“Eyes on the road max.” Abby teased, “You’re gonna crash.”
I barely dodged a car speeding towards us as I reentered our lane.
“Sorry, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you,” I joked, trying to hide my nervousness.
“I know,” Abby said, “but you’ll have plenty of time for that later….”
My face grew hot.
We arrived at Oakridge woods, parking in the lot before we both took out our camping equipment. We wouldn’t have to walk long, only about 40 minutes on a thin trail left for campers leading into a small clearing.
“You ready to get going?” I asked, smiling at Abby.
“Can’t wait,” She replied, grinning back.
We headed towards the trail and began to walk into the woods. It was a sunny and peaceful day and we had planned on spending several nights here. It had taken us both a while to get the time off of work and plan the trip so we did not want anything to jeopardize our fun.
I looked up at Abby, “It’s awfully quiet,” she said staring forwards, “I wonder why.”
She was always one to worry, “It’s okay Ab, it could just mean there’s coyotes nearby or something. Or maybe they’re just scared of a 5’10 girl with dark brown hair-”
“Oh shut up!” Abby said, punching my side and we continued to walk in laughter, but she was right, it was unusually quiet and there seemed to be an almost palpable dread floating in the air.
When we reached the clearing we were surprised to see another tent. We had never seen another camper camp in our spot since we started coming here yearly but there was enough space for us both anyways.
“Hello?” Abby said, “Is anyone home?”
She began to walk towards the tent and I walked with her.
“Strange,” She said, running her hand across some tears in the tent and peering into the mess inside. “Maybe they’re just out hiking.”
“Yeah…. yeah you’re probably right.” I said ignoring the lacerations. The tent wasn’t completely run down so maybe it was just old. Who knows how many times it’s been used.
“We should probably get some firewood, I’m starving.” Abby chimed.
“Alright,” I said, my eyes lingering on the tent before moving away. I headed into the forest, grabbing sticks and logs along the way before bringing them back.
“We’ll need more than that,” Abby said, “I was hoping we could stay up and tell scary stories-”
“Ooooo,” I said, raising my hands in feigned fright and she rolled her eyes as I headed back out.
It was growing dark and I had to go deeper into the woods to find useful firewood, but the deeper I went, the stranger the smells became and the quieter the woods around me grew.
“What in the hell is that smell?” I said aloud.
It smelled of rotten eggs and, with each step I took, the smell intensified. I began to look around for the source of the smell but all I could see were shadows in the dim dawn light.
That’s when I heard him, “W-Who’s there?”
My head snapped towards the sound but I couldn’t find its owner.
“W-who’s there?” Someone said again, his words sounding oddly similar to when he said it previously.
“H-hello?” I asked.
“W-who’s there?”
“My name is Max, me and my girlfriend are camped out next to you I think,” I said trying to be polite.
“W-who’s there?” The voice came again.
I began to grow nervous, something wasn’t right about his voice and why was he repeating the same words?
“Well, I’m going to head back now, I’ll see ya there maybe.” I said backing away and as I did I saw two, yellow, glowing eyes, but surely it was just my imagination.
“Got the firewood?” Abby asked.
“Yep, and I think I ran into the man who’s staying in that tent.”
“You think?” Abby questioned.
“Yeah, it was too dark to see him but he asked me who’s there so I told him we’re in the tent next to him.” I made sure to leave out the strange details, knowing how paranoid Abby can be but she still seemed nervous.
“And he didn’t introduce himself?”
“Well, no-”
“And you didn’t even see his face, how do you know he’s even that camper?”
I looked towards the ground, “We’ll be fine Abby,” I said, “even if he wasn’t it was just some guy probably camping somewhere nearby.”
“Yeah, yeah you’re right,” Abby sighed, “sorry for bombarding you with questions. My nerves have just been on haywire since we got here, like there’s something weird messing with me in the air.”
“I know and you’re good, let’s just try to have a good time.” I said, hugging her from the side.
We stuffed our faces with smores and bratwurst before Abby began her story telling.
“There was once a young and cute couple just like the one sitting before you today….”
We grinned at one another, our night filled with laughter and fun.
“This is amazing Ab,” I said, holding onto her tight.
`
“Yeah Max, I love-”
A guttural scream cut her words off than another, and another.
