Thanks for the love y’all! Here’s a link to Part 1
https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/eJoF2pcPh9
There was still enough daylight for a good exploration so I took off down the stairs and behind the cabin. I saw two trailheads at the edge of the backyard. I took the one on the right just to prevent ending up anywhere near Mrs Klein’s property. I really needed to clear my head, so I took a deep breath and made my way down the well kept trail. All of nature was calm as I walked and walked, eventually getting completely out of sight of my cabin. I passed a couple of small ponds that were fed by the trickles of a brook that I had to carefully cross, as to avoid getting my shoes wet. The trail hugged the mountainside and soon I was heading upward, the views growing more and more idyllic. I gave myself an hour to walk the trail out, so I could return home with ample sunlight.
I eventually came to a stop in a small clearing on the trail that had a seriously breathtaking view of the valleys below. From where I was I could see Coldwater Springs, and way on out I could see other small towns, peppering the eternal green waves of the Appalachians. It was then that a mighty wind began to rush upward from the fields below, passing through the trees and making beautiful noise. The tones coming from the lowest points of the forest to the highest treetops truly made a choir-like sound.
“Wow” I said aloud. It really was as if the mountains were singing. It was gorgeous to witness. I sat down and took it all in with my eyes closed, for a brief moment forgetting about all of the strange things that were distracting me from a relaxing vacation. “You idiot” I reminded myself. I should be thinking of the sweet widow who had passed, not my own selfish feelings. I felt so bad for her, and I hadn’t even met her properly. But still, any respects that I could rightfully give her in my mind were tarnished by the unexplainable fact that I saw her the night before, and was told an hour ago that she had been dead for weeks or months.
I troubled on this as I continued to look out over the pristine landscape. The wind stopped, and with it the wonderful music. At least at first. After a moment, from deep down in the valley, I heard another sound. It was similar to the wind song before, but sounded lower in pitch. Like a chorus of low whistles. It also wasn’t nearly as pleasing to the ears. In fact, it sounded like the bleating horn of a train from hell. I stood up and tried my best to see where this noise was coming from.
There was the tree line about two tenths of a mile down the mountain from me that I could pinpoint the noise coming from. I squinted hard and raised a hand to my brow. I saw a large shadow standing at the very edge. The same size as the animal from the night before. My eyes hadn’t deceived me. This thing was at least ten feet tall. The demonic sound abruptly stopped, its echoes flying throughout the hollows around. Stretching outward from the huge shadow, I could see what appeared to be two arms, as thick as oak trunks, grabbing on to a couple of nearby trees on its right and left. I held my breath, my eyes unbelieving and my mind scrambling to make thought.
The creature began to violently shake the fully grown trees at its sides like they were Pom poms. At the same time, the choral noise of the damned started up again, blasting up the mountain like devil trumpets. It was the most unsettling noise I had ever heard. Details were still shadowed. However, to my shock, two glowing orbs formed where the beasts eyes would be. Beaming, boiling red eyes. My bones became ice and all the breath escaped from my tense chest.
This monstrous creature continued to thrash the trees around and bellow from the forest edge. I had to do something. I had a little bit of distance on it, and the high ground. It also seemed to like staying in the shadows, otherwise I saw no reason why it wasn’t already chasing me. It knew exactly where I was so there was no use in trying to hide. I also knew a predator like this would simply wait for night to fall and then come take me if I stayed where I was. I had to act. I took off in a dead sprint back toward the cabin.
Carefully staying on trail, I glanced to my left down the mountain. The creature was on the move toward me through the trees, running on all fours like a Kodiak. I cursed and screamed. I focused back on the trail, knowing speed was everything to me. I began down the mountain back toward a hollow. I needed to find a way to beat this thing to the cabin and get in my car and get the hell out of here. I looked quickly back at my pursuant. It was gaining on me. It must’ve been moving at least 30-35 miles an hour. I screamed as I turned again to the trail in front of me.
I came off the cleared mountain trail and back into the dense forest, running full speed, dodging anything that could trip me up and doom me. I had to do something. Quick. I suddenly came across a fork in the trail that I didn’t remember seeing on the way up. I must’ve come from my left, I thought, as I originally took the trail to my right coming from the cabin. Perhaps this new trail to my right led back to the cabin the other way. It also appeared to move back up to the mountain side, which could give me more clearing and more precious, waning sunlight. I darted right at the fork and redirected uphill. Another ominous blast from the beast shot through the air. It saw my change of direction for sure. I didn’t have the courage or the time to look back and see how close it was getting, but that roar was way louder than it was before.
I laser focused ahead on the trail, my body completely entering survival mode. The adrenaline was crazy. I could run like this forever, even uphill. I saw a clearing ahead that I figured to be the opposite side of the mountain top that I was just on. I broke through the tree line and slowed my pace slightly, getting a good look at the trail and my surroundings.
