laugh.
I heard them make yet. They found the whole messed-up
situation, entertaining, and amusing beyond measure it, made
me feel sick to my stomach. I slowly help Davin to his feet.
The man didn't hesitate. He'd seen what I now held and it
had snapped him fully awake actually.
Yes, I do have something to say, I said loudly causing everyone
to fall silent as they waited for me to Peek say cheese jerks,
I screamed then raise the digital camera and slam down my
finger on the shutter button, a bright flash of light caused the
man, Vivian and Detective Munch house to raise their hands to
their face as I snap their picture run, I screamed at Davin
and together the two of us use the moment of confusion to begin
sprinting towards the trees behind me.
I heard the man, scream out. All trace of sadistic humor gone
from his voice. He sounded enraged, not having
been prepared for Or my move, screw the three-minute window,
get them before they get away and ruin everything.
The flurry of movement Was Heard and I thought I heard the
slamming of car doors, I didn't pay attention though.
I was too focused on running as fast as I could in the
direction. Davin paste me, I could see him
out of the corner of my eye running.
Alongside the trees closed in around us.
And we entered the forest after a minute.
We stopped to catch our breath. The sounds of our pursuers muted
and Faded in the distance. What the hell do we do Davin
managed out between huge gulps of error.
I fought for breath as well. We just keep going in that
direction. I pointed, I think he was
telling the truth about going there.
He doesn't expect us to make it. That's why he taunted us with
it. It's part of their game.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
We've got to make it to the farm house and my car.
I hold up the camera, and we've got to get this to the
authorities ones that can put the word out about the Active.
I began to speak again but I was interrupted by a buzzing sound
whipping through the trees. We both looked around a
blinding, flash of light made me, raise my hands doc, I heard
Davon yell and I listened letting my legs give out under
me and dropped to my knees. A moment.
Later a drone flew, only inches above our heads.
I was yanked my feet go. Before he comes around my friend
yelled and we both began running.
Again, the sound of the Drone began to approach us again.
We ducked moving sideways away, it flew by a few seconds later,
heading straight ahead. We kept running after a few
minutes we stumbled from the trees onto.
What looked like a disused Logging Road.
I was about to suggest to follow it.
When I saw headlights cut through the darkness, height I
hissed and both of us ducked into a bush.
A minute later, a Tesla Model X 1 raised slightly on lifted
suspension with off-road tires and roof mounted lights,
banishing away, the dark flu Softly A past are hiding spot.
It disappeared down the road and we both looked at each other.
No roads. He whispered and I nodded in
agreement, that's when the whirring sound came from behind
us, we both turned to find a drone.
A different one this time, hovering behind us about 10 feet
away. I could see the camera focusing
on us, but there was something mounted below it.
I couldn't tell apparently Daven did though, because I saw his
face go pale before he was yanking.
The away from the bush screaming for me to move.
A moment later. I understood why, as a line of
flames shot out from what had to be a custom flamethrower
setting. The Bush on fire, they'd meant
to set us. Ablaze my mind screamed at me
but I couldn't stop to think we ran deeper into the forest.
As we finally began to hear the sounds of people yelling.
I heard angry shouts but I also heard excited, yells and
laughter as they crashed drove and ran through the woods in
pursuit of us. They were relishing in the chase
as if they were high-tech Hunters on the trail of dear.
Our or birds. As I ran my mind, stupidly shot
back to a phrase from a book. I'd read in school one, which
sickeningly seem to fit man is the most dangerous game.
If it had been any other situation, I might have found it
amusing in a Twisted way, someone making a work of fiction
into reality, but there was no time for it.
All of a sudden allowed blaring horn began to sound.
I shot a look to my right and saw weed ran straight through
laser motion sensors. They must have put up the sounds
of our, huh. A seemed to intensify.
And I heard at least two, drones, if not more buzzing in
our Direction, move. I shouted shoving.
Davin forward. We crashed through a Thicket,
the Thorns tearing at our clothes and skin.
I felt branches and bushes smashed me in the face in the
dark and I prayed neither of us would run into a tree or any
more motion sensors look there, Davin panted out pointing ahead
of us was what looked like some old buildings.
I held a hope for a moment that it was a place that was Still in
use. But as we broke the tree line,
it was dashed away. We had stumbled into what was
obviously. Once An Old Logging Camp.