“Help me!” A woman’s scream, “Help me!”
I was instantly on my feet.
“Max?” Abby cried unsure.
“We have to see if she’s alright!” I screamed already running towards the woods.
“M-Max wait, s-something’s not right!”
But I ignored her, my feet pounding on the soft floor and only growing in fervency as I heard another scream. I could hear Abby behind me, she cried for me to stop and wait but I couldn’t just leave someone who may be hurt.
Then Abby screamed.
I turned to see her fall, she let out another scream of pain as she grabbed onto her ankle, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Dammit!” Abby cried holding onto her leg, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, it hurts, fuck!”
I ran up to Abby and grabbed her shoulder, “Fuck Abby, are you okay?”
My head lowered to meet her gaze and I saw a flash of anger course through her but it quickly subsided.
“Leave me and see if that damn girl needs help!” She screamed before pushing me.
“But you-” I started
“Go Max!” She screamed.
That was always like Abby, worrying about other people before herself. I gave her one last glance before turning and running towards the screams.
“I’ll be right back Ab!” I cried without looking back at her.
I ran through the trees, their dark shapes blurring past me. The rotten smell grew and grew as I approached the cries. My heart pounded, my lungs cried, tears flowed out of my eyes, and that is when I saw it in the clearing.
At first I kept running, not paying attention to the lone deer in a small clearing of trees, that was until it opened its mouth, opened it impossibly wide, a crack of bones accompanying its opening as the jaw unhinged, the creature taking in a long and deep breath, the moonlight peering onto it, so I could witness it’s horror.
Then the creature let out a woman’s scream.
It’s mouth did not move, it just hung open, letting out scream after scream after scream. Slowly, the creature turned its head to look at me. The moonlight sparkling its glowing yellow eyes and that is when I got a good look at it.
It was not a deer. The creature looked like a deer but its antlers were impossibly long, stretching out like the branches of a tree. Half of its face was missing, showing its long and sharp teeth that were painted red. Visible ribs peaked out of its underside and its back legs were far too long with two joints instead of just one. The creature’s mouth began to vibrate at first, then violently shake and crack before opening wide again. And this time it’s scream was one I knew.
It let out Abby’s scream, the scream she made when she rolled her ankle.
I began to back away, my heart pounding so hard I had to grab my chest to ensure it wouldn’t break through. My mind was spinning and spinning. How the Hell was something like this possible? And then I noticed what it had been hunched over, what the creature was eating. Tears flowed down my face as I stared in horror at the woman the creature had been eating, her throat bloodied and stomach cut open, her eyes facing towards me as if staring at me in terror. I began to cry, my whole body shaking, the fear unbearable as the creature’s mouth began to shake again before it let out its next words.
“W-who’s there?” it said.
I needed to run, I needed to leave.
“W-who’s there?”
My legs wouldn’t move, they were clamped tightly together. Move please!
Then the creature began to rise onto its two legs, slowly, it stood tall, then taller, and taller until it was over 7 feet tall.
My legs trembled, but would not run, my heart began to slow, begging to stop, I did not breath, I did not take my eyes off the thing, I-
Its mouth cracked open, “I’ll be right back Ab.” It said in my voice.
I crashed through the woods, flying past the trees even faster than before. The creature let out a scream, the woman’s scream.
My feet and chest burned as I ran back towards Abby, praying that she would be safe. What if there was another creature? What if it was trying to separate us? I had no time to think. My feet pounded harder and harder until I reached the breaking of the trees. I ran to our tent and flung the door open.
Abby sat there wide eyed and holding onto her hurt leg.
“God damn you scared me Max-” Abby started.
“We’re leaving. Now!” I screamed.
“What?”
“We have to leave Ab, pack up, fuck, don’t even pack anything we have to go now!”
“I- uh okay Max, but you’ll have to-”
I heard a scream outside the tent, a scream that was getting closer.
“Let’s go!” I cried.
“Max I-”
The creature let out another scream and I began to exit the tent, Abby right behind me.
“Go Max!” She screamed and I took off towards the car.
I sprinted out of the tent, not daring to even look around for the creature. I could hear Abby running behind me.
“Go-” Abby screamed behind me.
My heart was racing, my breath was shallow. Just to the car, we just had to make it to the car.
