INTRODUCTION
"Hey. Hey, what are you doing?" a voice came from behind the camera, the boy who was controlling it. There was a brief moment of static over the screen, the flashlight cutting out for a second. Sounds of something hitting the camera reverberated through. Then blackened fingers slipped down over the lens. The camera had been focused in the darkness of night, the flashlight barely lighting up the surrounding shrubbery.
"Trying to find a way in." Another voice spoke from out of the camera's view. The camera had been spun around, the light shining on what must have been a grey t-shirt. The boy turned around to face the other and the camera with a big smile on his face.
"Maybe we shouldn't go in there, man." The one behind the camera said.
"Oh, Fima, don't be so scared. What could possibly happen?" The other pulled on large, overgrown vines. A chain-linked fence rattled at the pulling.
The camera panned around, fingers created a deep brushing sound through the microphone. With shaking movements the camera had been moved a few feet away from the boy digging in the vines to a nearby sign facing outward from the fence. With a sturdy metal frame, the sign was painted with a warning.
DO NOT ENTER. HIGH RADIATION.
"We could get sick." Fima said, turning the camera back around to his friend.
His friend had yanked upon the vines once more having used a knife to cut them free from their entanglement. "Don't be stupid!" He said, tucking his knife away. "It's just a way to keep people out. We need something fresh!" He turned around to face the camera. "Something our viewers want! They're tired of all the abandoned buildings! Let's give them something no one's ever seen before!"
"All right. All right." Fima sighed.
The other had turned back to the fence, pulling on some more vines until there was enough of a space he could fit through. He had disappeared half way into the shadows for a moment before shouting and straightening his back.
"Found the fence. We could climb in here."
Fima stepped closer to him now, the camera panning around to take in the darkness around them. They were in a large clearing with very few trees. A truck had been parked nearby which had served as their transportation.
The fence rattled loudly as Fima's friend climbed up and over it. When his grunts could be heard on the other side, Fima began his shaky ascent.
The other took the camera while Fima climbed, panning it around to catch sight of the enormous redwood trees that made up the forest. The fauna proved that the area had been untouched by man for decades.
With the click of a button, the screen turned a blinding white before shades of green faded in. This coupled with the flashlight gave a better view of the surrounding area.
Fima grunted as he dropped from the fence. His friend quickly handed him the camera back and waved for him to follow.
"Come on! Let's see if we can't find anything."
Fima, with a huff, followed after his friend. There was no path to lead the way. They had to traverse where the fauna allowed them. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath their feet with each step. The wind brushed through the branches and shrubbery, sending chills down their spine.
The deeper they wandered into the forest, the colder the air seemed to get. Every so often the boy in view of the camera stopped to inspect the ground and the shrubbery. Searching for clues of anything that could be around.
"The most we'll find is a pig, or a deer." He said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the camera. "There's a lot of legends about this place. Monsters that lurk in the shadows." He took on a spooky tone as if to scare either Fima, or his viewers. "We searched for weeks to find the least guarded area. We saw the soldiers constructing concrete walls at these checkpoints. They really don't want anyone getting in."
"Maybe they're trying to keep something in, Miron. " Fima added, the camera shifting from his friend, Miron, to the right. All that could be seen in the darkness were the brighter shades of green showing the bark of the massive trees.
"The question is what…." Miron spoke quietly.
They wandered for several more minutes before Miron called for Fima's attention.
Miron pointed up to the bark of one of the redwoods. The camera zoomed in, barely able to focus from the shaking hand that held it. Miron traced his fingers along large indentations in the bark. It appeared to be three claw marks as if something slashed at the tree.
"Looks like a bear has been here before." Miron side, smirking as he looked to the camera.
"A bear?" Fima's voice almost cracked. "There's only three marks. Don't bears have five claws?"
"A three-toed be-" Miron's voice trailed off as his eyes turned to something else in the bark. A strange substance. As he touched it's otherwise smooth surface, he looked back to the camera. "I think it's blood."
The camera unzoomed a small amount to better see the whole section of the tree. At the right angle, the blood could be barely seen. It had been there long enough to completely dry.
