As the carriage scraped slowly down the dirt road, Joan began to gain a feeling of being watched. The forest seemed to whisper sweet nothings and horrible thoughts to her, blowing her hair against her face as she watched the cold dark behind her. The thick, woolen sheet that covered the top of the carriage swayed with the rhythm of the harsh wind, drooping against the fellow passengers and gently tapping the crowns of their heads. They were headed into the main village of their county, in search of work and opportunities made by new kingdom demands.
The passengers surrounding her were all in the same shape as her, battered and bruised by nights on the roads, painted a gentle shade of grey and beige by the residues of a dirt bed from many nights ago. She wore a simple tunic, meant to make her look more like a man, rather than a peasant woman to be targeted by the degenerates of the surrounding towns. The tunic sat over a cloth white shirt, above grey cloth pants tattered with dirt and rips from falls only the fabric could remember.
The carriage was pulled by a single traveler, sitting quietly behind two black horses fitted with leather harnesses and reins. The driver sat next to a large lantern, swinging with the steps of each horse. The lantern cast a gentle light over the carriage, passing warmly through the white cloth that obstructed some of it. The carriage had been riding on the same dirt road for what felt like hours of the night. The passengers hadn’t spoken a word to each other, sitting in silence and watching their own feet sink into the planks of the floor below them.
Joan was beginning to feel restless, with the urge to stand and stretch her legs out. Most carriage drivers would stop for passengers to relieve themselves (with the fear of them doing such things in the carriage itself), and so she decided she’d use that excuse to shake her once dormant legs back into animation. She gently tapped on the driver’s shoulder, lowered her voice to a quieter pitch and politely asked for them to pull to the side of the road for her own purposes. The carriage driver seemed to be shaken out of a slumber, turned and nodded happily. The horses slowly veered to the left, bringing the fully packed carriage to a complete halt.
A few of the other passengers hopped off alongside her, some only to stretch their legs, others to relieve themselves in the forest. The horses stirred impatiently, their hooves brushing against the dirt to create small clouds of dust. The wind had slowed enough that the night was now rather silent. Crickets grew louder, animals dashed through bushes at the sudden appearance of humans, trees waved slowly, almost as if they’d decided to give a friendly welcome to the weary travelers.
Joan stretched her arms, extended her legs and walked in an awkward lunge towards the trail at the entry of the forest. 4 passengers followed the same path, splitting into different parts of the bushes. 3 passengers and the driver stayed around the carriage, waiting patiently for the return of Joan and the other 4. Joan had no need to relieve herself but felt inclined to make it look as if she did so that the driver wouldn’t think she asked to stop only to stretch. As she walked back to the main trail, the wind seemed to come to a complete halt.
The path in front and behind them seemed to stretch infinitely across the forest. Any end on either side was now completely hidden by the darkness, progressively fading the road into complete black. She stepped back onto the main path and started back towards the carriage. Everyone was gone. She looked around to see if they’d stepped away momentarily, perhaps stood against the other side of the carriage or even sat inside, but wasn’t met with any friendly or weary faces. The front of the carriage, which once held the horses at its bow, was now completely tipped forward. Not a single living thing was anywhere she could see.
She called for the forest, towards the trail they had originally entered and received no answer. The wind remained silent, the crickets stopped alongside the trees. The forest was quiet beyond the point of possibility. Her footsteps boomed along the road, echoing through the trees with each quivering foot. She started towards the direction they’d been traveling in, her shaky breath seeming to brush the dirt from under her feet. As she walked just outside of the light of her carriage, she spotted another light up ahead. Across a long stretch of darkness was a faint yellow light, like that of the lantern on the front of her carriage. Despite the stretch of pitch black, she pushed through and approached the light.
The light belonged to that of another carriage up ahead, identical to the one she’d just abandoned. She walked cautiously up to the carriage, overturned just like her own. The lantern hung with a slow swing towards the right side of the road, almost as if it had just crashed. She called out into the woods with hope or delusion, that one of the other passengers was still out there. No answer, the silence was deafening. As she walked towards the front of the carriage, she noticed footprints headed away from the lantern. Fresh markings in the dirt started onwards through yet another patch of darkness.
As she followed them further, she came to notice yet another light up ahead, faintly swaying in the quiet of the night. Pumped with adrenaline, Joan dashed through the pitch-black spot, looking back towards the old carriage. The light faded abnormally the further away she got, completely disappearing from the same range she’d seen the light ahead of her. She turned forward, worried for her own sanity as she stared at yet another carriage. The lantern was swinging violently on the driver’s seat, filling the forest with sounds of grinding metal. It didn’t slow itself at any point, nor did it come into contact with anything that could move it.
