I was scared shitless, pondering if I should return , I was curious… way to curious .
Why was everything gone ? Like nothing happened , all evidence just evaporated, gone into nonexistence.
In the end I made up my mind , I was going to follow the footprints, I needed closure and finding out what happened was the only way to do go about it.
The next morning I grab my backpack and start packing , my trusty knife, sturdy rope, flashlight and a hoody in case I end up staying until dusk and it`ll get cooler.
I head out , I didn`t tell anybody about where I`m going.
Dumb move considering the whole situation, but I digress…
This time, having purpose, I quickly maneuver through the streets past the Devils bridge over all the rocks, back up to the waterfall.
I take a look around, find the footprints still there, they look even fresher than the day before.
They go up straight through the forest, I know the areas around me decently well , they lead to an old abandoned water basin that used to supply our area with water.
I make my way up, reaching the familiar concrete plateau.
In full view in front of me the water basin, surrounded by a tall fence.
Because of the concrete, I was unable to see the footprints , I try to work out the direction from the last print, cross the plateau, sure enough I find them.
It`s going even deeper into the forest, no doubt in my mind towards a natural spring.
Sure enough the prints lead through there and start going up to an even deeper section of the forest.
I start having second thoughts, especially because that part of the forest starts including new dangers, such as bears, lynx, wolves, wild boars and so on.
But I already made up my mind long ago. I advance.
This old part of the forest has ancient trees, humongous, hulking trees with canopies so thick and wide, almost no sunlight passes through.
The darkness weighs heavy in this part.
Even though it`s almost September I feel very cold, I get out my hoodie, put it on.
I walk for a good few hours uphill, deeper and deeper.
I reach a cave, footprints leading straight inside…
The cave was even darker than outside, every part of me screamed not to go in, but making it this far…
I go inside, flashlight in hand, shining the light as far as I can, to see if there`s anything waiting for me.
I walk cautiously, the quietness is so loud it`s deafening, like my hearing was striped from me.
The cave opens up in a wider area, a dead end ?
No, there was a vertical hole, so dark my flashlight couldn`t reach the bottom.
Glad and sad I brought rope with me, found a nice protruding solid stone nearby (how convenient…).
I tie it up nice and tight, turn my back to the drop , slowly letting myself lower until almost horizontal,
and slowly stepping down the cave wall.
The flashlight dangling from my belt, solid ground was in sight a good 30 meters down.
The air was damp, cold, with an earthy smell to it.
I make it down, shine my flashlight around, steps carved into the rock itself going further down.
I was shocked to see stairs actual stairs carved in such an unexpected place.
I start making my way down carefully not to slip or make to much sound.
The air is getting heavier, my eardrums starting to feel plugged up, the earthy smell thicker than before.
After quite some time, the cave opens up into a domelike shape, I look around the space, up down everywhere on the walls, symbols and writing, pentagrams all that weird stuff, I look to the walls nearest to me, It`s written in a language I don`t understand.
I gather up enough courage to start walking around the opening, suddenly I step on something and slip, I fall on my ass with a dull thud.
My hands feel something cold on them, water ? I shine my flashlight to check, blood.Every strand of hair on my body stood up.
I look to the ground to see what was the source of my fall.
Entrails, bloody and dirty, strewn on the ground.
But sudden realization hit me, I just looked around a moment ago, there was nothing on the ground.
I got very scared really fast.
I quickly stagger back up on my feet.
I look again, nausea kicking in, my heart racing the entrails extend towards one direction.
I follow them with my flashlight, to scared to move even one inch from the spot I was in.
Then into view comes something, It was one of the puppies from the prior days.
I go closer and closer until I`m right beside it, this time it looks like someone or something chewed around the stomach, such a horrid sight, such a disgusting smell.
I Hear something from the direction of the entrance.
Grunting and a quick shuffling noise.
