Freddy nervously rushed down the dark, stone staircase, wondering if the monster that attacked him before was still out there. What the hell was that thing? It looked like a science experiment gone totally wrong. I mean, that head, though. How can it make siren noises and radio broadcasts? None of this makes any sense. All I wanted was to go camping with my friends, not fend for my life against some godforsaken monster. There's no way I can kill this thing using my gun alone. Let's see, looks like I only used three bullets, and I got around eighteen left. That should be enough if that monster comes back for me.
Once he reached the bottom of the staircase and reached for the bunker door, which was thankfully open, he immediately went inside and quickly slammed the door. Ok, I should be safe here for a while. I just hope I don't end up like John or whoever's corpse I found outside.
He looked around, trying to see if there was anything that could help him get the radio tower back on. It was dark inside the bunker, with several empty wooden shelves scattered across it. The wooden floor creaked as he walked on it. Near the back of the room was a dim light, shining over a large boiler-looking object. On both sides were two large pipes connected to the boiler, each reading out "Rankel Industries". In the center of the boiler was a red handle, that looked something like a steering handle you'd find in a car. Maybe I just have to twist it the right way. I'm not sure what this does, but it must do something important. He tried twisting it to the left, which was a little hard since the handel wasn't very loose. As soon as he twisted it far enough, he could a loud electrical surge coming from above him. I really hope I did this right. I should check the tower again to see if anything happened.
He walked up the staircase again and back into the forest, where he back up a little from where the dead corpse was to get a good look at the radio tower. Instead of glowing red as it did before, the tower's light was glowing bright green. It looks like I fixed it, I hope. Ok, all I need to do now is go back to the watch tower, use the radio there, call for help, get where I'm supposed to be and fend off the monster. If my plan doesn't work, I'm heading straight back to my car. This looks like it's going to be harder than I thought.
While he was thinking about his next move, he could hear another faint radio broadcast coming from the forest. He's close, I can feel it. He reloaded the hunting rifle while the message played.
"Officials have said that after one day of searching, the kids can't be found. It is ruled out that one of their friends,*Fr-e-eddy Ande-r-r-son*, was supposed to go with them, but got too nervous and let them stay out in the forest because he f-f-felt that they w-e-ere hol-l-ding h-i-im back in high school. That's right, Freddy. I know who you are. We all know what you did. We will come for you-"
The message occasionally cut over static several times as it was played. How the hell does this thing know my name?! I literally just met it a few minutes ago! I didn't even say my name out loud to it! Great, first it hides in the forest and plays siren noises and the next it's using the messages against me. My God, this just keeps getting stranger and stranger as it goes on, doesn't it? I should've never came here in the first place! I should've just stayed home! Well, nothing I can do about it now, I guess. Please, let the rest of my friends be safe. He already lost John and whoever's corpse was lying outside the bunker, he couldn't afford to lose the other two.
The forest was long quite after the message played, with only the sound of the wind and a few owls that could be heard. He decided to head back to the tower using the dirt path he used before because the monster could blend with the trees, so taking a shortcut through the forest was definetly out of the question. Lets just hope it doesn't try anything stupid. He made sure to keep his rifle steady in case the monster came back, and kept his eyes open for any signs of it.
While he was walking along the dirt path, he could hear an air siren coming from the right side of the forest. It didn't sound too loud, and it didn't last for long either, so he thought the monster must be far from him at the moment. I better keep moving so it stays that way. He kept following the dirt path, away from the monster. This would go on for quite some time. Every now and then strange noises could be heard, each sounding as dim and quiet as the first, but were very different. One of them sounded a little like the groan from earlier, another one was some radio advertisement, but the third was the one that scared Freddy. It was the sound of a woman screaming. The scream lasted only a few mere seconds, but it was enough to give Freddy the chills.
That voice, though. I swear I recognize that voice. It sounded a lot like Sarah's voice. Is the monster trying to trick me again? I know he can play radio broadcasts and siren noises, but can he also imitate human screams? And how? Or is it really Sarah? But then why would she be out in the forest if she knew that monster was here? Oh, what the hell am I doing? I can think all about this once I get to the tower. Now I need to focus on getting there alive.
