Just Creepy: Scary Stories - Unbelievable Deep Woods Horror Tales: What Lurks Between the Trees?

Episode Date: May 12, 2023

These are 7 Scary Deep Woods Horror Stories | Cryptid Encounters, Forest, Scary Stories for Sleep. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/its_just_creepy Dr. Squatch -$10 OFF! https://tinyurl.com/2n5w57sr You can submit your own story to my Website, email, or subreddit: ►https://www.justcreepy.net/ ►[e-mail] ►https://www.reddit.com/r/justcreepystories/ Story Credits: ►https://www.reddit.com/user/ForceTypical/ ►https://www.reddit.com/user/asteri_agaliarept/ ►https://www.reddit.com/user/asteri_agaliarept/ ►https://www.reddit.com/user/Many_Definition_6775/ ►https://www.reddit.com/user/Aggressive-City4453/ ►https://www.reddit.com/user/ros3y_ros3/ ►https://www.reddit.com/r/spaghettispooks/ Music by: ► Myuu's channel http://bit.ly/1k1g4ey ►CO.AG Music http://bit.ly/2f9WQpe Business inquiries: ►[e-mail] #scarystories #cryptids #forest 💀As always thanks for watching! 💀

He will never believe what happened. It was a hot summer night, and I was camping in the woods with three of my friends. These woods have always been shrouded in mystery, and local folklore tales say that the forest is haunted. But my friends and I, feeling adventurous, decided to go camping deep in the heart of these very woods. We were armed with nothing but a tent, some food, and a thirst for adventure. The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, and we had just finished setting up our tent for the night. We had picked a spot near a river so we could listen to the soothing sound of the water

while we were falling asleep. We spent the evening roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories around the campfire. Little did we know, we were about to experience something far more terrifying than any of our stories. It got late, and all four of us crawled into the tent, and were just getting into our sleeping bags

when we heard rustling in the distance. At first, we assumed it was just an animal. The sounds grew louder and more persistent, We tried to ignore it and go to sleep, but the rustling turned into scratching and then tapping. The tapping was so close it sounded like it was on the side of our tent. My friend pointed out that it almost sounded like someone or something was trying to get our attention. We argued with each other about who should go and check the noise. I eventually got fed up of the arguing and got out of my sleeping bag to investigate.

I unzipped the tent and peeked outside into the darkness. There was nothing there. Just pitch black in the sound of the river. I shrugged it off and told my friends there was nothing there. The noise had stopped by now, so I zipped up the tent again. I began to get back into my sleeping bag, but the tapping started again. We tried to ignore it for a while longer, but eventually the noise became so annoying to us that we all decided to get up and go find what was making the noise,

as we were all too scared to go and check by ourselves. We got out of our sleeping bags and stepped outside the tent. At first we didn't see anything, just darkness. But as our eyes adjusted, we saw something that still haunts me to this day. Standing next to our tent was a figure seemingly made of some weird, sagging, hairy, flesh-like material. We all noticed it at the same time, and we were all paralyzed with fear. It stood at least ten feet tall, with an extremely skinny frame. Its eyes glowed an unsettling pure yellow, and it was smiling with a big, uncanny grin that showed its sharp teeth.

Its hulking frame stood in the shadows next to our tent, just staring at us, smiling, as if waiting for us to make a move, while still tapping on the side of our tent every few seconds. I felt a chill run down my spine, and I could see the fear in my friend's eyes. Suddenly, the figure spoke, opening its sick, twisted lips. Its voice was abnormally low and gravely. It echoed throughout the trees. Why do you dare trespass in my woods? It said, almost lightheartedly, giving a big smile as it talked to us.

Too shocked to respond, we just stared at it, not moving. Too afraid to move. Its lips twisted from a smile to an annoyed frown, and then it was just gone. One second it was there, the next it wasn't. That was the last we saw of the strange creature that night. We spent the rest of the night huddled together, too scared to sleep, barely speaking to each other because of the shock of what we just witnessed. That whole night I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, even inside our tent.

The next morning, we packed up our campsite and left the woods as quickly as we could. Even back in our homes in the city, that feeling of being watched never left me. Not for one second. It was like the figure had followed us, and I couldn't shake off the fear that it could be waiting for me somewhere in the shadows. I started having nightmares about it, and I became anxious and paranoid about it every second I was awake. The next day, I confided in a friend who was into the supernatural, and she suggested that what we had seen could have been a demon. She warned me that demons could attach themselves

to people and that they were hard to get rid of once they did. I brushed it off at first, but the nightmares continued, and my fear intensified. It had been a few days since my most recent nightmare of the beast, and about a week since we had gotten back to the city. I had just gotten into bed and I was reading a book. There was a scratching noise at my window. I assumed it was the willow branch that was up against my window as it was windy, and the branch often scraped my window on windy nights. I noticed something strange about the noise, however. It didn't seem to die down with the wind. In fact, the wind had stopped, but I could still hear the tapping of the branch just a few feet from the top of my head. What's more, the noise was eerily similar to the sound of the

scratching on the tent that night. I twisted my blinds open the smallest amount I could and peered out through the slits. Just a few inches from my face, the figure was there, motionless, staring directly into my eyes as if it could see into my soul. Its eyes glowing brighter than I remember. Its grin twisted even more than I remember. There was no pain of glass separating me in this strange being as I had left my window open. It was like time had stood still and I was transported back to that night in the woods. I was paralyzed by fear and couldn't move. You cannot escape me. It said it's voice low, gravely, and almost sympathetic sounding. I regained my senses the moment I smelled the monster's stinky breath and reached up to shut the window.

But the figure simply put one finger in the way of the window and it wouldn't budge. It was like it had supernatural strength. I felt a coldness wash over me as the creature climbed through the window into the room. In this being's presence, the room seemed to drop at least 10 degrees. I knew that I was in the presence of something far beyond my understanding. The figure started to whisper in my ear, its words were like venom to my brain. Nothing it said made any sense, but the words still made my brain feel like it was being eaten from the inside out. I could feel my mind slipping away. My vision started to fade, and sound came in pulses to my ears. It was like I was in some sort of trance, with no control over my body. I fell into a deep sleep. Then I woke up.

