The screams echoed through the trees. I couldn’t tell if they were human or animal, all I knew was they were loud, which meant they were close.
As I listened to the high-pitched shrieks, it almost sounded like a couple of people having a shouting match. If I had been at my apartment in town that’s exactly what I would’ve thought the sound was. But then the pitch changed, and it took on a feral quality.
I knew whoever or whatever was making the sound, I wanted nothing to do with them.
Thinking you’re alone in the wilderness is one thing. It gives a certain freeing feeling like you’re so close to nature. But knowing you’re alone and hearing the terrifying, nearly indescribable sound, sent chills down my spine. I quickly questioned how much longer I would be alone, or alive.
Did those things know I was here? Were they planning their attack? Or was it just a gathering of… something, like a harmless chill session… in the woods… in the dead of night?
Survival instinct was screaming for me to get out of there as quickly as possible. To hell with the tent and my supplies, just leave.
For a brief moment, I nearly listened.
Later, I would wish I had.
Fortunately, I hadn’t made a fire yet and decided against one now. If by some miracle those things didn’t know I was here, a fire would draw them in like flies to… well, something I didn’t wanna be in.
Even though the screaming was still going at a fever pitch, I quietly snuck into my tent and zipped it shut. As if some flimsy material would magically keep at bay whatever beasts were raging out there.
Searching through my pack, I found my Swiss army knife and kept it firm in my grasp as I lay down on my sleeping bag. I didn’t dare settle in for the night. Sleeping through being attacked by wild… whatevers, and torn to shreds can be bad for my health.
As I lay there, eyes wide, listening to the horrible shrieks that seemed to come from everywhere, they suddenly stopped.
At first this was a relief. But when the sounds stopped so did all other noises of the forest. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on all of nature. I heard a loud thumping sound that sounded like drums beating faster and faster until I realized it was my heart.
Trying to calm myself so I didn’t have a heart attack on the spot was a challenge. I tried to think of calm blue oceans and sunrises. Of beautiful things that had nothing to do with the situation I was in.
Apparently, I did my job too well.
I don’t remember falling asleep, but I remember waking up in a panic.
Jumping up I looked all around for the beasts that were coming to get me. When all that stared back at me were the contents of my backpack and the four walls of the tent, I allowed myself to take a few deep breaths.
It was morning. The sun was up, and the birds were singing. I took both of those as good signs.
Being alive was a bonus as well.
It was decision time. Do I pack up and cut my trip short by two days or do I write off last night’s incident as a rare occurrence and not worry about it today in the daylight as the sun’s rays bathed me in warmth?
It’s funny how fear manifests itself so much stronger at night. Last night the forest seemed like the most horrifying place I’d ever been. Today it looks like all the beauty of nature is spread out before me. I couldn’t imagine anything bad happening in such a picturesque place.
As I looked out over the clearing in the woods, I saw a large dark spot that was moving towards me. I dove into my tent and emerged with a pair of binoculars. Peering through them I saw the spot was a bear, and it was headed my way.
So much for nothing bad happening in nature.
My plan of action was to hide and hope it went away or turned down another path before it got here.
That plan didn’t work out so well. Within fifteen minutes I could hear it snuffling around the campsite looking for something to eat. I hoped it wouldn’t be eating fresh camper.
The can of bear spray was firmly in my hand with my white knuckles clenching it. Having it was one thing, using it was another. That was my last resort. Spray and run.
The sniffing got louder, and I could see the bottom edges of tent being pushed in by a large nose.
My knuckles grew a little whiter as I followed its progress along the edge and around the tent. And then there was a pause. A dreadful pause. The kind of pause that horrible decisions are born from.
I was contemplating my own horrible decision when the sniffing started again, this time leading away from the tent.
Breathing a cautiously optimistic sigh of relief I opened the tent flap just enough to see the bear lumbering off into the woods.
Again, I held a silent vote, just like the song said, ‘Should I stay or should I go?’
I’d only been camping up here once before, but I didn’t remember it being this dangerous. Maybe I just got lucky last time.
Not wanting my luck to run out, I packed up my tent and got ready to leave.
The sun was already high in the sky, leaving me just a few hours to hike out what took me a full day to hike in.
I looked for bear tracks to see which way it had left, but the ground was dry so there was nothing to see. Crossing my fingers, I headed out on the trail, hoping it had gone some other way. It was easy going, making the terror of last night fade even more. I still kept a wary eye for the bear though. No use in getting so caught up in nature that I ignore her dangers.
After around an hour of walking, I found a large rock on the side of the trail and decided to take a break. Pulling out a granola bar and a bottle of water, I looked around as I snacked. There was a clearing in the woods and a rough path leading to it. It wasn’t any official path, just one that happens when a lot of feet go the same way and tramp down the foliage. There was a faint whiff of smoke coming from the clearing, but I couldn’t see exactly what was causing it.
