…After receiving the text from his father, Jack immediately started researching and tried finding the haunted forest as luck would have it his town had more than one…
Knowing how cheap the school is they would have chosen the closest one that has abandoned living accommodations, taking this in calculation, one of the dozen stood out like a swore thumb. Having no doubt in his mind that the school is dumb enough to go to Dead Man’s Timber, Jack quickly grabbed a few supplies and called a few favors from friends to get transport.
Upon arrival Jack headed for the area the living accommodations where supposedly, to see if anyone could give him some details but Jack wasn’t known to be lucky, neither the cabins nor the tents had any sign of residents, frustrated he searched for anything of use and found the main cabin although it had no supplies it did have insight.
The forest was known for having the most hauntings and the highest reported death count, those dumb enough to go in did not come out a in one piece or were clinging to a thread of life. Not many know why the forest is haunted but it is said that in the center of it is a Cemetery and the reason why the dead do not slumber is because a few drunken teens defiled the entire place without a shred of decency nor respect, this was 20 years ago and the only surviving teen was followed and butchered in his own home.
Anxious to find his sister, Jack determined where the centre would be but with some surveillance he spotted a trail made by something or someone heavy being dragged of into the foggy embrace of the forest, following the trail seemed easy enough but Jack couldn’t shake the feeling of a thousand hungry eyes staring at him wiyh intent of making a meal from him. Knowing how the super natural messes with electronic Jack lit a torch and followed the trail.
It seemed to go smoothly until what sounded like the laughter of a malicious toddler echoed in the fog, sending a chill down Jack’s spine, trying his best to just power through it, determined to find his sister and her companions, he couldn’t help but shiver when a tiny hand weaved it’s fingers in between Jacks.
Heart beating to war drums not knowing what to expect he tried a few tricks up his sleeve, Jack was about to ask the ghost that held his left hand captive if it could help him find his friends. Before being able to do so the ghost revealed it self to be a boy sounding no younger than 5, saying “Mister, can you help me find my Mommy ? “ Shacking in terror Jack replied “I’ll help you the best I can, where did you last see her ?” With pure glee the boy praised Jack and dragged him with unnatural strength through the forest stopping only when Jack’s head slammed on to the wooden floor of an unknown building. Trying to recompose himself Jack was greated with a harsh feminine voice screeching “Where are you silly boy !? You need to be punished !” Jack was petrified after hearing this but almost stained his pants when the boy whispered in his ear “hide…”
Throwing himself into the nearest closet that had a big enough hole to see through, shaking with fear Jack only hoped that his bladder would not release itself as a half decade woman bursted into the room knife in hand. “When I find you I will use your head to mop up the mess they made !” the woman’s voice reverberated through the building. When the little boy flung open the closet Jack’s lungs deflated and refused to let air back in. Confused to why the boy wants to find his mother when she was here started searching every room, frequently being forced to hide from her storming in when she pleased.
After a while of searching Jack found a dairy, it’s contents were… disturbing at best so much so that he refused to go into detail about it, when he closed the dairy slime dripped from the ceiling and when he looked up he saw the woman who had been chasing him on the ceiling…
Mustering all his bravery he threw the dairy at her and ran looking for the exit, to no surprise, to him atleast, the rooms started moving so that the building became an unescapable maze no matter how he ran through it, as he wanted to stop and examine his surroundings he noticed that the woman was pursuing him while still on the ceiling with a bloody butcher’s knife gripped in her jaw.
Jack, now forced to think on his feet, ran straight forward unknowing of what would happen, he noticed that neither stairs nor doors were to be found and his pursuer is now close enough to feel her icy breath on his neck, starting to feel exhausted he noticed no matter how much he ran the dairy was always in his peripheral vision.
Deciding that it might be of importance next time it came in sight he ran towards it, grabbing it off the floor and having no other option, Jack jumped out of the window and as luck would have it he was on the second floor, I could see for myself that he suffered quite a bit from the fall, hearing a terrible feminine screech echoing from with in the building he barely escaped from Jack took it as his que to leave.
Before he did, Jack felt the need to inspect the cover of the dairy and on the front was a scratched and withered name, illegible at best, he limped between the graves looking at each tombstone to find any names that seemed similar enough, in his exhausted state he tried to be funny looking at the dairy he said “take me to your owner.” To his surprise the dairy started dragging him towards a grave with a wooden cross.
Not questioning what just happened he placed the dairy on the grave, sat on his knees and made a prayer wishing that the dead may rest in peace, as if to awnser his prayer decayed hands jumped out of every grave with a clawing motion dug out each resident, refusing to open his eyes in fear Jack calmly sensed that he was now surrounded by a legion of dead.
Not knowing what to do next he opened his eyes and was greated with a thank you from a little boy, he described the feeling as “The whole forest had a sigh of relief.” This was not the end, Jack still had to find his sister but now atleast had a clue. As if calling to him, her favourite earring glistened from a low hanging branch at the edge of the grave yard bearly noticeable through the fog.
Taking it off the branch while surveying the area for more clues as to wich direction his sister may have ran in, Jack noticed a trail of footsteps leading deeper into the woods. Determined to find his sister he followed the trail with one thought in his, is his sister safe. As if on que he heard a scream from the direction he is heading in.
Ignoring his pain he ran towards the scream, panting all the way only stopping when he reached a clearing, by now the fog has dissipated, Jack’s pain and exhaustion however did not…
Link to Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/xnwzij/cursed_family_part_1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button