Honestly i don't even know where to start when retelling this for you, i guess i should start at the beginning. For some background I should tell you that I work a retail job that requires me to work from 9 am to 5 pm, now my store is located about a mile and a half from my home (this is to give you an idea how long it takes me to walk home.) It was a chilly Friday in September, I stepped out of the back door of my work with my backpack slung over my shoulder. I hit the button lock on the door before shutting it tightly behind me. Now it had been a really long day and at this point the sun was just about down and I really wanted to get home before it got too dark so I walked quickly toward the crosswalk that would point me in the direction of home.
My work is about two streets over from a residential area and I had just crossed over the second crosswalk. I had stopped in front of one of the houses to check my phone when I noticed the utter lack of everything. No night time animals rustling in the bushes along the sides of the house, no bats disturbing the night air, Not even a breath of a breeze blowing my hair. Deadly still didn't come close to this level of nothingness. I slipped my phone back into the pocket of my jeans and hurried forward down the cracked and uneven sidewalk. As I neared the next small road on my journey home I heard something. A small eerie sound emitted from a bush close to the front porch of an older brick house with an over ground lawn. I had bent down a bit to try and get a better look at what had made that weird sound. I had caught sight of a flash of yellow, It was a color of a sickly yellow that made my stomach turn. What on god green earth were those eyes attached too? The air was like a lead weight that had settled on my chest making it impossible to take a deep breath. Whatever it was it had spotted me and was making its way out from the cover of the bushes. I gripped the straps of my backpack so tight that I thought the straps would snap under the force. Taking several steps away I lost sight of the thing. I hurried up the street at a trot looking over my shoulder every few feet.
The further away I got, the less I looked behind me. The unnerving silence still lingered around although not as heavy making it easier to pull much needed air into my deprived lungs.
The feeling of breathing life saving fall air was as close to heaven as one could get in that moment. Up ahead I saw the driveway to the trailer park that I lived in with my husband and roommate as well as our two cats Faith and as I thought of the safety of home and family I picked up the pace as much as I dared without falling on my rear. Getting to my front porch the light bulb burned bright casting a small round puddle of light, standing in the pool of light I fished around in my backpack for my house keys feeling shaken when I couldn't locate them. I knocked on the door hoping to get my husbands or roommate's attention so they would let me inside. I must have knocked for at least 5 minutes with no luck. While I struggled to find my blasted keys,a stick snapped loudly in the woods, My head whipped in the direction of the sound and my backpack fell to the ground and I heard the metal of my keys hit the wood of my deck. Not taking my eyes off of the spot I thought the sound had come from, from what little light i had all i could see were my keys fly through the air and make their way onto my porch and slide towards me, I snatched them up and shoved the key in to the door my eyes finally leaving the woods, no other sound could be heard but various twigs snapping and leaves crunching as though whatever threw my keys was taking slow steps backwards as though telling me it's not going anywhere. I pushed my way inside kicking my bag ahead of me.
I locked the door behind me and leaned my head against the cool metal of the door, then I laughed at the hystria I felt skyrocketed out of control and I began to feel dizzy.
I yelled for my husband and screamed his name but he didn't answer me, I tried calling out for our roommate and again got no answer i picked myself up on to my shaky legs and went to search my house turning on every light as i went, I hoped that with all the lights on some of the terroir i was feeling would subside even just a little bit. Every room I searched was emptier than the last. Clutching at the front of my shirt my heart jackhammered in my chest when I came to the realization that I was alone with a freak of nature outside in the woods. I looked around my home wondering if I was being punked. Going back to the living room both of my cats were sprawled out on the couch and it was then that I caught sight of the piece of notebook paper taped to the bookcase just inside the door.
Hunny,
Mike invited us to go on a weekend camping trip, we get to bust out is new winnebago
We will be back sometime sunday, hope you enjoy a quiet weekend!