My curiosity wanted to see what was there, but my common sense said no way. In the end, curiosity fought dirty and said the smoke meant there had been a fire and the ashes could blow into the trees if the wind picked up and cause a wildfire.
It was a good point, even though the wind was uncannily still at the moment.
I took a quick look around to make sure the bear wasn’t sneaking up on me, then started down the narrow path. The trees blocked out some of the light as I headed down the path toward the clearing, making me literally descend into darkness. It wasn’t a good feeling.
My eyes darted around, looking for anything out of the ordinary and I slowed my pace. Then suddenly the trees opened up and daylight shone brightly on the clearing and the remnants of a fire with a whisp of smoke still rising.
Whoever had made it had been dangerously uncaring about the safety of the woods. The fire sat right in the middle of a patch of grass, with no ring of stones surrounding it. My ire rose at the carelessness of this person. I found myself wishing very bad things on them when I noticed something else.
There were splotches of red all around the fire. It was like someone had spilled red paint all around. It was strange, why would someone bring paint out here to the middle of the woods?
I stalked around the other side of the fire looking for the answer to this mystery.
Unfortunately, I found it. There was something pale sitting just outside the burnt grass of the fire. It was next to a splotch of red. I bent down and moved the grass to see more clearly. Picking it up, I saw it was a severed human toe.
I dropped it and stood up like a shot. The red splotches made sense to me now. They weren’t paint, they were blood.
A chill ran down my spine. I suddenly felt very alone and surrounded. My eyes darted all around the clearing and into the trees as I did a slow circle, searching for whatever was about to attack.
As I searched, I saw the red splotches led off into the woods in the opposite direction of the trail. Curiosity tried to get me to follow but I told it to shut the hell up and hightailed it out of there, my head on a swivel searching for threats.
Just as I was about to reach the main trail, I literally ran into the bear. I’d been so busy watching behind me for whatever might be chasing me, that I didn’t see what was in front of me.
It turned to face me, showing its red teeth. Then it stood on its hind legs, dwarfing me, and roared.
I wished I’d worn the brown pants because I soiled myself in fear. I was so terrified I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I was paralyzed.
It dropped back down onto its front legs and approached me, teeth bared. I knew right then it was responsible for the screams and the dismembered toe. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was the fire. I’d never heard of bears being able to start a fire.
This was unfortunately the last thought going through my head before being eaten.
It sniffed and took a step back. If I’d known dropping a load in my pants would save me, I would’ve done it last night.
As I looked into the eyes of my death, it wasn’t looking back at me. It was looking past me. I wasn’t sure what kind of trick this bear was pulling. It wasn’t like it had to fool me or anything. It had me dead to rights.
Curiosity made me turn and follow the bear’s gaze. I instantly regretted it.
Standing near the clearing was a monster. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It stood on hind legs, at least eight feet tall, it had the horns of a deer, but the face looked like a deer’s skull with no skin on it. Its shoulders were covered in what looked like a cloak made of another animal’s skin.
The bear let out a deep growl full of menace.
I took the opportunity to back away and allow the bear a clear path to its adversary. It glanced at me for a moment, then started toward the monster. As soon as it was past me, I dropped my pack and ran down the trail with every ounce of speed I could muster.
It didn’t matter that my car was miles away. It didn’t matter there was no way I could sprint all the way there without collapsing and having a heart attack.
Just then I heard the fight. The growling, roaring, slashing, knocking trees down, fight that would’ve been awesome to watch… from inside a bunker with two-foot-thick concrete walls.
Just me, alone, without a rocket launcher to defend myself, there was no way I was sticking around. I ran for a solid ten minutes before the stitch in my side told me I had to at least slow to a walk.
I didn’t dare stop. I knew I had to keep moving. It was my only chance of surviving by some miracle.
The sounds of the fight echoed throughout the trees, making it seem surreal to hear it, then hear it echo back again. It sounded like the fight was slowing down. I hoped it would last for a while longer. Maybe, whichever won would forget about me or be too tired to track me down.
My walk had become a limp. I was nearly out of energy and had a mile to go to the relative safety of my car. Surely by now I could take it easy.
As the thought rolled through my brain, the sounds of the fight ceased. The fading echo was all that remained. I wondered which one had been victorious and comforted myself that the victor was surely enjoying the spoils by feasting on the fallen adversary.
But in the back of my mind, unease grew.
What if it didn’t forget me?
What if it was following me right now?
I found myself walking a little faster, much to the pain and chagrin of my legs.
The silence that fell in the aftermath of the fight was disconcerting. The animals around me that had been chattering away, suddenly falling silent, was alarming.
I started jogging, each step a new exercise in pain. There was no doubt I was being followed. The footsteps behind me were getting louder by the moment.