She grabbed the lantern by its bottom, bringing it to a complete halt. The noise stopped, bringing the forest to a complete hush once again. ‘Hello?’ She called into the forest. A voice called back, from deep into the trails of the trees. ‘I’m on the dirt path, I seem to have lost my traveling group. Is anyone there?’ The voice called back again, now much closer to the side of the road. The lantern began to sway slowly behind her, gently screeching against the metal hook it hung from.
Joan stood next to it, marveling at the way it seemed to move completely on its own. ‘Come into the light, perhaps we can help each other.’ She shouted. The voice called back with a groan, unlike any noise that a human could make. The voice had become alarmingly close to the road, close enough that Joan should be able to easily see its source. The screeching from the lantern grew unbearably loud, Joan’s heartbeat reached her ears as she anticipated anyone, anything to leave the concealment of the bushes. Joan’s footsteps grew heavy in her ears, but she had stopped walking minutes before.
She spun, checking behind herself as the lantern violently slammed itself against the abandoned carriage. Joan began to mumble to herself, turning back towards the voice from the bushes. The footsteps grew louder, and her heartbeat grew faster as a low exhaling sound came from the bush. The lantern slammed itself against the carriage, freeing itself from the hook that once held it. With a clatter and loud shatter of glass, the light surrounding her went out. Without missing a beat, Joan sprinted towards where she believed the next light would be, closely pursued by something behind her. Her feet were heavy, smacking the dirt of the road as she used any energy she had left to reach more light. The creature followed closely, sounding as if it were gasping for air. After what felt like an hour of running in the dark, a light appeared ahead on yet another abandoned carriage.
Joan was completely distraught, crying for help she’d never receive. In an act of exhaustion, she tripped on her own feet, sliding harshly against the dirt path she was so familiar with. She cowered in fear, expecting to be caught by the gasping creature she dreaded so deeply. After an eternity of hiding behind her own hands, she uncovered her eyes to find that she was alone yet again. Behind her, she could see her own overlapping footsteps from many failed attempts at reaching civilization. She stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes and dusting herself off. Just as she gained her composure, the lantern began to swing gently against its hook.
Paralyzed with fear, Joan watched as the lantern began to gain height and speed, starting to slam against the side of the carriage. With limited time before the lantern would jump yet again, Joan attempted to grab it in order to keep the source of light protected. Lifting it gently off the hook, the handle grew unbearably hot, scorching her now blistering skin. The lantern grew orange, appearing as if it had been freshly forged. The lantern began to swing harder and faster than ever before. Joan dashed towards the back of the carriage, jumping inside to hide from the creature that had chased her before.
The lantern had stopped swinging for a mere moment, followed by a deafening shatter and crash. Despite it dismounting itself, the lantern continued to glow gently on the path, passing a glow over the side of the wool cloth. The forest was now quieter than ever before. She could hear her lungs inflate and deflate with each breath, her heartbeat could be heard from miles around, alongside the rushing of blood to her ears. Through the silence, a grunt broke from the direction of the lantern.
As its footsteps got closer to the lantern, it could be heard gurgling and gasping for air. The creature stepped closer to the carriage, taking what felt like hours to search for her. As it passed the lantern, it began to cast a shadow on the side of the carriage. She sat mortified, watching as the lantern further illuminated the creature’s size and stature. It stood tall, hunched at an angle not survivable for a living human being. Startled by its silhouette, Joan moved back slightly, covering her mouth to remain hidden. In doing so, she spotted a small hole closer to the driver’s side of the carriage. With slow and precise movements, Joan lowered her head towards the small hole, terrified but curious to catch a glimpse of the creature that hunted her so desperately.
Standing in front of the lantern was a tall man with grey and blackened skin, rotted by years of rainfall and cold. He wore tattered old clothes, far too small for a man of his size. His eyes were wide, almost excited as he looked towards the carriage. His eyes were an endless darkness, lacking anything other than pupil. Below his nose was a long mouth, agape to an unnatural length, hanging over a bloody gash where his throat should be. Upon noticing his throat, Joan let out an audible gasp. His eyes met hers.
In the morning, travelers came across a wrecked carriage. In the wreckage, villagers found the remains of 9 humans and 2 horses, all without a throat. The carriage sat leaning against the carcasses of the horses, with a lantern laid shattered on the ground.