Just Creepy: Scary Stories - 7 Terrifying BIGFOOT Encounters That Will Make You Believe

Episode Date: June 10, 2024

Prepare to be spooked by these 7 bone-chilling encounters with Bigfoot that will leave you questioning what lurks in the shadows of the forest. From eerie howls to mysterious footprints, these real-life stories will make even the biggest skeptics believe in the legendary creature. Watch until the end for the most hair-raising account that will send shivers down your spine. Are you ready to believe in Bigfoot? Watch now and decide for yourself. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/its_just_creepy Story Credits: ►Sent in to www.justcreepy.net Timestamps: 00:00 Into 00:00:18 Story 1 00:17:17 Story 2 00:23:26 Story 3 00:28:59 Story 4 00:35:23 Story 5 00:40:22 Story 6 00:56:16 Story 7 Business inquiries: ►[e-mail] #scarystories #horrorstories #bigfoot #bigfootwitness #deepwoods 💀As always, thanks for watching! 💀

A few years ago, I landed a job as a camera operator for a Discovery Special on the Yeti. However, that special never aired, and here I am breaking my NDA to explain why. I believe these events need to be made known. Professionally, I'm a photographer and cameraman, primarily focused on nature photography, but a gig is a gig. I had a friend from college who worked for Discovery, filming for some of their extreme nature shows like Bear Grills' survival series. or documentaries exploring Egyptian tombs. At the time, I was primarily doing wedding photography, but I always wanted to try my hand at something like what my friend was doing for discovery.

Luck would have it that he fell seriously ill right before a scheduled trip to Kathmandu Nepal for a new TV special on the Yeti. He recommended me for the job, and I happily accepted. I was thrilled. It meant a free trip to Nepal and a reality TV gig. After gathering my gear, I drove down to L.A. to meet my sick friend, who graciously let me use his equipment. Don't sweat it, he said. Have fun over there, and make sure you listen to what they want you to do. You'll be going into some pretty rough terrain. It's hard work, so stay hydrated. The physical aspect wasn't a problem for me. I walked a lot and even ran marathons.

After thanking him again, I headed to the airport. The plane ride was long, really long. but otherwise uneventful. I mainly needed to nap. My back was killing me from the seats and the jet lag on top of that. At the airport, I met the others in the crew. There was one other cameraman. His name was Willie,

who knew my friend from back home. Then there was the show's host, an Aussie named Rob, and Rob's assistant producer Karen. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, I felt like I walked into a wall of pollution. Catmandu was huge, dense, smelly, and noisy. Nepal bordered India, so if you've ever been there or seen places like

Delhi on TV, Nepal is not much different. Willie, who was also Filipino and blended in better with the locals, hailed us a cab, and we went to a Western hotel. Karen informed me that she would be staying at the hotel when we would be meeting a local guide that she arranged for us. The rest of the day, I mainly walked around near the hotel, ate some local food, and took some photos with my own camera. Karen and I were the only ones still awake at this point. I still felt weird despite being exhausted from the flight, so we walked down a bit to a nearby square where we heard some music coming from. There were about 20 or so people there crowded around a Nepalese man who was dancing in a circle

while some other men played drums and an instrument I couldn't recognize. It was some sort of flute. The dancer was wearing a golden silk gown and a paper-miche mask. The mask was interesting, though. It looked like what you'd see during the Chinese New Year, painted bright red with intricate yellow and green patterns surrounding orb-like white eyes, and two long fangs that slanted outward from the mouth hole. The mask also had long bright red hair that covered the dancer's head entirely,

so all you saw was the mask and his body. Karen was able to speak a bit of Nepali, and gesture to. to the dance. She asked one of the drummers what the mask was. He looked confused at her poor Nepali for a moment, and then laughed and simply said, Lo. Later at the hotel, I googled on the brutally slow internet what a low was, and apparently it was some sort of demon from Nepalese folklore that protects townspeople. I shut off my laptop and then managed to get a nice long sleep. The next day, we met our guide, Sherpa Harish. He was from a village. He was from a village. He was from a about eight hours northeast of Kathmandu, going up into the Himalayas.

We put our equipment into a rented truck, and then up we drove through the city, and then the poor slum suburbs beyond, before finally reaching mountainous farmland. Rob got Willie to film him interviewing Harish for a bit as he drove. Harish told us that he had seen glimpses of the Yeti as a boy, and the beast left footprints in the sand near rivers and streams. Many of the villages near him had reported sightings too, but often the village. some kids go looking on their own, he says, but mostly they get lost out in the dense mountain jungle. Sometimes they'll come back with scratches and bruises, usually from falling, tripping, or even

sometimes bites from snakes. Harish continued explaining that the local legends of the Yeti became world famous when Western explorers began coming to Nepal for exploration, mainly around the early 20th century. The myths exploded as more mountaineers came, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Bigfoot cousin on their climb up the various mountains, the most famous obviously being Mount Everest. Harish claims that the Yeti exists but understands why many Westerners and even those from the cities are more skeptical because there are other great apes like orangutans in the jungles, which people could think are the Yeti. We stopped filming and let Harish drive. It

took us almost all day, and it was not a pleasant ride. Most of the roads were little more than dirt paths, and some spots were very high up, overlooking gorgeous scenery with nothing but flimsy aluminum barriers to protect your vehicle if it veered off the road. We reached his village at about 9 p.m. local time. I was expecting some wooden hut village like you saw on TV, but this village was more like a small town. They had power, concrete buildings, and a few paved, albeit poorly maintained streets. Most of the buildings, though, were shanty huts with aluminum ceilings and wood or old concrete as walls. Harish took us to the only hotel in town, which was a simple two-story motel. We agreed to meet early in the morning at around 5 a.m. since Harris said that that was the

best time to potentially get a siding. The hotel room was what you would expect from the third world, a bare-bones mattress that was right on the ground, a hole in the ground with a plastic cover for a toilet, and a hose with a nozzle for a shower. Luckily, the motel restaurant served some decent chicken. I managed to get a few hours of sleep, but slept in my clothes as the nights got very cold that high up in the Himalayan foothills. I woke up and met the crew bright and early. Harish drove us a bit away from the village, but not too far. We'd have to go the rest of the way on foot, he said. Most sightings are near a stream that runs at the bottom of a gorge. However, The Nepali government was building a dam just north of the village, and most of the river was

dried up, so we could walk along the sandy banks. The river was not far from the road, maybe a fifteen-minute walk through the jungle. I could see what the dam was doing to the gorge, though. The water was confined to a small stream in the middle of what must have once been a great river. On the other side, as Harish said, were sandy banks and rocks. Willie and I began filming at this point, and we began trekking north. On either side of the gorge were steep tree-covered hills, and you could see in the distance the first mountains of the Himalayas.