I was alone in my apartment and light was streaming and through the blinds. I got up, shaking and sweating, and looked at myself in the mirror. The first thing I noticed was a strange gray mark on the side of my neck that looked like some sort of strange symbol. I tried rubbing it off, but it seemed as if it was branded into my skin. Not knowing what else to do, I carried on with my day, making a mental note to see a doctor and therapist as soon as I could. However, as I went on with my everyday tasks, the fear and paranoia never left me, and I was never truly free of the strange being's grip. Now, years later, I still see the figure in my dreams. It taunts me, it torments me, and I know that I will never truly get its influence out of my head. I fear that

the mark has made me one of its slaves. I think it's a sort of hive mind being, gaining power, and energy off of every victim that enters its forest. I have come to this conclusion because I have found that I can never use my full brain power. Since that day, I will randomly forget important things or struggle with simple mental tasks for no apparent reason. I can almost feel a part of my mind being eaten away by a supernatural force. I have tried to contact my friends. One of them has gone mysteriously missing,

and the other two describe very similar experiences to what I have gone through. With enough victims, I think this being could become very powerful and perhaps start reaching beyond just the forest to claim victims as its own. So if you ever find yourself in the woods on a warm summer night, please be careful. You never know what kind of terrors are hiding in the shadows, waiting to use you for their own gain. To your family, you're lucky to make it out alive. Streaming on Peacock. These men are going to come after me. Taking them out is my only chance.

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Certainly, you would know if someone else was out there with you. After all, maybe this is your property or an empty park. But, dear reader, what if I told you you weren't as alone as you thought? Or, as you hoped. For you see, the walker in the woods might be there with you. If you're lucky, you'll only hear something in the distance snapping twigs underfoot. It could be an animal, and it's far away, so it's nothing to worry about. You can tell yourself.

Or maybe it's closer than that. Maybe it's from just out of sight, behind a grove of trees too thick to see through. Maybe it's close enough for you to realize that the thing can't be a rabbit or fox. It's far too big. Or, if you're particularly unlucky, maybe it's right behind you. A hot breath down the back of your neck, a low whisper in a language you can't understand, a shadow from behind that seems to block out the light. But, dear reader, worry not.

For you see, you are not alone in these eyes. encounters. The walker is an old entity. Now, you might be thinking how can one entity appear all around the world? Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be some unknown species? But rest assured, reader, there is only one walker in the woods. Yes, the walker may share their territory with a slew of other creatures, your witches, fay creatures, ghosts and monsters. But there is only one walker. In my own humble opinion, if there was more than one that would spell the end of life as we know it, or maybe the two walkers would fight until only one remained. Now, again, you may be wondering how I came across such esoteric knowledge as the walker in the woods. Well, simply put, it is my job

to know these things. It is not a glamorous job, I lament, and the pay is almost non-existent other than a sparse helping of gratitude from those who heed my advice. But, unfortunately, I am not here to discuss the troubles that plague a lowly field officer such as myself, or to complain about a shadow organization that keeps tabs on the unnatural and monstrous. No, that discussion is best left for another time. Today, we are discussing the walker. You see, the walker is either as old as, or older than the trees. As far back in history as we can search, there has always been some thing lurking in the dark.

As we go further back in time, we can try to attribute these bumps in the night to the or monsters of other kinds. But by asking these beasts, they all claim that the walker had been there as long as they can remember. And these creatures, you understand, have long memories indeed. Now, before I go on, it would be in both of our best interests if I describe the walker to you. Keep in mind that encounters with the walker in the woods with accurate descriptions are extremely rare. If you are close enough to see the walker, it is unlikely you'll be able to convey the encounter to anyone else. It is also impossible to record the Walker on any form of media imagery. Electronics malfunction in its presence. Photos and videos become distorted. And even artistic

representations will twist their ink or paint to blur the creature's face. The paint or ink will refuse to dry so long as anyone looks at it and the moment everyone looks away or blinks, it'll run and twist of its own accord, distorting the image. As of yet, I have not found a means to keep an image of the Walker from distorting, even through arcane, occult, or divine means. However, this strange phenomenon does not extend to text or oral description, nor does it prevent one from drawing an image of the Walker's body, or lens. Now, reader, you may think that you can simply make a collage of images, like a puzzle to create the creature's face. Rest assured, my predecessor also thought she was clever with that trick. The fire raged for weeks and ravaged the western coast of the United States,

and her body was never recovered, nor was our testing facility there, as it was reduced entirely to a mound of slag. What about holograms or magical illusions? Those, two, were attempted once. In the case of the former, the machines refused to even turn on. In the latter, it took six days to find all the pieces of our occult consultant. Now, there is an official ruling to avoid finding any loopholes in the creature's ability to distort images of itself. But I digress, dear reader, allow me to describe the beast to you now, and quite the beast it is, by all accounts. Standing between 10 and 15 feet tall, the creature is bipedal primarily, walking on long, thick legs ending in wide paws.

The creature has extremely thin arms, as if they have no bones or muscle, ending in oversized hands. Each of the walker's hands has seven fingers, two of which are opposable like a human thumb. on either side of the hand. However, each finger possesses additional joints, though the exact number varies by a count. From three to six, the Walker's chest is concave, as if crushed in.

The Walker's skin varies from deathly white, to obsidian black, to modeled camouflage. According to the various accounts, the variation in these accounts is attributed to stress in the viewer, but the one thing that is always consistent among the accounts is the head, at least among viewers who survived seeing it. The Walker has a roughly humanoid head,

however the walker has no ears on the side of its head, and three horns along its brow, with two large antlers growing from the side of its head. But the creature's actual face is much harder to describe. This isn't due to its unique ability to mutate images or memory of itself. Rather, it's because almost nobody who had seen its face has been found alive. We only assume the images we have. created of the Walker's face are accurate due to the distortions appearing as we have slowly created

a more accurate image. The Walker in the woods has no nose, a small mouth without lips, and two enormous eyes. It is believed these eyes are black and filled with millions of pinpricks of light, each eye roughly the size of a human's face. A scar runs from the middle of the walker's eyes, where a nose would be down to the creature's mouth, where it branches off at two angles, resembling an upside-down y. The small mouth on the walker's face is actually an illusion. According to a survivor who only saw the creature's jaw, the Y-shaped scar will split open, revealing a three-way set of jaws as the walker's cheekbones peel back, lifting the upper corners of the mouth away. The inside of these flaps of mouth are lined with backward-facing,

jagged teeth like those of a sea turtle, but far larger. It is believed that even if you see the walker preparing to bite with this monstrous maw, which appears to open far wider than physics should allow. You can still escape. This is proved by our soul surviving witness. However, none who have looked at both of the walker's eyes have survived. The only evidence we possess of its gaze come from those who have witnessed the walker peeking around a corner at them and only if they were able to outrun it. Not many do, as far as we can guess. It It is theorized that maintaining eye contact with the walker causes a trance-like state that allows it to more easily take its victims, though this cannot be corroborated for understandable

reasons. It is known, however, that looking at the creature's eyes, even briefly, or through the trees or a veil, prevents the use of arcane, occult and divine powers. Because of this, monsters, Phabes, and other supernatural entities are just as vulnerable to the walker in the woods, needing to rely on the world. to rely on their own limbs to flee to safety, beings able to fly without supernatural assistance are most likely to escape if they can get above the tree line. Merely getting into the branches will not save you, dear reader.