While he was almost at the watch tower, Freddy was getting very suspicious. That monster attacked me three times when I tried to get to the bunker, but it hasn't even once tried to attack me on my way back. Is it just looking for me? Or is he just waiting for me and setting some kind of trap? I know something isn't right here. Maybe he just lost my trail? No, I shouldn't be assuming the best of things right now. I need to get to the watch tower and call for help.
He finally arrived back at the watch tower, and climbed up the square spiral staircase to the top. Everything looked like the way he left it before: the radio, the investigation board, the chairs and the tables were all still there. Alright, let's see if the radio works now. He tried changing the frequency to contact anyone who might be out there, and eventually, he got a message.
"Hello? This is Officer Kirkwin. Who is this speaking?"
"It's Freddy Anderson, officer. I need help. There's some kind of monster out there that's been roaming around the place and I can't find where my friends are. I think they might all be dead, and my life is in absolute danger. I need help to get home and find them."
"Don't worry, Freddy, we hear you loud and clear. We will be giving you some instructions on how and where to get to safety. This frequency is coming from the old ranger station radio, so the good news is we know where you are. Right?"
"Yes, this is the ranger's watch tower. Now where should I go, officer?"
"We will be dispatching some officers as soon as we can to help find your friends, but we can't get to your location very easily. So, I'm afraid you'll have to do a little leg work yourself."
"What?! That thing is still out there-"
"Listen, kid, I don't know whatever this 'thing' is that you're talking about, but just listen to our instructions. There's a bridge near you, down the dirt roadways. Bad news is we can't get our cruisers past that point, so you will have to meet us there. Once you make it there, we will bring you home, and we will do our best to try and rescue your friends. Capiche?"
"Uh, yeah, capiche. But what about-"
"Alright, then. Stay safe out there, kid. Over and out."
Officer Kirkwin's message ended, leaving Freddy both angry and slightly relieved. Great, now I have to sneak around and avoid that monster some more. I just hope it will be easier than my first encounter with it. As soon as the officer's message was done playing, Freddy decided to see if there was anyone else around that he could contact, you know, just in case. He tried changing the frequency, and got nothing but static at first. Then, after a few adjustments, he got an entirely new message.
"Hello? Oh my God, the radio is back up. Is anyone there?"
Wait, that voice. It sounded a lot like a female teenager, and while the voice was a little jarbled, he could recognize that voice from anywhere. She sounded very scared and panicked. Is that Caitlyn?! She's still alive?! I need to see if this is real or not.
"Yes, I'm here. This is Freddy Anderson. Caityln, is that you?!"
"Freddy?! Oh, thank God you're alive! What are you doing here? I know John invited you over, but we didn't see you anywhere near camp. Where the hell are you, anyway?!"
"I'm at the ranger watch tower. Where are you at?"
"Wait a minute, how can I know for sure it's you, Freddy?"
"What? I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"
"You don't know what's been going on around here, do you? Yesterday, we heard John crying for help from the forest, but when we tried looking for him, that...monster jumped us and took Sarah. We haven't found her since then. We don't even know what the fuck that thing can do!"
"Wait, I thought I heard Sarah's scream a few moments ago. And what do you mean by 'we'?"
"I've said too much. No, Thomas, I don't know if it's the monster tricking us. Ok, just listen. If it's really you, try going to the bridge. We're not there, but we're somewhere closeby. We just can't take any chances, I'm sorry. Over and out."
Caityln's message cut off, leaving the top of the watch tower in silence. Freddy was still trying to make sense of what Caitlyn said. She didn't think it was me. She said she, Sarah and Thomas heard John screaming, but it was the monster setting a trap. Can this monster mimic someone by eating their remains? That would explain why I heard Sarah even though I found her dead corpse outside of the bunker, and why Caityln heard John. I've got to find a way to save them before that monster gets to them first.