Every so often we would stop, and Harish would explain to Rob a bit more about the Yeti, and Rob would relay his own opinions as well. Harish would point out various animal tracks, including bears and even a tiger, so we had a reference for when he showed us the real Yeti footprint up ahead. We trekked on for what felt like an hour, following the dried-up riverbank. My friend back home was certainly right about it being tough terrain. I considered myself pretty fit, but even this was getting tough as we kept going uphill. Eventually, we hit a turn in the river marked to my right by a steep cliff face.

Harish beckoned us over to show some sort of ape-like footprint in the dried river sand. I kept filming as Rob asked some questions about how the villagers found it. Could it just be a regular ape or an orangutan, that sort of thing? The footprint was pretty odd, though. Even if it was an orangutan, it was about the size of a bear, but definitely humanoid and ape-like in shape, with four toes and a larger opposable toe. We took photos of the print and then used the opportunity to have a lunch break. The footprint was weird but interesting I thought at the time, and looking back, this is where I wish we had stopped. After lunch, Harish told us that the Yeti is probably an undiscovered ancestor or relative to apes.

He says it likes to live in caves and has evidence. The cave mention was given to Karen, who told Rob weeks ago, so it was no surprise to Rob. These nature productions are all generally scheduled well in advance, so there are no surprises. We packed our stuff up and began to hike up into the jungle, towards this cave up the steep terrain near the cliffside. When I thought the hike up the river was tough, I hadn't experienced a real hike yet. back home I would hike around Seattle near Portland when I would visit my parents, but trails cannot compare to walking through unexplored Himalayan jungle bush. Not to mention I had 60-odd pounds of AV equipment on my back.

The jungle was certainly a unique place, though. You're introduced to a whole new soundscape from monkeys yelling at each other, tons of different birds, the rustling of vegetation, and even some weird chirps from insects I couldn't even name for you. Eventually, the constant uphill battle took a turn south, literally. Harish led us downhill until we were standing face to face with this cave. It had a low ceiling, maybe five feet, but it was quite wide, about the length of a city bus. The entrance was covered in thick bush except for a cutaway hole, where presumably this Yeti entered and exited.

At that moment, Willie began to film Rob and Harish entering the cave, and a shrill shriek came from behind the airy. we hiked up. I nearly fell over and my muscles went stiff. Instinctively, I swung my camera around but couldn't locate where the shriek had come from. Rob turned with a look of concern. Willie and Harris, on the other hand, were grinning at me. Willie had his camera pointed into the treetops and was holding back a laugh to keep his camera steady. Willie pointed up and told us to look up there. I followed his gaze to see a small brown monkey hanging from a branch, howling. Monkey looks like you saw a ghost, huh?

The anxiety in me slowly let down as the monkey screamed again right at us a couple more times before taking off into the treetops. I must have let out the biggest sigh of my life, and we turned to go into the cave. Rob interviewed Harris again before entering, and Harish said some local boys found this place, and they saw the Yeti leaving the cave. Rob made a little joke, and then we went into the cave,

As you would expect, the cave was pitch black, and it was a good thing we had our lights on our cameras in addition to night vision. The cave didn't seem to go that far back, but it was difficult to tell. The ceiling seemed to get lower and lower as you went in. Rob was walking sort of backward, talking to the camera as he spoke about the history of the Yeti sightings, that sort of thing. We started having to duck our heads as the ceiling kept getting lower, and the light from the entrance grew smaller. We were maybe 30 yards in when Rob started talking. The first western sighting of the Yeti was in 1832 when... He stopped as his foot hit something.

He mumbled and turned to see how big the rock was to move around it. Only when he turned and shined his headlight on the ground, his foot had not hit a rock. I could see through my camera a humanoid mass on the ground like someone in a fetal position. Rob jumped back and Harish went to go see what was wrong. He turned the man over. and the man was completely naked and covered in filth. Harish looked up at me, and the man was clearly a westerner.

He had a shaggy beard, was very skinny, and looked extremely dehydrated. This body on the ground was still alive, though, mumbling something and holding himself. There were two small holes in the side of the man, like some sort of bite, a bat maybe. We were in a cave, and the man had clearly been here for some time. We thought that he was a lost tourist or a man. mountaineer at first, but then Harish picked up a piece of plastic near the man and held it up to me. I read it out loud. Jacques Richar, engineer.

Engineer. That was French for engineer, obviously, and he must work at the dam. Harish explained that the dam was partially funded by the French government and the World Bank. We agreed that he must have gotten lost and went to help him up when the same shriek from the howler monkey emerged from the cave entrance. I turned slowly, keeping my camera rolling. Through the lens, I saw a very tall, dark, lanky figure standing in the cave entrance. It had no clothing, no fur, just a huge head of hair that was completely dark like the rest of its silhouette.

I could make out the monkey's squirming body in the creature's mouth. It screamed again, and then there was a crunch and a sickening, slurping noise. All I could make out from the silhouette were two enormous. beady white eyes staring at my camera. The creature let out another terrifying scream, dropping the monkey, and quickly retreating deeper into the jungle, disappearing into the dense foliage. The crew, stunned and terrified, gathered their wits and decided that they needed to get out of the cave and back to the village immediately. We carefully lifted the injured and confused man and started making our way back through the treacherous terrain. The injured man,

Jacques Richard, was weak but conscious, mumbling. incoherently about being hunted by a creature. His delirious state suggested that he had been through something very traumatic. The journey back to the village was arduous. We faced multiple challenges as we had to carry Jacques. The paths were slippery, and there was the constant fear that the creature might actually return. Harish was leading the way quickly, using his knowledge of the terrain to guide us back safely. As we walked, Jacques's mumblings became more coherent. he talked about being part of a team working on the dam and how they encountered the creature during their surveys.