The walker in the woods, despite his name, is quite capable of scaling a tree or two. But my reader may ask themselves, how does one escape such a creature, who itself does not seem bound to buy even divine powers? Well, you're in luck, for through my own efforts we have compiled a list of rules to possibly save your life in the event you encounter the Walker. Ruh 1, do not explore the woods alone. The Walker, throughout the Eons, has never appeared before more than two people at a time. A single pair is not enough protection from the Walker.

It is theorized this as because when there are three or more in the group, the odds of a survivor increase. As you may have noticed, the Walker does not like to be observed by others. Rule 2. Do not acknowledge the walker. The walker in the woods is a stalker who relishes the hunt. They like to instill fear in their victims, slowly coming closer. If you run or look for the walker, you'll provoke it to attack. The walker has no interest in prey who ignore it.

Rule 3, do not call out to the walker. This rule, while similar to Rule 2, serves a different purpose. You see, the walker can mimic sounds and uses this ability as it hunt. It could be the sound of a woman's voice in the trees asking for help or the cry of a baby. If you call out into the trees, the walker may one day use your words against another victim. Below are a brief sampling of phrases and voices known to belong to the walker. An infant crying. A young woman begging for help and screaming in pain.

A boy calling his pet spot to come here. An old man wheezing that he had fallen and cannot get up. A series of gunshots which may be. sometimes be followed by the screams of passing men. Deer, bears, wolves, tigers, a lion, and an assortment of birds, which may or may not be indigenous to the region you encounter the Walker. Various men, women, children, and otherworldly creatures speaking unknown languages believed to be from lost or forgotten civilizations or other worlds. Bestial roars, believed to belong to extinct animals. Rule 4. Should you be pursued by the Walker attempt to get

to your own property border as fast as possible. There is no known reason why the Walker chooses to abide by government-certified property borders. My personal hypothesis is, because it thinks it is funny. As far as I have been able to determine, the Walker has no reason to be halted by the idea of privately owned land, as the Walker has been known to follow people across a third party's private property with no aversion. How the Walker in the woods knows where an individual's property border is, I cannot say, Just know that your own property, legally bought and paid for, suffices. Rule 5.

If you cannot reach your property, get away from the trees. Any type of clearing will do, whether it be a natural clearing or a paved street. A meadow, lawn, or otherwise flat, clear zone is preferable but not needed specifically. The Walker prefers to avoid being seen unless attempting to instill fear, it will hesitate to follow you into a clearing, and may be convinced to chase prey elsewhere. Rule 6. Get inside a building as soon as possible. This will not stop the walker. It is merely a means to slow it down. Only crossing one's property border will truly stop the walker from following you. Reader. But if you find a building in the woods, get inside and

shut the doors. Better still is a building in a clearing, such as a house with a big lawn on all sides. Once you are inside, you will continue to hear the walker coming for you. It may choose to look through windows or cast shadows into the rooms from outside to frighten you. It may choose to speak to you through the door, begging to be let in or calling for help. Do not let it in. Do not open the door. If you're lucky, after several minutes, the walker will give up and leave. If you are unlucky, the walker in the woods will knock on the door. Gently at first. Then, again, heart Soon, it will rattle the door handle, shaking it in the frame. If the building has multiple doors, all of them will bang and shake violently as the Walker

attempts to get in. Do not be fooled, however. The Walker will only be behind one door. Even if another door creaks and groans under a violent beating, looking outside through a window will suffice to prove the Walker is not there. Simply open the door and continue to flee. Soon enough, you'll hear the bursting explosion as the Walker finally breaks. down its chosen door, and it'll begin to chase you again. You may need to hide within another

building. You can continue this game of cat and mouse until you outrun the walker or it grows bored of chasing you. Ideally, you'll find your way back to your property. Rule 7, if you cannot find a group of more than three people, get to your property, and the walker will not grow bored of hunting you. It is possible to divert its attention to another. This last rule is a failsafe, chanced upon by a worker within my organization. Wobbling through the forests of Eastern Europe to examine an oddity reported to the organization, this worker became prey to the walker in the woods. Despite following the advice to hide in a clearing,

and through several abandoned buildings, the worker continued to be hunted. After several hours on the run, the worker came face to face with the walker. Terrified, the worker cried out in fear, babbling in horror. The worker, as they were about to be eaten by the Walker, muttered their co-worker's name, who was also somewhere in the forests. The Walker stopped, pulling back. The worker reported that a voice, ancient and horrible, spoke directly into his brain. It said, an offering has been made.

And, without a word more, the walker turned and loped off into the trees, leaving the worker alive. He ran to the nearest research station, or he reported the incident. There, it was discovered that the man had spoken the full name, first and last, of his co-worker, who was also alone in the forest. Despite trying for over an hour, nobody could reach her via radio or cell phone. A rescue team was sent in search of her, but she was never found. Two weeks later, the oddity was researched and packed away, and the worker was sent off with three guards to get safely back to the city to board his flight home.

They never made it. It was determined, via trial and error, that speaking the name of an individual you know to be alone, to the Walker will send it off to hunt that person. While hunting in this way, the individual will be cut off from all outside contact. No means of reaching that person has been discovered, other than going into the trees to find them first. But this is ill-advised. For you see, dear readers, the Walker does not take kindly to their offerings being taken from it. No number of guards or houses or clearings will stop the walker from taking its offering.

Neither will property borders. Once you have made an offering to the walker in the woods, you have two weeks from the moment you speak the name to get to your property. Do this, and the walker will leave you alone. Fail to get to safety, and the walker in the woods will come for you, regardless of any other safety precautions. How do you know you are being hunted by the walker in the woods? If you have been offered up to it,

first is the feeling you're being watched. Then your ears will ring. You may hear footsteps nearby, a fleeting shadow in the corner of your vision, or maybe you'll just hear. I'm sorry, dear readers, but I have to stop here for now. Somebody is knocking on my cabin door.

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must-have concealer at Sephora or at Sephora.com today. Hello, readers. This is an account of an encounter I had when I was young. I think I was maybe 10 or 12 years old at the time. I'm posting this here in case anyone knows what happened or if they've also had an experience. Over a decade later, I still vividly remember it. Back then, I lived in the upper northeast of the United States. For obvious reasons, I will not tell you the exact location, but it was a heavily wooded rural community that used to be owned by major logging companies. I grew up in one of those old dying communities that had outlived its purpose when the logging industry left,

leaving behind their vast swaths of forest. When they left, the town's main income went with them, and the town dried up. Officially, the loggers left because the soil was prone to collapse from how waterlogged it was, unable to handle their heavy equipment. Unofficially, around bonfires late at night, the locals would say that they left after finding human remains. Now, whose remains they were was up for debate, some people would say it was a Native America burial ground.