The abandoned machinery and older style of the buildings
combined with the Moss and mold I could see growing on the
outside in the Moonlight show that it hadn't been used in
decades. That was when a muted sound came
from behind us. I almost thought I recognized
it, it came again and a cloud of dirt kicked up in my face as we
were again, blinded by a bright light, another drone had found
us In this one was armed like the last the sound of what I now
knew was a muted gunshots bad out.
And I felt slivers of bark smash into my face as it ricocheted of
the tree next to my head Ron for the buildings.
I screamed. And we both booked it for the
darkened structures. We were halfway across the dirt
road. When I felt a searing pain pop
into my left calf muscle. I fell to the ground rolling for
a way. In the Gloom, I reached down
towards the pain. I gasped both at the pain and
the feeling of something. Thing warm trickling, steadily
out from my leg. I've been shot.
I could hear the sounds of the group getting closer.
What had to be a vehicle's lights appeared, at least two
miles or so, down the end of the road leading in and out of the
camp. Then I was being lifted to my
feet, Davon through my arm over his shoulder and as much as I
could, we both moved quickly for the nearest building.
The light came from behind us again.
And I heard the muted sound of the silencer, as we were shot at
a few more times bullets, tore into the dirt at our feet and
lodged. The wood of the building just
barely missing us and then we were inside Davin slammed the
door and in the dark I heard him lock it.
I stumbled across the room leaning on the wall for support
here. I called Softly As I found a set
of steps going down to what had to be some sort of basement.
I felt him reach. Me and wanted a time.
We slowly moved downstairs. As we reached.
What felt like a dirt floor. We heard our Hunters.
Reach the camp, then he shouts in orders came and we heard the
sound. As of tires as what had to be
electric cars or trucks, flew past the building we hidden.
Then after a small squeal, a voice came over on a megaphone,
Little Pigs Little Pigs. Come on out.
It was the leader. There were a few moments of
Silence, then he spoke again. Look, you manage to surprise us
with that move and I'm going to make sure next time,
everything's out of our next contestants Pockets, but I
commend your thinking, you've got one over on us and you have
something which puts you with a bit of an advantage.
So, I'll make a deal with you if you come out and give me the
camera will just let you go. Okay, there was a small in set
window on the far corner of the room and I saw the beam of a
flashlight pass over it. And that split second, I saw
Davin looking at me, he shook his head at me, almost
frantically. I shook my head back and the
light moved away. We both knew that the man was
lying through his damn teeth. There was no way, he'd let us go
the second. He got that camera in his hands.
We'd both be be gone. I thought there was silence for
a few more moments and that I heard someone else speak through
the megaphone. He's telling the truth Jared.
I heard Vivian's voice call. All we want, is the camera and I
promise you. I'll make sure he lets you live.
Neither of us made a move suddenly, the man's voice.
Came back through the megaphone. Fine.
Have it your way, he laughed, you know, will find you sooner
or later, we have all night his voice became deadly, serious,
and I knew it had been in a mood Me up those times with the voice
changer, and when we catch you, we're going to take our time,
ending you. And with that, he clicked off
the yells and calls of men and women, resumed, I limped my way
over in the darkness to where I knew Devon was hitting the wall
with my shoulder. I slid down onto the dirt floor.
We have to think of something to do.
Man. I whispered to him if we stay
here too long, they'll find us. It can't be much farther to The
Farmhouse from here. We need a plan.
I heard him. Grunt in the dark, we do.
He finally said and I have one, there was a cracking sound and
suddenly a soft Green. Glow came from next to me, Davin
had found an old chemical light and cracked it.
Bringing it to life and the soft glow.
He looked at me. What's your plan?
I asked him, I knew the guy was smart.
Nobody gets as far in the company as we do without brains,
but the answer I got wasn't what I expected.
The plan is I run in One Direction.
All their attention while you run for the farm.
I gave to Adam. Are you nuts?
I hissed, we're not doing that. It would be a failed Mission.
He smiled a bit at me. Then Winston, what looked like
pain. I know.
He said then seem to Sag a little Davin.
I whispered slowly I saw finally that he was clutching his
stomach. He looked at me, then moved his
hand away. I gasped as I saw, the crimson
red soaking the lower front of his shirt.
I snapped my head up to look him in the face.
