It was a Tuesday morning, I had woken up early to go to school and as always I got ready and waited outside for the bus but for some unknown reason to me as I was waiting I was hit with this eerie feeling as if something bad would happen, I brushed it off considering it just as nonsense and assumed i would just forget about it when I got on the bus.
The bus arrived and as I got on I was greeted by the driver and some friends who were sat in the front of the bus. I went and sat next to my friends and as the bus departed we began to have a conversation about the schools annual camping trip into the forest which was coming up in the next 2 weeks, we planned to swim, have marshmallows, climb trees and all the things teenagers do while on a camping trip.
We were around halfway into the bus journey when suddenly the bus stopped at a red light and 5 police cars rushed past us heading towards the camp that we were just talking about, the whole bus was puzzled as to why so many police cars were heading towards the same area as my town in Colorado is very small with the most the police ever having to do is routine traffic stops, mediating petty arguments and charity events that would take place in my town from time to time.
Puzzled and confused the red light turned to green and we continued our way to the school however the eerie feeling I had earlier had came back and I felt a little uneasy for the remainder or the drive to the school. Soon enough we arrived and we went to class as normal.
After a few classes we had lunch were almost everyone was talking about the police cars with my fellow classmates talking about all sorts of possibilities as to why there were so many police cars. While eating at lunch and discussing the police cars the intercom suddenly rang and the principle was calling me to the front office, I was confused as I had done nothing wrong and on this particular week I had handed in all my homework on time but not really having much of a choice i got up and began to walk to the front office.
I went down the hallway to the front office and as I got within eyeshot of the door that led to the office, I could see the principal, vice principal and two police officers awaiting me. As soon as I saw them I had a bad feeling and a million questions going through my mind like “what did I do?”, “what happened”, “did I do something wrong?” And many other questions.
I walked into the office and the principal requested i sat down so I did not knowing what to do. It was there one of the police officers of whom was also a family friend to my father and someone I considered an uncle told me that my cousin who I was close with had been murdered in the camp myself and my classmates were meant to just 2 weeks later.
I just sat there for 5 minutes in silence while the police officer explained how sorry he was for my loss and the basic things people say when they lose a family member like “he was a great kid”. I built up the courage to ask how it happened and I was told that he ventured into the forest without the knowledge of his family, during their family camping trip and that he was gone for around 10 minutes according to my aunt when suddenly a blood hurtling scream came from the forest.
My uncle of whom was a hunter rushed into the forest with his gun and came across my cousins half eaten dead body. My uncle immediately called the police where they made the discovery of multiple human footprints running from where my cousin was killed and a bloody knife of which was dropped by the killers.
The police officer who I considered an uncle told me that they would work day and night to solve this case and that the case would most likely be transferred to a higher up division of police force as the case was murder and cannibalism.
My parents were called to the school and I returned home, I sat in silence in my room for the remainder of the day. I called my bestfriend the next day who had been absent since Friday as she had been sick and I told her what had happened and although she didn’t know my cousin very well she came over to comfort me as she had recovered for her illness that same day. She spent the entire day there and I just told her about stories I had from the times I spent with my cousin and I felt better.
On the Thursday the funeral was held of which the police officer who was also a family friend attended and I went up to him and asked if there were any leads of the case. His reaction to the question puzzled me for the rest of the day as all he said was “there was nothing and the police cornered of the area” I don’t know if it was how he said it or the face expression he made when he did but something told me he was lying.
When I got home I searched up the case online and I found nothing, no details of the case were being shown which was unusual as a town which was a little bigger than ours and just 100 kilometers away had a murder case in the 1980s and the entire town rallied behind the police force to find who was responsible but for this case nothing. I had a feeling something was up and decided to do research on the area surrounding the camp he was killed in.
I called my best friend over to help me and she came over and for a few hours we searched the history and surrounding area of the land and what we discovered was huge. We found out there was a huge nuclear bunker which was built in the 60s just a 15 minute walk from where he died.
The next day me and my bestfriend went to the camp to talk to police officers about the case and we met this woman from the FBI who told us that there were doing everything they could and that we couldn’t be in the area. Like i did with the police officer who is a family friend, I felt as if she was lying about the whole thing and the whole time we were there we saw no police officer doing anything as if there didn’t want to go deeper into the forest where the murder happened and where the footprints that departed my cousins lifeless body led to, but with nothing me or my bestfriend could do we returned home, I felt defeated but I wouldn’t let that stop me from finding out what happened with my cousin.
I laid in bed that night thinking about how no police officer would go deeper into the forest as if something was blocking them, not allowing them or simply made them so scared they didn’t want to go in and i felt like the FBI woman was involved somehow although i knew it was a long shot that would be true. It was there I decided to sneak to the crime scene and find out for myself where those footprints go and hopefully find out who killed my cousin.
I snuck into my parents room that same night and got my father’s gun and then snuck out of my bedroom window. I called my bestfriend although I didn’t think she would answer but she did even though it was 3 in the morning and I told her my plan. She sounded nervous and stressed as I told her my plan and she began to tell me not to go, I told her I had my fathers gun and I would be safe and she didn’t have to worry. Suddenly a loud noise came from her end of the call and when I asked her about it she just told me it was nothing, I then asked if she was at home and she swiftly made up an excuse and said she had to go upon hearing that question.
