Thunder roared throughout the night skies as I walked through the forest, struggling to see. Lightning cracked, and I could see but the faintest outline of a silhouette in the distance. Paranoia enveloped me at the sight. I quickly turned around and started to walk at a brisk pace, desperately trying to leave the forest. Lightning struck the tree only a few dozen paces away from me, Illuminating the same silhouette, this time much closer and peeking behind the now burning tree.
I froze in place from the pure shock and anxiety the situation had given me. Shivers ran through every inch of my body when the most uncomfortable and disturbing sensation of my neck being breathed upon, I screamed, and immediately after lightning struck once more, Illuminating the sickening sight of a severely disfigured and horrifying face staring at me, just mere inches away.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I swiftly turned around and ran for my life. I ignored the constant and painful scratches I was enduring from running through the thick forest on a rainy night. Lightning struck once more, now illuminating the face looking down at me from the sky, now tens of times larger.
A cruel and deafening shriek left the face’s mouth, causing my ears pain. I didn’t stop running, though. Sure, it was clearly useless considering the fact it can obviously appear wherever it wants, whenever it wants, but still, I was not going to stand there and accept my fate. I ran because it was the only thing I could do, and I could only hope that running would somehow magically save my poor soul.
Lightning struck again, shining its bright light on the leaves on the ground, which were now covered with the same disfigured face I had become familiar with over the past five minutes.
“You… Must.Pay… For… Your… Sins…” the creature shrieked slowly. It’s voice was uncanny and sounded like an alien lifeform imitating a human’s voice as a cruel joke
What sins have I committed that would cause this?
“You… Killed… Me…” The creature shrieked.
I stopped running in my tracks.
“WHO ARE YOU? HOW DID I KILL YOU?” I screamed before beginning to sob.
My brain clicked when I realized why I had been in the forest in the first place.
I was running away from something I had done.. But what?
I gasped a huge lungful of oxygen when the events that had happened 30 minutes prior came back to me all at once.
It was a confused blur of getting behind the wheel drunk, hitting something, and instantly jumping out of the car and into the forest.
Lightning struck once more, illuminating the same face, but this time was different. I could now recognize the face clearly. It was me. The face staring back at me from the leaves was my disfigured face.
Oh.. Oh my god.
My stomach threatened to empty itself after an intense wave of nausea washed over me.
“One… More… Chance…” The creature shrieked again.
Suddenly, my world began to spin and morph, and then change into incomprehensible colors. In an instant, I was outside of the bar parking lot, severely drunk, and keys in hand. The note on the driver’s side door handle caused me to sober up.
“Make the right decision.” the note read.
I froze upon reading the note; it was my handwriting. Impossibly, lightning struck to the left of me and I turned. I was met with the view of my disfigured self standing next to a street light. He saluted me and disappeared into the night with a smile.
I called an uber and arrived home. I found it incredibly odd that my family was not home at this ungodly hour. I sat down on my couch and pondered about the incredibly bizarre incident in the woods. Suddenly, My family came home. They opened the door, Turned on the lights, and began to scream in what seemed like relieved terror.
“WE JUST SAW YOUR DEAD BODY ON THE FREEWAY HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!” My mother screamed. After hours of nonstop screaming and panicking, my family calmed down and were just grateful that I was alive. I woke up this morning and am still unable to fully comprehend the reality of last night. I decided to write it down here because I really needed to get this out..