He described the creature's attacks and how it seemed to be protecting its territory. Jacques mentioned that others from his team went missing and were never found. We finally reached Harish's village late at night. The villagers were shocked to see Jacques, whom they presumed to be dead. Harish quickly arranged for medical help

and the village doctor attended to Jacques's wounds in dehydration. The crew gathered to discuss our next steps. Rob and Karen decided to return to Kathmandu to report the incident and share the footage with discovery. Jacques, now slightly more stable, insisted on coming with us. He believed that the footage was vital and that the world needed to know about what was going on here. The journey back to Kathmandu was tense, but relatively uneventful. We were constantly on edge, fearing another possible encounter with whatever that thing was, but still relatively just in shock. After reaching the city, we were able to communicate directly with Discovery's producers. These executives were initially skeptical,

but were soon convinced by the footage that we uploaded to their server. After reviewing the footage, the executives instructed us to hand in all our AV equipment at the airport, and assured us that they would be in touch soon upon our arrival. We complied, although it did feel very strange and disheartening to part with our gear in such a manner. Weeks passed, and we heard nothing about the footage or the planned special. We had long since lost contact with Jacques. Attempts to contact discovery were met with very vague responses and brush-offs. Rob received an anonymous tip that the footage may have been classified,

and the project had been shelved indefinitely. There was some speculation that some very powerful people wanted to keep the existence of the creature, and that cave a secret. Even though I am under a strict NDA, I have felt utterly compelled to share this story. The world deserves to know about the events that we witnessed, and the creature that remains hidden in the shadows of the Himalayas. The truth should not be suppressed, and I just hope that this account reaches those who seek to uncover the very dark mysteries of our world.

Choice Hotels get you more of what you value. Comfort in, it's calling your name, save on the stay. Oh, and free waffles are yours to claim Book direct at storeshiltails.com A text says, you're on my mind. A bouquet from 1-800 Flowers says, You're my everything. Heartfelt moments belong in the real world,

not just your phone. For 50 years, 1-800 Flowers has helped millions of people make memories that'll last a lifetime, with gifts they'll cherish forever. Their expertly curated arrangements and gift baskets shipped nationwide with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don't wait for the next big moment.

Make it when you visit 1800flowers.com slash Spotify today. That's 1800flowers.com slash Spotify. Mom, can you tell me a story? Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car. Was she brave? She was tired, mostly. But she went to Carbana.com and found a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required.

Did you have to find a dragon? Nope, she bought it 100% online, from her bed, actually. Was it scary? Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about.

Buy your car today on... Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. I spent about eight years in prison doing hard time, paying for the mistakes I made in my youth. Every day, I dealt with screaming guards and bloody fights between cellmates. Every day was like living in my own personal hell. The only thing that kept me sane was what I had planned when I got out.

You see, my dad owned about 20 acres of forest in Montana. When I was a kid, I found myself enthralled by Mother Nature's beauty, living more in the wilderness than I did in my own home. The thought of all the gorgeous scenery and untainted air, looking forward to that slice of paradise, was the only thing keeping me sane. When it finally came time for my release, the vast wilderness was my destination. After stepping off the bus and catching up with my family, I packed a bag, filling it with supplies and even a tent. After waiting this long, I planned to stay a few days. During the start of my trek, it was more awesome than I could have imagined. The air was so clean and pure, a far cry from the stench of blood and cold steel.

The pine cones crushed beneath my feet, giving me a satisfying feeling. Different birds broke the silence with happy chirping. This was what I prayed for during those eight agonizing years. As I continued onward, the sun started to set, giving all the sun. off a stunning orange glow that brought a smile to my face. I swear, people focused too much on the everyday hustle and bustle of life. I felt like I could stay out here and live happily, but since it was getting late, I needed to find a spot to set up camp. I wasn't picky. Dirt would be better than one of those prison cots. I settled under the cover of some really tall pine trees. I had planned to

build a fire and roast some marshmallows, but to do that, I needed some. stray branches. That's when my trip took a strange turn. As I walked deeper, little things seemed off to me, like the many broken trees, not small ones either. There were thick and mighty oak snapped clean in half. Upon further inspection, they didn't seem to be rotten. This left me dumbfounded, as I didn't remember any tornadoes in the forecast. Regardless, I pushed on in search of more wood. However, this time, an awful smell caught my attention. The whole area seemed to reek of body odor, or that of a decaying animal. But I assumed this sort of smell was normal in the middle of the wilderness. Eventually, I came across a small cave. It looked so peaceful and serene,

like I could throw out my tent and sleep there. But that putrid sewage-like stench filled the air even worse than before, like someone had been dumping their trash in this cave for years. As I inched closer, trying not to vomit, I saw something moving around inside. It looked like a small child, albeit covered in brown matted hair. As anyone else would have, I tried getting closer to quell my curiosity and see what in the world this creature could be. But as I did, footsteps rivaling that of thunder started approaching me. I tried to figure out what was going on, but before I could, something struck my head hard, instantly sending me to the ground. My vision became hazy, and I felt something wet coming from my forehead.

I rubbed my fingers into the liquid, quickly realizing it was my own blood. I glanced down to see a large rock, obviously what caused the damage. I tried to stand up and gather my bearings. Unfortunately, this would be a moment that stuck with me for the rest of my life. Towering above me was a horrifying creature straight out of a monster movie. It had to be around nine feet tall, covered in moss-like brown hair. The creature's stench alone was enough to bring a man to his knees. Now I've never considered myself a coward,

especially considering I fought for my meals eight years straight. But standing before this colossal ape-like creature left me with only one option, run. I sprinted in retreat as fast as I could, knowing my life depended on it. To my terror, I could hear the creature's booming footsteps chasing behind me. I don't know what it was trying to protect, but it would have killed me before I found out. As I ran and ran, the behemoth had no trouble keeping pace with me. It was to the point that I was sure its long arms could have reached out and grabbed me. Not only that, but the grunting noise it made with every step was terrifying.

It sounded inhuman, downright demonic if I was being honest. My lungs felt like they were about to burst, but stopping for a breath was not an option. There was no way I was going from locked away to being killed by this thing. Even when the blood had nearly stolen my vision, I kept going. Thankfully, the end of this massive forest came into view. Seeing as I was out of its domain, I no longer heard the creature, leaving all my supplies behind, I raced back to my father's house. I explained to him what happened, but he shook his head, going as far as to accuse me of being on drugs, that I must have taken a bad hit and started

hallucinating. Even the large gash in my head had to be self-inflicted. I was so angry, but I guess it was understandable. After all, who would believe that I saw such a monster? I've never been a fan of the paranormal, but after researching, I came to the conclusion that what I saw was the legend bigfoot, a being that until now, I would have told you was completely fabricated. It was so unreal, I wish it were drug-induced. Fortunately, I never saw that terrifying beast again, and it was safe to say that I lost any and all interest in the great outdoors. Now, with a job in living the straight and narrow, I've put all that behind me, but I will never forget my encounter with the terrifying Sasquatch. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life.

Drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Slot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamaba's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29.

Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at Yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right,

so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right.

I'm a 62-year-old man who has seen a lot in life. My mother and grandmother were Cree natives, and one day my mother told me a story from her grandmother about the Wendigo and how it related to our people. She always warned me to be aware of the Wendigo. When I came of age, I joined the Canadian Armed Forces. My folks drove me to the gate to walk me into my new life, and my mom told me, I'm proud of you, my son. I'm sure you'll do well. Just be careful when you're out in the wild and watch for the Wendigo.

After my basic training, I was sent on a tradesman course, and then to my first post. I was assigned to the Special Service Forces in Petawawa, Ontario, as a communication specialist. Since my job included fixing telecommunication equipment, I had top-secret security clearance. We trained hard while I was there, and I was ready to go head to head with whatever enemy I would encounter in my missions. One day in December, we were transported via helicopter to a mountaintop close to Algonquin Provincial Park for a week of winter warfare courses. During this week of training, each of us had to do guard duty at night. On one of those nights, at around 2 a.m., I started hearing strange voices down the mountain. That night, the temperature was around negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

At first, I checked to see that everyone was sleeping in their tents. They were all accounted for. I scanned the area to see if I could locate someone. There was nobody there. At least no one that I could see with my military issue flashlight. I continued hearing those voices for a while, so I decided to call out to whoever was there. Hello, who goes there?

You're on a Canadian Armed Forces base. Identify yourself. There was no answer. I kept looking for whatever might be there, but I was still hearing those voices that sounded almost Asian. Some came from the right, others from the left. They seemed like they were having some kind of conversation. Since it was a training and learning exercise, we had no ammo in our weapons. Not knowing what to expect, I did the second best thing I could do. I fixed the

bayonet and kept walking around the camp. The voices stopped after a while. I wondered who in their right mind would hike into the wilderness for at least 20 miles in such miserable weather, just to pull a prank on us. That week, they closed down the base two times because it was so cold. Of course, we stayed on the mountaintop. It was part of the training, they said. My replacement came after a while, and when he showed up, the first thing he asked me was what I was doing with the bayonet on my weapon. I didn't want to say that I was hearing voices down below us, so I told him it was so cold that I decided to do some drill movements to warm myself up. I don't know if he believed me or not. The next month, there was a huge military

exercise in Wainwright, Alberta. The entire brigade ended up there. One day, I was going on a call with my partner to do a repair on a piece of equipment that was out in the middle of nowhere. We had been driving for about 45 minutes in deep snow and could not find the equipment. I was driving and decided to stop and check our location to find our target. My partner was looking at a topographical map while I was trying to see if I could locate a reference point. On our right, there was a forested area with pine and underbrush. On the left, there was an open field. At about 100 feet from the tree line, in my 10 o'clock position, there was a large white-tailed buck foraging in the snow. The deer was facing us and looking out in our direction. Then, out of nowhere,

a huge creature blasted out of the tree line and aimed directly toward the grazing deer. It took less time for the beast to cover the approximate 100 feet to the deer, than it took for me to tell my partner to look. The beast grabbed the deer by the head. It was taller than the deer by about two feet. It was reddish-brown in color with very wide shoulders. The head was pointed and set on the shoulders without a neck. The arms were long and muscled. The legs were like 50-gallon drums, and the body was covered with long hair. I wish I had more time to look at it and get more details, but everything went so fast. As soon as the beast reached the deer, It placed one hand on the top of the deer's head and the other on the back of the neck and then twisted it like it was a rag.

Without even stopping, it headed back into the woods with the deer over its shoulder. I put the truck in gear and said, let's get out of here. My partner managed to find the trail leading to our destination, and we found the equipment. When we made our way back to the Bivouac area, my sergeant asked me if everything went okay. I told him I didn't know what I saw on our way to the other location, but it was pretty freaky. He looked at me and said that he didn't want to hear about it, so I kept it to myself and walked away.

As time went on and I grew older, I realized that I had witnessed a Sasquatch harvesting that deer. I had a nice career in the army. I did some missions and went on several peacekeeping missions throughout the world. I saw a lot of strange animals and witnessed many unusual situations, but the beast in Alberta was the one that I will never forget. It's been many years since this happened to me, and I had originally thought a mountain lion was the cause of it, but now I'm not so sure about that. Back in the early 1990s, my best friend and I went camping.

It was the weekend before Memorial Day, and we were camping in a small campground off the road between Lake Castaic and Lake Hughes in Southern California. The first night was so annoying due to all the gangbangers from L.A. showing up and making noise all night that we packed up and left on Saturday morning. I had heard about a place called Sawmill Mountain from one of my co-workers, and it was close by so we headed up there. Sawmill Mountain is off the road between Lake Hughes and Gorman. To get there, you need to travel several miles from the turnoff on unimproved dirt roads to the campground. When we got there, it was midday on Saturday, and we were the only two people in the campground. The elevation was about 5,000 feet, and it was nice and cool up there with a beautiful view of the valley below, It was a great campground.

We pitched our tents, set up camp, then ate some lunch and sat down to relax in the shade. My buddy went inside his tent and took a nap, and I went to my tent and did the same. After a short nap, I decided to do a little exploring. About 25 yards from our campsite was a trail, and I walked on it for about 150 yards. Off to the side of the trail, along the tree line, I heard something moving and looked in that direction. I thought I caught a glimpse of something light-colored, but it stopped moving. I was still in condition white, a.k.a. low-level alertness, and didn't think anything was wrong. I kept walking a few more yards, noticing that the wildflowers were blooming everywhere and enjoying the views.

