I am a detective inspector in London and this is the story of how I became responsible for cases subject to the paranormal. I hope I won’t get fired if I share this information.
Nonetheless, I won’t share any specific details regarding the exact locations of some places, just in case. Anyway, it was my own boss who told me that I should write things out of myself to feel better, so here we are.
My first strange case like this took place years ago when I got a phone call from my supervisor CDI Brown and he asked me to investigate the crime scene in Epping Forest, where some hikers had stumbled across a corpse.
As soon as my conversation with the chief detective inspector began, it was clear this wouldn’t be a typical case. He spoke in an unnaturally tense and urgent tone, something I had never heard from him before. His usually cool demeanour was replaced with a sense of foreboding.
‘Something happened in that forest. Something that I am not sure how to deal with,’ he noted.
I knew something sinister was about to happen.
We arrived at the forest in two unmarked police cars, with a convoy of officers on board. It was night time and there was an eerie sense of darkness that seemed to engulf the surroundings. The trees were tall and thin, their branches swaying gently as they swayed under the wind’s caress. We could only guess what mysteries lurked underneath them; it felt like something out of an old horror movie, but we had no choice but to press forward into this unknown land.
As we traversed deeper into Epping Forest our steps grew heavy as if weighed down by its oppressive atmosphere - no matter how dimly lit or loud our lights shone, it seems that fear still managed to permeate through all else until eventually even sound ceased altogether - nothing rose above its dense silence except for perhaps a few hushed whispers from some unseen presence watching us explore further inside… I half expected creatures such as dragons or monsters emerging from behind tree trunks any moment now yet strangely enough everything remained eerily calm during these explorations – almost too calm.
Eventually, after several minutes of cautiously stepping forward, we arrived at the crime scene which was already surrounded by a few hikers who had discovered the body. The area was disturbingly quiet and a chill ran down my spine as I saw what remained of this person’s corpse. The details were gruesome; the naked body had grown into the thick trunk of a tree as if it was being merged to become part of its own vegetation. The limbs were still intact although they seemed distorted and bent in unnatural ways from the force that inflicted them - leaves had sprouted from their once human fingers and roots seemed to have taken over most parts giving off an air of tragedy instead. Whatever creature did this must be incredibly powerful for it to have such control over nature itself.
My mouth hung open in disbelief and I gasped. I felt my knees tremble and my throat tighten from the sudden shock of what I’d just seen.
‘Oh my God!’ was all I could manage to say at that moment.
We quickly cordoned off the area and after collecting all relevant evidence, sent out teams throughout Epping Forest with instructions not to leave until any trace or clue was collected. The deeper mystery eluded us even hours later however; what kind of being could possess such power? Its presence still haunted me to this day - I couldn’t help but wonder what secrets may remain hidden deep within Epping Forest.
The hikers who found the body were a young couple and the girl was crying on a rock. His boyfriend tried to give her some comfort, but his efforts fell short as she held back tears of fear and terror. I gave her a blanket in an attempt to help console her - no one should have had to experience such tragedy while out enjoying nature’s beauty; something must be done about this soon before any other harm is brought upon Epping Forest. The rest of us simply looked at each other with dismayed expressions - we were all just as frightened by what lurked beneath these woods yet powerless against them.
I turned to Mary, a crime scene investigator with a background in natural sciences. ‘What do you make of this?’ I asked.
She stepped closer, her eyes wide with disbelief as she surveyed the landscape. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ she said in awe. ‘At first glance, I’d say we’re dealing with an unknown natural force.’
‘Where are his clothes? And what the fuck was he doing here naked?’
‘I have no idea,’ Mary noted.
‘Now I understand why Brown was so reluctant to say more,’ I remarked and decided to look around the area.
The moment I stepped away from the body, an eerie feeling came over me. The air was still and heavy, almost too calm - as if some unexplainable force had silenced every living creature in Epping Forest. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves and with gun firmly held in my hands, I ventured out of the crime scene on my own to find something or perhaps even the source of this unknown power.
My keen eyes scanned everywhere around eating up any particular detail that may have escaped us while we were handling other matters at hand; scoured the ground for suspicious tracks using all available light sources yet found none nor did they lead anywhere else further down our path either; I clutched onto my gun tightly with each step forward now more attuned than ever before- determined discover what secrets these woods may hide.