He gave me another pain smile. I got hit when I went back to
help you up. The shot went right through me.
He coughed. And I saw a small trickle of red
trail from his mouth. I kept my voice low but gentle
there has to be another way. We both need to get out of here.
He gave me a hard look Jared there is no other way and you
know it he looked down at the red liquid and I don't have much
longer his eyes met mine. They were hard resigned.
We're not both. Hang out of this.
He said weakly but you can at least you need to get out of
here. You need to tell someone the
truth to get that picture to them.
You raised his chin High trying to act tough but I could see a
little fear behind that resignation.
Let me do this. I wanted to argue even as I
heard the buzzing of more drones overhead and more shouting but I
knew he was right as much as I wish.
There was any other way, I still hated it.
Still felt guilty tears welled in my eyes.
Sighs. It was my fault.
Devon had gotten into this, still I nodded.
Okay, I finally whispered I saw him nod and then he began to
push himself to his feet. I reached down and helped him
letting him lean on me for a moment.
He looked at me, then nodded and began to walk slowly towards the
stairs. He stopped near them seeing
something on the ground and leaning down to pick it up.
He looked back at me. Tell Molly, I love her.
He whispered quietly, I didn't know what else to say.
So, I just nodded again, he held my gaze a moment longer then,
nodded back and slowly began ascending the stairs.
I was left alone, my thoughts and emotions.
Both buzzing. I wanted to chase after Davin,
but again, I knew he was right. A few moments later, I heard
someone shout, there they go, I see the camera, the entire Camp,
suddenly became Awash with noise and activity.
I stood near the small basement window and I could see multiple
shadowy figures at least 20 or 30 Dash.
Hang out of the other buildings, don't let them get away that had
been detective, monk houses voice and my body filled with
rage hearing it still, I kept silent a moment later a truck.
What looked like one of those electric rivi and pick up
skidded to a halt next to a figure.
What I could see was the detective I could see Vivian
sitting in the passenger seat. And I knew that meant the man
the leader had to be behind the wheel.
There was the sound of a door slamming and the truck silent
except for the software of the batteries and tires.
Shot forward. The sounds of the group slowly
faded away. Now's the chance, forcing
myself, to put more pressure on my injured leg.
Making me want to scream. I crossed to the stairs
stopping. I looked down at what my friend
had picked up. It almost made me want to burst
into tears. It was a small break, almost the
same size and shape as the camera in my pocket.
I ascended the stairs as fast as I could, unlocking the front
door and stepping out. I could hear the group still
moving away from Me and I gave a silent prayer that the blood
loss would take Devon before they got to him.
The air around me, had again, Fallen silent save for the usual
sounds of the woods. I didn't wait long, I moved down
the stairs. Then began to half, run half
limp in the direction opposite where they'd gone towards where
the man had said. The Farmhouse would be, the
terror kept my adrenaline pumping, which allowed me to
ignore the bullet. Wound, somewhat.
As I ran, I kept looking over my shoulder.
Sure, I would see the bright lights of their vehicles or the
were of their Yes, but I never did, it felt like an eternity
running trees and bushes smashing into me as I ran a few
times. I fell onto my face in a heap,
the pain in my leg almost too much.
But finally, I burst through the edge of the trees, I looked
around seeing that the moon was still high in the night sky.
Then I began to openly weep as I saw the dark and shape of a
farmhouse, looming up, feeling woozy from the blood loss and
stress. I'd put on my shot leg, I forced
myself to keep going. The Crown Vic was gone but the
old Ford, my beautiful old Ford still sat in the driveway, I let
out a soft strained. Laugh, the loser hadn't been
lying, he'd been that certain. Nobody would make it reaching
the car. I pulled the driver's door, open
and collapsed into the seat, like a godsend, the keys still
dangled in the ignition and I wrenched on them, the old engine
coming to life with a cough, as I put the car into reverse, I
stared one last time at the woods, godspeed Davin Whispered
softly then tore out of the driveway.
It's been almost a year since I burst from that tree line and
tore away from that Farmhouse. Once I got onto the main road, I
drove until I got to the first town where I went straight to
the police. I can only imagine how I must
have looked crashing the forward into a parking meter before
smashing through the front doors of the small police station with
my clothes, torn, and dirty, and a bullet wound.