My car was in sight. I was almost free.
The footsteps behind me were very loud now. I knew it was right behind me, but I didn’t dare look back.
‘Run, don’t think, just run,’ my thought screamed at me.
Even my curiosity had no desire to look back.
Ten steps from the car, I dug in my pocket looking for my keys. For a brief terrifying moment, I couldn’t find them. Then I dug a little deeper and came away with my prize.
I hit the remote to unlock the car and dove into the driver’s seat.
The engine had just roared to life when the monster appeared. I threw the car in reverse and stomped on the gas, whipping around and making the monster miss crashing through the windshield.
I jammed it into drive and floored it as the monster recovered and started after me.
For a long, horrid moment, it seemed to be catching up to me. The road was gravel and had several potholes in it. I found myself swerving to miss the biggest ones so my car wouldn’t bottom out. But by doing so, the monster gained ground. It was almost within reach of my rear bumper when I slid sideways onto the main road.
Once on the pavement, I floored it and watched with satisfaction as the monster fell behind.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I relaxed and settled in for the ride home. It wasn’t long until I was pulling into my driveway and parking.
My head fell back against the headrest and I was tempted to take a nap right there when my nose reminded me of the state of my pants.
Walking in empty-handed was a mixed blessing. I’d left hundreds of dollars in equipment behind, but at least I was alive.
My shower called to me. I stripped, threw my pants and underwear in the trash, then settled into the longest, most rewarding shower of my life.
After drying I threw on a Metallica t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I came back out to the living room and settled in to watch a movie. Horror was out. I knew I’d have nightmares for weeks about my ordeal. I decided to watch an episode of Wipeout.
Three episodes later I found my eyelids fighting gravity and exhaustion. Heading to bed, I turned out the lights and stepped up to the living room window. Looking out over the lights of town, I sighed seeing the trees of the park far in the distance and knowing I’d never visit there again.
Before I turned toward my bedroom, something caught my eye.
It was impossible.
I rubbed my eyes to be sure.
The monster was creeping out of the woods and coming straight toward my house. As I watched, it looked up and saw me. Our eyes locked. Mine full of fear, its full of menace.
I ran through the house making sure every door and window was locked. After that, I went to my bedstand and pulled out my snub nosed .38, checking to make sure it was loaded and grabbing a handful of extra bullets, shoving them in my pocket.
Running back out to the living room, I looked out the window, but it was gone. Pressing my face against the glass I searched the front yard, but it wasn’t there. For an instant I wondered if my imagination had been playing tricks on me.
I went to the kitchen window and looked into the backyard. It was dark, and I couldn’t see much. Reaching for the light switch, I hesitated, not wanting to see it suddenly appear in front of me. But I had to know if this thing was real or not. I would rather that I was going crazy than ever see that thing again.
Flicking on the light, I took a half step back. Nothing was there. I scanned the entire backyard, all the way to the woods that bordered my property. Nothing.
I shrugged and was about to go to bed when I heard it. My foot stopped on the first step, and I turned back toward the door. Someone or something was scraping against the front door.
Feeling like I was in a trance, I was drawn to the door. Leaning up to the peephole, I closed my eyes and breathed a silent prayer that nothing would be there.
My prayers were answered. There was nothing out there.
As tempted as I was to just accept this audible hallucination, my shaking hand reached for the doorknob. The distance between my hand and the door seemed to fade, like one of those scenes in a horror movie where the camera zooms in while going backward.
I turned the knob and held my breath while opening the door.
Nothing was there.
I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Looking around, the yard was empty, just the evening mist clinging to the lawn.
My imagination had gotten the best of me. I turned to go back inside and saw the door and door frame had long scratches on it.
My blood froze.
It was real.
It was here.
It had tracked me down.
As terror gripped me, I saw a flash of brown fur an instant before it charged me. In sheer desperation, I fell back into the door just as it hit the doorframe. Its antlers slammed into the doorframe, sending splinters flying as it struggled to get loose from the destroyed wood.
I lay on the door, watching in grim fascination, stunned by the fact that it had missed gouging my eyes by a mere fraction of an inch. The doorway had saved me. The same doorway that was rapidly disappearing under the monster’s onslaught.
I regained myself and ran. As I darted through the living room, somehow, I had the presence of mind to grab the house phone and dial 911 as I headed down the basement steps slamming the door behind me.
“911 what’s your emergency?” came the lady operator’s voice.
“I’m being chased by a monster who’s trying to kill me!” I said vaulting down the stairs.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I’m being chased by a monster who’s trying to kill me.”
“Are you talking about a person?”
“No, what do you not understand about the word monster?” I shouted.
“Alright, it’s my duty to inform you that prank calls will be reported to the police and you could face charges.”
“Fine, send the cops, maybe they can fight off the monster long enough to put me in cuffs.”