All of a sudden, I began to think of that movie, Predator, where the monster could see people, but they couldn't see him. Then I noticed that everything had gone absolutely quiet, no insects, no bird. birds chirping, nothing. I did a 360-degree turn and didn't see anything. Maybe the sudden silence had triggered some primordial fight-or-flight response in me that made me think of that movie. Anyway, I was armed at the time with a Smith and Wesson 10 millimayer, and I made sure that I had my hand on it. The gun gave me absolutely no comfort whatsoever, though. The feeling of dread and despair was so immense that I felt like I was in a panic. I felt frozen in place for a few moments. Then that little voice in the back of my head kicked in and said,

Get out of there now! I didn't run because all I could think about was a mountain lion, and running would make it chase me. I couldn't see what was watching or stalking me, and you can't shoot what you can't see. I started calling out to my buddy as loud as I could, and walked quickly back to camp. Even after I got back, I still felt pretty freaked out. My buddy was there drinking a beer, and I told him what happened. While you were napping in the tent, I did the same thing, he said. I felt the same way you did, and I never felt a feeling of dread like that before, and haven't since. It was so powerful it was crippling.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. Some A-hole in a Subaru brat came up and drove around the campground like he was in the Baja 500 around sundown, but nothing else happened. It was a great place to camp, but neither of us went anywhere alone. We had been back several more times for weekend campouts with larger groups of friends, and nothing odd had happened. Then, on one campout with the same buddy a couple of years later, something did happen. Once again we were the only two up there. I think we played hooky from work and went up midweek.

Anyway, we had a campfire going and had just polished off a couple of thick rib-eyes. I believe it was summer at the time. I was telling my buddy what a big wall of flame a 10mm would produce, and he said, well, let's see it. So I shot off a magazine from it. As predicted, lots of flame and noise. I holstered the gun and sat down by the fire. You remember that creepy feeling when we first discovered this place?

My buddy said to me, and I said that I did. Well, I think it's back. I didn't pick up on it this time, but I guess he did. We both had our guns out and flashlights in our hands. My buddy thought that whatever was causing it was watching us from beyond the camp. We walked toward it, shining our lights up in the trees, thinking it was a cougar or a bobcat, but there was nothing. About ten yards from camp, all of a sudden, something growled at us. I won't repeat what my buddy said, but we high-tailed it back to camp as quickly as we could.

When we got there, we lit every lantern we had and threw a bunch of termite. eaten pinewood into the fire to get things as bright as we could. That night was rough to sleep through, but nothing bothered us after that. Now fast forward to about three weeks ago, I was talking to my buddy by text message about what we've been calling the ghost of Sawmill Mountain, and I had said that I thought it was a mountain lion. What he said blew my mind. He is pretty sure it was a Sasquatch that day many years ago. He pointed me to a bunch of Bigfoot websites, and I did a little reading. I have to say that I'm starting to agree with him. From everything I read, they stay close enough to us that they can keep an eye on us.

Unlike the hippie view that they're the gentle guardians of the forest, they're actually an apex predator. I think on that day, I was either on the menu, or I made the thing mad by scaring off what it was after. I also think the growl a couple of years later was a gentle reminder to stop making so much racket in its territory and stay in our campsite. I found out that the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington, cuts right through the sawmill mountain campground.

The websites that track Bigfoot sightings have had a few in the general area. I live in Arizona now, but I'd like to go back there someday to look for evidence of stick structures and other strange signs. Anyway, that's my little story of Bigfoot. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and science. or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude,

each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch. Solar Elixir, a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria. Discover the Euphoria Elixir Collection by Calvin Klein. In the spring of 1988, my boyfriend and I, along with other college friends, decided to spend our whole spring break hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. One of our friends' fathers grew up in that area and recommended a spot for us near a place called Round Lake. We hiked into the mountains and had a beautiful view of the lake. There were seven of us on that trip, and we planned to stay for a couple of days.

At around 8 p.m. on the second day, we had our dinner and were just finishing up the dishes. One of the other couples went for a walk, ostensibly to find a spot to watch the sunset. An hour or so later, they came running back into camp, saying they had seen a monster. They explained that they were sitting on a rock ledge when they noticed a pine tree shaking wildly. The trees in that area were not tightly packed, and there were many bear spots, so the shaking pine tree stood out. As they watched, they glimpsed a large black figure and initially thought it was a bear. Then the shaking stopped. To their surprise, a strange-looking creature emerged from the woods, running in an unusual way.

It seemed deformed, propelling itself forward with its front legs instead of using its back legs. As they continued watching, they realized it wasn't a bear, but, as one of them described, the biggest freaking chimp I've ever seen. The creature then transitioned from moving on all fours to casually walking on two feet. It stopped, stared out over the valley, and then sat down with its back to them. They estimated that it was at least five and a half feet tall when sitting. Although it had seen them, it seemed almost indifferent to their presence. My boyfriend remarked, Well, that sounds like Bigfoot.

And excitedly, everyone wanted to go see it. So the whole group walked to the spot. By the time we arrived, the creature was gone. My boyfriend then pointed to the dark sky to the east, asking, do you guys see this? We all looked and saw spinning lights, though the source of the lights was invisible. The lights stopped,

and we heard a loud moan to the right of us that lasted about 45 seconds. When the moan stopped, it was followed by a higher-pitched whoop, and then the spinning lights resumed. This cycle repeated several times, each time with the lights getting closer to us. As the phenomenon continued, we heard the moans and whoops coming from all around us, and even from above, further up the mountain. We were all terrified, and someone suggested returning to camp. Once back at camp, we should have packed up and just left, but we inexplicably felt. safer at our campsite. We talked about our experience, but no one suggested leaving. We continued

chatting, and oddly enough, I don't recall feeling fear. Yet someone then mentioned seeing something in the woods darting from tree to tree. When I asked if it was a big foot, my friend said that it was glowing a silvery white color and was only four feet tall. He suddenly yelled, Look, it's right there! And we all scanned the woods, feeling more freaked out. I said, saw the look of shock on my boyfriend's face, so I looked where he was looking. There, eight to ten feet up a tree, was a silvery white being with its hands holding on to the trunk. The firelight didn't illuminate the whole tree, so the details were pretty unclear, but it had five fingers with what appeared to be suction cups on its tips. I saw one side of its bulbous head and one

large eye, the size of a baseball. The head was as large as a party balloon. Minutes later we heard a large crack of a tree limb. One of the guys said that they saw red eyes glowing and then moving back behind the tree. Suddenly, one of the girls screamed, and we all jumped up in fright, looking in the direction that she was pointing. There it was, a Sasquatch standing and staring at us while swaying back and forth. My God, this thing must have been well over 11 feet tall. It breathed very heavily, its mouth pursed downward, inhaling through its nose and exhaling with a loud growl. We then heard the sound of brush moving and saw a bright-lighted figure appear. We watched as the Bigfoot turned and walked out of the campsite toward the figure, and that was our chance to escape.

