My Property Isn’t Normal (Part 2)

Series by Murderbird17

I’m happy to see that my experiences from part one got some attention! Wasn’t expecting this stuff to actually get any traction. I’m mainly here to vent, and have a place to catalogue the stuff that happens around my house. People also seemed to enjoy the the part where the naked dude attacked me, then cartwheeled into the woods crying like a baby when i stabbed him. Still not sure if he was human. Now i feel obliged to tell more of my experiences. Also, feel free to leave any questions you have and i will try to answer them in the next post. That being said, if you haven’t read part one i suggest you go back now and read it. I’m going to tell the following experiences as if you already know about the other experiences i have written about having on this property. This place is not normal after all, and takes some getting used to.

Now that the intro is out of the way, i think we can start with Camo. And Camo is a fucking nuisance. I first time i came into contact with him was during the first whitetail deer season i had on my property. Now I’m a hunter, but the program that is “helping me” after the incident said i wasn’t allowed to have guns because the noise draws to much attention. Bullshit. I live in the middle of nowhere and there isn’t anybody else for miles, unless you count the chosen, but I’m pretty sure that the program is worried about the them. Luckily the lady in the tree hooked me up with the 45. Caliber I now have in my possession, but i didn’t have it upon first meeting Camo unfortunately.

Anyway, back to the story. I first saw him when i was walking towards a ladder stand i had set up on a tree to watch deer, since i could no longer kill them. And yes i could have had a bow, but I’m shit with a bow, i would risk just hurting the animal. I don’t like the idea of an animal that is suffering because i couldn’t make a shot that would kill it instantly. Now, as i approach my stand, i notice a figure already sitting in it. It’s about the size of a regular human. He was dressed in full camouflage, pants, jacket boots, hat, face mask, and backpack. He actually seemed like a regular person, which i hadn’t seen any of those in the woods for the entirety of the 4 months i had been living there. The things that live on this property are generally more extreme. But no matter how relieved i was to see a proper human for once, he was deep in my property, and hunting in my stand. I had to get him to leave.

I reluctantly shouted over to him, “ AYYYE, YOU AINT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, TIME TO GO DUDE!” Now i was about 75 yards away and to his left, but i yelled plenty loud for him to hear me clearly. He didn’t flinch, he stayed facing straight forward like a statue. What a prick.

Look, try to be creepy all you want but ignoring someone like that is just rude. I know he hears me, i have reason to believe he was just trying to freak me out because I’ve made him break character before.

So after i yell and he ignores me, i start getting impatient. I yelled the same thing at him again a little louder and still ended up with the same response. What a dick. Now I’m livid because he’s making me ruin all my chances of seeing deer this afternoon by making me yell at him. So naturally, i start a brisk stroll over to tell him off to his face, or maybe kick his ass. I already noticed he didn’t have a rifle so i just assumed that he was watching like i was planning on doing. Of course he could have had a concealed handgun but I’m a dumbass so i didn’t consider that.

Then i heard the, “crunch” of something under my foot, and the sudden sound of rope sliding across a surface at high speed. I froze for a fraction of a second and before i could squeak out an oh shit. I’m hanging upside down from my ankle. There was a loop around my leg that held me suspended 7 feet off the ground like a damn cartoon. I was like a fucking loony toons character. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I immediately knew it was Camo and when i look up, or down? Shit i was upside down so i don’t really know where i had to look but i saw him slowly climbing down the ladder. Like really slowly. What a dramatic guy. If he wasn’t so obsessed with appearances he probably could have killed me. That what i think he wanted to do anyways. There was a machete on his hip that i could now see and the blade was chipped at in a way that made it look serrated, wouldn’t have been a very useful tool unless you wanted to use it to inflict pain.

I think the biggest flaw with Camo’s trap though was that he didn’t account for the single fact that 99% percent of people who live alone in the woods learn that carrying a large knife at all times is a necessary thing if you want to stay alive. I wish i could tell you that i did a flip after i cut myself down and landed on my feet like some sort of badass. But i didn’t, i landed on the back of my neck and my vision went dark for 15 seconds, which i guess was enough time for tweedle dumbass to finally get to the bottom of my ladder stand. As i stood up, i saw that he was standing completely still at the base of the stand, still fifty yards away from me. Staring at me. I could hear his thoughts from here. “Damn why did he get out, shit shit shit”. Then he turned and bolted.

This dude was booking, i lost sight of him in less than thirty seconds into my chase and had to give up. I need to jog more. And what more, by the time i got back to the ladder stand, IT WAS ALREADY GETTING DARK! I didn’t even get to watch any deer.

I’ve seen Camo on multiple other occasions as well. But i figured him out. He got me the first time, but his traps really aren’t that sneaky, they are elaborate, but not sneaky. He always appears in an area that i plan on hunting in, don’t know how he knows where I’m gonna be, but i stopped questioning stuff on this land a long time ago. And i always notice him long before i get to the location. Again, i have no idea how he plans this shit out. And secondly, there is always a trap set somewhere directly between when i first spot him and his actual location. Like if i were to draw a line from him, to where i see him from, the trap will always be on that line. Also, another important thing to realize is that none of his traps are fatal. They are all meant to keep me from escaping, but not kill me, they do hurt though. One time i almost stepped in a bear trap he had set out and it for sure would have broken my leg had it got me.

This non fatal part was his downfall. I figured out that he didn’t want me to die in a trap, he probably wanted to do the deed himself. Or maybe do something else but he really didn’t want me dead in a trap. So all i had to do to get him riled up was die in a trap, right?

After the lady in the tree hooked me up with the pistol a little over a year and a half ago, one of the first problems i wanted to solve with it was the creator of the various nets, ankle snares, and holes, that attempted to contain me many times before. And i knew exactly how i was gonna do it. One of Camo’s recurring traps was just a large, 11 foot deep hole covered by a large amount of suspiciously patterned sticks and leaves that could literally be seen a hundred yards away. I just had to wait until he used this trap again. After a swinging log that i think was supposed to knock me out and another net that was meant to land on top of me ( i might add that it was made of wire so i couldn’t cut through it, but it also had a glare from the sunlight that made it impossible not to see). I finally came across the trap i was looking for, four weeks after i got the gun i find my self walking towards a 11 foot hole trying to pretend i don’t see it. Suddenly, i start falling.

I was ready for the fall and let out a loud yell as i traveled downwards, and as i hit the ground i stayed as quiet as possible. Which was hard considering the broken toe and dislocated knee i had just received. Fuck Camo for making me do this.

I army crawled over to the side of the hole and laid my head against the side to make it look like i had broken my neck. Then i waited. Took 15 mins for that little prick to dramatically make his way over to me, but i heard him walk up the the edge of the hole. I obviously had to close my eyes to appear dead because i couldn’t run the risk of blinking, but i almost smiled when i heard Camo mutter to himself “oh shit, no no no no no, they are gonna be so fucking pissed”. I took advantage of the moment and quickly opened my eyes and whipped out the pistol, firing three shots at him as quickly as i could. I missed with all but one. The bullet that met its mark put a hole in Camo’s shoulder and her let out a garbled scream of nonsense and gibberish. Something along the lines of “YOU PIECE OF FUCKING YOU I CANT BELIEVE THAT ASS FUCKING YOU SHIT AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

He did end up running away but as he ran i heard him say “f-fuck this dude, I’m ahhh shit, i’m fucking done.” I was laughing my ass off. Till i realized i was severely injured and had to climb out of this hole. Good thing it was daytime though or i might not have noticed the black rope that Camo had lowered into the hole while he was cursing himself for killing me. I some how managed to pop my knee back in joint based on shit i had seen earlier in life and climbed out to limp my way back to the house. That was a good day, broken toes are fucking expensive to get treated though. The best part is that i haven’t seen Camo since that day. It actually worked. Wish i could pull something like that off with skinny.

Another thing that i guess i need to explain to all of you readers is the lady in the tree. I’ve mentioned her a few times now and at least some of you are probably wondering about her. I honestly don’t know much about her myself. But she is hands down the best thing on this property. My first experience with her was when she healed a broken eardrum that i had suffered when meeting what i think was a banshee down in my creek. It was busted when she screeched really loud and when i went to sleep, i woke up perfectly fine the next morning. I almost thought it was all a dream until i saw the blood still on my pillow and the broken flashlight that i had used in personal defense. Well i guess this was the first time the affected me directly but not the first time she had helped me out, the true first time i didn’t realize was her until last night. It was the gun. The gun that i talked about “purchasing” in part one wasn’t really purchased, i just wasn’t willing to admit that i looted it off of and old corpse that i had found in an abandoned log cabin in the back of the property. This is an example of how sneaky she is. I only started to wonder if it was her doing while i was recording the first set of these stories and i started thinking about how good of shape this Gun was in. Of course it was a little dirty when i found it but it was also in perfect operating condition, and i figured that the skeleton that was clutching it didn’t need it anymore, but hell at this point i wouldn’t be surprised if he came to life each night. Either way i left the cabin with a new sidearm and two boxes of ammunition.

I didn’t really think about it to much because finding a gun on a body is pretty mild considering the events that go down here on a week to week basis. But yesterday i started questioning the real origins of this gun. It was so well maintained and new feeling when i got it but the skeleton looked like it had been there forever. Not to mention the fact that the gun was unloaded and the boxes of ammo were unopened, but the skeleton looked like it had died holding the gun like he was intending to use it. It didn’t add up. So i headed back to the cabin. And i found my answer.