Others say a forgotten cemetery, or just a couple of hunters who got lost in the woods. But that doesn't really matter. Just backstory, I guess, to let you know what kind of place it was. Anyways, when I was younger, I used to go for walks late at night. We lived way back in the woods, but not so far that I couldn't see my neighbors if I tried. Anyone who grew up in the woods would know that weird stuff happens sometimes. Wild dogs, coyotes, foxes, deer, there's all kinds of wildlife that can mess up a kid.

So, when I went out, I always carried a knife or two on me, but I almost never carried a fly. Usually the stars and moon would be enough to light the road and paths through the trees, and at night the only time I needed a light was if I wanted to go off the path, and the older I got, the less I wanted to do that. Now, knowing all that, here's the story. I was walking around my block, maybe a five-mile walk alone at night. Usually it would take me about an hour or two, walking alone down the roads that winded through the woods.

It was maybe one, two in the morning. I was maybe 20 minutes from home when I heard a branch snap in the trees. Normally, I would write it off as nothing. Branches snap all the time, those woods are full of life. But for some reason, a chill ran down my spine. Like, I was being watched. I tensed and stopped, but the feeling didn't go away. Nervously, I kept walking.

I crossed the street, coming up on an old crop field. I think it was either beans or corn that year, but I can't remember. All I know is that I heard rustling as soon as I got near the field, as if something walked into the field out of the woods. I fumbled in my hoodie for my phone, one of those old blocky phones from the late 2000s. I found the flashlight on it and pointed it at the field but couldn't see anything. But the rustling was getting closer. Now, when there's an animal coming after you, you're not supposed to run. Most of the animals around there aren't brave enough to fight if you stand your ground.

But I was young and I freaked. I took off, running as fast as my legs would carry me. I heard the thing in the field chasing me. It wasn't rustling anymore, but crashing through the plants. When I crossed the creek, I heard it splash loudly into the water as it followed. It sounded huge. Maybe that was just because I was such a small kid. I don't know.

But as soon as I made it back to my property, the sound stopped. Like, right at the edge of the property, not even at the end. end of the tree line. As soon as I passed our no trespassing signs, it abruptly stopped moving. I ran into the house and crawled into my bed, but I didn't sleep a wink that night. Weeks go by, and I hadn't had another encounter with an animal or anything. Just serene wilderness, quiet walks. Peaceful. Granted, I never stayed out that late again, not for years. But one night my older brother came home for the weekend. He was two years older, but lived with his dad most of time. Since we rarely got to hang out, he decided to go walking with me. He laughed when I handed

him a knife for his belt, but he humored me and hooked it on. This night, we went further than usual, down past the pond the creek feeds into. Me and him were just talking, laughing about stupid teen drama when he suddenly gets quiet and asks if I heard that. I strain my ears against the sounds of the creek and insects. It's faint, but it almost sounds like heavy breathing. I shake my head saying it's probably just our breath bouncing off the water and trees or something. We shrug and start walking, but don't make it more than three steps when we stop. Someone was in the trees. We could clearly hear them snap a branch. But when we listened, we couldn't hear anything else, just our own breathing. We take a few more steps. Whoever, or whatever,

started moving in time with us. We could hear heavy steps coming from the trees, perfectly matching our own steps. But it wasn't an echo, whatever it was, with stepping on branches and kicking rocks while we were on a paved road. We looked at each other and simultaneously had the same thought. Don't acknowledge it. Whatever it was, don't look. Don't try to see it. Just keep walking and pretend we didn't hear it. We grew up loving myths and monsters. And if it was a person who knew what they'd do if they knew we knew they were following us. But the myths all say not to acknowledge the things in the woods. So we kept walking, all the way to the corner, then turned around and started heading back. Whatever it was, it followed us. No animal would have a reason to stop at that

corner, the woods kept going. The road didn't even turn in that direction. Why was it turning back with us? We kept going, pretending we didn't hear, pretending we weren't freaking out inside. We try walking at a casual pace, that is, until we get to the pond. We hear whatever it is splash around in the pond. You might be picturing something cutesy. This was not the nice styled pond you see in parks. It was filled with moss snapping turtles and was well over 10 feet deep, and this thing walked right into it. We froze, having a refutable proof it was right beside us, no more than 10 feet away, only separated by a single willow tree. But, as usual, the thing stopped moving when we did. Whatever it was stopped right in the middle of the pond.

We started walking forward and heard it splashing, keeping pace. It didn't sound like swimming, more like when somebody walks around in a pool. But, as I said, the pond was over ten feet deep. Without looking at each other, me and my brother started to run. Obviously, it ran after us, crashing through the underbrush as it launched out of the pond at speed. We didn't look, only ran as hard as we could home. Whatever it was, it didn't follow us across the road, stopping across, the road from our property. As we locked ourselves in our shared bedroom, I swore I heard

something screaming in the woods for the rest of the night. Needless to say, that was the last time my brother went walking with me at night. I stared out my bedroom window, peering into the darkness of the night. The only light came from the moon, casting an eerie glow on the garden below. And there he was, the faceless man. He stood there motionless, as if waiting for something. It was as if he knew I was watching him. At first, I thought it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Maybe I was just tired or stressed. But no matter how many times I rubbed my eyes or shook my head, he was still there.

I tried to ignore him, but he was always there, every night, standing in the garden. It started to become an obsession. I couldn't sleep, couldn't focus on anything else. My mind was constantly consumed with thoughts of the faceless man. Who was he? What did he want? And why was he haunting me? I tried to talk to my friends and family about it, but they all just dismissed it as a nightmare or a hallucination. But I knew it was real. As the days turned into weeks, the faceless man began to move. He would inch closer and closer

to the house each night until he was right outside my window. I could feel his breath on the glass, could hear his ragged breathing. One night, I couldn't take it anymore. I got up from my bed and walked outside, straight towards the faceless man. I didn't know what I was doing or why I was doing it, but something inside me compelled me to confront him. As I got closer, I could see that his skin was pale and mottled, almost translucent. His eyes were sunken and hollow, and his mouth was twisted into a grotesque shape. But the most disturbing thing about him was that he had no face. It was just a smooth, featureless surface, like a statue. I tried to speak to him, to ask him what he wanted, but he didn't respond. He just stood there, staring at me with his blank expression,

and then he vanished into thin air. After that night, I thought the faceless man was gone for good, but he wasn't. He continued to haunt me, appearing in my dreams and even in my waking moments. I couldn't escape him. As time went on, I became more and more desperate. I started researching online, trying to find anything that could explain the faceless man, and that's when I found the stories. stories of a faceless man who haunted people who drove them to madness and despair. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was losing my grip on reality. And then, one night, the faceless man appeared again.