My heart dropped. The trail didn’t continue back down. After about a hundred feet of clearing the path led straight to the mouth of a small cave entering into a short bluff in the mountainside. I turned around and my entire body went stiff.
There was the creature, in full detail, standing on two legs at the tree line, the closest I had seen it.
Standing about twelve feet tall, it had the body type of a bear, with longer, more human like arms and legs. It’s arms were fully outstretched, as if it knew it was closely presenting itself to me for the first time. It’s paws were adorned with foot-long, pale claws, as big around as steak knives. It was covered in thick, dark hair. The most striking feature, however, was its head.
It was similar to a grizzlys head, except as tall and wide as an air conditioning unit. Also, instead of ears and nose, three short, black horns sprang up from its skull, forming a triangle. It’s jaws opened and seemed to dislocate, dropping unnaturally wide and revealing two rows of disgustingly orange, railroad spike-sized teeth. It had remained silent and still there at the forest edge as I watched in horror. Then, the things face was suddenly blazed by two, hellish red, volleyball sized eyes. Right after this lighting, I learned where all the whistle noises were coming from.
Arms still outstretched, and towering at the tree line, the beast puffed out its chest and took a deep, rotten breath. Suddenly, from all over its torso, holes opened up. Ghastly orifices, there must have been at least a dozen, in all shapes and sizes. On the bigger ones I could see a short, sharp circle of teeth. They were mouths. The beast let out the huge breath and all the mouths roared together, that berating, dissonant, evil and ear-shattering chord.
I didn’t have time to take it all in. Still in an instinctual flight, I turned and ran across the remainder of the clearing and into the mouth of the cave. I had to take the chance. Perhaps the creature can’t fit in this place. I couldn’t just stay out in the open with that monster waiting nearby. I entered the opening as the dreadful noise continued to shoot over the clearing and rang through the stone tube.
I paused for a moment, getting my phone out and turning on my flashlight. I shined it down the dark passageway I found myself in. To my surprise, it wasn’t so much a natural cave as it was a tunnel. It stretched far past the extent of my beams, impossibly dark beyond. In a swift walk, I carefully made my way through and what seemed to be downward into the mountain.
Nothing changed geologically for several minutes as I continued on using my slowly dying phone’s light. In the back of my mind I knew I had to find a way out soon or I was doomed, regardless of my predators success. My quick walk came to a halt as I suddenly was thrust out of the smaller tunnel and into a huge room within the mountain. As I stopped, I shone my light around, unable to see the dimensions of this huge cavern. Walking about one hundred feet toward the center I came upon a huge column, as wide and tall as a four story townhouse.
Finally having my bearings on the size of the huge cavity, I walked around the gigantic stone support with my light. It was covered in some kind of artwork. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be decorated in seemingly ancient drawings of all sorts of age-faded colors. I backed up so I could get a fuller view of the prehistoric paintings.
Soaring up at least twenty feet, a macabre mural revealed itself. It depicted a large mountain, with several supposed human beings standing on top. They were holding spears and swords and were leading a tied prisoner toward the mountains edge. The sun was shown large and orange above them, but about a quarter down the mountain the sunlight stopped, throwing the etchings of a green forest below into surrounding graphite-scratched darkness.
At the base of the mountain was the likeness of the monster itself. It was depicted as being about as half as big as the mountain, it’s arms out wide, holding onto two humans with its long claws, piercing their bloody skin. It’s head was facing upward, eyes red and mouth ferociously agape, placed under where the humans up top were leading their prisoner. It was the scene of a sacrifice. The humans were throwing prisoners off the mountain and into the dark maw of the beast. The drawings must have been thousands of years old.
I held a hand to my mouth as I took it all in and backed away. Whatever this thing was, it had been in these mountains for millennia, if not longer. An immortal and indestructible evil.
My silent puzzling of the artwork was cut short by the all too familiar, devastating howl of the beast throughout the large cavern. It wasn’t in there with me yet but it was growing close, wherever it was. Shining my light around I could see tunnels of all sizes shooting out into the mountain. The terrible noise seemed to be coming through the largest opening, big enough to drive a bus through. I sprinted over across the natural room and into the smallest tunnel I could find that I could still fit through.
I was off in the fastest run I could muster while also carefully navigating the slender pathway. Another loud blast behind me let me know the creature had made it’s way into the large cavern where I was just moments before. My pathway began to lead uphill. This was a good sign as perhaps i was going to be coming out of the mountain soon.
Suddenly the walls of my tunnel began to vibrate, and dust began to fall from the ceiling. Oh no. There’s no way the thing could fit in here, right? No. The shaking was in short bursts, rocking the entire earth with each forceful blow. It was trying to collapse the cave and bury me. I was in a full upward sprint, phone light in hand, as each hit and roar from the monster behind me almost knocked me down. Small rocks began to fall from the top of the cave. My time was almost out. One of the falling rocks hit my hand, knocking my phone out. I didn’t have to time to pick it up so I screamed and pressed on blindly with arms jutting out ahead of me.