Love and miss you
Matt
P.s we fed the cats
I chuckled, that last part was funny, but learning that I was alone there was a sense of fear that lingered in the back of my mind and left an acidic taste in the back of my throat. I figured that I wasn't going to get much sleep, so I decided to make a habit out of the living room, i grabbed my pillows and blankets from the bedroom, left all the lights on, and nestled on the couch, turning on the T.V. as to make myself feel better. After a few hours of T.V. I ended up passing out, but only for a few minutes. I was violently awakened by a crash coming from the back forty, it caused a tingle starting at the bottom of my spine and moved all the way up slowly.
Both of the felinces doubled in size and then squeezed under the cough out of sight. I slowly stood up, my breathing uneven and labored as I approached the hallway that led to the bedrooms and the single bathroom. My bedroom light which I swear to god was on before I passed out in the living room was now out. I flipped the switch for the light and it flickers to life casting its light restoring balance to the room. Nothing was out of place, not a single item moved. Looking out the uncovered bedroom window I caught sight of a downed tree, that must have been what had woken me from a dead sleep. I yawned so hard I felt in my toes and realized that I must have been way more tired from the day's events than I had originally thought. I decided to retrieve my nest from the living and finally shut down for the day. Switching off the t.v and the lights leading to my room I settled into my corner of the bed and hunkered down until I felt safe enough to shut my eyes.
As I figured I didn't get much sleep, a dark and deep ominous feeling filled the room. I sat up in a dazed state, hand placed on my face, rearranging all my features trying to shake the slumber from my eyes. After my face was all shaken out I could see a beam of moonlight coming into my room but it wasn't enough to illuminate the room entirely, it was only enough for me to see anything that was in front of me. Even though the room was poorly lit, I could make out something darting across my room and just after in the opposite corner of where the thing had darted off to, I thought I saw the yellow eyes from earlier. I scoured around my bed, searching for my phone, but to my demise my phone lit up across the room, it too wasn't enough to light up the room. The only thing I could feel was dread. I hunkered down into my covers, it was the only thing allowing me to feel safe. The eyes "blinked" but once they opened they disappeared or so it seemed. Just then this feeling arose throughout my body, even though i couldn't see it, i had felt the hand rise up the side of my bed, slowly and eerily. My body froze, all i could do was wait, i could feel it coming for me. I closed my eyes and within that instance it grabbed me, it whipped me around and I ended up smacking my head on my bedpost, hard too, I kept coming in and out of consciousness. The most i could see was the hand dragging me out of the window, once out i fell and hit my head, that was it for me, i was out and down for the count.
The next time i rejoined the world of the living i was being dragged across wet leaves and moist earth, the branches smacked at my face and tore at my pajamas. My vision was hazy and ass i could see were fuzzy shapes but I could feel the hand around my bare ankle. The warm calloused hand gripped hard enough to bruise the delicate skin of my leg, the uneven nails bit in to my flesh when I got snagged of a rock or tree root and the creature yanked me over it. Blood flowed from the scratches and scrapes that dotted my body like freckles. It stung so bad that it brought tears to my eyes. I tried to grab something, anything to pull myself free from the unrelenting grip but the cold wet mud slip through my fingers and got stuck under my nails. I tried to claw at the passing trees but i coulndt keep a grip on anything,my hands slick with mud and the blood that slide from the cuts on my hands. I twisted to get a better look at my attacker and was able to make out pale skin and what looked like deer antlers. This thing had to have been at least 8 feet tall and was very sickly looking.I groaned and went back to grabbing at anything that i could. I decided I have had enough and turned my focus to the hand on my ankle.
I launched upward toward the hand with the last little bit of strength I had and attacked the hand holding me captive. The creature stopped and turned, i didn't think i had hurt it but rather it found me annoying. I grabbed a rock and chucked it as hard as i could at its face, right at those stupid yellow eyes of its. I had managed to nail the damn thing right in the left eye, This thing let out a screech that would have made Satan run like his ass caught fire, I clamped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut at the horrible sound. I felt this thing drop my leg and I opened my eyes. It stood over me, one yellow eye glaring with so much hatred that I thought I might have died already and be sitting in a circle of hell. It raised its overly large hand way above its head and I tried to scramble away, I didn't get more than six inches before it brought that monster of a hand down and it smacked me square in the chest and I flew into a massive oak. My last thought was that "I dented a tree".