The line disconnected.
“Son of a… “ I said as I heard the monster stalking around inside the house.
I squeezed myself into the far corner between the wall and the oil tank and tried to be as quiet as possible.
Barley breathing, I listened to its measured steps as it crept from room to room. The floorboards complained with loud creaks, telling me this thing weighed considerably more than me. I heard it turn toward the stairs and thought about making a run for the cellar door that led outside when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I whisper screamed, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Is this the person who just called 911 about a monster?”
“Yes, who is this?”
There was a pause as I heard the footsteps change direction.
“I’m from… another agency,” he said. “Could you describe the monster for me?”
“So you’re from one of those three letter agencies that always say they don’t spy on our phone calls?”
“Could you describe the monster for me?”
“It’s huge,” I whispered. “At least eight feet tall, covered in fur, and wearing the fur of another animal over its shoulders. Oh, and it has antlers like a deer.”
I heard a sharp intake of air.
“Where is it?”
I gave him my address.
“I meant where is it in the house.”
“It’s on the first floor and I’m in the basement,” I whispered. “But I think it’s coming down here.”
Just then I heard the basement door open.
“Gotta go,” I whispered then hung up the phone.
The basement stairs groaned under the weight. I hoped that the wood would collapse under the weight and it would fall, snapping its neck.
No such luck.
The stairs creaked as it continued to the bottom. I had to duck in this basement so I was sure it was on all fours to keep from getting tangled in the rafters.
My heart pounded. I struggled to keep my breathing quiet so I wouldn’t give away my position. The chuffing of the monster’s breathing was getting closer.
I wanted to close my eyes but had to know when it came close enough. Instead, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the gun. Aiming it at the corner, I waited.
The skeletal snout appeared, but I didn’t shoot. The shot would just bounce off of bone. I wanted to hit something more vital and hope that I might somehow survive.
The rest of the bony skull made its appearance and went by without noticing me. Next came the neck and the rest of the body. I wasn’t sure where this thing’s vital organs were, so I held off, hoping that it might not notice me at all.
Those hopes were dashed when it sniffed then whipped around and stared right at me.
I took that as a sign to shoot it in the chest.
The gunshot was deafening, especially in such a closed space. My ears were ringing so loud I could barely hear the monster screaming and tearing my oil tank limb from limb, trying to get to me.
I fired again, trying to hit any part of its body as oil flew from it thrashing around. We were both covered in heating oil, and yet it still kept coming.
Three more shots didn’t even slow it down.
It was so close the muzzle of the gun was nearly touching it.
I shoved the barrel in one of its eye sockets and pulled the trigger.
The flame from the exploding gunpowder set the oil on fire. I don’t know if it was that or the bullet bouncing around in its skull that made it shriek even louder.
Flame engulfed its screaming form, making it look like a demon straight from hell. It ran out of the basement through the outside doors, bursting out into the open air and disappearing into the night.
I was so relieved I didn’t notice right away that I was on fire. The oil that had splashed on me had ignited when the monster caught fire. I tried to push my way out quickly, but the monster had shoved the tank closer to the wall, pinning me.
The fire devoured the oil on my clothes and my bare skin, making me scream in agony as I tried in vain to get away from the fire.
This was it. I would die this horrible agonizing death, trapped in an inferno. The monster would get its revenge and not even know it. Maybe once it extinguished its own fire, it would come back and devour what was left of me, like a well-done steak.
I must’ve been hallucinating; I could’ve sworn a cloud enveloped me just before I died.
#
I woke in a white room with an annoying beeping sound that wouldn’t stop. There was a smiling face sitting in the corner staring back at me attached to a man I’d never met.
“How’re you feeling?” he said stepping over to the hospital bed.
“Am I dead?” I rasped.
“Not yet,” he chuckled. “It was close though. If we hadn’t gotten to you when we did, you would’ve been a shish kabob.
I tried to lean up but pain put me back in the bed.
“Yeah, you’re not gonna be taking any hiking trips for a while,” he said. “You’ve got burns all over your legs that’ll need some time to heal.”
“I’m never going hiking again,” I said. “Are you the guy I talked to on the phone?”
“Yeah, do you mind telling me the rest of what happened?” he said pulling out a pen and notepad.
“Sure,” I said shrugging. “Since you saved my life it’s the least I could do.”
He pulled his chair over and got comfortable.
“What happened to the monster anyway?” I said.
He hesitated.
“It got away, didn’t it?”
“Yeah,” he said lowering his head a little. “We lost the trail after it extinguished itself, but don’t worry, we’ll find it.”
I didn’t comment on my opinion of the competency of government agencies out of respect for the man who saved my life but suffice it to say I wouldn’t be sleeping very deeply once I got back home.
“Where would you like me to start?” I said.
“The beginning is always a good place.”