As I continued onwards, the hair on my neck began to rise and a chill ran down my spine - there was something in here with us…something that we had been missing for far too long. I could feel it all around me, yet it remained invisible to our sight- like an intangible monster silently lurking within these woods waiting for its next victim.
The air suddenly got colder and cold sweat trickled slowly down my forehead as a gust of wind passed through me sending shivers throughout every inch of my body almost scared now more than I felt back at the crime scene earlier this night. Despite being increasingly afraid by each second, however, some inner instinct drove me forward towards unknown paths. Perhaps shouldering any fear while knowing one cannot turn back or not trying would be futile against such darkness always helps push mankind into dangerous adventures right?
As I reached a small clearing, I heard creaking noises from the bushes and I stopped. I scanned my surroundings with my flashlight but did not see anything except for the dark shadows of the trees and bushes. At first, I thought it might have been an animal But as the noises rose again, I stopped and focused my light on the shadows.
Someone was walking and the twigs were cracking underneath.
I aimed my gun and pointed towards the noise. At that moment a young woman dashed from the shadows onto the clearing stopped and looked directly at me with large terrified eyes; her heaving chest rising in ragged breaths as she was now fully exposed to light - only then did I realize it wasn’t an animal. Unable to even speak, she clearly seemed traumatized by whatever forces lurked in these woods.
The woman had a slim, pale frame with long dark hair and eyes that seemed to be filled with fear. Underneath her arms were tightly clenched as she stood in the clearing, her body trembling from the shock of being seen. Her clothes were tattered and stained from whatever she had endured until now, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she cowered before me.
My heart was racing now but my duty as an investigator prevailed - I had to find out why she was here in Epping Forest, although something deep inside of me told me that it would have been better if we hadn’t found her at all.
I approached her cautiously, taken aback by her silence. She was trembling, her eyes vacant and glassy. Her clothes were tattered and muddy and she looked lost in a daze. “What happened, miss?” I asked in confusion, but she didn’t answer; she seemed to be in a state of shock.
I didn’t want to put any pressure on her, so I wanted to make her feel comfortable. After surveying the area and realizing that I was closer to my car than to the crime scene, I suggested that we head there instead of backtracking and I had seen enough at the crime scene anyway.
We walked in silence until we reached my car and we both got in and drove off.
As we drove away from the crime scene, my thoughts were racing between the woman and what we had witnessed. I simply could not comprehend how a human body could be incorporated into a tree. Growing up, I was always reading science-fiction that touched upon time and space travel, but this was something entirely different. I wished that Mary could provide me with the answers I was looking for in terms of understanding the situation in a rational way.
My mind was racing. Did this woman have something to do with the murder? Or did she see something that nobody has ever before? She was clearly traumatised so something must have happened to her.
I shifted in my seat, my eyes were fixed on the road.
‘So, how did you end up in the forest?’ I asked awkwardly, my voice was cracking with nervousness.
‘You see, there was a terrible crime a bit further away where I found you. Did you witness anything unusual?’
My question was ridiculous. Of course, she witnessed something unusual otherwise she would not have been in shock. But I just wanted to open her up a bit.
She did not respond. Instead, she was looking out of the window, her eyes glazed with pain as if memories came flooding in. As much as I wanted to press for further details, something inside me told me not to.
I have to tell you, there was something dark and mysterious about her, it seemed as if there were many questions left unanswered, which made me curious to know more - yet I found myself feeling an apprehension based on fear of what new information or secrets we would uncover during our investigation.
Anyway, keeping discretion was my utmost priority in this case so instead of pushing her any further I decided it best just nod sympathetically and keep quiet for a while longer; allowing my colleagues time and space for whatever outcome awaited us both beyond that night.
I called DCI Brown and told him about my finding.
‘All right Watts, take her in and we will find out what she knows. Jesus, I have never seen such a mess! See you at the station. We will have a long night.’ he noted on and hung up.
I could not agree more.
We finally were approaching the police station and I could feel my anxiety increasing. On one hand, I knew that getting her to the station was an integral step in finding more answers; on the other hand, it felt almost physically painful to be taking someone who had been through such trauma - no matter how desperately they needed help.