Miron looked around the area, finding and pointing out more blood had been smeared across leaves. Whatever had left it must have been injured and moving in a hurry. Then Miron did the unthinkable. He followed the trail.
Hesitating, Fima spun the camera around to check his surroundings before turning back to chase Miron. They were in no real hurry. Playing the cautious role in case what had left the blood was still nearby.
Off in the distance came sounds the boys had never quite heard before. At least it sounded so different to hear the real thing. Roars almost like thunder barking from the darkness miles away. The two boys stared at one another with fear stricken eyes. A snapping twig nearby brought them back to the situation at hand. Fima uttered a soft cry, the camera beginning to tremble.
Miron gazed around and pointed off to signal Fima to aim the camera. The bushes rustled for a moment before silence fell over the area.
"I-I didn't see anything." Fima said in a hushed tone.
"It was probably a deer." Miron suggested. With a wave of his hand as the camera pointed back to him, he lead the way. Back on the trail. They had lost sight of the blood, or any further signs of life. Yet they did not have to walk further than around the nearest redwood to find hanging on twigs of a bush against the bark what appeared to be tattered cloth. It appeared to have belonged to a jacket, or some other article of clothing.
Miron peeled the cloth free to inspect it further and hold it up for the camera to see. Dirt smeared into the fibers, it was damp with a transparent substance. Miron figured it was just water. Mildew, or rain.
"Hey, what's that?" Fima asked, aiming the camera just a little further away.
Miron perked up and turned to look. Something was sticking out from around another tree just a few meters away. When he picked it up, it was found to be a sneaker. Covered in leaves and mud. It was hard to tell if it had been well worn or not until Miron dusted it off a bit.
"I guess someone got lost out here." He said, looking back up to the camera.
A brief flash of bright light overcame the screen and the camera quickly panned around. Miron was no longer looking to the camera. Out in the darkness was a light. Disappearing behind the trees as it moved. It sparked as if it were charged with electricity. At first the boys had only seen one orb of such light, but then another popped up, following the same trail as the first. Then there was another. A fourth one even. The bouts of electricity moved like bolts of lightning right for the ground, or the nearest object to enter the earth. It looked like spindly arms grabbing and pulling the orbs through the air.
As the boys moved closer to inspect the lights, another twig breaking caught their attention. There came a sound of something breathing out just out of their sight. A grumble like a growl followed by a loud hiss. The bushes rustled with movement.
It felt almost like an eternity before something happened. It looked as if the bushes were pushed out of the way, as if something had walked through them, but there was nothing to truly see. The camera had caught the sight of two small robs glowing like that of an alligator's in the light of a flashlight.
Miron screamed as he saw what had charged right for him. The soft thumps of feet upon the dried leaves and grass. Miron's arms had been grabbed and held down at his sides. Then a black figure appeared in front of him, its massive three-clawed hands holding unto Miron tight enough to break his bones.
Fima soon screamed and went to run away only to trip onto his own two feet. The camera fell to the ground, almost rolling. With the screen blurring, the camera soon focused on what it could see. Sat against a tree was someone. There upon the ground, its chin angled upwards, mouth agape. Tattered clothing, a clear sign of a struggle. The mouth looked like nothing more than skin and bones. There were obvious signs of bruising along the neck and jaw still present after all this time as a corpse.
With muffled screams, the camera was scooped back up. Fima had angled the camera back the way they had come and quickly took off. Running as fast as he could, Fima occasionally turned the camera over his shoulder to see what was chasing him, or if anything was at all. All he could catch glimpses off were the eyes glowing in the light. Several pairs of eyes. The telltale signs of predators chasing down their prey.
Growls, huffs, pants, and even roars. Fima could only hear them, he could not see them. Nor could the camera. After nearly a minute of running, Fima found his way back to the fence. He leapt up, nearly dropping the camera, to climb the chain-linked fence.
Before he made it over the top, Fima screamed out a blood curdling sound of fear and agony. The camera fell to the ground, its lense angled at the truck that had been parked a few meters away. The fence rattled from the struggle and Fima continued to scream. Then his screams were muffled. Snarls, cries, and roars sounded out from beyond the camera's view. Like wolves fighting over who got to eat first.