When we got to Chrissy’s house, I pulled into the driveway and told her I could stay with her until she recovered. I also wanted to make sure she wouldn’t leave again in the middle of the night.
I helped her onto her porch as her feet were still tender making it tough for her to walk. Opening the front door resulted in a pungent stench smacking us in the face.
“What is that?” asked Chrissy. “It smells like rotten meat.”
“Or a dead animal,” I said. I led her over to the couch. “You sit down and I’ll look around.”
It didn’t take long to find the source of the smell. When I entered the kitchen, the smell got even worse. On the counter where the leaf had been, was a mess of thick reddish goop. It had soaked into the paper towel beneath it and there were maggots and flies all over it. The smell reminded me of the dead skunk I found in my yard one time, but this was so much worse.
After gagging a few times, but luckily not vomiting, I grabbed her garbage can and a bunch of paper towels. I tried to wipe it off into the garbage bag, but it felt hard underneath the paper towels and didn’t budge. The underside of the paper towels was stained with a brilliant bright red color. I was at least able to use the paper towels to get most of the bugs off.
I placed some wet paper towels on top of it, hoping it would loosen it up while I looked for something else to scrape it off.
Chrissy was lying on the couch with her feet propped up on the armrest. “Did you get rid of it?” she asked.
“No. It’s the leaf from the tree. It decomposed or something and is…”
“Don’t get rid of it!” she shouted.
“We’ll, unless you want this to be the new aroma of your house, I suggest you let me get rid of it,” I said, getting more worried about her.
She didn’t respond right away, but finally said, “Okay, fine. Get rid of it.”
I looked under the sink and pulled out some cleaning supplies and a pair of gloves. After trying them all with no success, I looked through her cupboard until I found vinegar and baking soda.
I sprinkled the baking soda on it until it was completely covered and then soaked some paper towels with vinegar. When I placed the paper towel on top, it immediately began bubbling up and fizzling. I grabbed more paper towels once the reaction was complete and was able to scoop it up. It stayed together and the consistency felt like slime. While I walked outside with it, I could feel it moving in my hands.
Rushing outside, I dropped it on the ground. The paper towel covering it was moving in a slow wave-like motion. I ran inside and grabbed a lighter after Chrissy told me where it was. Then I went to the garage, grabbed the can of gas she uses for her snowblower, and brought it to the front yard.
The thing was still moving and the snow around it was melting. I poured a little gas on it and set the can far back from it. Then I pulled the trigger on the lighter until a flame appeared and held it to the paper towel. It immediately went up in flames and I thought I heard a high-pitched screeching sound, but it was probably my imagination.
As it burned up, the smell was even worse than inside, which I didn’t think was possible. Finally, it burned all the way up until just ashes remained.
After kicking snow over it just to be sure it was out, I went back inside to find Chrissy asleep on the couch.
The house still smelled really bad so I opened a couple windows in the back to air it out. I was pretty tired too, so I sat in her recliner and closed my eyes for a moment.
When I opened my eyes, I was on the trail in the woods that led to the tree. The dark sky above told me that it was nighttime. I checked myself over and was happy to see that I was wearing shoes and my winter clothing. It had to be a dream even though it felt so real. I continued in the snow through the trees until I could see the reddish glow I had seen before. The clearing was just ahead of me so I stopped. Whispering voices began filling my ears. They got louder and louder as more voices joined them. Even though it was just whispering, it was so loud with all the voices that I had to cover my ears.
Then they suddenly stopped and I was left alone in the silent darkness staring at the tree. I was unaware that I had continued walking during the whispering and was just about to step in the clearing. The tree seemed to be letting off more light than it was when I first saw it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something as beautiful as the tree. With its lovely red leaves and beautiful branches. It certainly was a sight to behold.
I wanted to get closer. No, I needed to get closer to it. As I was about to step into the clearing, I noticed something in the tree. My feet stopped moving and I remained on the edge of the brush. It was like there was some unseen barrier between the tree line and the clearing. Somehow I still had enough control over my body to stop, even though my mind desperately wanted to pass through the barrier.