The woman’s face was pale, her breathing shallow and rapid as I parked the car outside of the building. She turned to me, her eyes wide and imploring me not to leave her there. Her hands clutched at the edge of her seat as if clinging to a life raft, and she shook her head slowly, silently begging me to stay. Although her lips were pressed into a firm line, her fear was palpable, and it seemed like nothing would persuade her to step out of the car.
Quickly, I thought of a plan. I killed the engine and told the woman ‘Everything will be all right. Just wait a few seconds, I will be back,’ and got out of the car, locked the doors and headed straight to the dining room of the station.
After two minutes I found myself inside and with shaking hands, I prepared a cup of Earl Grey as quickly as possible - almost like an athlete pushing their body beyond physical limits in order to devote every ounce of energy into winning the race - hoping against all odds that it might help settle her down until DCI Brown arrived with his team shortly afterwards.
Sure enough, just as I exited the building, I saw police cars coming and there was my supervisor coming among them. However, I did not see the vans of the coroner and crime scene investigators which suggested that they were still out there collecting evidence and traces.
I waited until the cars parked and DCI Brown got out of the car and he walked up to me.
‘Ah, thank you for the tea!’ he said and took the mug from my hand before I could say a word.
‘I am telling you, Watts, our government is in a huge mess if they are experimenting with secret military weapons,’ he ran his fingers through his bald head as if he had had hair and he stopped to look at me, his eyes widened and full of worry and then he sipped from the tea.
‘What about the couple who found it?’
‘They went for a romantic walk when they came across the body. I think they have lifelong PTSD. Where is your witness?’ he barked, his voice rising in pitch.
I gestured with my head towards the direction of my car and started heading there.
‘Be careful boss, she is having a trauma,’ I noted.
‘Don’t worry about that, my wife is the same after having sex.’
Then came the next shock that night. When we reached my car, I was amazed to find that the woman was no longer inside.
‘She was here in my car! Right here!’ I said, pointing wildly at the empty passenger seat.
At first DCI Brown thought that maybe someone had taken her away but then again there were no signs or suspicious activities around so after an hour-long investigation – we concluded that she must have fled due to fear and apprehension; trusting none other than her own instincts perhaps more than anything else — nevertheless leaving us behind with a million unanswered questions and theories which only increased our worries.
But the question was, how? How did she get out of the locked car?
Then something hit me. The cameras. The parking lot had a lot of cameras, so I suggested taking a look at the footage.
We arrived at the control centre and an officer ushered us inside. We were all standing nervously around a large flat-screen monitor as the officer was preparing the footage. Tension hung thick in the air, and I could feel everyone’s racing heartbeats in sync as we waited to see what was hidden in the video.
Nothing.
I was alone. All along. The camera at the entrance confirmed that there was nobody with me, no one on the passenger seat. Even when I pulled into a spot and parked, there was still nobody there. All the while, it felt like I was speaking to someone, but in reality, the car was empty.
My first thought was that I went crazy and that was the end of my career as a detective.
Brown said softly as he placed his hand on my arm in an attempt to soothe me. I jumped out of my chair and shouted, “That’s impossible! I’m not going crazy!” I could feel my heart pounding as my tight fists trembled at my sides.
‘Go home and try to sleep, we will continue the investigation tomorrow!’
That night, rest was a foreign concept to me as all I could think of was finding that woman. I lied to Brown and said I was going home, but in reality, I was walking the streets, stopping anyone who looked suspicious in the futile hope that it might be her.
My desperate wandering eventually led me home, exhaustion slowly taking hold of my body.
The next day I was like shit and I started the morning with two double espressos. I knew that I was going crazy if I keep trying to find that woman so instead of concentrating on her, I shifted my focus to the victim himself.
I knew where I had to go.
The Crime Lab was as tranquil as ever. I couldn’t understand why it had such a calming effect on me: maybe it was the dim lights, or maybe it was the utter stillness of the place. It seemed as though time had stopped, and no one was in any rush to get anywhere.
‘So what do we know about this person? Do we know who he is?’ I asked Mary.
‘As you could see, he didn’t have any IDs on him,’ Mary said as he was setting a microscope.
‘Yeah but he has fingers to take his prints, doesn’t he?’
‘Well, not entirely,’ she said calmly.
A furrow of worry appeared between my eyebrows as I asked, “What do you mean?”
‘He doesn’t have prints,’ she said.