“Go-” Abby screamed.
“Go-” Abby screamed.
“Go-”
That is when it clicked. Abby couldn’t be behind me, Abby couldn’t run, she had hurt her ankle, hurt it when I was chasing after that “woman”.
And she had said “Go Max,”
The thing behind me was not Abby, Abby was still at the tent.
I halted my run and spun around, my face full of despair after being fooled, tears welling in my eyes. I did not care if the creature killed me, I did not care what it would do, I needed to get back to Abby.
A long arm emitted from the darkness, then another, the creature was crawling towards me but it was not the same one I had seen before. There was more than one.
It was much smaller and its head was tilted to the side, staring up at me with its glowing, yellow eyes. It’s mouth cracked open, this one looking much more human, and it began to let out a laugh.
I ran past it and did not hear its footsteps behind me. I continued to run,back towards the clearing, back towards Abby, dreading what I might see. But when I got to the tent, Abby sat there alone and safe, but crying.
She was covering her face, tears rolling down her hands and soaking the tent floor.
“Abby I-”
“How could you just leave me here! Leave me all alone.” She cried and then went totally silent.
I tried to apologize and tell her that I had been fooled but she couldn’t look me in the eyes. The shock, the seemingly betrayal, the fear, all of her emotions were erupting from her body and she could not control them.
“Let’s go, Abby.” I said lifting her to her feet.
Weeks have passed since that fateful night and Abby has hardly spoken to me since. The hurt in her eyes when she looks at me, her skin still pale with fear, the way she seems to have been losing weight from stress.
From stress right?
She’s also been acting strangely. Sometimes, I’ll catch her twitching her arms alone in our room, rolling her head from side to side, her jaw shaking open just like the creature on that day. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t want to hurt her anymore, so I ignored it.
After work today, I peered into our bedroom window. Yes, spying on her is wrong, but I was seriously worried. Abby was standing in our room, staring at herself in the mirror, her skin seemed loose on her body almost. She raised one arm, her body moving unnatural, as if she wasn’t used to her limbs. She began to crack her arm into place, then her legs, then her jaw shot open.
“Hello, hello, hello,” She repeated over and over as if testing her voice.
“You are…. We are…. We….” She continued.
“I l-love you, Max,” She practiced.
My heart dropped. “Who?” she said then her head shot towards the window.
I jumped back at her sudden gaze, her eyes were the size of ping pong balls as she glared at me, were they yellow? I ran towards the door and walked inside.
“Is everything alright?” Abby questioned as I walked through the door.
“E-everything’s going good,” I lied.
That night I laid frozen in bed, Abby wasn’t even under my arm, she was Abby right? She had to be.
I turned off the light on our bedside, “I love you, Max” Abby said, mastering those words.
I woke up to spiderwebs covering my face. No, not spiderwebs, hair. I could feel someone breathing inches from my face. It was Abby, she was on top of me, her face inches from mine. I was scared. I didn’t want to confront her or it or whatever she was. I recoiled at her tongue that went across the sweat on my face, her breath smelled of blood.
“Can’t,” Abby said, “I c-can’t.”
And with those words she leaped out of the bed and I finally opened my eyes, watching as she sprinted out of our room. Her body moved unnaturally, her hands flailing in the air as she ran and neck loopy as if too weak to support her head. She looked utterly terrifying, but Abby was still in there, the girl I loved was running away.
I chased after her but stopped as I passed the entrails of a dog that scattered our floor. I could see the dog’s head, disembodied on the floor, a half eaten foot and body. It’s blood and guts covering the floor.
Did she do this?
The door slammed open, then closed. Abby was gone, and somehow, I knew she was gone for good.
I cleaned up the mess before calling the police and telling them that Abby was acting strange and had gone missing, they questioned and searched but could not find her, nobody could. Except rumors were going around of a dark haired lady in the woods, one that used soothing words to lure people to their demise. The same woods where we saw those creatures.
Abby, if you’re out there please come home, I know you’re still in there, and I will save you.
I packed my bags, and loaded a gun. Not for Abby, but for those other creatures. I will find her, I will find her and I will make things right again. If you don’t hear from me do not look for me, I do not want anyone else to suffer the way we have, I do not want anyone else to become a monster.