Everything was the same when i got there as it had been over a year ago, i mean nothing had changed, especially not the body. The exact same as before. I was nervous at first, not because the body scared me, but because the joke about the skeleton coming back to life from earlier wasn’t really that far fetched in this place. I’ve never seen an undead skeleton, but i have seen other forms of undead, maybe I’ll tell y’all about those experiences sometime.

Nervous or not though, i had had to confirm my suspicions, i approached the body and started examining the clothes. Just like i expected, the flannel shirt and brown jeans had no tags. Not like they had been ripped out, but like they were never there to begin with. Now there was only one more thing to check, i took out my knife and scraped the blade down the skeleton’s exposed arm bone. Sure enough, a shaving fell of. It was wood, the entire skeleton was made of wood and painted a lightish brown among other discolorations to look like the real deal. The lady in the tree is very talented when it comes to wood. But she can do so much more. I’ve only seen her in person two times, once when i caught a glimpse of her smiling as she walked into an opening into a tree only to close the opening with a door that fit so perfectly i couldn’t see the edges when i walked up to it. It just looked like a normal tree. And a second time two days after i encountered the screeching banshee in the creek. I saw her out the window of my front door, smiling in. She winked at me and ducked out of view. I ran to the door to try to see her fully but by the time i swung the door open she was gone in the night, nowhere to be seen. Which is really annoying. I would almost consider us friends by now and she still won’t show herself to me fully.

Now when i saw her for the second time, i didn’t know what or who she was. But when i looked at the ground in defeat i notice the small sheet of what looked like homemade paper. On it was a short message that read.

“I wish to congratulate on killing the Keelut, he was bringing an evil over the land that was distressing the forest. I don’t know how you actually ended him but i am happy all the same. I have seen you roaming and i am certain you have seen me. We work towards the same goal. Cleansing this land. My vows as a medicine woman keep me from directly interfering with the creatures of this land but i wish you luck on your mission and will support you from the shadows as best i can. I hope your ear feels better.”

So i think the Keelut she was talking about me killing i think was a rabid coyote that i had killed a few days before the creek incident. It was hairless and just stared at me through some trees. I think it was trying to intimidate me to leave its territory. So i shot it between the eyes and left. My territory bitch. But this was the first time i realized that i finally had someone on my side on this land and that was a relief. She was actually really helpful. Once i got bit by a rattle snake and when i got home, there was a bottle labeled “ANTI-VENOM” sitting on my kitchen table. Another time i got bit by one of the shadow children while i was hiking, and when i got home there was a bottle of purple liquid in a glass vial in the same place on the table. I honestly expected it to heal the wound or something but it just made me really drunk. Guess she couldn’t help me much that time.

She’s done other stuff too, but now I’m kind of worried about her. I haven’t heard or experienced any help from her in 8 months, I’m worried something got to her, or even worse. What if she is mad at me. I mean skinny almost killed me 6 months ago and she didn’t do shit. I’ve grown to like her and even depend on her a bit, but she is just... gone...

I think I’ll call it quits for this post, but hopefully i can stay alive long enough to post more. The hunt for skinny continues and if you don’t know who that is shame on you for not reading the first post before now. And if you do know who that is i appreciate any suggestions you have for killing him. See y’all next time

Cole, signing off.

My Property Isn’t Normal (Part 1)

Series by Murderbird17

You could say i live in the middle of nowhere. I prefer to call it the middle of the wilderness though. And after living alone out here long enough, i thought i would become familiar with the land out here, and even get comfortable. But i never have gotten comfortable, maybe used to this place but never comfortable.

Pretty sure i can hold my own out here for the time being, but even so, LOTS of weird shit happens out here. Glad to finally have a way to tell strangers who probably won’t judge or call me crazy though!

Back to the topic at hand, weird stuff. I’ll start with the first odd experience i had here. When i first purchased this land i was really exited. There was already a house on the property that was the perfect size for me! Not only that but it seemed pretty new. Like the former owners didn’t stay around very long. Yea red flags but how was i supposed to know how messed up this place was. Anyway i move in without any issues and within a week I’m out on some of the trails that were already there, looking for deer tracks and other game trails. I’m actually having a pretty relaxing time until i swear i hear a baby say “momma” in the most stereotypical voice I’ve ever heard off in the distance. Now like i said I’m here in the middle of nowhere so there shouldn’t be anyone for miles. I just shook it off as me hearing things.

Twenty minutes later i hear the same voice say momma again. Only this time it’s 40 yards away on the other side of some trees and brush. It didn’t even sound like a real baby, it just sounded like some disturbed dude. Of course at this point he is definitely on my property as well. I start making my way through the undergrowth, then when I’m sure I’m about to hit where he was the brush clears out to a clearing and i finally get a glimpse of the man.

He was butt naked and halfway behind a tree, and flaunting a huge smile while his eyes stay kinda squinty. He was also pretty skinny as i could see his ribs. Now usually you hear people say that “at this moment my blood ran cold” but honestly, mine didn’t, i was looking at some butt naked crackhead trespassing on my property. He decided to let out another “momma”during silence when i was trying to figure out my next move, so i promptly responded with a hearty “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” That’s when he decided my next move for me.

He started running at me. And i might have run away, if he hadn’t been so scrawny. So when he reached me with that big smile, and looked like he was about to grab me... i punched him in the throat. It was a good punch. I was proud of it honestly, it would have kept any normal man on the ground for at least a minute. This is when i got the first hint that this wasn’t a normal man. While i was standing there, proud of my mike Tyson level haymaker. The guy immediately got back to his feet and before i had time to hit him again, he dive tackled me to the ground. And it hurt pretty bad. He somehow pinned my shoulders to the ground and no matter how hard i kicked and punched him, he wouldn’t let up. So i was forced to use plan b.

I pulled out my trusty bear grills survival knife... and stabbed him in the gut twice. This finally got his attention. And he hopped back to his feel slinging blood all over me in the process. I got back to my feet, knife in hand and waited for him to do something else. All he did though was stick a finger in his wound, then lick the blood off. THEN CARTWHEEL INTO THE WOODS CRYING LIKE AND ACTUAL NEWBORN BABY THIS TIME. Now by this point i was pretty on edge. And right as he got far enough away that i could no longer hear him. I turned and walked home. I know i should have run, but running through the woods is so tiring and i just didn’t feel like it. When i got home all was normal again, for a while.

Another story that comes to mind when i think about odd things happening around the area is the event that lead to me no longer camp in my woods. By the time that the events in this story took place, i had already experienced quite a few things on this property. And this was easily the third freakiest thing to happen up to that point, right behind the naked stab victim that cried like a newborn baby and cartwheeled our into the woods. This time i had decided that i wanted to go camping. Despite all the stuff that had happened, i had never been seriously injured in those woods, SO WHY NOT GO SLEEP IN THEM. Bad choice, i know. Anyways, the first few hours when i got into the woods went fine, i set up camp, build a fire, burn myself trying to cook a hot dog, piss on fire that burnt me. Then i started to realize... camping is pretty boring when you’re all alone. So i decided to go to sleep.

Next thing i know i wake up to the sound of a young girls voice down in the creek, sounds like she’s college type age. She’s saying, “help i need some help down here, I’m lost, dad? Help!” And i can hear her down in the creek, from my tent. Now this isn’t the first time I’ve been lured into the woods by a voice pleading for help. But this voice was a lot more convincing than the others. Non the less i still brought my newly purchased .45 caliber hand gun that i had bought for dealing with, the things, on the land.

I made my way into the creek, flashlight in hand and headed down to the voice. Soon i find the source. Now i didn’t put the flashlight beam on her right away because i didn’t want to blind her. But i could clearly see the outline of a small girl sitting on the bank of the creek, i got about fifteen feet away and she stopped me, stating that “you really don’t need that flashlight with the moon out like this”. It wasn’t even close to a full moon so that confused me a little, i replied with, “i don’t know bout you but i can’t see a thing out here, lemme me help you though, are you hurt?” Then i started to shine the flashlight on her but she screamed “STOP” before i got to her face. This time her voice wasn’t as convincing, i could tell she wasn’t human.

Now, what you guys need to realize is that I’m not a badass, and I’m not trying to sound cool or tough. But ever since something happened three years ago. The same event that caused me to move out here. I don’t respond to situations the same anymore. Maybe I’m not scared of death anymore. Maybe I’m mentally unstable. Maybe I’m weird. But when i establishes that this thing wasn’t human, i started to smile, it fooled me, got me out here in the woods, in it’s domain, and was probably going to make an attempt on my life. But i might as well piss it off a little. So i flicked my flashlight up and revealed its face.

It actually was a girl, sort of, she was super pale and had abnormally large eyes, that were completely black. When the light hit her face her head snapped forward and made eye contact with me and her jaw dropped open 3 times larger than any human could, and then she screamed. It was LOUD. Like inhuman loud. It sounded like a girls scream but as if it were being played through massive speakers to make it ear splitting. Then i felt something closing around my neck. She hadn’t moved but was somehow choking me. Still screaming.

I have realized while living here that the entities that can hurt you, can also get hurt themselves, now most of them are tough as nails, but they can be hurt. This memory went through my head just as i felt something warm dripping onto my neck and my left ear went quiet. Busted ear drum. I aggressively threw my flashlight at the bitch and it connected with what i assume was her eye, i couldn’t tell for sure because i didn’t have a flashlight. And yes i forgot to use the gun. It was new and in the current life or death situation i forgot i had it. Luckily this girl wasn’t one of the tough ones and i felt the grip on my neck loosen and her scream stopped. No sooner had i taken my first breath when she bent over backwards possession style and sprinted into the woods in reverse. When i finally caught my breath i slowly walked by to my campsite and went to sleep in the tent.