I shifted in my seat, my impatience growing. She held my gaze, her expression unreadable. I waited for her to elaborate. She did.
‘All his fingers were severely burnt. Whatever it cause, she was exposed to some very strong radiation. Look Watts! This is the most fucking weird case I have ever had and I have no idea what we are dealing with! The team is there, they are cutting out the tree and bringing the whole trunk into a police hangar. After the medical examiner and I examined it thoroughly, I can say more.’
That was enough for me.
I thanked her, got out of there and headed back to the crime scene, despite Mary’s protests. Something in my gut told me I had to be there and see first-hand what was going on.
The team was working tirelessly on removing the trunk of the tree and its root. It seemed impossible to remove such a monolith but they were doing their best efforts making it as if nothing could stop them.
Now that it was daylight, I could make out the contours of the man in the tree, his eyes wide with terror. I was wondering what the last thing was that he had seen but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know.
‘Be careful with the body! It’s crucial evidence!’ someone shouted.
Then a massive excavator - which I had no idea how could get there - was used to carefully remove the object from the ground and lift it out of the dirt.
Once the enormous root was uprooted, something on the ground caught our attention. We walked closer to investigate what it was. Slowly, it became clearer that the man wasn’t the only victim there. Deep in the ground, there were the skeletal remains of a human being. They were laying there in plain sight and we completely missed them during our first inspection of that place. We were all stunned by what lay before us.
The trunk with the body and the bones was transported to the police hangar. Mary determined the number of strange injuries on the body: some of his ribs were broken, his tongue was torn out and he had some low level of radiation. These injuries just added more to the question until a truck driver called the police.
‘I have found a car near Epping Forest on the side of the road. Its door is open and the car is empty,’ he said.
My curiosity sparked and we immediately drove to the place he described. When we got there, I could see that it was indeed an empty car and it certainly looked like a crime scene. All of its windows were smashed, bits of glass scattered around in what felt like some kind of wild frenzy had taken place. From one glance at this vehicle’s interior, you could tell something terrible had happened there; blood on the front seat, bent handles ripped off from somewhere else indicating violence or struggle between two or more people. Whatever transpired here must’ve been horrific for someone.
‘It seems that the driver suddenly stopped and run into the forest,’ I concluded based on the skidmarks and the signs.
‘What the hell frightens someone to do that?’ one of the officers asked.
I couldn’t answer that question. I opened the glove compartment and retrieved a driver’s license. The name on the ID was Ben Hudson. It was obvious who it was even though the face of the man in the trunk was deformed a bit.
But why did he stop and run into the forest? I did a quick estimation in my head, the trunk was approximately a half mile from the car. The cuts and bruises on his face became evident and I realised that he must’ve been running through the woods at night. The branches must have smacked him in his face as he ran. But from who? Or what?
I wanted to know more about this Ben Hudson. Back at the station, I checked if he had a criminal history. To my surprise, he did.
It turned out that Ben Hudson had a wife who went missing three years ago. The police investigated him thoroughly and took several items from his home as evidence; things such as clothing fibres and trace amounts of unusual chemicals that could have been used for nefarious purposes - but still nothing implicating him in any wrongdoing towards his wife’s disappearance was found within this material evidence or anywhere else for that matter.
My search on the Internet found out that no one reported having seen him on the day she vanished nor did anybody report seeing anything suspicious near their home at the time; all leads turned up empty-handed every single time investigators followed them through with meticulous scrutiny.
However, I was the kind of investigator who had always claimed nobody was innocent until proven. There were several ways to commit a crime and mislead everyone, including the police.
After I read some more articles on his case, I was taken aback when I saw the image of his wife, Veronica. Without a doubt, I recognised her.
Because he was the woman who I took to the police station.
I felt the blood drain from my face and my mouth went dry and I was rooted to my seat in absolute terror.
I didn’t read the results of the DNA analysis because I already knew whose skeletal remains they were under the tree.
I didn’t get surprised when the official results stated that he had brutally murdered his wife because I already had a guess.
I didn’t tell anyone the reason why he abandoned his vehicle and dashed into the woods, for I was aware that no one would have believed me.
Needless to say that officially, the case is still unsolved. Cases like these have been delegated to me ever since.
The only question I still ask myself is what is worse? Being the victim of a brutal murder or being haunted for years until the forces of hell take revenge?