I found an email sent to me the other day and tears filled my eyes as I saw it was an audio message from Abby. I will play it here for you, and to Abby, here I come.
“My name is Abby Ray Johnson, and it would seem, that maybe, I am becoming a monster.
It all started a couple of weeks ago in a place called Oakdale woods.
Me and Max were dating for 4 years now and had gone here yearly to camp and hangout which is why we were visiting again, but instantly, I knew something wasn’t right. There was a strange smell and as we walked the trail towards the campsite I heard a faint voice whisper ‘help me’ but I had just thought my imagination was running wild.
We had fun and I had just finished telling Max a scary story when we heard the scream. There was a woman screaming her lungs out in the woods. Max sprinted after her and I sprinted with him, trying to tell him to wait, trying to tell him that something wasn’t right. How her words sounded the exact same and as if coming from a radio. I didn’t believe there was actually anyone in danger.
Maybe some sort of trick?
But Max ran anyway, faster and faster and I continued, trying to keep up…. When I tripped.
A root caught my ankle and my ankle went a full 90 degrees before I crashed to the floor.
I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud.
Max ran towards me asking if I was alright but boy was I angry, so angry that it took everything in me not to punch him, but luckily another scream brought me to my senses and I shouted at him to go and help whoever had been hurt.
After finding a branch and limping back to the tent, I laid there, trying to catch my breath when Max burst through the door panting and wide eyed before telling me we were leaving.
I tried to tell him I would need his help, that I couldn’t run to the car on my own, but I don’t think he heard me. So he took off. Leaving me there. All alone.
Despite how it sounds, I don’t blame him for leaving me there. I know he was scared, confused, and that he did not notice I wasn’t running behind him, because as he ran away, I heard my own voice, the same words I had spoken earlier: Go, Max. And he listened.
What I don’t know is how he didn’t hear my screams. Moments after he left the tent I saw a face peek through the tent, a face that I still fear thinking about now. The face of a rotted, almost human shaped, deer with large antlers on the side of its head. Its mouth opened in a smile as it stared at me, hurt and limp, and it raised its arm towards me.
Something wasn’t right though, there was something wriggling underneath its skin.
That is when it stabbed me with its hand going through my stomach. Pain shot through my body like a laser and I immediately began to cough up blood. I could feel something whirring and twisting inside of me, tendrils flowing to each limb then reaching up and up towards my brain.
It was strange, although I felt the immense pain, I didn’t feel like I was dying. I felt…. Calm as the organism reached up towards my brain and began to latch itself onto it.
The creature ran from the tent as I heard Max scream for me, and I looked down to see the hole in my abdomen had closed.
‘Strange’ I muttered before Max barged into the tent and tears of shock and anguish finally began to roll down my face.
I could tell things were different when we got home. Even I knew I was acting strangely. It was as if I was just a spectator, watching my body as it practiced human words, watching as it cracked our bones in a human shape, watching its skin grow droopy until it ate. I watched it- I watched it hunt down squirrels and stray cats, I even watched as it grabbed my neighbors dog, a medium sized poodle that trusted me with all its heart. It licked my face as I brought it to our house, it was happy, so trusting even as I raised my hands towards its neck-
But when I began to bar my teeth, lower them towards Max’s throat as he slept I could no longer watch. It took all my strength but instead of biting down on his neck, I licked at his face.
“Can’t” I muttered, “I c-can’t-”
I could not hurt my love and when he woke up and the thought of him seeing me standing over him made me feel ashamed, so very, very ashamed of what I had become. The shame was overpowering, I could do nothing but run.
I am at an internet cafe now and I am recording this on my phone. Max has called me dozens of times but I will not pick up. I tried to stab myself with a knife but I am no longer in control of my body, the knife stopped inches from my throat. I need to go back there, I need to hide in those woods and find answers so maybe I can reverse what I’ve become. But most of all, I need to hide so that I do not hurt anyone or anything anymore.
My dearest Max. If you or anyone sees me in Oakridge woods, please, I am begging you, shoot me. I am no longer in control, the thing patrolling in my body is no longer Abby, it is a vicious demon that only exists to hunt, torment, and kill. Please kill me before I harm anyone else, it is the only way that I will be able to rest in peace. Please…. Please….”
click