None of us really packed anything. We just ran to the cars and left. A few of us returned the next day to retrieve some of our belongings. Nothing had been touched, not even the cooler of food. And as far as I know, none of us ever went back to that location. Most of us still keep in touch, but we rarely ever talk about the surreal events of that night. This episode is brought to you by Netflix's remarkably bright creatures. What if a Pacific octopus held the key to a mystery that could heal your heart? Well, that's Tova's reality. An elderly widow working at an aquarium. Tova forms an unlikely friendship with the crumudgeonly Marcellus, whose remarkable intelligence leads her to a life-changing discovery.

Watch remarkably bright creatures with your remarkable moms this Mother's Day weekend. Only on Netflix May 8th. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird.

Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash Switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. My family owns a cabin in the mountains.

My great-grandfather built the original section, and my grandfather father and I have all added more to the cabin over the decades. It went from a small two-room cabin to a two-story five-room cabin with a porch. Upstairs is the bedroom with two beds, and downstairs is the living room. kitchen, bathroom, and study. The study has an old steel tanker desk my grandpa put there, bookshelves full of old hunting, fishing, and trapping books, and a ton of old sci-fi novels my dad read as a kid. I decided to stay at that cabin over the summer, instead of working between college semesters to maintain the property. Neighbors in the area had complained of vandalism and theft,

and my dad was worried about someone breaking into the cabin, so I planned to live there for the summer and take care of the property. I packed up the old Ford Bronco with food and other necessities, took a rifle and a revolver, and even brought my dog. The dog, an Australian shepherd named Roscoe, was a great companion. The five-hour drive to the cabin was pretty uneventful, and when I arrived, I was greeted by the serenity of nature. Yes, I would be alone for the whole summer, with the only human contact being trips into town for gas and food, but I was cool with that. I spent the rest of the day unloading my supplies into the cabin, getting the generator started, turning on the lights, and generally settling in.

Nothing unusual happened the first night. The next day, I mowed the grass around the cabin, hacked down weeds and small trees growing along the trails, cleaned out deer blinds, and got rid of wasp nests on the eaves of the cabin. Roscoe kept freezing and staring off into the woods like he saw something, but then he would just shrug it off and follow me, panting and wagging his tail. I spent the rest of the day cleaning solar panels and checking batteries so I wouldn't need to run the generator for anything except the AC or TV. The TV was an old console style from the 60s,

and the antenna didn't pick up anything but static since everything is digital now. However, it had my old NES from when I was a kid hooked up to it, which was very nostalgic. That night, I cooked some wolf-brand chili, no beans because chili doesn't have beans, you heretics, on the gas stove in the kitchen, and admired the view out the kitchen window. The motion-triggered lights picked up a raccoon hanging around behind the cabin,

and I watched it while I cooked. I ate dinner in the living room while reading a book on African big game hunting, death in the tall grass, I think it was called. The lights started dimming, and something was wrong with the inverter. The solar cells weren't charging the batteries fully. I called it an early night and headed to bed to save the batteries. The following day, I tried to figure out why the batteries weren't charging, but was completely

clueless. Roscoe kept looking off into the woods and whining. I gave up on fixing the battery charger and decided to run solar by day and the generator at night. I headed off into the woods to check the fence line of the property. I had my grandpa's old S&W model 10. a 38 revolver from when he was a cop in the 60s, on my hip in case of snakes or whatever. Roscoe was acting increasingly nervous, though, refusing to leave my sight and staring into the woods

and whining. It was unusual behavior, but I just kind of shrugged it off. The fence was damaged in a couple of places, so I made a note of where I needed to do repairs. I had all summer, so I was in no hurry. Suddenly, Roscoe started barking and snarling. like something was there. I turned to look but didn't see anything. I drew my revolver and called out, Who's there? Roscoe charged off into the woods, still barking, and something big went crashing through the brush, pursued by Roscoe. I called my dog and chased after him, worried that he was going to get into a fight with a bear or something. Suddenly, I heard Roscoe yelp, and he ran back to join me, tail tucked between his legs. There was a loud roar like nothing I had ever heard.

before, and more crashing in the brush ahead. I still hadn't seen whatever the dog was chasing, and at this point, I didn't want to see it. I ran back to the cabin with Roscoe right behind me to load the rifle. It was a Gibbs carbine, basically a sporterized Enfield rifle in 0.308 with a nickel finish. I had only brought it along in case a bear tried to break into the cabin, not because I intended to actually shoot anything. With a round in the chamber and the magazine fully loaded, I stayed in the cabin for the rest of the day. I didn't see or hear anything unusual, and eventually, I relaxed. I cooked some dinner, fed Roscoe, read some more of my book, and headed to bed, revolver now under my pillow and rifle leaning against the wall next to the bed, of course.

The next day, I set out to finish checking the fence line, taking the rifle with me this time. Roscoe was increasingly nervous, tail tucked between his legs, shaking and growling while staring off into the woods. He was making me nervous too, but I didn't see or hear anything odd. The birds were chirping, squirrels were doing their thing, and everything seemed normal, except for the dog. I started checking the area near the creek, and that's when things got bizarre. The berry bushes were picked clean. Normally, they would have berries this time of year. I started to suspect that we had a bear in the area, and that's what we had encountered the previous day. There were weird footprints in the mud around the creek, too big and shaped wrong to be a deer or a pig,

but there were so many prints that the mud was churned up, and I couldn't get a clear look at any of them. Suddenly, something sailed through the air and landed on the trail a few feet from me. It was a pine cone. What the heck? Another one flew out of the woods and landed on the trail. Somebody was throwing pine cones at me. I shouted, Who's there?

No response. I informed whoever was in the woods that they were trespassing on private property and that I was armed. A large stick flew at me and missed. I threw it back and yelled that I was calling the sheriff if they didn't leave. They threw a rock at me. Forget this. I flipped off the safety on my rifle and fired a shot into the air. There was dead silence other than the ringing in my ears.

I made a show of chambering another round and yelled that I was going to call the sheriff, so they needed to leave immediately. There was dead silence again for a long, tense moment, and then a hailstorm of rocks, sticks, pine cones, and other stuff was thrown at me from the woods. A couple of them hit me hard enough to hurt, and Roscoe yelped when a rock hit him. I still couldn't see who was throwing things.