But this time, he wasn't alone. He was surrounded by a group of faceless people all staring at me with their blank expressions. I ran back into my house, locked all the doors and windows, and sat in my room, trembling with fear. I knew I had to do something, but I didn't know. know what. And then I saw it, a glimmer of light in the darkness. It was a torch held by a figure and a hooded robe. The figure approached my window and I saw that it was an old man. He beckoned me to follow him and without thinking I did. We walked through the garden past the faceless man and his followers until we reached a hidden door in the wall. The old man led me through the door

into a tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever. As we walked, he told me about the faceless man how he was a being from another realm, a world beyond our own. He explained that the faceless man had been trying to enter our world for centuries and that he needed a host to do so. That's when I realized the faceless man had been trying to possess me all along. The old man led me to a chamber deep underground. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a single object resting on top. It was a mask made of a shimmering, iridescent material.

The old man explained that the mask was the key to, to stopping the faceless man. If I wore the mask, it would shield me from his influence, and I could banish him back to his own world. I hesitated, but the old man urged me on. I knew I had no other choice. I picked up the mask, feeling its weight in my hands. As I placed it on my face, I felt a surge of power flow through me. It was as if I was a different person, stronger, more confident, more alive. I returned to the garden to face the faceless man and his followers. As soon as they saw me, they began to converge, closing in on me from all sides. But I stood my ground, raising my arms, and calling forth a blast of energy. The faceless man screamed

as the energy hit him, writhing and twisting in agony. His followers fled, disappearing back into the darkness from which they came. And then, with a final burst of energy, the faceless man vanished, leaving behind only the memory of his haunting presence. I was free at last. I was free at last. free from the fear, the obsession, the madness. I knew that I would never forget the faceless man, but now I could face him with confidence and strength. I could confront any challenge that came my way knowing that I had the power to overcome it.

And as I stood there in the garden, looking up at the moon, I knew that I had faced my greatest fear and emerged victorious. The faceless man had haunted me for so long, but now he was gone, banished back to his own world. And I was left with a newfound found, sense of courage and purpose, ready to face whatever the future had in store.

How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. I'm an avid hunter and tracker. I love to get outdoors and explore, shed hunt for antlers, or just hike around to view wildlife. I live in the Rocky Mountains and South West Montana, so the forest are endless and the wildlife are abundant. Recently, I've purchased five new game cameras to scope out around my property. These cameras catch anything and are superior

to other brands out. I own around 20 acres of forest land with a nice little creek running through it. I put them all the way around the property to see anything and everything. Within a week I check them. To my surprise, I had photos of a wide variety of wildlife on there from porcupines to coyotes, to deer and even a cougar passing through. I never would have imagined I had so much going on throughout the property. The next week was strange as my cameras had taken hundreds of photos, but nothing was on them. As I kept browsing through the photos something unnatural caught my eye, far off in the distance in the last few photos I could see what looked like a deer, but it was not just any normal deer. The freaking thing was standing upright on its two hind legs,

and as the photos went on it appeared as if it walked like that across the whole view of the camera, still blown away by what I had seen. I felt the need to investigate further so, I made a tree stand by the camera that caught that freakishly looking deer. After completion, I was all ready to go. Since the activity was between two and three in the morning, I went to the stand at dusk to get hunkered down and ready to find out what that was. The first night I stayed until dawn seeing nothing,

but I heard some crazy noises like whispering and talking off in the distance. I felt it odd because my closest neighbors are two miles away. It sent chills down my spine, but I remained sitting all night. Night two, nothing again until about 2.30 in the morning. Then I heard branches breaking like something was stomping through the woods off in the distance, just outer range to be able to see with my night vision binoculars. I kept looking as the thumping noise was getting louder. Then I heard what sounded like a woman crying from the same direction as the branches were being broken.

This really got me freaked out now, as the crying became louder and it sounded like she was begging for someone to help her. I couldn't sit and just listen any longer. I then shouted out, where are you? I'm here, do you need assistance? I got down off my tree stand and started running in the direction of the woman's crying, but it seemed as the closer I had gotten to her she remained at about the same distance ahead of me. I kept taking to her asking, where are you? Are you hurt?

And the same response, help me please. This went on for about 15 minutes and I thought to myself, What if this is some kind of trap? I've seen movies like this before, so I stopped and quickly turned around and started jogging back the way I came. This is where things get disturbing as I was getting farther away from where I heard the crying,

and please for help. It was now getting closer to me as I was making my way back out of the woods. Now I'm scared, I started sprinting towards the tree line to my property as it sounded like whatever that was, was right on my tail breaking branches, and it sounded big. I could hear its feet hitting the ground. I finally hit the tree line and no longer heard the cries or begging for help. In the opening I turned around just before reaching my house, and back at the tree line, I could see two glowing yellow eyes and a dark silhouette of a figure of what appeared to be about seven

to eight feet tall. Whatever it was, just stood there staring right at me. Then I heard a low menacing growl. Terrified now, I ran back into my house and got out the AR-15 locked and loaded, ready to blow that thing away, but as you would know it, it was gone. I walked back out to the tree line and I could hear low whispers, and talking again, like two people having a conversation. I knew better than to follow the sound of voices this time. After owning the country property for 15 plus years, I decided it was time to move closer to civilization. Whatever was out there, I definitely did not want to encounter it again.

I don't know what it was planning that night, but it was definitely sinister. I've lived near these woods all my life, and I would always hear tales about this house deep in the woods. These were just tales, but my mom always warned my siblings and I to avoid the woods. I can understand the more logical reason for this. there are countless animals in the woods, but my mother would always warn us to beware of the house in the woods. Naturally, my siblings, and I didn't really heed her warnings, in fact, we wanted to find this supposed house.

No matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find it so we eventually gave up on it. A few months ago, I went to visit my parents who still live in the same house my siblings, and I grew up in. By this point, I had completely forgotten about the tales of the house in the woods. Three days into my visit and my parents' dog, Charlie went missing.

It's normal for Charlie to wander around in the woods, but he would always come back home an hour or two before sunset. When he didn't arrive home an hour after he normally would, my parents began worrying. I assured them that he'll probably show up within the next hour. Another hour flew by and no sign of Charlie. By this point, my parents were worried sick. They've had Charlie for a long time and loved him to death. I was also concerned for him, but I knew it was dangerous to go looking for him at night. I told my parents I'd search for him first thing tomorrow morning, which helped calm them down.