As I started at the tree, I realized it was a woman I was seeing in the tree. I couldn’t see all of her, but I could see how beautiful her face was. A smile spread across her lips and she motioned for me to come over. Then she disappeared behind the tree.
I had no idea who she was, but I wanted to see her again. Still, I was afraid to go into the clearing so I followed the tree line around until I was behind the tree. My eyes stayed glued to the tree the whole time searching for any sign of the gorgeous woman. Branches and pine needles poked at me while I walked around the clearing. Feeling a painful scratch from a particularly large branch snapped the hold that woman had on me and I realized that this wasn’t a dream.
The other side of the tree was now in sight. The woman was there. She smiled at me and motioned for me to come over again. Averting my gaze from her eyes, I turned and ran as fast as I could away from the tree. A piercing scream destroyed the quiet night, sending shivers down my spine. My legs moved faster and I didn’t turn around until I finally made it out of the woods. After not seeing anyone following me, I was able to finally catch my breath and begin to breathe normally.
The parking lot was empty so I must have walked here. I traveled through the snow and down the road leading out of the park. A noise up ahead of me brought my attention to the trees lining the road. As I got closer, I could see someone standing about ten feet off the road. It looked like they were holding on to something. After moving to the other side of the road, I looked over again. Now I could see that it was a man holding an ax. He was standing still and I could tell that he was watching me.
My feet began moving faster and I kept my eyes fixed on him, hoping he wouldn’t move. But my hopes were quickly dashed when he started taking a couple of steps towards me.
I ran into the trees on the other side of the road to hide. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that he was now running after me. Branches snapped as I pushed my way through the bare trees and deeper into the woods.
He stayed in pursuit while I navigated almost blindly in the dark night. The familiar red glow appeared off to my left and I headed towards it. Again I stopped before going into the clearing. The woman wasn’t at the tree this time, but I could hear soft whispering.
More sounds of broken branches alerted me that the man wasn’t very far away. When he came into view, I watched him run straight into the clearing. The whispers continued all around me and I watched as the man walked up to the tree. He was holding the ax with both hands with the blade low and pointed up. Then I heard a horrible crunch as he swung it into his face before crumpling to the ground.
I ran again and didn’t stop until I was out of the park and on the main road. My lungs were heavy and my chest was burning so I finally had to stop to catch my breath.
When I was finally able to breathe normally again, I started walking towards downtown. No cars passed by and when I finally made it to town, the street was empty. I walked by the drugstore and saw the police tape around the door. It was still so hard to believe what had happened there. I continued down the sidewalk, but stopped when I noticed a figure standing motionless twenty or thirty feet ahead of me.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
The man turned towards me, his gaze piercing through the darkness. His lips quivered as he tried to form words, but only incoherent murmurs escaped. His eyes, filled with terror and anguish, seemed to plead for help.
“Do you need help?” I pressed, my voice growing more desperate.
A sudden gust of wind rustled the nearby trees, and I could swear I heard faint whispers carried by the breeze. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a shiver ran down my spine.
Without warning, the man let out a gut-wrenching scream, his voice filled with agony and terror. It echoed through the empty streets, a haunting sound that sent a chill down my spine. I stumbled backward, my heart pounding in my chest, torn between helping him and fleeing from the nightmarish scene unfolding before me.
As I hesitated, the man’s body convulsed, as if being wracked by invisible forces. His eyes rolled back into his head, and a low, guttural moan escaped his lips. It was as if he was being consumed by an unseen horror, a malevolence emanating from the very depths of the night.
In a surge of adrenaline, I turned and sprinted away from the man, desperate to distance myself from the chilling spectacle. I continued running until I made it back to Chrissy’s house. As I walked up the sidewalk to her front porch, I noticed the front door stood open. Leaning in through the open doorway, I called out to Chrissy.
My heart pounded in my chest as I entered the dimly lit house, its shadows stretching and contorting like sinister specters. The chilled air grew thicker, filled with an unsettling stillness that gripped my senses. I took a step forward hearing a crunch under my feet. My eyes drifted down and I stared in horror at the blood red leaves scattered all across the floor.