I fired another shot, this time into the woods in the direction the rocks were coming from, instead of into the air. There was that loud roar again, and I said, forget this. I was out of there. I ran back to the cabin with whoever was throwing rocks and things crashing through the brush parallel to the trail, still throwing stuff. Roscoe finally had enough and charged off into the woods, snarling. There was an ear-splitting scream, and my dog was snarling and barking like he was fighting something. I started to follow Roscoe, chambering another round in my rifle, but then another rock flew through the air and hit me in the head.

that one knocked me for a loop. I saw that there was blood everywhere, and I retreated back to the cabin and locked myself inside. Roscoe showed up a few minutes later. He was covered in mud, blood, and leaves. I checked my phone, and of course no signal out here. I topped off the magazine of my rifle and considered driving into town to call the sheriff. No, forget that, I thought. My heart was going a mile a minute, and whoever was throwing rocks should be more scared of me than vice versa. After all, I had a gun, and Roscoe clearly got into a fight with whoever it was. I cleaned the dog up, put some antibiotics on his wounds, and then checked mine. I had a nasty bruise on my forehead and a small cut.

I cleaned it up and slapped a band-aid on it. I was in siege mode just in case that thing returned. I ran the generator, so I had lights. I kept checking out the windows while I cooked dinner. The motion-triggered lights went off a few times, but I never saw anything. I eventually decided the trespasser had enough and wasn't going to come back. I shut off the generator and headed to bed, guns still ready to go, of course. I woke up the next morning, grabbed my rifle in Roscoe,

and went to check the property for any signs of the trespasser. The woods were eerily quiet, though Roscoe was acting nervous once again. and I was at this point thoroughly creeped out. I decided to spend the entire day hold up inside the cabin. I didn't see or hear anything unusual whenever I checked outside, but it was still eerily quiet. No birds, no animals moving, nothing. I spent the entire day alternating between reading

and nervously looking out the windows. Come nightfall, I refueled the generator and started it before it got too dark outside. Then I headed into the kitchen and started cooking a pot of canned beef stew. The motion-triggered lights kept going off, but I didn't see anything. Roscoe was whining and acting nervous again. I kept the point three-eight holstered on my hip

and the rifle next to my chair in the living room. After checking the front windows again, I walked back into the kitchen just in time to see something looking through the window at me. I couldn't tell what it was. I just saw its eyes in the dark silhouette. I shouted and drew my revolving. pointing it at the window, and at that moment, whatever it was, vanished. Running up to the window, I looked outside as the motion lights went off,

and saw a large shadow disappearing into the trees. The window was high off the ground, and walking out the back kitchen door required going down a short flight of steps. I'm six feet tall, and wouldn't be able to look into the kitchen window from outside, so whatever was peering into the window must have been massive. I was convinced it was a bear. So, I holstered my gun again, stirred the stew on the stove pot, and turned down the heat so it wouldn't burn.

Then I retrieved the rifle and stepped out the kitchen door to see if I could see or hear anything. The lights flickered, and the generator sputtered, coughed, and then died. I was left in the dark. I headed back into the cabin, barked my shin on the coffee table, and laid my rifle in the chair. Roscoe was whining. and then I grabbed an old Army anglehead flashlight from by the front door and stepped onto the porch. The generator was in an enclosure to the left of the door.

I opened it up to double-check the fuel tank and didn't see anything obviously wrong, then started the generator up again, and the lights came back on. There was the sound of shattering glass, and I ran back into the kitchen just in time to see a long, hairy arm reaching through the broken window and grabbing my pot of stew on the stove. I whipped out the point three-eight and emptied it at the window. There was an ear-splitting screech, and the pot of stew was dropped, making a mess all over the stovetop and kitchen floor. I ran to the window in time to see a huge figure vanish into the trees again.

I grabbed my rifle from my chair, and then ran upstairs to the bedroom. I ejected the empty cases from my revolver and reloaded from the box of ammo on the nightstand. I checked out the bedroom window, the motion lights were on. but I didn't see anything. I headed back downstairs and went out the kitchen door. Roscoe was shaking and refused to follow me. I stood at the very edge of where the motion lights illuminated the tree line, shining my light into the woods and shouting threats.

Something rustled in the brush, and I caught a glimpse of motion in the beam of my flashlight. Shouldering my rifle, I started to squeeze the trigger when the lights went out. Wait, the lights didn't go out. I could still see the yard lit up. up. I turned, and there was something huge between me and the lights, creating the dark spot. I somehow avoided defecating myself and fired my rifle at the silhouette. There was a scream, and something shaped like a person ran off into the woods. I chambered a new round and fired again,

and a rock came sailing out of the woods in the direction of where I saw motion. There were two of them. I fired a third shot in the direction of the rock thrower, then drew my revolver and emptied it into the woods. There was another loud roar and something huge crashing into the brush as another rock sailed towards me. I heard more crashing off to the side where the one that got between me and the cabin ran. Forget this, I thought. I wasn't getting surrounded. And I hauled my butt into the cabin, double-checked all the doors and windows were locked, reloaded both guns, and covered the broken kitchen window with a piece of plywood, nailing it into the wall. There was a constant thumping sound as at least two of the creatures were hurling rocks and sticks at the walls of the cabin.

I retreated upstairs with Roscoe, opened the bedroom windows, and fired multiple shots into the woods around the cabin. The rain of rocks and sticks stopped, and after a while, the motion lights stopped going off. I heard a weird noise coming from the woods, like a cross between animal grunts and somebody singing without words. I fired another shot into the woods, and the noise stopped. I stayed up all night, too afraid to sleep, and the generator ran out of gas at around 3 a.m. And the cabin switched to battery power. The batteries still weren't charging properly, so the lights went out less than an hour later, leaving nothing but dead silence. Dawn finally arrived, and I jumped in the Bronco with Roscoe and hauled ass into town.

As soon as I reached the gas station on the edge of the small town near the cabin, I pulled out my phone and called my dad to tell him what happened. He told me to stay put and that he was on his way. It was a five-hour drive, so I had a bit of a wait, and I just sat in the Bronco with Roscoe the entire time, dozing but too high-strung to actually fall asleep. Dad finally pulled into the parking lot next to me, had me tell the whole story, and then we called the sheriff.