We had all been fast asleep when the sound of barking woke me. Realizing the barking sounded like Charlie, I rushed out the house with a baseball bat in my phone. I shine my phone light into the woods and saw a glimpse of white fur. Charlie, come here, boy, I called out. Instead of running to me, he ran farther and to the woods. I hesitated only a second before running after him. It was a miracle I was able to just barely see him with the flashlight. I ran for what felt like hours before I noticed a clearing

up ahead. Charlie disappeared right before my eyes as he entered the clearing. What the hell? I said, shocked. It was then that I noticed something much stranger. In the clearing stood a two-story Victorian-style house. The tales of the house and the woods run throughout my head. How did I find it? No, how is it still in good condition? The house was clearly old and there wasn't a single sign of human life, but it looked pristine. There was no moss growing on it, nor was the paint bleached. Not even the porch had dirt on it. I marveled at the sight, taking it in slowly.

The house looked completely fine, but there was this weird, eerie feeling in the air. It sent shivers down my spine, but I decided to investigate the house. After all, this was the house of those tales, the same house myself. siblings and I spent most of our childhood trying to find. I hurriedly walked onto the porch into the door. I knocked on it despite the fact that there was clearly no one here other than me. I held my breath for a second in fear that someone might actually respond. After getting no response, I carefully opened the door. Like I expected, the inside was in pristine condition as well. I placed the bat I had brought with me down beside the door before searching the first floor.

I soon realized that the house appeared as if someone still lived in it. I instinctively pulled my phone out and began taking pictures of the different rooms on the first floor. After I got a sufficient amount of pictures of the first floor, I moved up to the second floor. This floor had many bedrooms, each room looking as if someone lived in them. I took multiple pictures of these rooms as well. One bedroom still had messed up bed covers as if someone had just gotten out of them. The bedroom drew my attention the most. I looked around at the different paintings, photographs, and jewelry.

May I help you? A voice said behind me. I jumped out of fright and turned around. I was met with a woman dressed in a Victorian-style dress. I calmed my racing heart before responding. I'm sorry, I thought no one lived here. She laughed. I'm not surprised.

I do live out in the middle of nowhere. It's late, but are you hungry? As soon as she asked, my stomach growled in response. She chuckled, follow me. So do you live here by yourself? I asked as I followed behind her. No, my husband and I live here together. He is off in town tonight.

He'll be back in the morning, she answered. I eyed her suspiciously. No logical explanation could explain why she was living in a house in the middle of the woods. A house that is in perfect condition, and not to mention she looks like she walked straight out of one of the portraits I saw. As we walked down the stairs, the smell of food hit me.

It made my stomach growl louder in response, but I couldn't help the unease I felt. I had only been in the house for at most 15 minutes. How could food already be prepared? I had been on the first floor for a good nine minutes, and besides, I didn't smell food when I first opened the door. I shook my head, maybe I was just being paranoid. We made it to the dining room where the table was already set for two.

The food looked as delicious as it smelled, and I could hardly wait to dig in. We took a moment of silence to pray before we ate. I quickly dug into the food. I hadn't realized I was so hungry. This is delicious Mrs. What's your name? I said,

Mrs. Preston, please call me Mrs. Preston. I'm flattered you find my food so delicious, she replied with a smile. Her smile sent chills down my spine despite it looking so nice. I mentally shook my head, it's just my nerves. Aren't you going to eat? I asked, pointing to her food. She chuckled, I will, let me go get something first.

As soon as she left, I realized I wasn't as hungry as I thought. In fact, I felt nauseous. I set my utensils down and stood up. I walked around the dining room for a bit before stopping short in front of a portrait. And the portrait was Mrs. Preston, and the frame had the words, in loving memory of Elise Preston, 1826 to 1850, carved in it. I froze immediately as my stomach turned sickeningly. She's dead.

What are you doing? Her voice sounded behind me. I quickly turned around. I was just walking around a bit to make more room for the food. It's really delicious, and it'd be a shame to waste it. Oh, wonderful. She said cheerfully. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked over at the clock on the wall.

Wow, would you look at the time? I'd better head home. Thank you for the food. Her face fell as the room became much colder. The room quickly went from pristine condition to a very much. very poor state. I looked at the worn down table and the plates of food. My eyes widened as bile raised in my throat. I hunched over and threw up the contents in my stomach. It was horrible. The food was decomposed and there were maggots and other insects on it. I continuously threw up

even when my stomach was empty. Her shrill laughter echoed throughout the room. Oh, it's been so long since I last had a decent meal. A young man like you would be the perfect appetizer. I raised my head and saw her grotesque form. She was a dark grayish color. Her hair was but a few strands. She was decomposed in many areas. In some places I could see her bones and other places consisted of insects.

The look of it made me dry heave. What's wrong, darling? Don't like what you see. No matter, you'll soon be in bliss. She continued as she lunged for me. I fell backwards, just barely escaping her clutches. One of her fingernails, however, sliced me and it cut deep into my skin.

It burned like a knife and continuously bled. I scrambled to my feet and rushed to the door. I felt the floorboard giveaway and my leg fell through. I shouted in pain as a piece of the broken floorboard got my thigh. I struggled to get my leg out, but it was no use. Elise was already in front of me. She said nothing as she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up before tossing me across the room. I slammed against the wall and nearly blacked out from the collision.

I struggled up and ran for the door once more. Do you seriously think you can escape me? She laughed sinisterly. She was on me in an instant and had me face down on the floor. She dug her decayed claws into my back. I yelled in pain once more as tears fell from my eyes. I felt her lean down, her against my neck. I'll be sure to enjoy you thoroughly.

I closed my eyes as I tried to struggle against her, but it was no use. I felt her teeth on my neck and in a boost of adrenaline I was able to shake her off. I crawled to the front door and grasped down. that my bat I had left there. She grabbed my leg and pulled me back towards her. I turned over and swung the bat hard. It knocked her down and she shrieked. How dare you do that?

I struggled up and didn't hesitate. I swung the bat down continuously, pulverizing her decomposed flesh. A dark substance splattered onto me, but I paid no mind and continued getting her. I didn't stop until she had stopped moving. I was breathing heavily and leaned against the bat for support. I caught my breath and then made my way out of the house.

I turned around to get one last glimpse at the house. It now looked like a typical rundown house. It didn't look anything like it did previously. I looked to the sky and noticed it was getting light again. I had been there the whole night, but it only felt like a few minutes. I walked slowly, each step filled with pain. My vision continuously dimmed as the forest around me began to come to life with the sun. Finally, I made it out and stumbled to my parents' house.

