Welcome to Voices from the Unknown, we are here to explore the depths of terror and the unknown. We dive into the macabre, the unexplained, and the mysterious all in hopes of bringing you bone-chilling stories that will keep you looking over your shoulder long after you’ve finished reading.
Thanks to our staff here along with outside sources we have a special treat for our first post. We have managed to get our hands on an audio recording of a man who just might enjoy horror as much as us. So when he caught wind of a forest where people were vanishing without a trace he decided he had to go check it out himself. But when he didn’t show up for work the next day the authorities were alerted and a search began. To this day he is still considered a missing person, the only thing ever recovered was a small handheld camera that we have managed to get our hands on from our very talented outside contacts. Our tale today follows Jeremy Murphy, a horror enthusiast who ventures out into The Emerald Forest to see for himself if the tales he heard were true.
We have transcribed the audio and included notes here and there in order to really provide you the reader an idea of his situation that may not be mentioned by Jeremy directly.
So without further ado, let’s begin.
“So, umm I don’t really know how to do this. Hi everyone, my name is Jeremy Murphy and I’ve made the journey up to The Emerald Forest. My goal for this trip is to attempt to uncover the mysteries surrounding these woods. To all the people who know anything about this place’s haunting tales have most likely heard of The Hollow, which is my intended destination. I imagine it will probably take me roughly a day and a half to reach so I’ve come prepared to spend a few nights out here. That’s all for now, I’m gonna get goin. I’ll check in again later.”
Jeremy has arrived at one of the entrances to The Emerald Forest. He begins walking up the trail before he cuts the camera. When he turns it back on again he’s sitting on a rock eating a sandwich and looks noticeably winded.
“It turns out I may have underestimated how difficult hiking is. I’m sure a little break and some lunch will get me back on my feet. I guess while I’m stopped I can tell anyone who doesn’t know a little about the mysteries surrounding The Emerald Forest. I was first introduced to them by some friends I met online on a forum I like to frequent. The topic of missing people always grabs my interest. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but me personally, I just can’t seem to get enough of that sort of thing.”
He pauses for a moment to take a few bites of his sandwich.
“So, this park was opened to the public in the 1950s and since then 32 people have just up and vanished with no bodies ever being recovered. Everyone is still considered a missing person. So, with this information, me and a few buddies decided to piece together a map showing what trails they took and where their last known locations were if any at all were found. You know things like campsites, clothing, or food wrappers. Anything that shows human activity basically. After we put this map together, we see that they all disappeared roughly around the same area. Well, at least the people where a trace of them was found. Based on our map we were able to determine a vague perimeter for the disappearances. They all seem to be focused in or around the place that has been dubbed The Hollow by my fellow internet sleuths. I think that’s enough for now, I need to finish eating so I can make it to my intended campsite before it gets dark. We’ll talk again when I hopefully get to my camp. Jeremy out.”
Jeremy sets the camera by his feet and turns it off. When he returns he is sitting propped at the base of what looks like a large fir tree. According to the timestamp from the video, it is almost five pm.
“Man are my feet gonna be sore tomorrow. I know I said we wouldn’t talk again till I got to my camp, well, I lied. Luckily though I’m now a little past the halfway point to my intended destination which is a relief. Speaking of destinations, I didn’t tell you what exactly that is. Turns out way back when before this place become protected land there was a small mining operation running here extracting gold. It didn’t last very long as the big hauls they had in the beginning quickly dried up and caused it to halt operations not even two years after it began.”
Jeremy pauses for a moment and begins digging through his pack before pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfolds it and holds it up to the camera. We assume it is the map he and his friends created, he is pointing at one trail in particular named Raven Roost Trail.