You may be asking why i didn’t go back home after that but it was a 20 minute hike and my flashlight was broken so i had to wait till morning. Slept pretty good though. No noises woke me up.

I woke up then next morning expecting my ear to be killing me but miraculously it was completely back to normal. I later figured out that it was the lady in the tree who fixed my ear but that’s a story for another time. That morning i just packed up everything and headed back home. Only thing that got messed up was my flashlight so i wasn’t even that disappointed in the trip. I still don’t camp out there anymore because no matter how weirdly wired i am, that girl really did freak me out a good bit, and I’m sure she’s still out there.

What you will notice so far is that these entities aren’t really very effective killers. But that doesn’t go for everything out here. I can’t tell y’all about the property without mentioning skinny. Fuck skinny.

I understand that skin walkers are a common topic on the horror scene at the moment and from what i can tell i think that’s the creature I’m dealing with. But i could also be wrong, because if this is a skin walker it’s advanced to another level. Not only does it imitate voice. It imitates appearance. And it really wants me dead or gone.

I like to call it skinny, i think it pisses him off though. And when i say his name, i say it loud, because especially at night, i know he’s listening. I’ve lived here for three years now and he’s been harassing me for about a year. And he’s good. One of the smartest things to come after me so far. The only one that can seem to almost get in my head. He tries to lure me out not by pretending to be someone in trouble like other imitators that I’ve dealt with before. He’s aware that that stuff doesn’t work on me anymore. No, he tries to piss me off. He wants me to try to kill him. The problem is we both know i probably can’t.

One time he got me though, i was watching a documentary about veteran suicide. It’s a terrible topic. I’m a supporter of our armed forces, and i think it’s terrible that our government doesn’t take better care of the vets that risk everything overseas so we don’t have to. They were doing a slide show of men how had unfortunately lost the struggle with their own demons. I had to look away for a second because this one guy that appeared on the screen looked to young and happy to have gone to this dark of a place. He was mixed race from what i could tell, Athletic looking, and had a big dimpled smile on his face. When i look away, I’m suddenly staring at the same kid... outside my window. Same smile. Same build. Same uniform. One difference. Across his forehead was the word “Failure”. I instantly knew it was skinny. He wasn’t trying to imitate this kid, he was insulting him. And he finally struck a nerve. I had seen him imitate so many other people, and try so many other tactics, but this was the one that finally broke me. I was ending this creature.

I exploded out of my chair and bolted for my bedroom. Grabbed my 45 caliber handgun and proceeded to walk towards the same window the young soldier was still staring through. I got within five feet and saw that the word had changed. It now spelled out “i deserved it” after reading this, i didn’t hesitate to raise my gun and fire two shots. But i think he ducked them. Bastard is fast. I stormed outside to try to find him but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

That’s when i hear, “gotcha” whispered into my ear and i was flung against the wall of my house. The gun flew out of my hand in the process. Broke two ribs and dislocated my right shoulder. I was a dead man. And he knew it.

Ever since the incident that lead me to buy a house by myself out in the middle of the woods, I don’t think I’ve ever felt fear again. Something is wrong with my head. But i did feel defeat. I fell for his trap. And now he’s going to kill me. As these thoughts passed though my brain, i passed out from the pain. And the concussion probably. Then, for some reason that i still don’t understand, i woke up. It was bright outside and i was covered in blood and in more pain than i had ever been in in my entire life. But i was alive. Why was i alive? I struggled to stand up with my right arm hanging loosely at my side. And i soon noticed the words carved into the outside wall of my house. “Next time”. Fuck skinny.

Ever since i got back from the hospital (i told the doctors i fell off of a roof) I’ve been trying to find ways to deal with, or kill a skin walker, if there is a way, or if he’s even a skin walker. He beat me. I’m usually pretty lighthearted with most of my experiences no matter how intense they are. But i just can’t with this one because if i lose to skinny again. I guess i will be signing off for good. Be careful out there. And don’t be fooled like me. There isn’t always a next time.

BUT HEY, not dead yet, so maybe There will be a next time. I plan on writing down more of my experiences in the future so keep your eyes peeled for those. Until next time. Cole signing off

My First Time Camping (Part 3)

Hey everyone... sorry for the late update... the last 48 hours were extremely harrowing and it’s taking a lot of my energy to recount the events. This will be my final update; after this I need to focus on recovery.

So as per my comment in my last post, I had made it to the main road and was starting to get better signal. I text a friend but hadn’t heard back yet, my calls were still dropping. At this point I still hadn’t quantified the danger enough in my head to justify calling 911 - that seemed like overkill.

I had been walking for miles when at last I saw a small farmhouse down the road. I’ll admit I didn’t run to it; I was exhausted at this point, so I kept up my even pace, glad relief was likely just ahead. That was when I heard the roar of an engine behind me - the first car I had heard the entire time I was walking. I turned around and my stomach dropped when I recognized Ryder’s blue truck. Before I could even think to react he roared past me, turned the truck to block the road and stopped in front of me.

“Get. In. The. Truck. NOW!” He screamed, his face beat red with anger. I started backing up, I was hoping to stall for time, surely the people in the farmhouse would hear him and come to investigate? But the moment I took a step backwards he flung the truck door open and stalked towards me. He grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me into the truck, pushing me past the driver’s seat and into the passenger seat, before crawling in after me. I tried to open the passenger door but he must have had the child safety lock on because it wouldn’t budge. Then he slammed his palm into my head so that my skull hit the window, hard. My head began to throb with pain and I began to cry. This only seemed to infuriate him more.

“Shut the fuck up!” He threw the car into drive and sped all the way back to the cabin.

Once there he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the truck with him. By now I was begging him to let me go, but it fell on deaf ears. He pushed me to the ground by the pile of wood he’s been working on for days and went off.

“You think you can just abandon me?” He started saying, but as he spoke his voice sounds jumbled and distorted, cracking and deepening in random places. He twisted his neck around in odd ways and his fingers were twitching and stretching at his sides. “We still have eight more days out here. You agreed to this. You can’t leave. Not now, not ever.”

That was when he reached for his axe. The next few moments are a blur, I remember I jumped to my feet and sprinted for the cabin, but how I made it inside before him I don’t even know. Pure adrenaline? The grace of God? Regardless the next thing I remember is standing inside the cabin with the door locked as he pounded on it. I vividly remember the way the room was illuminated with the setting sun, and that I felt very cold.

Isn’t that so strange? That in a moment like that... I could remember feeling cold?

I had my phone out and was frantically trying to get a call to go through when I heard the first thunk of the axe against the door.

“No!!! Stop! Stop!” I think I screamed, and I bolted to the bathroom, locking that door too. I could hear him continuing to slam the axe into the wooden door, growling in anger.

“You’ll regret, you’ll regret, you’ll rot, you’ll rot.”

I heard wood splinter as I went to the bathroom window and yanked it open. The drop from the window to the ground was probably about eight feet, as it’s on the back of the cabin without the porch, but I didn’t even hesitate as I lifted my short, 5-foot-nothing frame out the window. I dangled as far down as I could and then dropped. I didn’t land gracefully, but I wouldn’t even feel the bruises until later. In that moment I simply stood up and sprinted into the woods, looking for a place to hide. I could hear Ryder making short work of the bathroom door with his axe.

As I ran I chanced one last glance behind me, and that’s when I saw the massive, deep scratches along the back of the cabin from the night before.

I didn’t look back again. I ran down a small embankment and found a cluster of boulders by a creek. I wedged myself in between two, in a small crevice and nestled into the dark space, praying I wouldn’t find myself sharing the spot with a snake or deadly spider.

I barley dared to breathe. In the distance, from the direction of the cabin, I heard an inhuman roar, sharp and ragged. A few moments later, I hear the crunching of leaves, and could see Ryder’s silhouette emerge at the top of the embankment, the setting sun glowing behind him.

I’ve never been so still, I’ve never held my breath so long. I heard him come down the hill and begin to walk across the stone. The chilling sound of the axe, scraping the stone as he dragged it behind him, filled my ears.

“Where are you?” He said, and my heart lept because it was his voice - Ryder’s voice. He sounded normal, concerned even. “Come back, gumdrop. I’m sorry I got so mad. I just love you so much. Let’s go to town and have dinner together?”

I didn’t respond, and after a moment I heard a thud and then his heavy footsteps as he continued on. I listened as he walked through the creek and then shuffled down the second embankment.

I counted to 60 and then carefully emerged from my hiding place. I looked around and the second I realized he was out of sight, I booked it as fast as I could back towards the cabin. I was pretty sure Ryder had left the keys in the ignition when we got back, all I had to do was make it to the truck.

I ran faster and harder than I ever knew I could. I burst through the tree line and then took a sharp turn around the cabin. I saw the truck! I ran towards it, when suddenly I heard Ryder’s scream echoing as he lunged out of the woods next to the cabin and ran straight at me.

At the time I was in too much shock to question it, but now I can’t wrap my mind around how he could have even gotten back so fast, and from that angle of the forest... regardless, before I had time to think I grabbed the driver’s side door and yanked it open - just in time to stop the axe he swung from connecting with my chest. Instead it smashed into the door. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to climb inside as his next move was to let go of the axe, still wedged in the metal, and come at me. I tried to run but only made it as far as the truck bed. He slammed me against it and lifted me off my feet with his hands around my neck. I couldn’t pry him off me. For a moment, I was sure I was going to die. Then I started to kick and flail, and as he bent me over the side of the truck bed, my hand connected with something heavy in the back.