A deputy showed up, and I told him the whole story. The deputy was obviously very skeptical, but followed us to the cabin. We showed him the rocks and sticks all around the sheriff, the cabin, the scuff marks on the wall, the broken window, the spilled stew, etc. The deputy also noticed all the spent brass where I had been shooting and decided that something obviously happened, and I wasn't just making it up. We all three hunted around for footprints or other evidence, and we found a few, but they were never clear enough to really make out. The deputy wrote it all down in his little notebook and said three other people reported similar incidents in the past month,

and then he left. Dad helped. me clean up the mess in the kitchen, refueled the generator, and fixed the inverter so the solar cells charged the batteries properly. I threw all my things in the Bronco because screw staying here all summer. I didn't return to the cabin until hunting season the following winter, and only with my dad and uncle with me. I never saw or heard anything unusual again. Stitch Fix. Stop shopping, get styled. A plus on the outfit, Miss Turner. You are about to slay parent teacher conferences. Oh, these? Just the most perfect fitting jeans

my stylist sent me. Oh, hello. You, who didn't set one foot in a mall and still looks amazing? Just share your size, style, and budget, and your stylist sends personalized looks right to your door. Stitchfix. Get started today at stitchfix.com. To my stylist. This look is dedicated to you.

Thank you. Thank you. Our house sat at the edge of an expanse of woods so vast you could lose a day just hiking through them. most folks would call it peaceful but to me those woods always held a quiet menace like a predator waiting to pounce it was home though and for the most part we'd learn to coexist with the wilderness every day like clockwork i took our two dogs out to their kennels the black lab husky mix bella and the staffordshire terrier max needed the exercise in space to stretch their legs the kennels were sturdy placed just on the border where the water where the water where the carl's The kennels were sturdy, placed just on the border where our yard met the forest. Usually they loved it out there, barking at squirrels and chasing shadows. But lately, something had changed.

It started with small things. When night fell, Bella and Max would bark and whine to come back inside. I figured they just wanted the comfort of the house. But their behavior seemed more desperate, almost fearful. The first time it truly unnerved me was three nights ago. That evening I was running late. It was already dark by the time I went to fetch the dogs, but the security light by the kennels cast a reassuring glow.

As I approached, I noticed the eerie silence. Bella and Max always barked excitedly when they saw me coming. But tonight they were silent, their bodies tense and alert. My heart picked up its pace, a primal response to the unease in the air. It felt electric, like the moments before a lightning-struck. I shook it off, trying to focus on getting Bella out first. She stood at the front of her kennel, tail tucked between her legs, eyes darting toward the woods. I opened the gate and just then I heard it. A heavy snap, like a thick branch breaking underfoot.

My blood ran cold and I froze. Bella did too. For a moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. The silence that followed was thick, oppressive. Max whimpered from his kennel. pressing himself as far from the woods as he could get. I hurried Bella out, my hands shaking. She bolted toward the house, practically dragging me along. I felt guilty leaving Max, but I had no choice. I turned back, the path to his kennel seeming longer and darker than before. The air grew heavy, a rank smell of decay wafting from the woods.

My steps slowed, dread creeping in like a chill. Another snap, closer this time. I could barely move, feeling like I was walking through molasses. Max was pressed against the back of his kennel, eyes wide with fear. I fumbled with the latch, the feeling of being watched intensifying. As I finally got the gate open, I heard it, heavy breathing, low and menacing. Max growled, his hackles raised, and I knew we had to run. The breathing grew louder, closer, as if whatever it was, was right behind me.

We ran, Max pulling me with a strength born of pure terror. A scream tore through the night, chilling me to the bone. I didn't look back, couldn't look back. We reached the house, slammed the door shut, and I flipped off the lights. My heart hammered as I stared out the window, watching the edge of the woods. Something moved out there, just beyond the reach of the light. It swayed back and forth, a dark silhouette that sent shivers down my spine. for five long minutes it lingered then vanished into the darkness i didn't sleep much that night every creek and rustle setting my nerves on edge the next day i decided to bring the dogs in earlier before dusk i hoped it would be enough but deep down i knew whatever was out there wasn't going away it was watching waiting and it had just begun the next evening i decided to bring the dogs in early just as to bring the dogs in early just as to

as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. I hoped it would make a difference, but deep down, I knew it was a thin veneer of safety. The woods felt alive, watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. Bella and Max seemed calmer at dusk, their usual selves, playing and barking in the kennels. I approached them with a sense of cautious optimism. Maybe the darkness was the real enemy, but as I unlatched Bella's kennel, a sharp crack echoed through the trees. It wasn't just a branch breaking. It was something deliberate, calculated. My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to stay calm. Bella sensed my unease, her ears perking up, eyes fixed on the forest. I hurried her out and we made our way back to the

house. The tension in the air was palpable, like a rubber band stretched too thin. When I returned for Max, the shadows were lengthening, the forest a mass of dark shapes and indistinguish. I could feel eyes on me, but I didn't dare look. Max was at the far end of his kennel, whimpering softly. The moment I unlatched the door he bolted out, nearly knocking me over in his haste. We had barely taken a few steps when a crashing sound erupted from the woods, followed by the unmistakable sound of something big moving fast. My heart pounded in my ears as I grabbed Max's collar and we ran. The sound of heavy footsteps behind us sent a surge of adrenaline through my veins. We didn't stop until we were safely inside the house. I slammed the door shut and

flipped off the lights, peering out the window. The woods were still now, eerily quiet, but I knew it was out there, watching. I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach. This was no ordinary animal. For the next few nights, the noises continued, the sounds of branches snapping, objects being thrown, and a low, guttural growl that sent chills down my spine. It felt like a siege, an invisible force wearing us down, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I started taking Bella and Max for walks during the day, making sure we were all inside before dusk.

It was a temporary solution, but I knew we couldn't live like this forever. The fear was consuming us, seeping into every aspect of our lives, One night, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I had to do something. The next morning I went into town and bought a gun. It felt heavy in my hands, a cold, metallic reminder of the reality we were facing.

I wasn't sure if it would help, but it gave me a semblance of control, a way to fight back. That evening, I sat by the window, the gun in my lap, watching the edge of the woods. Bella and Max were inside, restless and on edge. The sun dipped below the horizon, and the familiar sound started up again, branches snapping, the growl, and then, the scream. It was closer this time, more insistent. I tightened my grip on the gun, my heart pounding. I knew I couldn't let fear control me.

Whatever was out there, it was time to face it. I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, the darkness enveloping me. The sounds grew louder, the growl turning into a roar. I stood my ground, gun raised, ready to confront whatever horror the woods held. The night was thick with tension, the air electric. I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This was our home, and I wasn't going to let it be taken from us, not without a fight.