“I think this will give you a better understanding. So right now I am about here on Raven Roost Trail. This trail happens to be the fastest way to get to the mine. Coincidentally it’s also the trail where most of the people have disappeared. Ten in total actually. The last one was three years ago, a man named Jacob Ramirez. He and his wife came out here to reconnect with mother nature I guess. Unfortunately on their first night, something happened to Mr. Ramirez. Ms. Ramirez however was found sometime the next morning by park rangers babbling incoherently to herself. She’s now in an institution a couple hours north of here. Jacob Ramirez was never found, well except for one of his shoes. They were still a good ways off from the mine. I’m actually only a few miles off from where it happened now. I should be camping pretty close to the location tonight which falls right at the edge of the perimeter of disappearances outlined on the map. Spooky right? In truth, I’m getting a little nervous about this now that I think about it, but I didn’t make the drive out here for nothing. I’m gonna rest here for a few more minutes then start back walking.”
When the camera turns on again the sun has nearly set. Jeremy places the camera on either a stump or rock and begins setting up his camp.
“I sure hope I can get this put together fast. My pace was slower than I anticipated so I’m a little behind schedule. Really don’t feel like setting all this up in the dark.”
Jeremy stops talking for a minute while setting up his tent. While this could be the camera malfunctioning we feel it should be included. Multiple times during this silence the camera quality drops drastically followed by a high pitch whine before resetting. Jeremy however doesn’t notice.
“Here we are! Home sweet home. I don’t know about you guys but I’m starving. I think it’s about high time for some grub.”
The camera cuts for a few minutes before returning inside the tent with Jeremy holding some sort of ready-to-eat meal.
“Much better. I’ll get some food in my belly and get a good night’s rest and be right as rain by the morning. This food takes a hot minute to cool. Pun intended. So, before I settle in tonight I want to talk a little more on what The Hollow is exactly. Well, at least what I’ve heard it’s supposed to be. So you know how I said the park officially opened in the 1950s, 1952 to be –.”
Once again another fault occurs with the recording. The imaging cuts to black and the audio has been replaced by a low metallic whir. This continues for a few moments before a grainy image of Jeremy returns with his voice coming out garbled from the audio. The quality returns to normal after a moment.
“–1906 a few people were on an expedition hunting for resources when they came across what they hoped was a large gold deposit. After spreading the word about their findings they eventually managed to set up a crude mining operation. The money was good at first but as I said earlier began to dwindle after the first few months. Soon, they weren’t even making enough to pay their workers. Then came the accident which caused the place to close for good.”
“The crew on site that day were using dynamite to blast a new tunnel in hopes of finding new deposits. The blasting went smoothly, but according to an article I managed to find on it, a few minutes after the blast some of the mining crew recorded feeling a breeze that pulled inward deeper into the mines. This is around this time that they sent a group of five in to check out their new passage. The crew watched as their lanterns disappeared into the darkness. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour with no signs of the crew. Another smaller group was eventually assembled to go check and see if the mine had collapsed or if there was some other reason they hadn’t returned. They also walked until their lanterns were swallowed up, but this time, they heard something back. Screams began permeating from deep within the tunnels, barely audible, but there nonetheless.”
“The rest of the crew still outside the mine were too frightened to go back in so they left to tell authorities in the nearby town. An attempt was made to rescue any survivors by the local sheriff’s office who also recruited a few people from the nearby town to assist in their efforts. Unfortunately, after a deputy and two others who were sent in to locate survivors never returned the search was called off due to it being too dangerous. The mine wasn’t mentioned again until some local kids wandered in a few years later and only one came out. The one who returned however was telling people he met someone in the mine. Someone who promised him whatever he wanted if only he brought him a gift. The kid never elaborated on what said gift was. That night however the kid along with his parents disappeared and according to the article, the parent’s room was covered in more blood than they thought was possible. After this, the town ordered that the mine’s entrance be sealed off. So, that brings me to tonight’s big question. Do you think the boy was telling the truth? Was something uncovered in the mine that wasn’t meant to be found? Interesting right? Well, I’ll let you brew on that for a minute. I think my food’s cool enough now, I’ll check back in with you all in the morning.”
Jeremy turns the camera off to eat and get some sleep. When the camera cuts back on again the camera’s timestamp reads 3:15 am. Jeremy is clearly in a panic, the camera is shaking in his grip. The sounds of people screaming can be heard in the distance which is barely perceptible from the camera’s microphone. It sounds like it is coming from all directions. The tent is pitch black save for the small light being emitted by the camera’s screen which is barely illuminating Jeremy’s face. He begins speaking in a light whisper.