I swung...

The crowbar made a sickening crack. He stumbled back, releasing me, as a trickle of blood began to run from his temple. In the moment he was dazed I jumped into the driver’s side of the truck, slammed the door shut (the axe fell out), started it and slammed the gas pedal down.

I burst into tears as he disappeared from view in the rearview mirror. He had dropped to his knees, and was just kneeling there, watching me go.

I didn’t stop driving until I reached the police station in the nearest town. By then it was nightfall. The next few hours were a blur. I remember bursting in there sobbing and telling them I needed an ambulance for Ryder. They immediately dispatched one to the cabin and then tried to calm me enough that I could tell them what happened. Finally, I went with an officer in his car back to the cabin. I needed to see Ryder now that I was safe - I needed to know I hadn’t killed him.

When we got there, he had vanished. There was some blood in the spot where I had hit him, and the crowbar sat next to it, untouched, but Ryder was gone. The only trace of him was a set of impossibly deep, heavy footprints leading into the woods, and the trail of an axe being dragged besides it.

That was almost 48 hours ago, and still no trace of Ryder has been found. I’ve spent most of that time in the police station, answering questions and filing a missing persons report. After seeing the bruises on my neck and the destruction to the doors of the cabin, they won’t be pressing charges against me... even though I admitted to bludgeoning him with the crowbar. They asked me about the scratches next to the door but I didn’t know what to tell them...

My dad is on his way to get me and should be here any minute. I could barely tell him what’s going on... I can barely tell myself.

How did I get here? My sweet, loving boyfriend is gone... and the worst part is I still don’t understand what happened. Was he taken by insanity? Some dark, evil ceature of the forest? Possession?

Or worse... was this monster always lurking inside of him... just waiting for the right moment to emerge?

---

Credits

My First Time Camping (Part 2)

Hey everyone, first I want to thank you all for your comments and advice. I’m not going to lie, it really freaked me out! I don’t know anything about this wendingo/skinwalker/fleshgait shit but from the limited research I could do (basically my phone would only load the first page of google, so I could just check out the result summaries), it’s suffice it to say I am thoroughly frightened.

I’m going to let you know what happened to me the last 24 hours but first I just want to clear up something that folks seem a little confused about - I’m not in the Pine Barrens. Ryder is from the Pines but he took me to the Catskills in New York to camp. I’m not sure if that changes anything. Are skin walkers and their ilk only in the Pine Barrens? Or can they be in any woods?

Regardless, I took your advice yesterday and decided to leave on foot to get help. I grabbed my backpack, threw water and food in it, and set out down the very long driveway. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it very far before Ryder found me.

He emerged from the thicket of trees on the left side of the trail about 15 minutes into my journey, dragging the axe in the dirt behind him. When I saw the look on his face, a cold, sinister expression, I took more of your advice and decided to pretend like nothing was wrong despite the fact that my heart was thumping wildly in my chest. For my sake, I hope he is still human, or he could have surely heard it.

“There you are! Oh my god Ryder, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I was so worried. Let’s go back to the cabin.”

Without waiting for him to reply I turned and started walking back the way I came. At first I wasn’t sure if he was going to follow, but then I began to hear large, heavy footsteps behind me. They sounded so loud that when I turned around I almost expected to find a horse, but it was just Ryder, dragging the axe and his feet before each heavy step. He didn’t say a word.

When we arrived back at the cabin I immediately went inside and put my things down. My heart was still racing, my whole body tingling with fear. I went to one of the windows and nearly jumped back in shock when I saw Ryder standing in front of the porch railing, staring stony faced into the cabin.

I forced myself to calm down and stepped outside. I leaned against the cabin wall, right against those horrifically large scratches, crossed my arms, and turned my attention to Ryder.

“Hey, so... I could use a couple things from the general store. What do you say we head into town for a nice dinner and I can also pick up what I need?”

Ryder stared at me, and then slowly, so slow it almost seemed like slow motion, he blinked once. I don’t know what it was about this, but it fucking creeped me out. It was almost like he wasn’t registering anything I said. Just when I thought he was going to ignore me, he spoke one, croaky, hoarse sounding word.

“No.”

“Oh,” I continued trying to play it cool, “okay well, no problem. Can I just have the keys then? I’m going to run into town real quick and grab what I need, then I’ll come right back and we can have dinner by the fire again.”

This time he didn’t hesitate.

“No.”

For a moment, despite his behavior and the sound of his voice, I allowed myself to forget that this may not be my Ryder. I became exasperated. How dare he tell me I can’t go anywhere?

“Come on Ryder! What is the deal?! Just let me take your truck for a bit!”

“NO!” He bellowed at me, and the sound echoed - but it wasn’t like any echo I had ever heard. It repeated, over and over, maybe three, four times? It sounded like he was shouting it over and over but he stood there, his mouth closed, gnashing his teeth, staring me down.

I turned and ran inside.

The next few hours, as the sun set, I watched as Ryder continued chopping wood. Stump after stump was cut down wordlessly, emotionlessly. By now there is a giant stack of wood by the fire - far more than I can ever imagine we’d need, but he just keeps at it.

I tried to send a few texts to friends, though none of them own cars and could drive to get me, but because I was inside and not on the porch, none of them went through. I didn’t dare go outside, I wanted him to forget I was even in there.

As the sun set it cast a red glow into the cabin, and I was beginning to feel more and more panicked at the prospect of nightfall. I already had planned to leave again the next morning - I just needed to make it through the night.

Night did come, and Ryder stayed outside, now sitting by the fire. Watching him through the window, with the soft light of the flames illuminating his face, I felt a pull on my heart. That is the face of the man I love. That isn’t a monster, it’s Ryder - my Ryder. I’ll admit I began to cry a bit, whether from all the stress or the fear - but I quickly backed away from the window when he snapped his head to the left and looked right at me.

The next few hours were quiet, but then around 1AM he stumbled into the cabin. He almost seemed drunk, but I knew he hadn’t been drinking. I was lying in bed and immediately pretended to be asleep. I heard him shut the door and amble over to me with those same, heavy steps. The bed squeaked under his weight as he settled in next to me. Now I laid as still as I could, barely daring to breathe, while behind me, I could hear his own breathing, laborious and heavy, as if his lips were mere inches from my ear. Then he spoke in that strange, husky voice, and the words sent shivers down my spine.

“Love you, gumdrop.”

It wasn’t his voice, not the one I know, but it was his special nickname for me. It took everything within me not to burst into tears. Instead I took a breath in and held it, keeping my eyes shut as tightly as I could. Moments later, I sensed he had fallen asleep as his breathing turned even and steady.

I still didn’t dare to move. I didn’t sleep all night; I was too petrified. I laid awake, afraid to touch my phone or move an inch, lest I wake him. It was the longest eight hours of my life. Instead, all I did was make mental notes of what happened next, while staring at the red glowing numbers of the digital clock on the nightstand.

2AM I heard a creaking on the porch, like someone was walking out there, but no footsteps.

2:26AM There was a loud, sharp yap in the distance. Just a single sound, like a small dog or fox or something.

3:15AM The scratching/raking noises again, only this time it sounded like it was behind the cabin - on the wall right behind our bed. I actually cried out a bit when this started, but luckily it didn’t wake Ryder... neither did the scratching sounds, despite how loud they seemed to me. This continued for about 25 minutes. I think I almost had a panic attack at this point; it was really hard to even breathe.

4:05AM The scratching nosies have stopped, but now the roof of the cabin begins to creak, as if someone were walking across it back and forth. When it finally stops, it stops right above my head.

4:17AM I hear that voice again. It sounds just like Ryder - like Ryder’s normal voice - only this time I don’t think the repetitive phrase he is saying includes the word “stop,” - now I think it sounds like “rot.”

From then until 8AM, things were quiet. I almost drifted off to sleep even at one point, but as I did I was jolted awake by my own sense of panic. Finally, at eight, Ryder woke, stood up immediately, and slammed the screen door as he headed outside. I watched him leave, and realized he still had on the same clothes as yesterday - he had slept in them - which also means the truck key is still in his pocket.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table now, writing this update while I listen to him chop wood outside - he’s been doing it for hours. I have my backpack ready to go again. The moment he leaves to collect more wood, I’m booking it down the driveway. I think it’s about a mile to the main road. I’m not a runner, and have never been super athletic, but I’m hoping my adrenaline and determination can get me there fast enough. Once there I’m going to walk until I can hopefully flag down a driver to take me into town and then I can call family and friends.

I’m actually pretty afraid to hitchhike but, at this point, I kind of feel one danger outweighs the other. I also have to admit that there’s a part of me that feels guilty leaving him here alone... but I’ve been reminding myself that if this man isn’t my Ryder, then my Ryder might still be out there... and if so he needs my help.

Wish me luck, and please if you have any more advice (or even theories about wtf is happening) I could really use it right now. I’m hoping once I’m out by the main road my phone will pick up a bit more signal. The last thing I’ll do before I leave the porch and make my escape is post this.

I just hope I can find someone before Ryder finds me again...

---

Credits

My First Time Camping (Part 1)

Two days ago I packed for my first “camping” trip, and even though I’ve been a little nervous I was also excited.

Camping is in quotations because I know a lot of you won’t consider staying in a cabin in the woods to be camping. I get that. But I am a city girl. I was born in one of the largest cities in the world and I’ve lived there my entire life. The most time I’ve spent amongst nature has been picnicking in Central Park.

