Something followed me in the dark but it's not what the…
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Something followed me in the dark but it's not what the story is about. Part 1
Something crept out of the dark. It was a dark shadow. I couldn't see its shape in the gloom, but I could clearly see its eyes. They weren't glowing, nor were they completely dark; they were just staring out from a shapeless silhouette. As it moved, it made a sound like a deer walking through the brush, but the steps didn’t match its actual tempo. It sounded like a frantic run, yet the shadow itself was moving steadily and slowly.
I stood paralyzed by the sight of what I could not describe. A little voice inside my head, a tiny whisper repeating: *"Run. It can’t end like this. Your life can’t end like this."*
Then, screaming: *"RUN!"*
In a fraction of a second, I bolted, running as fast as I possibly could. I didn't even know I was capable of running that fast until I was put in that exact situation. I tore through the woods, seeing nothing ahead of me but a desperate, phantom mirage of my own house's patio, until a small flash of light suddenly shone from the road.
A car? Is this hope? Help?
"HELP!" I screamed repeatedly until the driver finally spotted me through the windshield.
The car screeched to a halt. Without looking behind me, I ran straight to the passenger door. "Help, please! Something is out there!"
The brave man unlocked and opened the door. I threw myself onto the seat and rushed him to go with the little bit of breath I had left in my lungs.
"I’m so sorry," I panted, trying to calm my racing heart. "There was something in the woods, I can’t even describe it... It wasn’t a human, it sounded like a deer but it wasn’t an animal. I’m sure that it was out there in the dark, watching and following me, but I couldn’t identify it. Thank you so much for letting me in, sir."
The man just nodded. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with a brown beard and a pretty athletic build, wearing a black shirt underneath a red-striped shirt. But he was entirely too calm. He didn’t utter a single word and wasn’t even surprised by my frantic behavior, which instantly gave me the chills. The car was clean, but it was too dark to see the license plate.
*What did I just step into this time?*
A heavy silence settled over us as we moved forward down the isolated forest road.
"How big was it?" he finally asked.
"Sorry ?"
"The entity you saw," he repeated, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "How big was it?"
"Eeeh," I stammered, caught off guard. "It was around six feet. Why? Do you know anything about that, sir?"
"No worries," he replied smoothly. "We are heading to the first ranger office. We will discuss everything there."
I felt momentarily reassured, but I remained on my guard. He knew something. They knew something. *What if we are not heading to the forest ranger office at all?*
A few minutes later, we arrived at a cabin in the woods, just as he had promised. But the place was pitch black and smelled funny, like roasted meat. Suddenly, a second man stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed almost identically to the driver, but he looked noticeably younger.
"Hello gentlemen, can I help you?" the young man asked in a harsh, raspy voice.
"Hello, I’m John," the driver announced. "I was driving and crossed paths with this young man. He was frightened, standing on the road between Rawlins Peak and Cherokee Peak. He says something dark, around six feet tall, followed him through the forest tonight."
The two men looked at each other. There was a look of recognition in their eyes, like they knew exactly what it was—and worse, they looked happy about it.
The younger man turned his gaze to me. "Did it say anything to you, young man?"
Something deep inside me warned me not to answer. Every instinct told me to just head for the door and get out.
"No, sir," I lied, my voice trembling. "I’m just really tired. Is there a place I can sleep tonight? I promise I will leave first thing in the morning."
The shaking in my voice was obvious now. Looking around, I realized with a jolt of horror that this was not a forest ranger station at all. It was just a house. And these two men... they looked exactly like the same person, just from different timelines. It was too much to handle. Panicking, I lunged backward and tried to force the front door open, but it was firmly locked. How? I hadn't seen anyone go near the door since we walked in.
Where am I? Who are these people? My heart raced so violently it felt like it was about to stop entirely. The room began to spin, and I fainted.
A light breeze and the distant sound of birds woke me up.
It was early morning. I was still inside a cabin… but it was completely abandoned. The furniture was gone, and no one was there. I staggered outside, but there was no sign of the car. My clothes were completely drenched in sweat, even though the morning air felt to be around a mild 70°F.
Then reality hit me. I left my phone in my tent last night before I ever heard the footsteps of tha;; thing. What on earth was it?
Where am I? How do I leave this place? How did I even get here, and what actually happened last night? Who were those men? I am entirely alone, completely lost in the woods, and I have no idea where to go. I have to keep walking, even though I'm starving and exhausted, until I can find some hikers or anyone who can help me…
I ran through the mountain with no direction, only the memories of my cosy home and my desk job that I hated. I wish that I didn’t come here, was any of it even real? I followed the trail until I found the road. I wasn't motivated by any help at this point, so I kept walking and walking until a sign pointing to a nearby town appeared.
I was hungry, dirty, lost and tired. How can this get even worse ?
I finally saw a teenage boy staring at me. With barely steady steps I reached him with a crooked smile: “Hello, I’m Ben. I was a bit lost last night and I don't have my phone. Where can I get help here ?”
He smiled back : “Howdie sir, let me show you the way to our local diner. We don't really have a police station here but they will help you”
I didn’t want to sound desperate again, so I just hummed a "thank you."