I tried calling out to them, but it came out as a hoarse whisper. I reached the door and fell against it heavily. I tried to catch my breath with no luck. I heard the sound of footsteps and then the shouts of my parents as my vision went completely black. I later woke up in the hospital, hooked up to IVs. My blurry vision just barely made out my parents relieved faces. I slightly smiled before the events that happened flashed through my head. It made my stomach churn as I leaned over the bed and dry heaved in the,

trash can. After that, I was visited by doctors who continuously observed my condition. I tried to tell them what happened, but they all agreed that the stress from the situation caused my brain to misremember it. It didn't help when I tried to show them pictures of the house, but an error showed instead. They did, however, have multiple questions for the puncture wounds I had gotten from Elisa's claws. Naturally, I explained to them what happened, but they found it hard to believe. Even though it was difficult to believe, the gouges in my back were proof I got attacked by a person. They held me in the hospital while they treated the infection that the wounds had caused. This information was given over to the police who had begun searching the woods for the house.

It wasn't long after this that I was discharged from the hospital with medicine to take for my injuries. After some searching, the police still hadn't found the house in the clearing. It was then that I offered to show them where it was, since I wanted to prove to everyone. it really existed. After much hesitation, they agreed. And so, we entered the forest, despite not really remembering the path I had taken when I followed what I believed to be Charlie, I instinctively knew where to go. It was like something was drawing me back to the house. Some time later, I spotted an all-too-familiar clearing up ahead. This should be it up ahead, I called out. We reached the clearing and there stood the house in pristine condition once more. Look, that's the

house with the lady in it. I said, the officers looked at me strangely before one spoke up. Son, all we see is a very rundown and fallen apart home. I looked from them to the house in shock. How could they not see it? It's very clearly in good condition. Why was I the only one who could see the house in pristine condition? Look, we will inspect the place if you want, but you most likely fell through the second floor. There wouldn't be anyone living here, he continued. I nodded and watched as all but one entered the house. After a few minutes they came out. Their faces told me all I needed to know. There wasn't anything there. I reluctantly conceded and we headed back. I left the clearing before a chill ran down my spine. I stopped and turned around. On the porch, waving at me

was Elise. Her sinister smile sent shivers down my spine and made me sick to my stomach. I quickly turned away and followed after the officers. After this, I bid farewell to my parents and quickly went back to my home. I wanted to be as far away from that place as possible. Despite what everyone has told me, I know that what happened to me is real. The events of that night have been seared into my mind to the point I can't comfortably sleep at night. I've been having nightmares of what happened ever since. It's because of this that I have come here to search for answers. Does anyone know what happened to me? What is Elise? How come I was the only one who could see the house in pristine condition.

Why were the pictures I had taken of it gone? If anyone has any clues, please let me know. Also, a word of advice to everyone, don't mindlessly enter a house in the woods. You might get more than what you bargained for. 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've always hated the forest behind my house. The dense canopy of trees blocks any sunlight from breaking through and hitting the ground, turning it into a murky abyss of roots and brush that would grab at the legs of anyone brave enough to be passing through. My bedroom window faces out towards that forest. In the mass of trees, shadows dance and form mysterious shapes in the darkness, provoking a deep sense of unease within me. At night, I could swear I have seen silhouettes of strange and bizarre creatures skulking around,

just past the tree line. As if they're watching me, waiting. I don't know what for. That is why I have always hated the forest behind my house. I don't go in the garden. The forest backs directly onto our land. I would feel the shadows dancing towards me, closer and closer. until it's too late to escape.

My family thinks I have an overactive imagination. That the forest isn't as dark as I think, and that there is nothing lurking in there waiting for me to let my guard down so it can hurt me. That 19 years old is too old for this crap. I don't care. Something is out there. Something nasty.

My younger brother, Kyle, likes to make fun of me. He's only a year younger than me, and having grown up so close in age, he knows very well how to get under my skin. to get under my skin. Ever since I warned him about the shadows years ago, he has made fun of me for it. Last year, he tricked me into the forest and left me there when I wasn't looking. Alone and afraid, I could feel the suffocating darkness closing in on me from all around, the shadows lurking within. I could feel something brushing against my shins, almost wrapping itself around me before my dad managed

to pull me out and carry me home. I didn't know what it was that I had felt. Not at the time. It must have been slithering through the knee-high brush, invisible to anyone who wasn't looking out for it. It felt prickly against my legs and left deep scratches. Unsurprisingly, by my parents, this was chalked down to being thorns. Thorns. No, I know what I felt, and it wasn't any damn thorns. It felt warm and fleshy, like the skin of some unimaginable creature with spines along its body. I had also briefly felt something rough and wet, which left a long scrape around my ankle that was not unlike a road rash. This was the first time that the shadows had manifested themselves physically to me. It was the moment I knew that what I had been seeing all these years wasn't some trick of the imagination,

twisting the darkness, and manipulating my eyes into seeing what wasn't there. After that day, the shadows were not just shadows anymore. If I looked out of my bedroom window at night, I could see the fleshy body of what I now realized was just one creature stalking through the forest in the dark. Having previously taken the forms, of many differently shaped shadows as the moon positioned itself at different points across the sky throughout the night. It was pale, almost humanoid in shape but abnormally tall, and very skinny. I could see its eyes bulge as its head twitched from side to side, scanning its surroundings

like a starving animal hunting for prey. Its head was long and the creature had no hair. But the mouth, the mouth was the worst part. The creature's mouth wrapped right the way across the front of its face, and opened so wide it's as if its whole face was peeling open to reveal rows upon rows of short but razor-sharp teeth. But the most disgusting part of its mouth was the tongue. Its tongue was as wide as its face and twice as long. It's no wonder its mouth had to open so wide. And just when I thought things couldn't get even worse, I noticed it had begun to come closer. What used to stalk behind the tree line was now gradually

further in front of it each night. A couple of weeks ago, I could see the top of its head stood behind my garden fence. My garden fence that is seven feet tall. A few nights ago, I saw it in my garden on all fours, rooting through the trash with its tongue. I felt sick. What was I going to do? If it came any closer, it would be practically in my bedroom. Stupidly, I decided to confide in my brother. Yeah, he made fun of me, but who else could I go to? My parents were on the verge of sending me to the psych ward, and my friends laughed at me whenever I brought it up. Plus, I had to I know that he'd seen it too. He denied it around my parents because of how they reacted to me bringing it up,

but he admitted last week to seeing it in the garden at the same time I did. His idea a couple days later makes me wish I had never told him, because Kyle told me he wanted to go and hunt it down. I told him that was the stupidest damn idea he'd ever had, that we would get ourselves oft, and there was no way I was stepping foot in that forest. His excuse was that there was two of us, and two were stronger than one,

but I thought that when it's two teenagers against a supernatural being, we stood no chance. But of course, being the jerk that he is, my brother told my parents he was taking me out into the forest to conquer my fear once and for all. I knew that he had done it so I couldn't back out, and just as he intended, they practically forced me to go with him despite my protests. Yes, I know. I don't need to be told that this was really, really dumb. So, we ventured. Deeper and deeper we went into the darkness. brush and roots reaching out for us as we pass by. I had an awful sinking feeling.