So to me, spending 10 days in a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods, is basically camping. My boyfriend, Ryder, on the other hand, has been camping his entire life.

We met two years ago when he first moved to the city from the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. He grew up in the middle of the woods, so for him, city life was the big adjustment. On our first date he told me all about life as a “piney.” I was taken by his adventurous nature and self-assuredness. He first moved to the city for a construction job, and he misses the quiet of the woods.

So I’ve agreed to a camping trip so I can experience this part of his life that he loves and cherishes. I really love Ryder, and I want to be able to love this part of his lifestyle... but I have to confess that so far, things haven’t been comfortable.

I don’t mean the bugs or the creaky old mattress (which fine, not my favorite but I’m not some pansy who can’t handle it), there’s just some aspects of this whole camping thing that are seriously unnerving me.

To start, the cabin he rented is really, seriously remote. We’re somewhere in the Catskills and tbh I’m not even really sure exactly where. I let him navigate and drive, and didn’t pay much attention. We’re about three hours out from Brooklyn, that’s all I know. The cabin we’re staying in is studio style, with a bedroom nook, small kitchenette, a bathroom, and living space. It’s the only cabin for miles. He found it on Airbnb for a really good price. When he told me about it, he said we’d have lots of fun with all the extra privacy, and I felt excited by the twinkle in his eye. Yes, we did fuck outside last night, in front of the fire he built, while I laid on my back and stared at the night sky which looked different than I had ever seen it before (I had no idea how many stars you can see with the naked eye) - but what I hadn’t considered was how eerie the isolation would feel. What’s more, I barely get any signal at all. If this post goes through it’ll be because I’m standing on the left side of the front porch, holding my phone up to the sky, and being granted a miracle by the cell tower gods. Did I mention there’s no WiFi?

Ryder likes it that way. He loves the whole “tiny house,” “off the grid,” thing. He said we’d have more time to connect without WiFi but the truth is... he’s seemed off since we arrived.

The first night was fine, we got here, we unpacked, he built a fire and we roasted some marshmallows and ate dinner. We enjoyed the aforementioned hanky panky, and then we went to bed early so we could get up to hike the next day. But then something woke us up in the middle of the night.

I woke up first, and in my groggy sleepy state I shook Ryder awake. He listened with me to what sounded like a hard scraping on the outside of the wall, where the porch is. It sounded like someone was dragging a rake along the wood, over and over again.

My heart was pounding in my chest. We were supposed to be completely alone out here, why would someone be on the porch? I started wishing we had a gun or something to protect us. I can’t help but to imagine the worst and my mind was racing. I whispered my fears to Ryder who hushed me and got out of bed, pulled on his jeans, and crept over to the window.

The second he peaked outside, the sound stopped. I was so scared I was holding my breath. Then, to my horror, Ryder opened the front door. Before I could even make a sound to protest he stepped outside and let the screen door slam behind him.

I laid in bed, clutching the blankets to my chest, staring at his silhouette illuminated by the porch light.

“There’s nothing out here,” he said to me.

“Come back inside!” I pleaded, feeling afraid to even have the door open, but Ryder insisted on taking a look around the property. He instructed me to lock the door behind him before he strutted off the porch. I did as I was told, despite being gripped with fear.

I thought he’d be back in a minute at most, but instead I spent the next 20 minutes petrified, straining to listen past the sound of the crickets for any sign of him. I was too afraid to look out the window or open the door. I know I sound like a coward, and maybe I am, but please understand I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life.

Finally after the longest 20 minutes of my life I heard him come up the steps and rap on the door.

“It’s me,” he said, and although it sounded like him, there was a strange huskiness to his voice that I didn’t recognize. I opened the door and Ryder came inside, not bothering to glance at me as he head back to bed.

I locked the door and crawled in next to him.

“Did you see anything?”

“Obviously not,” he sounded annoyed.

“What do you think that was?”

“Probably just the wind or something.”

I laughed then, because the notion was so silly I thought he was certainly joking, but the angry look on his face at the sound of my laugh clearly told me he wasn’t.

“You worry too fucking much, you know that?”

He’s never spoken to me like this before, and his words honestly shocked me. I didn’t know what to say, I felt deeply wounded by his words. I understand that I might be overreacting because I don’t understand the wilderness, but I didn’t think I was being that paranoid? I definitely didn’t think my fearful reaction would invoke anger in him.

“I’m sorry,” I tried to apologize but he rolled over then. Unsure what else to say, I laid down and tried to sleep. He fell asleep rather quickly, I could tell from his deep, even breathing. I tossed and turned for about an hour, my mind reeling, feeling nervous and uncomfortable. Finally, just as I was drifting off, I heard another sound.

At first I thought I was dreaming, but as I snapped awake, I realized it was a distant sound, that seemed like it was coming from the woods behind our cabin. It took me a minute to recognize it as a voice, repeating the same thing over and over. I couldn’t make out what it was saying, except I think I heard the word, “stop.” What I did realize though, what sent shivers down my spine, was that the voice sounded eerily like Ryder’s.

It only happened about three times and then vanished. I was absolutely paralyzed. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to wake up Ryder again because I was 1. afraid of making him angrier, and what if he didn’t believe me and thought I was just being paranoid again? and 2. I was honestly really fucking afraid at this point, and the thought of him going outside again filled me with anxious thoughts of harm coming to him.

I decided the best thing I could do was lay awake and on guard, listening for danger, and if I heard something concrete, then I could wake Ryder.

So I laid awake all night, playing WiFi-free games on my phone like solitaire, fighting my tired eyes. At last, when the stirrings of dawn began to light the edges of the curtains, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

I woke up about three hours later to an empty cabin. I could see that Ryder had fixed himself a quick breakfast of toast and jam, the remnants sat out on the kitchen table. I pulled on my coat and boots, not bothering to change out of my plaid pajamas, and stepped out onto the porch.

Ryder wasn’t anywhere in sight, but there was a small fire going and some freshly chopped wood. I figured he was out gathering more. I turned around to go back inside, and that’s when I saw it.

The side of the cabin - covered in long, deep, fresh scratch marks.

I don’t know if I screamed or cried out, but suddenly I felt hands clutch my shoulders. I turned around ready to fight but it was only Ryder, who had come up behind me.

“Fuck!”

“Did I scare you?” He asked, but although his voice sounded teasing, his face was stoney and serious.

“Why didn’t you wake me when you saw this?” I gestured to the scratch marks.

“What?”

When I tell you my stomach dropped in that moment, I am not kidding. I felt a chill go through me. I couldn’t believe he was acting like the scratches were no big deal! It’s evidence that someone or something was on our porch last night!

“Seriously? The scratches, Ryder!”

“I’m pretty sure those were there when we got here. Nothing new.”

I walked over to the wall and picked at the freshly chipping wood, and pointed to the shavings on the deck. I began to argue with him, but he first dismissed me, and then suddenly, that anger was back.

I watched a chillingly dark look come over his face - I’ve never seen him look at me or anyone that way before. His teeth clenched as he moved his jaw side to side, boring holes into me with his eyes. I shut up.

“I’m getting really sick of you trying to ruin this vacation for us. Isn’t anything I do good enough for you?”

“What?” I said, totally flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe he feels that way. “I’m not trying to ruin anything! I’m just scared!”

“Guess this is what I get for thinking I could maybe just for once enjoy something I like with you. But no, it’s always got to be about what the city girl likes and wants. You’re so fucking high maintenance, you know that?”

Once again I was deeply wounded by his words, they cut to the bone. I really can’t stress enough that he has never spoken to me like this before. He’s always been sensitive and sweet. If he had these feelings of resentment, I don’t know why he’s been hiding them from me until now.

“Please, I’m sorry. I swear it’s not like that. I’m just really freaked out. Could we at least maybe ride into town for the day?”

“Town is at least a 35 minute drive from here!” He bellowed, his face turning red with anger. I fell silent, my voice catching in my throat.

“I can’t take your bullshit anymore! I’m going for a fucking walk.” He hollered and grabbed the axe he’d been chopping wood with, before storming off down a path and into the woods.

That was two hours ago now, and I’ve been sitting on the porch waiting for him to come back. I can’t reach him by phone because, not only is there no service, but he left his in the cabin. What he did take, however, are the keys to his truck. I’m terrified that something could happen to him out there and I’d have no way to get help. I’m just stranded here, utterly trapped until he returns. I’m wracked with anxiety, I can’t eat and I feel sick.

I’m writing this in hopes that someone can make sense of all this for me. Am I overreacting to what’s happened here? Am I being a bad girlfriend and ruining the trip? What could have made those scratches on the side of the cabin? They’re about one inch in width and there’s four of them in a line, running down the side of the cabin. It reminds me of claw marks a little but deeper, and I don’t think an animal would repeatedly run their claws in the same spot like that? But maybe I’m wrong? I don’t know a ton about bears or anything like that...

Please help if you can. I feel really scared and I don’t know what to do. I’m going to sit here and just keep trying to get the page to load comments while I wait. I just hope Ryder comes back before nightfall, which is in about eight hours, and that I can make it up to him and make him feel better.

I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s still so angry...

---

Credits

I've Discovered The Only Thing I'm Afraid Of

Nothing scares me.

I live for adventure. The unknown. The undiscovered and the sweet rush of adrenaline that courses through my veins every time I stare smiling into the very face of death and give him the finger.

I've hunted grizzly in the Alaskan wilderness armed with nothing but a bow to give my apex predator prey a fair shot at winning.

I've scaled Yosemite's El Capitaine mountain, all 3000 feet of its vertical rock face in just 24 hours while sleeping in suspended hammocks I hung from the pitons I wedged into the rock.