I fell unconscious from the hit, and what felt like shortly after i woke up, dazed, but definitely awake, i was tired of this thing knocking me out, it was bullshit. I couldn't see anything but I could tell i was still outside, i could smell a fire going but weirdly i couldn't feel it on my face, but on my stomach, it was odd. I was still confused but I kept trying to figure out what was going on. I could hear the creature stomping around groaning and whimpering from when i injured it, it was enough to make me smirk, then i felt something trickling down my body, but it wasn't going down, it was going up, i had finally realized what was going on, i was upside down, i said out loud "explains why i feel the heat on my stomach." the thing heard me, i could just tell, mainly because it stopped trampling around, it had snuffed or grunted, in the sense it sounded mighty pissed off, i wasn't sure but i swore i felt its gaze on me with those creepy yellow eyes and my only thought was 'shit' but i must of said it out loud because just when i thought of it the creature had started moving towards me, the foul stench it carried with it kept getting stronger, and soon enough i felt its warm grip grasp around my ankles, in the same spot it had grabbed before, it picked me up and yelled in my face, its foul breathe damn near knocked me out again. I turned my head away desperate for any fresh air that I could have found. The binding around my ankles bit into the raw skin and I winced. It started out as a stinging but as the creature jerked me around it descended into a pulsing pain, with every swing of the rope that I hung from I felt the beat of my heart in every wound that was inflicted on my poor body. My eyes were heavy from the adrenaline leaving my body as well as the utter fear I had felt since seeing those eyes. This whole thing seemed like a horrible nightmare that would just not end. The creature shoved me hard enough that I swung close enough to the tree that my hair brushed the rough,moss covered trunk of the tree. For what seemed like hours I watched the creature stomp back and forth across the clearing that we were in, it occasionally tossed more logs on to already blazing fire. I watched for anything that could help get myself out of this desperate situation. It wasn't until the moon was far over head and the constellations had sailed across the sky that my opportunity came. I glanced up into the tree that I hung from while the fire burned bright when I noticed a glint of metal near where my branch met the trunk of the tree. I managed to turn myself just enough to notice that it was a throwing knife well at least what was left of one, the handle had long ago broken off and someone had just left it there. The blade was rusted but it looked like it would still do the job. I turned back toward the creature and it was staring into the fire with its one good eye, its back was toward me. I started to swing back and forth and slowly but surely I gained momentum. Silently I inched closer to the instrument of my freedom, the rope stretched and flexed. I hoped it wouldn't snap and kill me faster. It took so much longer than it should have but I couldn't alert the abomination to my plans of escape. I came close to it so many times, My finger just brushed the rusted handle of the blade but I couldn't quite get it. The second time I got a full grip on it but I couldn't keep hold of it. The third and final time I got it and it gave way and I swung back down, I gripped this small, rusted broken piece of hope so tight my hand started to bleed. Silent tears poured from my eyes as I glanced toward the heavens thanking my lucky stars. I started to swing again, this time I needed to get a grip on the branch on which I took me twenty seven tries to get my weak, sweat covered hands to grip the branch and hall my stiff sore body up on the tree. My vision swam and I laid my head against the cool earth scented wood and rested for a moment, I sighed silently and sat up. I glanced at the creature and I couldn't believe my luck. This thing still had its back toward me. I hacked at the rope as quietly as I could finally manage to free myself, I pushed the remains off of my legs and made my way toward the trunk of the tree. I pressed my back to the tree and tried to get my bearings and figure out a game plan of what I had to do next. I saw two options on what i could do, One i could somehow slide down the tree trunk and pray to whatever god might have listened to me that i didn't alert this thing or fall on my face and die any way or i could made my way over the tangle of branches that formed a sort of bridge. I weighed each decision for several moments, this was life or death if I fucked up even in the slightest I was done for. Slowly I got to my feet and inches my way toward the tangled bridge of tree limbs.I reached out with trembling fingered and gripped the first hand hold, it was now or never.