Once far enough away from the house, Kyle stopped me. He reached into the bag he had brought and produced a shotgun. I was stunned. Dad would get him if he found out. But I couldn't complain about that kind of defense. In the forest, I kept hearing noises around us and seeing movements out of the corner of my eye. I tried to calm down by telling myself that it only came out at night,

but I still felt as unsafe as I ever had. As dust began to fall, I begged Kyle to turn back, and reluctantly he agreed it would be too dark to find our way back if it got too late. However, we were too late. Darkness fell faster than we could have imagined, and soon enough we were holding on to each other so we didn't get separated.

There was no way we were ever going to find our way home in this. I could feel panic growing stronger inside me. I knew that it would be out, and even if we did make it home, the thing might be in our garden again. Frightening noises grew stronger the further we walked, and the more uneasy we became. I was terrified at this point.

It was made worse when out of the darkness. Something grabbed hold of my ankle. Judging by the noise he made, something had grabbed Kyle's two. Suddenly we were ripped apart and flung in opposite directions, into the pitch black and away from the safety of each other. I landed in a heap among a pile of leaves and sticks, and I could hear Kyle screaming in the distance,

I had no idea how far we had been thrown, but he sounded farther away by the second. I now I had realized that the creature had found us and sounded as though it was dragging Kyle along with it, wherever it was going. Adrenaline pumped through me. I hauled myself up off the ground and sprinted after the sound of my brother's distressed cries, not thinking about what I would do if I caught up to them. A shotgun blast echoed through the trees, making my ears ring. Was that him?

I mean, who else could it have been? My legs were stinging from all the cuts I gained while running through the brush, but I kept going, determined to find Kyle. After a few minutes, his cries drifted too far away for me to hear anymore. I fell to my knees, defeated, and terrified. I felt my way through the forest and found an opening in a tree. Sobbing, I curled up inside and hoped that I would make it to dawn. Hours later, it was even darker than when Kyle, and I had been separated.

I had somehow managed to fall asleep in my little tree hole, but I was awoken by a loud crunch nearby. I held my breath. Could it be Kyle, or could it be the creature, now on the prowl looking for me, having caught and done unthinkable things to my brother? I didn't want to imagine where Kyle was right now. Tears of terror welled up in my eyes as two large white orbs slowly peered from the right, and into my tree hole, looking directly at me.

Prep, it was looking directly at me. and I could have sworn that a glimpse of a smile appeared across its disgusting mouth as its tongue lashed at my face. I screamed. It was like no pain I had ever felt before. Like acid-coated sandpaper, it felt as though it had taken off a chunk of my face. There was no time to assess the damage before it lashed at me again, gripping my ankle and yanking me out of the hole, dragging me through the brush. It was so fast.

My already wounded face was pulled through the dirt and twigs on the forest floor, and from somewhere nearby another gunshot rang out. What the hell? There's no way that could be Kyle, right. The creature wasn't phased. It continued to haul me across the ground. At some point, my head crunched against a rock in the mud, and I blacked out. I don't know how long I was out.

I woke strung up in a dingy, wet cave, my body aching and stinging. It reeked, although I couldn't figure out what the smell was. It was almost metallic. There was a wet sound coming from me. somewhere nearby, which filled me with dread, and as my eyes adjusted to the light level of the cave, I saw the source of it. It was the creature. I held my breath. It was crouching over something and, eating it. The sound was sickening. As I focused on it, I realized I could see a pair of legs limply slumped behind where the creature was crouched. No, I let out a small sob as I saw that

the creature was crouched over my barely recognizable brother, and as I then realized what the stench in the cave was. Its head whipped around as I noticed it had heard me. When its head moved I could see its tongue hanging out of its revolting mouth, smeared with dark red and parts of flesh. And behind it, I then spotted the mess of Kyle. It had been getting him. Kyle lay there limply, one eye open and staring towards me, indicating that he was still alive. Parts of his face were caved in and his open I was half out where some of the flesh around it had been taken away. As the creature turned, I could see Kyle twitching and covered in red. I couldn't imagine the pain he was in. His clothes hung in shreds and he was kicked in dirt. I was so focused on Kyle, terrified of the

condition he was in, that I hadn't noticed the creature slowly stalking towards me on all fours, low to the ground. I had now realized that this was the thing that had slithered past my shins in the brush last year. If my dad hadn't saved me, I would have been where Kyle is now. The creature crouched in front of me and its tongue hung out of its revolting mouth. Crimson thickly coated it, dribbling onto the ground, and chunks clung to its mouth, and the spikes on its tongue, which I could see up close was composed of many tiny, sharp spikes. Its eyes moved downwards to my stomach, which had been exposed as my shirt ripped when I was dragged along the ground. I realized it was now going to start getting me. The creature slowly got me, and I screamed

in agony. I can't even describe how it felt. A smile crept across its mouth as it continued. The pain was so severe that I began to drift in and out of consciousness. I was just awake enough to suddenly hear a crunch from my right, just near the entrance of the cave, then an ear-piercing bang which echoed and lingered in the confined cave. Simultaneously, a warm splatter of red hit my face, and the creature let out a devilish screech before another bang rang out and the screeching ceased. I heard a man's voice echo.

I hit the floor and blacked out again. That's the last thing I remember before waking up here in the hospital. A large, padded gau's bandage covers the rough mess of my stomach, which is still tender and stinging. I haven't seen it, and frankly I don't want to. The doctors are saying I'll need a skin graft on my face. I don't yet know what became of Kyle, or if he's even alive, but it'll be a miracle if he's able to recover from the state I saw him in.

The hospital staff told me that the man I heard before passing out was a hunter who saw the creature stalking us and then dragging us through the forest. He had tried to shoot at it twice, once when it had Kyle, and once when it had me. He'd been nearby when I started screaming and found us. I have my doubts about whether it's dead. All I do know is that I will be here in the hospital for quite a while. I'll be safe if it survived. I mean, I really hope so.

We never should have gone into that forest.