I've survived sandstorms in the Sahara and a mid Atlantic hurricane as I sailed from Newfoundland to Portugal alone in my wind propelled sailboat.

I always travel alone. I refuse sherpas, guides or anything else of the like. They ruin the experience so I pay them to look the other way.

I'm also incredibly lucky.

Not just with near death close calls, which god knows there's been more than a few, but with life in general.

I'm 33 years old and in the prime of my life. I've never had to work a day of it because I come from a ridiculous amount of wealth. My family owns one of the largest retail chains in North America and money is no object for us. My father says he and his father before him worked all their lives building an empire so the future descendants of our family wouldn't have to.

My ancestors hail from Portugal and my father says the blood of discovery and conquest runs through our veins. I tend to agree with that because I suffer from a serious case of wanderlust. If I stay too long in a city with all its creature comforts, modern utilities, and domesticated people, I end up feeling like a caged animal in a concrete zoo.

My family has always understood my particular affliction so they've encouraged and funded every single one of my expeditions on the sole condition that I document everything on my satellite phone which connects me to the internet and is how I'm able to write this to you now.

The whole reason I traversed the Atlantic in the first place was to reconnect with my heritage stopping only on Portugal's offshore land of the Azores along the way to resupply. I wanted to walk the same land that my ancestors did. Travel the same waters and feel the same sense of accomplishment, so I retraced their steps. This mimicry has lead me all over the world and finally to the Amazon in Portugal's largest former colony, Brasil.

It's hard to imagine in our modern era that there remains places left on the planet to be discovered, let alone something as colossal as the Amazon, but here she stands. Five and a half million square kilometers in all her glory just begging to be explored.

To put that into perspective that's larger than all of the territory controlled by the Roman Empire at its peak. Rome at that time stretched from as far west as the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in Europe, and as far east to the sands of Iran in western Asia. All of that territory including Roman coastal North Africa would fit comfortably within the Amazon with over a million square kilometers to spare.

To this day, there lives dozens, if not hundreds of tribes of indigenous people who remain uncontacted.

If I had found one of them it would have been the highlight of my entire life. Hell, if I would have found some new species of frog I'd have been content, and I don't even much like frogs. So if someone would have told me a week ago that I would be the first to set eyes on an a structure in the middle of the jungle that has remained untouched for god knows how long I'd have been elated.

It's been said that more tears have been shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.

When I found it I was about to cut my exhibition short and make my way back to civilization. I had provisioned for weeks but by the 4th day I had already had enough.

The Amazon is the most relentless and unforgiving terrain I've ever encountered which is probably a pretty good reason why it has remained largely unmapped.

The air is so thick here with humidity that you cough up the water that accumulates in your lungs throughout the day as if you're drowning one breath of fresh air at a time.

When the air itself is wet, so is everything else and if you're not careful, the very ground you walk on firm and steady with one step will swallow your leg to the ankle with the next and hold on tight with shackles of mud as dense and dark as clay.

Insects are more of a concern here than anywhere else in the world that I've encountered and I don't just mean the large venomous kind like spiders or centipedes. These creatures are deadly, a single bite from either would likely spell the end of my life out here with no medical attention, but they have no reason to bite you. They don't see you as prey and actively go out of their way to avoid you.

The mosquitoes are an obvious choice because they're everywhere. They loom in the air like fog and every single one of them carry the risk of sickness or infection. They buzz in your ears in that startling way that causes you to jolt and slap hard at your skin though it hardly matters because every single one of them that you kill is waiting to be replaced by a hundred others. All the stagnant water here is ideal for their procreation and the putrid smell of that bacteria is overwhelming and hangs heavy in the air alongside them. Zika, dengue fever, malaria and lord knows what else is a concern of course but I've taken the appropriate precautions and vaccinations before coming here. I expected them.

I didn't expect the goddamn ants.

I swear I've never given the insect a second thought in my life until I got here. Hundreds of different types of the most aggressive, vicious, hostile little assholes I've ever had the displeasure of encountering. You can hardly stand idle without them swarming the hand that rests on a tree or them claiming your backpack where you left it on the ground to stretch your aching back. Red ants, army ants, bullet ants, each one more terrible than the last. My heart nearly stopping completely when one of the latter found its way into my boot through an opening where my pant leg untucked. A sting from one of those and the victim can only wait it out and writhe on the ground in an agony that builds and crescendos over the course of several hours. It's what I've been told anyway, I have no interest in finding out for myself.

Another thing that cannot be ignored is the noise.

You'll find no stillness here. Every square foot of this jungle is teeming with life and commotion. The insects buzz near constant, the birds screech at all hours and the monkeys howl at your presence. I get the same feeling of agitation here as I do in the big city without an ounce of concrete in sight.

Noise was the final straw that nearly drove me from the rainforest but it was also noise that kept me from leaving. More specifically a sound. Seemingly out of nowhere, completely out of place as much felt as it was heard, a comforting rounded vibrato in the sharp screeching symphony of the jungle. A deep pulsating hum that reverberated through the ground beckoning me to it's source.

Hypnotic to the extent that I followed without question. I remember cutting through thick brush and vine to get there. I remember walking with my backpack above my head as I crossed a body of murky water. I remember the hum increasing in intensity. I don't remember it taking a full day to make it there.

My watch read midday before I heard the hum, but the sun had already began to set when I stood before the structure though, I didn't register much at the time.

The noise lead me to a ravine and at the base of that ravine stood stone gates.

I could hear nothing else over the noise. Less a hum now and more a roar that drowned out the jungle that increased in intensity with every step I took toward it. The rumble so overwhelming that I was forced to block my ears as I drew nearer.

As abruptly as it began, it all at once stopped when I stood directly in front of it. The speed and sudden change in intensity caused me to lose my balance for a moment and with its silence, the familiar sounds of the amazon were once again audible when I removed my hands from where they rested over my ears.

Birds, breeze, running water, all of it.

I observed my discovery in awe. Massive twin slabs of stone standing side by side almost seamlessly and held up by enormous primitive hinges. Locked only by a massive wooden log resting horizontally on iron brackets creating a door bolt.

I whispered something inaudible even to myself and looked around me. The walls on either side and behind the doors ran incredibly high and the tree roots and vines that grew dense out of them blocked out most of the setting sun. A small creek ran between my feet and I followed its stream with my eyes to where it ran under the small gap beneath the stone. Thinking that the water must feed into an underground cave blocked only by the gate.

The gate.

Water marks and algae covered its base formed by the rising and falling levels of the creek throughout the year. Letting my eyes travel all the way to the top, I noticed something that I hadn't before. Words.

Six of them. Three carved into each stone slab.

"Abandone toda esperança quem entra aqui"

My Portuguese was rusty but I instantly recognized it as a warning. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth and before I knew it, I was laughing hysterically. I threw my head back and let out a thunderous cry of triumph.

I had discovered something.

If the conquistadores of the old world thought it necessary to build a structure like this out in the middle of nowhere to discourage entry, then whatever lie behind it will surely land me on the cover of national geographic.

I lifted one end of the massive log with all my strength and allowed it to crash at my feet, then made my way to the opposite end to repeat the process. I dragged the log as far away from the stone as I could.

The hinges screamed as they moved for the first time in centuries and I screamed with them from the excersion it took to put them in motion. When the doors where ajar, I stood before them doubled over and panting. Watching as the sweat from my face dripped into the stream and flow into the entrance.

I gazed into it shaking my head and squinting at the light. Of all the things I was expecting to lie behind those doors, a valley was not among them.

Daylight had already faded into blackness behind me, but before me within the entrance a glow emitted like unobstructed moonlight. I straightened walking right up to it and breathed deeply as I passed its threshold. The breath I drew was refreshingly free from humidity, clean and somewhat cool. The moon overhead was indeed unobstructed and it's light shone brightly in tandem with the constellations that littered the heavens.

Hundreds if not thousands of yellow fireflies scattered around the landscape mimicking the shimmering stars with soft bioluminescence. The reflection of the moon on the rushing water of the creek was sparkling in competition. All this creating the most breathtakingly beautiful scene I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

The valley was vast but its borders were visible. It's 50 or 55 acres guarded by mountainous walls on all sides like a crater. I walked, mouth open at the wonder of it all.

Everything here seemed out of place for South America. The climate, the trees, the bloody grass... all of it. What I found exactly I still wasn't sure. A different ecosystem that seems to have evolved independently from, yet still deep within the rainforest. I named it "Eden" because I thought "Paradise found" would make a hell of a headline.

I walked around the valley taking in the majesty of this place. The cool breeze on my skin and the sweetness of the air, until I finally removed my gear from my aching shoulders and lay it on the bank of the creek. Sprawling myself out next to it on the cool grass, gazing up at the spectacular night sky grinning. For the first night since I stepped foot in this God forsaken place, I drifted off to sleep deeply and uninterrupted.

I awoke to nothing. No squawking parrots, no buzzing insects, no noise. Only the comforting sound of the creek filled the air and I made a silent prayer to anyone listening for that.

The sun shined merrily in the blue sky so I took this opportunity to retrieve my solar panel from my backpack to charge my phone. I took in my surroundings for the first time in the light of day to appreciate the stunning array of colour this Eden offered. From the vivid evergreen pasture on the ground, to the crystal blue of the sky, and everything in between was magnificently vibrant.

It felt safe here.

I began documenting my discovery jotting down my findings in the leather journal I packed and snapped pictures for reference.