Just when hope was about lost I finally saw a small light up ahead. I ran as hard as I ever could as the monsters plan was almost complete, larger and larger rocks falling to the floor behind me and the foundation of the tunnel cracking. Shockingly, the underground path ended in a wall with a metal ladder built in, leading up toward the source of the light. I grabbed on and climbed with no regard of my hands or feet, moving as quickly as possible, as finally the entire tunnel below me collapsed.
Clouds of dust rushed upward past me, filling my lungs and causing me to wretch. I kept climbing, seeing an opening ahead into the light. At long last I came to the ladders end and threw myself out of the hole entirely. As I cleared dust from my eyes, I saw that I was in a room. A basement, in fact, with a single dirty window offering the low lights of sunset from outside.
I sat in utter shock as I caught my injured breath and had a look around. Relief took over me, although it would take years to fully comprehend what I had just experienced. My terror was soon refreshed though, as I stood up and got a look of the basement. It was built up with cinderblock walls, and there was a wooden staircase leading up to a door, deadbolt locked and fastened with rusted chains. What was this place? Two large, metal poles held up the ceiling from the center of the room. I looked around and saw, in one corner, a wooden table, covered with several pairs of handcuffs, rope, and two long, rusted knives. Overlooking the table was a wall full of photographs. I walked over to get a closer look. My mouth fell open in absolute horror.
They were missing persons posters. There had to be at least 50 hanging. Ranging in ages from young children to grandparents, the photographed faces on the posters seemed to cover decades of reporting. Studying the dates of the prints, I saw flyers from as early as the 1960s. Something very, very bad had been happening here. It was time to leave.
As I made my way over to the staircase to attempt a break out through the locked door, I heard an upstairs door open, and footsteps slowly traversing above me. I froze. The heavy footsteps slowly seemed to be covering the room right above me, almost in a circle. Thinking as fast as I could, I went back to the table and grabbed some rope. I wrapped some around my right hand and formed a fist. I walked over to the single, dusty window and looked for any way to open it. It would only be barely big enough to fit through, even if I do find a way to break it. The footsteps above me were nearing the area by the basement door. My time was very short.
In three adrenaline fueled bursts, I punched out the glass window. Immediately I heard keys jingling and the locks of the basement door being turned. My knuckles were bleeding bad in spite of the rope covering. There were long, stray shards of glass remaining in the window pane. Luckily the bottom of it was mostly clear so I quickly hoisted myself up, disregarding my hands and back as they got carved up by the razor-sharp remnants. Halfway out the window, I heard the basement door being flung open, and footsteps racing down the stairs. I forced the rest of my body out of the small window, sending waves of sharp pain through my legs as they grated the glass. I stood up, feeling grass in my injured hands, and took off in a sprint. After a moment of horror and confusion I realized exactly where I was.
I was at the third, vacant house right next to the cabin I had rented, across from Mrs Klein’s. I sprinted about a quarter mile downhill and onto the gravel road. By the grace of God, my car keys were still in my pocket, so I raced back over to my cabin and hopped in and cranked it. I backed out of the driveway, giving my cabin one last dastardly look, before twisting my car around and accelerating. I of course glanced over at the home of Mrs Klein, still boarded up save for the busted-in front door. There was yellow tape everywhere. I glanced to my left and my spirit fell. A huge pickup truck was barreling down the driveway of the vacant house toward the road. I slammed my gas pedal and took off as fast as I possibly could. I had at least half a mile on the truck by the time it romped on to the gravel road from the driveway. It had a lot more power than my car, however, and was gaining ground fast behind me. I knew I was still about a mile from the highway so I had to keep pushing it hard. As the truck began cutting the distance between us I glanced in the rear view mirror and could see the forms of two men in the front seats.
I looked forward and persisted in my escape, slamming my foot down as hard as I could, with no regard for the well being of my car. Ahead, I could finally see the end of gravel and the beginning of further hope. I knew I’d still have to make it to town, but flagging down a passing car would be a lot easier on the highway, at least giving me another layer of a chance. I came up on the asphalt at high speed and jacked it hard, fishtailing me across both lanes of traffic l, before I could make a wobbly path to the right side of the yellow paint. I once again slammed hard on the gas as I glanced in the mirror again with bated breath. To my amazement, the truck had hit its brakes hard and was sitting still at the edge of the gravel road, engulfed in a large cloud of dust.
Giving little of my disturbed mind as to question why the truck had halted short of the highway, I sped on. My elbows were locked straight and my right leg was flexed on the gas. I didn’t even blink as I eventually made my way back through Coldwater Springs. All I could do was drive on. My brain and body were shattered. All I knew is that I was free.