“I-I don’t know what’s happening. Umm so a few minutes ago woke up to the sound of someone screaming. It was coming from up ahead of me. I know I didn’t see any footprints when I set up camp, but–now, oh god, it’s coming from everywhere. I’m beginning to question if I’m going to make it out o–.”
Jeremy drops the camera to the floor. The screaming outside which was hardly received by the camera starts to grow in volume.
“Ohh god, oh god, it’s, they’re coming towards me now. W-what do I do? Somebody help me. I don’t wanna die. I can’t die out here please! Get away from me!
The screams grew to a volume that was so loud it was distorted, then all at once after hitting that ear-shattering crescendo silenced. From the faint view from the camera on the ground Jeremy is sitting with his knees tucked to his chest, palms pressed over his ears. He slowly lowers them once the screams stop. It appears blood is leaking out of his ears. The expression captured on his face was one of absolute terror. The woods stay silent for about half a minute. The world outside Jeremy’s tent is mute. There is no sound except Jeremy’s erratic breathing and the slight crackle of the microphone. Then, voices fill the air in all directions in unison, all saying the same thing.
“Veneror te, deus tenebrarum, accipe hoc sacrificium. Sanguinem hunc effundo in honorem tuum. Tibi offertur anima huius hostiae, ut possis advenire et potestatem tuam ostendere.”
The chanting begins to repeat. Jeremy is sobbing now, his cries are being drowned out by the voices outside. Then a faint crimson glow begins to form outside the tent. Its light intensifies by the second. Before long everything inside the tent is lit up, painted crimson. Jeremy moves towards the entrance of the tent and grabs the zipper. It seems he must be about to try and make a break through the woods, or maybe try and speak with the people outside. The red glow has lit up the entire surrounding forest painting everything red, even the night sky is tinged by it. The tent begins to unzip and get’s halfway before Jeremy freezes. From the footage, there appears to be what looks to be someone who has their arms outstretched toward the tent. The red glow appears to be avoiding them. Said person looks to be almost pitch black despite the intense luminosity in their immediate surroundings. The chant finishes and starts over once again before Jeremy speaks.
“Veneror te, deus tenebrarum, accipe hoc sacrificium.”
“Please stop, I swear I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”
“Sanguinem hunc effundo in honorem tuum.”
Jeremy breaks down again sobbing, trying desperately to plead for his life. The final line of the chant begins.
“Stop! Please don’t! Let me go! Ahhh!”
Jeremy lets out a pained wail as he falls backward. Now, along with his ears, blood is draining out of his eyes and mouth. Jeremy is clawing his eyes with his fingers. Then as the final word is spoken the glow gets so intense it’s the only thing being registered by the camera. All audio cuts out while the only thing being displayed on the screen is an intense red. This lasts for about ten seconds before the frame goes into a fit of static as the audio crackles and then, back to normal. Like nothing even happened. The sounds of the woods return and all we can make out is the grey bottom of Jeremy’s tent that’s lit up from the faint glow of the camera. The camera sits idly as the sun slowly rises. Jeremy is nowhere to be seen along with whoever else was there last night. The camera continues running till almost lunch before the battery gives out.
One last thing we have put together from the footage is what the people chanting were saying. We had to send it off to a linguist we are in contact with and this is what they sent us back. Whether it’s correct or not I couldn’t tell you, though hopefully, it’s the latter.
“I worship you, god of darkness, receive this sacrifice. I pour out this blood in your honor. The soul of this offering is offered to you, so that you may come and show your power.”
This was the story of Jeremy Murphy. The man who wanted to solve the mystery of The Emerald Forest. Instead, he became its 33rd victim. We hope everyone enjoyed our first story. We’ll be back sooner than you think with more bone-chilling tales.
We hope you will all join us again as we continue to explore the mysteries of the unknown and listen to the voices that speak to us from beyond!