I don't know exactly when that feeling of security began to wane throughout the morning, but I do remember It was the sound of my breathing that alerted me to the fact that I could hear nothing else.

No birds or insects still, but even the creek was now silent. The hair on the back of my neck stood at the realization that a pin drop could be heard should one fall anywhere in this valley.

I dropped my gear and made my way to the outer walls where the gate stood scaling the hill that stood between us. I was at the peak when I was able to see past the cliffs of the walls above me.

My eyes shifting from the crystal blue of the sky above me to the deep blackness that began to swallow it whole from the peripherals.

I rubbed my eyes at this but it didn't seem to help. Above me in a large circle was the sky as I'd always known it, but in a larger ring around it was blackness. I say blackness but it hardly does it justice. Night is black but night is something, what surrounded the sky was more than black - it was nothing.

I looked back at the bank of the creek where I spent the night and realized why I could no longer hear water because there was none left of it to speak of. The very ground it ran over was left cracked and dry.

A new colour was introduced to the palette of the valley - brown. The plant life so vibrant and alive just this morning began to wilt and dry before my very eyes as if they were plagued by drought.

Confusion set in as my eyes scanned the walls for the gate and panic took its place when they found it closed. I bolted toward it whispering "no" under my breath repeatedly and begun screaming it, as I pushed with all of my might against the slabs that refused to give an inch.

I paced as my mind ran through my options. If I couldn't go through the gate I could at least scale the walls. These were nothing in comparison to el capitaine. I ran back to where I dropped my gear and pulled out what I'd need for the ascent.

By the time I made it back it was too late. The blackness that consumed the sky above me now consumed the walls before me. Taking the gate with it. I stood there for a long while staring into the abyss shaking my head in an attempt to wake up from this nightmare until I realized that meant that the blackness was still moving.

I made a line in the dirt with my foot to confirm it and watched in horror as inch by inch it was swallowed up by the shadows.

I jogged around the perimeter looking for the opening I'd never find. My heart sinking at the realization that the void was closing in from all directions like a cylinder or a noose.

All I could do was retreat toward the center as it stalked forward.

Confusion, panic, frustration and anticipation flooded through me like andrenaline untill I was almost quite literally pulling out my hair.

Minutes grew into hours and I howled into the abyss in defiance but it offered no echo as reply. The rocks I hurled into it were swallowed whole with no sign or sound of them landing.

No way under,

No way over,

No way out.

I made my way back to my gear and sat beside it head in hands. Powerlessness a completely foreign concept to me. The grass beneath me cracked like dry leaves under my weight as opened my bag to retrieve my canteen. My camera fell from where it was nestled within it, illuminating the rear LCD screen in the tumble.

The image of the last picture I took filled its display and I felt my brow furrow as I leaned over to pick it up. I struggled to comprehend what it was that I was seeing. In the place of the lush green forestry I had been photographing was a photo of smoke.

I hit the left keypad to scroll back through my other shots and the next dozen or so were much of the same. I checked the timestamps to make sure these were In fact the same photo's I had taken earlier to confirm.

Embers were introduced as I continued to scroll and slowly they grew stronger into flame with every click of the button. My heart pounding in my throat until abruptly the screen went from inferno to black.

Another hit of the button and yet another black screen. I checked the numbering at the top right and it read 600 of 757 another click and the monitor remained black but 600 fell to 599 It was at the 546th shot when I saw it.

Two yellow specks of light in the distance of the photo the next five clicks brought them slowly closer. The five that followed after that introduced more pairs of yellow light until the screen was shimmering as if I'd taken a picture of the clear night sky. It was only as the original pair grew ever closer to my camera that I registered what I was looking at.

Eyes.

Thousands of pairs them scattered everywhere watching me from all angles in the darkness and waves of chills ran through my body as I remembered my first night here.

Fireflies.

The final click of the button turned my screen a bright yellow altogether as if one of the eyes were pressed up close against the lens. I squinted at the brightness realizing for the first time just how dark my surroundings were becoming.

I looked up and all I could do was watch as bit by bit the blackness eclipsed the sun above me, the light growing fainter until all together I was plunged into darkness.

It's been nineteen hours since then and my phone's battery reads two percent at the end of my typing this and with no sun left for my solar panel to source, I fear this is my final word.

I watch as my leather journal burns in the fire that I've made to ward off the cold. I observe as the light it's emitting is absorbed by the void no bigger at this point than my own arm span. The hum I first heard in the amazon comes and goes louder than ever making it difficult to think.

What happens when it closes I can't be sure.  As I pulled out another object from my bag to burn, an ant from the Amazon ran from where it was taking refuge within it, and the sight of another living creature filled me with more joy than I can put into words.

I tried to make him stay.

I tried to prevent him from scurrying off into the blackness, throwing my self on the ground stretching my hand out to catch him.

I failed.

I couldn't help but weep like a child at this abandonment.

Just a day ago I wished death on every single one of them that resided in the jungle and now I'd give anything to be kept company by one.

To not have to face this alone.

One percent.

To my family, take care of each other. I love you all more than anything and I'm sorry that I'm forced to leave you.

Dad, I promised you that I would never let you outlive a child, forgive me.

Don't come looking for me.

Don't come looking for it.

I found something out here in the jungle.

What it is I don't know, but I've heard it said that Hell is a culmination of everything that you fear most and, as I stare into the nothingness that surrounds me. I can't help but laugh out loud because there's not a goddamn thing in this world that I'm afraid of.

But nothing?

Nothing scares me.

---

Credits

I Discovered A New Level of Dreaming

I've discovered a new level of dreaming.

One I hope no one else has the "pleasure" to discover themselves. Before I go on some spill, let me start from the beginning. Fair warning: I can't tell you why it happened, only when it started.

My name is Adam and I’ve always had lucid dreams for as long as I could remember. Whenever I dreamed, I had complete control over anything and everything that happened. If I ever had a nightmare I could turn it into a dream where I’m a badass monster hunter or something peaceful or funny. I could fly around, lift skyscrapers, and do whatever else I couldn't do in real life. I always thought I was experiencing the most complex level of dreaming possible. That was until the day my co-worker John told me he used to experienced Astral Projection as a kid.

Now John isn't someone I consider to be a friend but he's decent enough and we have a few things in common. We're both in our early twenties, work in the same department, and attempting to pay off our student loans. The biggest thing I couldn't stand about John was how boring he was. Over the past six months, we've worked together, I've had to listen to every mundane detail about his life. I could barely keep myself awake during my eight-hour shift. Listening to one of John's stories could cure anyone of their insomnia. But one day, he finally said something that had piqued my interest.

"Did I ever tell you when I was a kid I used to experience Astral Projection?" He stood in front of my cubicle like he did every morning.

I turned away from my computer, curious. "What was it like?"

He looks taken back by my sudden interest in something he said. Then he responded with:

"It was like a really lucid dream, but I could still see my own body."

Now I’ve heard of Astral Projection. But I thought it was just some make believe crap like Santa Claus or people who actually like Nickelback. Still, hearing someone I know say they experienced it intrigued me. Don’t get me wrong I was plenty skeptical but intrigued nonetheless.

‘What else did you see?’ I asked gingerly. Still uncertain if I believed what he was saying.

“I just walked around my house. My mother and father were asleep so all the lights were turned off, so I couldn’t see much. but it was just cool to walk around."

"When did it start?"

“It started at about age 5 and stopped when I was about 8."

‘Why did it stop?” I asked.

“I don’t know why, but it just did one day. I never told anyone at the time. I thought it was just a normal thing that happened to everyone."

Then, I thought to ask the most important question:

"Do you remember how to do it?"

“No, and I don’t care to either. It was pretty boring after a while. I couldn’t interact with anything. All I could do was walk around in the dark."

Then he went on one of his boring tirades about his life. After I got home, I looked more into this Astral Projection thing. Apparently, to do it you just need to relax your body, focus on your breathing, sleep in a dark and quiet area and try to imagine yourself outside of your body. Seemed easy enough, but the first week I tried ended in failure. I didn’t even dream at all, which wasn’t unusual, but it did make for a very boring week. Near the end of the week though, I had a weird nightmare.

I woke up in my bed. Darkness encasing everything around me. Only a small fraction of the moon’s light shined through the blinds into my bedroom. In the pitch blackness, I noticed something inside my closet in the back of the room. A tall, shadowy figure stood watching me. It felt like all the air was gone from my body. I couldn't move or say anything. Without warning, the figure started floating towards me. My eyes darted to my bedroom door several feet away. Even if I could run, I'd never make it. The dark figure floated past the window. Its arms moving about in a distorted manner. It was only a couple of feet away now.

I remained in my bed, helpless and unable to move for what felt like an eternity. Then the sound of my oven door slamming open woke me up. The house I'm renting is very cheap and the oven door is flimsy and would never close all the way. So hearing it open by itself from time to time wasn’t unusual.

At the beginning of the following week, I was hesitant to try again because of how much that dream scared me. But I forced myself to try it again. It worked. Not much happened though and it was just like John had said. I was awake outside of my body, but could still see myself sleeping. It didn't last very long as I woke up about fifteen seconds later. I didn't even get to leave my room. Still, in my mind, it was one step closer to my goal. The next night wasn't very different from the last one. I woke up in my room and tried to open my bedroom door. But I woke up before I could. The following night proved better though. I was able to exit my room and upon doing so I noticed something odd.

Unlike John's experience and other Astral Projection stories I've read online, I was able to interact with everything around me. It was as if I was still awake, but of course, I wasn't. I knew that because I could still see my unconscious body sleeping. The first thing I did was an attempt to turn the TV on. To my surprise, it turned on and some news channel was broadcasting. I picked up the remote and started switching the channels. I saw that a rerun of Rick and Morty was on, so I watched some of it. It was the dream inception episode. Ironic I know.