I thought I was going to cry, I cover my mouth with my hand, I bite myself hard, the pain brings me back to reality, the entrance to the space had some protruding edges, on my toes I dash quickly to it,
slam my back to it shut off the flashlight and cover my mouth and nose trying to breathe as quietly as I can.
I strain my ears to hear, the shuffle was getting closer and closer.
I couldn`t see anything, my heart felt like it was going to rip through my ribs, sweat was building up all around my body.
Closer and closer and closer, something was at the entrance.
Ragged breathing, grunting, the shuffles stop right behind the wall like stone, the only thing separating me from whatever that was.
I was sure it was the witch like creature, my mind flooded with images of what I saw that day.
A couple of more shuffles forward with some grunts, I can hear her sniffing the air, she screamed, this time not that guttural sound, but a bansheelike howl, I pissed my pants, tears were falling down my face onto my hand, still tightly cupped on my nose and mouth.
Silence, I hear nothing anymore.
To scared to move, I sit there trying to calm myself, listening keenly for any other sounds.
After what seemed like about two hours I hear shuffling, this time It`s going in the direction of the puppy.
This time I can hear everything, being robbed of my sight all my senses felt heightened, hearing memory, touch, smell, everything.
After a while, I hear chewing sounds, my overexerted mind quickly deuces that it`s at the puppy.
I get a rush of adrenaline, I slowly pick myself up feeling the stone around me.
My memory starts recreating a map of the path to freedom.
I feel my way around to the entrance, still listening to the chewing sound, I could still hear it.
I start making my way slowly up the steps.
After what felt like an eternity I can see a small sliver of very dim light.
I listen around, silence.
I turn on the flashlight, my heart sank, the rope was torn down.
At this point I was desperate, the almost vertical wall had many little ledges and cracks, I try to memorize it all as much as I can.
I tie the flashlight to the neck of my shirt with my key chain and start making my way up.
About half way my hands were hurting, I was sweaty, but all I wanted was to get out, nothing more, I just wanted to get home and forget this whole predicament I was in.
My hands slipped.
I fell, luckily I fell on my feet and straight into a barrel-roll, I hurt my feet quite a bit but I felt like nothing was broken or sprained.
Then I hear it, deep from within the cave.
The shriek I heard last time, she heard me, she was coming.
This time no shuffling, I was hearing a distant patter of bare feet on the solid rock stairs.
The steps were fast, very fast.
I nearly passed out of fright, I thought I was going to die.
I bit myself again somehow in the semi-conscious state, this time on my forearm.
Pain waking me up again, giving me some feeling in my legs again, I scramble to my feet.
I grab on to the vertical wall and start climbing fast, hands moving almost instinctively to the right spots.
I`m more then halfway up, I look down, it was quiet, nothing down there.
I was so focused on getting up I didn`t notice the sound ended, my eyes move slowly to the path on the wall, bloody stains hand prints and nail scrapings, she tried to get me, but probably gave up.
I look up, the sliver of light still there, giving me hope to move.
I finally make it all the way up, I see the exit, I go out of the cave.
I`m finally back, the shade of the forest felt refreshing, like I haven`t felt it in years.
I start making my way back but then I notice something odd, my hands are only covered in a bit of dirt, no blood , I check my clothes, again they`re the same, a bit of dirt but no blood , no urine.
At this point I was so relieved that I escaped, that I didn`t care if my mind played tricks on me, I was alive and out and on my way home.
Dusk started setting in as I was approaching the water basin, I make it to the front of my house, the streetlights turn on.
I`m home, safe, alive, I take a bath and go to bed.
The next day I meet up with Chad and Louie, I tell them what happened, they did not believe me, even though we`ve seen that creature together they didn`t believe me.
I wanted to prove it to them, I took them to the cave.
Except… there was no cave to be found, it just disappeared , in it`s place a huge tree, the biggest I`ve seen.
They laughed at me, saying I`ve must have dreamt it up in my sleep.
Years later, the tree fell over, there was a cave underneath.
No hole leading vertically down, it had caved in.
They don`t remember anything, but I do.
I still do.