In my leg, the police rushed to my Aid.
And after summoning an ambulance, I Told them my story,
insisting that they get in touch with higher authorities right
away. Thankfully, they didn't just
write me off as a nut job or crackhead running from a drug
deal. Gone bad and did just that.
By the next morning, the small town of a few thousand was Awash
with flashing lights as members of a very high agency one which
I don't dare out right name. But I can assume you can take a
good guess flocked in. I was questioned about my
experience, I saw the head honchos face light up with
excitement when I showed him my Which he took looking at the
photo I snapped. We've been after this group for
years now. He said it turns out.
These people are a lot worse than I'd already thought.
Apparently, they had been taunting emotionally tormenting,
and finally kidnapping, and often people for close to 15
years. Now, many of their members were
black hat, hackers able to get into just about any piece of
modern technology and twist it to their benefit or use and they
would use the money stolen from their victims to keep funding
themselves. Yes, I shuddered when they told
me the number of people who'd Fallen victim to them already.
I was simply the first to ever, get away.
It also turned out they'd had their suspicions about detective
monk house when he began trying to get them off.
The case claiming it was a local matter and out of their
jurisdiction. So he'll be able to get them
all. Now I said hopefully, as they
spoke about printing out a picture but the Man simply shook
his head almost, sadly, I don't know if we will, he admitted
seeing my shocked expression. Russian.
As he explained it turned out, they were good at changing their
identities using stolen, and forged ids and social security
cards, along with changing their physical appearance has to stay
out of the clutches of the authorities.
There is one bit of good news, though.
He said, you'll likely never see or hear from them.
Again, it would be too risky for them to make a move on you.
Now, still, they said they'd put me into the witness protection
program. Giving me a new identity to
start over before they did. However, however, I ask for one
favor, I honored Evans, final request and called Molly,
thankfully they let me she wept fiercely when I told her the
little I could and especially when I passed on his last
message. But thanked me before hanging
up, they never found Devon's body, they found a large pool of
blood out in the woods one, which a DNA test confirmed was
his. But nothing else.
I pray, he's a piece and long gone from this world not with
them. They were also right about never
catching them. Vivian and Detective Munch house
fled never returning to the city.
The last I heard, they're still tracking the group and they're
still doing what they did to me to others something, which
chills me to the Bone. They also I found hushed it up.
Never letting it. Get out to the national news.
Excuse they came up with was that an unfortunate victim had
wandered across the path of a drug deal causing the chaos
since it's such a common occurrence in the u.s. these
days nobody thought to question it they didn't want word to get
out and As a panic or have people suddenly dumped out all
their modern devices in a mass panic.
As for me, I never saw or heard any trace of them again.
Something I thank God for the FED had been right.
I must have become too high-profile to dare.
Make a move on. I'm now living across the
country, thousands of miles away from their with a new name, and
I say a silent. Thank you to Daven every day for
it. Even if I could say where I
wouldn't all I will say is, I did decide to live a quiet
remote. With my new identity on a farm.
I feel a happy sense of peace out here but I'll never owned
any modern pieces of Technology again no smart TVs.
No smartphones. No modern computers nothing.
I collect older Technologies CRT TVs with VHS and DVDs for
entertainment, using a free antenna for the news, all my
appliances are from the 80s or before and I don't own any cell
phone, only having a landline in my house.
All my neighbors are either of older.
Our age than me or simply prefer a low-tech existence, which I
honestly love. I don't think I could deal with
getting gifted some Modern piece of techno the town.
Nearest to me. Thankfully is still stuck in the
90s at least without many, if any cameras around, I feel safe.
Moving about it because of that, that's where I am now writing
this from a computer in the local library.
And that brings me to why I'm posting this in the first place.
I'm posting what happened to me, because as much as I understand
the authority, Is wishes to not send the public into a mass
panic? You need to know, I know many of
you won't believe me, but I need to warn you regardless.
Those people are out there they're finding new victims to
have their sadistic horrifying game with and I don't want it to
be you. The world is so dependent and
addicted to technology. Now, you might be as well.
I understand that it's the way the world is at this point that
please still be careful. Be careful and be wary of all
the cameras and microphones. Phones.
You allow into your home with Nary a care in the world.
Be careful of the Privacy. You give up for the sake of
convenience because you never know who may be listening or who
may be watching.