I was confused as she acted differently on that call than normal but I brushed it off and walked to the camp, I spent around 20 minutes walking to the camp and eventually I saw the police who were staying at the camp for the duration of the case but it was easy to sneak by them. After walking a little Into the forest to where the police wouldn’t see me I turned on my flashlight and began to walk to where my cousin was killed.
Upon arrival I saw traces of blood even a few days after the event took place and after just visualising and processing what I was seeing I turned my focus to the footprints of which had faded a little since the murder but were still visible enough to follow so I did. I quickly realised the footprints were leading to the 60s nuclear bunker me and my bestfriend discovered while on the Internet.
I must of walked for a few minutes when suddenly I noticed all evidence of the police being there and their evidence markers that they leave behind just stopped after a certain point. I realised all my weird feelings about the police lying and not doing everything they could were right although I suddenly had a thought “if they didn’t cross past this point, what made them not pass it” I was scared after having that thought but said to myself that I’m already in the forest alone and I have to find out what happened to my cousin so I pushed the fear out and pressed on toward what I assumed to be the nuclear bunker.
While walking to the bunker I realised that there were more footprints but not just walking in the direction of the bunker but also toward where I was standing and as I pointed my flashlight around I noticed footprints all around me, some looking more fresh than others. After a few minutes I arrived at the nuclear bunker “this was were the footprints stop” I said to myself and I slowly pulled out my dad’s gun as it was here I was thinking I would get justice for my cousin.
I walked around the bunker for a bit and found where the entrance was, the door had been left open and slowly with alot of caution I entered the bunker. I looked around and it looked like the place had beeb abandoned, there was vines and wildlife growing inside, bugs, paper and other objects discarded on the floor. I looked around at the objects on the floor for a minute or two and that’s when I heard it, a loud crash and what sounded like a roar of a beast coming from deeper in the bunker.
I wanted to keep going for my cousin but I felt scared and I knew that whatever was in this bunker was not normal so I decided to leave. I turned around and began to go to the exit but as I was about to leave I head voices from the outside, not knowing if it was police or whoever killed my cousin I decided to hide.
3 people came in and they were wearing masks of animals and talking about “feeding their master” as they walked away I tried to sneak out the bunker but I tripped and knocked of something down and it crashed to the ground making a large sound. The 3 people from before quickly came rushing back and a 4th person came from behind me and surrounded me.
They began to make weird sounds similar to screeching and tribal calling and it was there I saw more of these people wearing these animal masks and there clothes that looked like they were made of fur and leather approached me. This girl began to speak and I instantly thought it sounded familiar and it hit me, my bestfriend is apart of this cult. I called out her name and that’s where she realised I knew it was her and she took of her mask.
I was scared, confused and betrayed in that moment, she then told me she was sorry it had to be like this and she told me about my cousin and that it was infact them who killed him. I never felt so betrayed before, the girl I spent hours researching and mourning with about my cousin had actually known what happened and who was responsible for his murder the entire time.
She then told me I had seen to much and that they couldn’t let me go and she said she would miss me. I asked her what she meant and she put on her mask and said to someone beside her “bring the master”. 2 minutes later I heard chains coming from a dark area of the tunnel where I heard the strange roar sound.
I then saw it, this creature, 10 feet tall atleast, all black, no face and had sharp edges for hands and feet. I was then told that this creature was their master and that their entire cult were all cannibals and my cousin just stumbed into their territory and became food for the hunters. I realised I was about to be killed by this creature but I came to realise that maybe my cousin had it easy, he was killed and eaten by humans and he didn’t have to suffer and be killed by a monster.
I tried to get away from the people who were holding me and not allowing me to get away but they were alot stronger than I and despite my best efforts I couldn’t get away. I was scared when suddenly the FBI woman from earlier came into the bunker and shot the two people who were holding me and she told me to run and just get as far as possible so I did.
I heard gunshots behind me and then I heard the creature roar and a scream. I assumed it must of been the FBI woman who sacrificed herself to save me, I ran and ran just like she said and eventually i got into the camp and the police and other FBI agents were waiting for me.
The police had set up cameras around certain parts to make sure people don’t go into this area and they saw me go into it but couldn’t get to me intime before I entered the bunker.
I realised I was in alot of trouble as FBI agents spoke to me for a few hours but in the end they let me go as at the time of this event i was only 14 but I got many warnings and was told what would happen if I disobed any of them. I came home just as the sun was rising and have never spoken about this event to anyone.
A month later both my cousins family and my own family left the town since neither of our families felt safe and we moved to a different state entirely, this was 17 years ago now and i have not been back to the town since.
I am writing this now as recently I searched the town on Google and saw that another murder under similar circumstances happened there again and once again not much if any details about what happened are being given so I am hoping that if someone from my town sees this they will take my advice and not go into the forest
Don’t go into the forest