In the woods a little down the ways from my town, somewhere in central Michigan, is a storm water system. The mouth of the exit is a popular hangout spot for the local teens looking to binge drink and hang out without worrying about getting caught. Graffiti and amateur wall-art litters the walls for almost a mile into the tunnels. Nobody seems to have ventured beyond that point and now I know why.
It started on a Friday night like any other. I’m a Male, and was around 16 when this happened. We were hanging out, drinking and goofing around, when we decided to play “Truth or Dare” minus the “Truth” part. When it was my turn, one of my friends (we’ll call him Mike) dared me to venture into the tunnels further than anybody had evidently ventured before. Naturally I didn’t want to look like a wimp, so I accepted the challenge. In actuality, darkness terrified me. The thought of the unknown almost made me wretch, but I didn’t want to let some of the girls see me back out. I grabbed a flashlight and made my way in.
Listening to the pitter-patter of my sneakers sloshing in the murky stream that was coming out of the tunnels, the sound soon drowned out the laughter and giggles of my group of friends who were falling further and further behind me as I ventured forward. After about ten minutes of walking, the graffiti was evidently becoming less frequent. The odd phallices and the likes dotted here or there. I thought I was coming to the furthest point in the tunnels, when I reached a fork. To the right the tunnel continued further than I could make out, and to the left there was a step up and a smaller more compact tunnel heading deeper into the darkness. Figuring that the left one was more spooky, it’d make for a far better story when I’d later emerge triumphant in my efforts. Left I went and walked for another 15 or so minutes. As I was starting to tell myself that this was far enough, I stumbled into a cavernous clearing, a rectangular room with two more forks tunneling deeper into the void ahead.
I stopped and took a breath, taking in the sites of this odd little room, when a pungent odor filled my nostrils. It smelt like rotting meat. I swung my flashlight around trying to locate the source of the smell. To my horror, I saw a pile of rotting animal corpses and bones in the right tunnel. They were just piled there like some kind of sick animal death mound. I spilled my guts right there and then, the sight of the rotting animal corpses and the smell that accompanied them was too much to bear. The sound of my dry-heaving and vomiting seemed to echo up and down the tunnels and it dawned on me just how alone I was. As I composed myself, I stood up straight getting ready to head back in record time. I heard something that chilled me to the core. A low rumbling growl and hiss emanated from some distance behind the rotting corpses. I shone my flashlight down that tunnel to see two white, glowing eyes staring back at me. With each second I stood, stuck in fear, those eyes drew closer and the growl like hiss grew louder. Emerging from the darkness was a pale humanoid figure, crawling on all fours. It’s arms were abnormally long, with elongated fingers ending with sharp claws. I snapped out of my daze as my fright-or-flight reflex kicked in.
I turned and ran, running faster than I’d ever run in my life. Within seconds my lungs were burning. I wasn’t fit, by any means, but I’d be damned if I was going to die in these God-forsaken tunnels. With each step, I heard that thing growling and panting behind me. It seemed angry that I’ve made it have to chase me. I’ve never been so petrified in my whole life. As I got to the fork I’d entered earlier, I swear I felt it swipe at me, just grazing my back. My screams must have travelled down the tunnels because when I exited the tunnels, none of my “friends” were in sight. Some friends I thought, panting and trying to catch my breath. That thing seemed to have given up after it swiped at me. I look at the world through a different lens now. I will not return to those woods or the tunnels ever again. As for my “friends,” it took me a while to forgive them but we’re cool now.
Thanks for reading.