#entertainment
source
Something crept out of the dark. It was a dark shadow. I couldn't see its shape in the gloom, but I could clearly see its eyes. They weren't glowing, nor were they completely dark; they were just staring out from a shapeless silhouette. As it moved, it made a sound like a deer walking through the brush, but the steps didn’t match its actual tempo. It sounded like a frantic run, yet the shadow itself was moving steadily and slowly.
I stood paralyzed by the sight of what I could not describe. A little voice inside my head, a tiny whisper repeating: *"Run. It can’t end like this. Your life can’t end like this."*
Then, screaming: *"RUN!"*
In a fraction of a second, I bolted, running as fast as I possibly could. I didn't even know I was capable of running that fast until I was put in that exact situation. I tore through the woods, seeing nothing ahead of me but a desperate, phantom mirage of my own house's patio, until a small flash of light suddenly shone from the road.
A car? Is this hope? Help?
"HELP!" I screamed repeatedly until the driver finally spotted me through the windshield.
The car screeched to a halt. Without looking behind me, I ran straight to the passenger door. "Help, please! Something is out there!"
The brave man unlocked and opened the door. I threw myself onto the seat and rushed him to go with the little bit of breath I had left in my lungs.
"I’m so sorry," I panted, trying to calm my racing heart. "There was something in the woods, I can’t even describe it... It wasn’t a human, it sounded like a deer but it wasn’t an animal. I’m sure that it was out there in the dark, watching and following me, but I couldn’t identify it. Thank you so much for letting me in, sir."
The man just nodded. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with a brown beard and a pretty athletic build, wearing a black shirt underneath a red-striped shirt. But he was entirely too calm. He didn’t utter a single word and wasn’t even surprised by my frantic behavior, which instantly gave me the chills. The car was clean, but it was too dark to see the license plate.
*What did I just step into this time?*
A heavy silence settled over us as we moved forward down the isolated forest road.
"How big was it?" he finally asked.
"Sorry ?"
"The entity you saw," he repeated, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "How big was it?"
"Eeeh," I stammered, caught off guard. "It was around six feet. Why? Do you know anything about that, sir?"
"No worries," he replied smoothly. "We are heading to the first ranger office. We will discuss everything there."
I felt momentarily reassured, but I remained on my guard. He knew something. They knew something. *What if we are not heading to the forest ranger office at all?*
A few minutes later, we arrived at a cabin in the woods, just as he had promised. But the place was pitch black and smelled funny, like roasted meat. Suddenly, a second man stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed almost identically to the driver, but he looked noticeably younger.
"Hello gentlemen, can I help you?" the young man asked in a harsh, raspy voice.
"Hello, I’m John," the driver announced. "I was driving and crossed paths with this young man. He was frightened, standing on the road between Rawlins Peak and Cherokee Peak. He says something dark, around six feet tall, followed him through the forest tonight."
The two men looked at each other. There was a look of recognition in their eyes, like they knew exactly what it was—and worse, they looked happy about it.
The younger man turned his gaze to me. "Did it say anything to you, young man?"
Something deep inside me warned me not to answer. Every instinct told me to just head for the door and get out.
"No, sir," I lied, my voice trembling. "I’m just really tired. Is there a place I can sleep tonight? I promise I will leave first thing in the morning."
The shaking in my voice was obvious now. Looking around, I realized with a jolt of horror that this was not a forest ranger station at all. It was just a house. And these two men... they looked exactly like the same person, just from different timelines. It was too much to handle. Panicking, I lunged backward and tried to force the front door open, but it was firmly locked. How? I hadn't seen anyone go near the door since we walked in.
Where am I? Who are these people? My heart raced so violently it felt like it was about to stop entirely. The room began to spin, and I fainted.
A light breeze and the distant sound of birds woke me up.
It was early morning. I was still inside a cabin… but it was completely abandoned. The furniture was gone, and no one was there. I staggered outside, but there was no sign of the car. My clothes were completely drenched in sweat, even though the morning air felt to be around a mild 70°F.
Then reality hit me. I left my phone in my tent last night before I ever heard the footsteps of tha;; thing. What on earth was it?
Where am I? How do I leave this place? How did I even get here, and what actually happened last night? Who were those men? I am entirely alone, completely lost in the woods, and I have no idea where to go. I have to keep walking, even though I'm starving and exhausted, until I can find some hikers or anyone who can help me…
I ran through the mountain with no direction, only the memories of my cosy home and my desk job that I hated. I wish that I didn’t come here, was any of it even real? I followed the trail until I found the road. I wasn't motivated by any help at this point, so I kept walking and walking until a sign pointing to a nearby town appeared.
I was hungry, dirty, lost and tired. How can this get even worse ?
I finally saw a teenage boy staring at me. With barely steady steps I reached him with a crooked smile: “Hello, I’m Ben. I was a bit lost last night and I don't have my phone. Where can I get help here ?”
He smiled back : “Howdie sir, let me show you the way to our local diner. We don't really have a police station here but they will help you”
I didn’t want to sound desperate again, so I just hummed a "thank you."
#entertainment
source
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