I was about half way across the tangled bridge way when the creature moved, not much but enough to have me looking over my shoulder losing my balance, the blade I still had dug into my waist when I stumbled. I felt fresh blood seem down my thigh leaving a sticky trail in its wake. I tried to keep the wince as quiet as I could. The creature's head twitched a bit as it sniffed the air. Its head snapped towared where i had been hanging, it bolted up right and looked around frantically, the antlers on top of its head reminding of a compass that
no longer worked correctly. It let out the most ear splitting roar I have ever heard, my ears rang so loud my head started to pound, I gripped the branch I was using as a handrail hard and dug my nails into the my lips I crouched and went stock still as I watched it. It reached up and touched the rope with an almost gentle touch before taking a portion of it and wrapping it around its clawed hand and ripped the whole branch down with one short sharp heart jumped against my ribs as the crack of the wood echoed around the woods. It threw the branch rope and all into the fire sending sparks dancing toward the sky. This thing stalked off in a direction that lay just beyond the tree, once it was out of sight I slowly made my way to the other side of the branch bridge and lowered myself back to solid ground, my feet not making a sound as they kissed the earth. Leaving the comforting embrace that the fire offered was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Quickly and quietly I navigated a game trail that snaked its way away from the creature camp and into the unknown, the roar of the fire died in my ears and light faded almost instantly. My steps were light and I prayed that I didn't fall or trip, anything that would cause even an ounce of sound would sign a death warrant with my name on it. Off in the distance I could faintly heat the angry bellows of this thing and the snapping of branches. I knew I had to put as much distance between us as I possibly could, it was only a matter of time before it changed the direction of its search. I picked up the pace as much as I could while remaining as quiet as a church mouse.
I walked for what seemed like forever, the stars above still twinkling their way toward the horizon where they would die then be reborn the next night. Up ahead I saw passing lights, it must have been a road or highway of some kind, but I knew what it looked like to me. It looked like salvation. When I was just about thirty yard away I heard crashing behind me, I didn't stop to look back. I knew what I would find, yellow eyes that belonged to a demon. I ran for all I was worth, legs ached and lungs burned but I kept going.
One foot in front of the other the bushes and twigs dug into the bare flesh on my arms and legs, leaves hit me in the eyes and blinded me but still I ran until I tripped and it was on me.
I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of my already stinging lungs, it turned around and stared at me with its one good eye. Then it spoke.
"You are mine" It was my voice.
I started to hyperventilate, I was not going to die like this. Taking out the rusty blade I stabbed blindly at this thing I got it once in the arm and managed to slash at its ribs. It howled in pain and its grip lessoned. I kicked this thing in the chest and stood, something in me snapped and I tackled this thing to the ground, I landed on top of it and raised the knife. I felt a sharp pain in my thigh and briefly glanced down to realize it had sunk its claws into the soft meat of my inner thigh, I screamed no longer concerned with being quiet. I brought the blade down straight into its good eye, an insane laugh poured from between my lips as I stabbed it again and again. Finally I stood retrieving the blade and stuffing it back into the waistband of my now ruined pjs and limped toward the road. I made it to the parking lot of a twenty four hour gas station when I saw a trucker getting ready to depart on his way.
"Help…"
I collapsed and blacked out but I was later told that the trucker whose name I found out was chuck had indeed seen me and had called 911. I guess he told them it looked like I had been attacked by a bear or some other big predator, I didn't bother telling the deputy that had come to see me in the hospital the truth there was no point. They did wonder however. I had gotten over fifty miles away from my former home. My answer was that I would sleep walk sometimes, not sure if they bought that or not. When I did manage to get back home courtesy of a friend who lived in the area, it was hard to go back inside after the nightmare that had unfolded there.
Shortly after everything happened I did some research and I thought I found out or at least came close to finding out what had taken me from my bed that fateful night. I believed it was a wendigo or some other cryptid.
Now over six month later all I am left with are the scars that litter my body where it grabbed me as well as the blade that undoubtedly saved my ass. I cleaned it up and had a new handle put on her, i affectaly named her trusty rusty. I never leave my current home without her. I have nightmares that the creature is still alive and is blindly hunting for me. I now live with both of my cats out west in a city and state that I won't name. We're doing better and I felt that it was time to share my story with the world. Whether you read this aloud or not, I feel better knowing that this is out into the world.