The sound of my alarm clock caught my attention. It was coming from my room. I followed it all the way to my bedroom door. I grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it, getting it open just a crack. The sound of my oven door slamming open jolted me awake.

I sprang up in bed. Sweat poured down my face. The time on my alarm clock read 6:05 AM. It was time for work. I checked my oven door and indeed it was open. I shut the door and brushed it off then drove to work. When I got to work I told John about my experience. He gave me a disinterested, "Oh that’s cool."

I was a bit confused by this. "Did you not hear me? I actually Astral Projected. It was just like you said."

“That’s cool and all man, but don’t expect anything interesting to happen."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

“What I mean is that I Astral Projected for over three years. The only interesting thing I saw was a lighthouse outside my childhood home."

With that, I cut our conversation short before he could go on his usual boring tirade. From that day on, I became valiant in proving John wrong. I set out to do something interesting. I waited until my day off and made sure to turn my alarm off so it wouldn’t disturb me. Then I turned off all the lights in my house to avoid any interference. These preparations worked like a charm. I Astral Projected again. First, I explored all of my houses then tried and failed to eat something. Everything I ate or drank just passed right through me. I also attempted to browse the internet but found that some of the keys I pressed wouldn't register. Plus, the lack of light also made it very hard to see the keyboard. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t travel any further than my house. Trying to open the front door didn’t work. It was like the door itself was nailed to the frame.

The only thing I could do was walk around and watch TV all while my physical body slept through the night. So that’s exactly what I did for a whole week and it was awesome, to say the least. It was like actually being awake. I could use my free time to do whatever I wanted. When I was awake I felt fully rested and able to work through the day without dosing off. Even despite John's stories. It was a pretty sweet deal, to say the least. That was until one night.

During another day off from work, I was doing the usual routine of Astral Projecting while watching TV. A sudden knock at my door nearly gave me a heart attack. I looked out the window and saw it was still night time or so I thought. I called out to whoever knocked but received no response. I checked the peephole. It was my elderly next door neighbor Shelly. Seeing this as my chance to push this Astral Projection thing to the next level, I decided to open the door. I unlatched the deadbolt, unlocked the hand lock, and twisted the door handle, holding my breath. The door opened. A gust of wind passed through me.

I jerked up, panting, my face only damp with sweat. This surprised me as I usually wake up drenched in it. I heard Shelly calling my name from outside. I rushed up and ran to the door. She jumped a little, startled.

“S-sorry if I woke you. Your door was unlocked."

"I know." I nervously responded.

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Her eyes were full of concern. “Well, I heard screaming last night.”

"Screaming? Oh, you might have heard my TV."

“Ok. Well, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Have a good morning then."

"Ok, thanks for stopping by."

I waved her off and closed the door. Then I noted a few things. One, it was now morning but I could swear it was still dark out before I woke up, second, I didn’t hear anyone screaming last night, and lastly, I actually almost left my house. In my mind it was progress. One step is closer to my goal of experiencing a full day outside while in my Astral Projection form.

The next night I was doing the same routine when coincidentally, the dream inception episode of Rick and Morty came on again. I let the episode play and over the sounds of the TV, I could hear something in the background. It was faint, but I distinctly remember it sounded like my bedroom floor was creaking. I decided to see what was making that noise. I approached my bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. Instantly I froze in place. By the window stood a large menacing shadow creature.

It was hunched over in front of the window. I looked over to the left of it and saw my unconscious body lying in bed. Frightened, I carefully backed away and moved into the hallway, attempting to make my way back to the living room. I heard whatever it was stand up and walk out of the room, panicked I started walking faster and faster away from the door. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I needed to get away from whatever that thing was. I heard its footsteps growing louder and louder behind me. I made it to the entrance of the kitchen before SLAM!

The sound of my oven door slammed open. My eyes flew open. Once again I was covered in sweat. I did the usual routine of getting up and going to work. I neglected to tell John about my experience as I was sure he wouldn’t think anything of it. Though I was terrified at that moment, I still had a burning sensation to try it again. It was one bad experience out of plenty of good ones. Besides that strange occurrence, there was something else on my mind. The interaction I had with my neighbor Shelly. I was a door away from interacting with another person while my physical self was asleep. So because of that I obviously wanted to try again. I thought maybe the next time, I should try leaving my door unlocked. So I waited until my next day off.

This time, I made sure to tie a red string around the oven door so it wouldn’t wake me like all the other times before. When I went to sleep, it was the evening of April 14th. Remember that date: it’ll be important later.

I did the same routine of preparations and went to sleep. I opened my eyes and quickly realized from the clothes hanging above, I was in my closet. This was unusual as I would normally appear near my bed. I stepped out of my closet and noticed my bedroom was much darker than usual also. The door was cracked open slightly. But nothing was strange about that. What was strange though was that my blinds were slightly opened. My window allows me to see a clear view of the street, so I hunched over and peered through it.

I saw something--someone out in the front of my yard. It was the same shadow creature from before.

But now it had taken more of a human form. I still couldn't make out any distinguishing features though. Whoever it was looking around frantically. Like it was searching for something. All the while what I could only assume was its jaw kept unhinging, back and forth. Once again I found myself frozen in fear. All I could do was stand there and stare at this thing--whatever it was. Then the creature jerked its head towards the window.

It SAW ME.

Like some primal animal, it bolted up and started running towards the direction of my front door.

My worries subsided when I remembered that I didn't unlock the front door like I was supposed to. Still, I wasn’t about to wait for this thing to break through the door. Then I remembered what familiar sound always woke me up. I spun around and saw my bedroom door now wide open. I heard footsteps fading down the hallway. I stepped into the hallway and saw a shadow creature, darker than the one outside. It was fast approaching the kitchen. I saw my front door was flung opened. Whatever was outside was now inside my house. The shadow creature in front of me dashed into the kitchen. I knew what I had to do. I raced into the kitchen. Before I even had the chance to enter, there was a loud slam.

Everything turned to black.

I slowly opened my eyes. But Instead of waking in my bed like I always do, I was still in my Astral Projection body. I walked to my bedroom and saw my bed was now empty.

I was now in Panic mode. desperately I checked various rooms in my house. All of which were empty. I walked back to the living room and saw the TV was still on playing that same goddamn episode. Sitting down in the chair in front of it was the darkest shadow creature I'd seen so far. The creature was so drawn to the TV it didn’t even notice me. The sound of the bathroom door opening drew my attention away. What walked out left me in a state of emotions I could only describe as confused and very afraid.

It was me.

But not me. It was my physical self. I watched as it finished getting dressing for work and walked right through me to the door, without even noticing me. It opened the door and stepped outside. Before it could close the door, I ran through it to the outside.

As soon as I did, I immediately regretted my decision. Once outside, I looked up and down my street. Both ends of the street were encased in complete darkness. Stepping onto the sidewalk, I was able to get a better look at the houses around me. They were the same as the ones on my street in my awake state. I tried to get back to my house, but the door was locked. I banged on all of my neighbors' doors to no avail. I even tried screaming for help. I screamed as loud I could for as long as I could. Then I dropped to my knees in desperation. It felt like hours, hell, even days had passed before I started to notice a mysterious object in the distance. It was nearly invisible at first, hidden by a forest of trees. Then it came into view from behind some buildings. A house. But one I had never seen before. I looked around in confusion. I noticed something even stranger.

A lighthouse in the distance. Which was impossible as I didn’t live anywhere near the sea.

I took another look around and saw a little boy sitting on the ground. His eyelids drooped and even from here, I could see the bags underneath them. He stared in the direction of the lighthouse as if he was hypnotized by it. At that point, I knew if I didn't find a way out of here, I'd end up like him. With that in mind, I turned back to my house and saw someone looking from my bedroom window. It's now or never, I thought. I ran to the door. Of course, it was still locked. I slammed my body into it several times. It wasn't budging. I stopped to catch my breath. My shoulder was writhing in agony from me hitting the door so many times. The door began to creak open on its own as if it was inviting me in.

Who the hell was I to pass up that offer? I entered the house and saw that the TV was still on. It was playing that same godforsaken episode of Rick and Morty. Upon entering the kitchen, I saw the red string was still tied to the oven door. I grabbed the door and pulled on it. I heard some movement in the hallway so I increased my momentum. Hurried footsteps grew closer and closer to the kitchen. I gave a final tug and the knot broke. The footsteps halted in the doorway in front of me.

At that moment It felt as though time had slowed down. I looked up to see the shadow creature standing in the kitchen doorway. Left of him, out the open front door, I saw the little boy’s face. He was smiling. Then he vanished as everything around me did too, followed by a flash of white light.

My eyes shot open. I was back in my bed. I did a quick look around to make sure I was actually awake this time. Sunlight pours into my room, giving a bright glow to everything and made it all seem almost dreamlike. The birds chirping gave me reassurance.

The time on my alarm read 7:55 am. I was up in time to go to work. After a quick shower, I threw on my clothes, grabbed my phone, and got in my car. As I checked my phone, I noticed the date, April 16th. This seemed impossible because I was sure it should've been April 15th. When I asked John about it, he said on that date, April 15th, which was apparently yesterday, I came into work the same as always. I told him about my experience and he was convinced it was all just some lucid dream. But it felt all too real. I don’t know what to make of anything that happened.

I do know one thing though and it should come as no surprise to hear.

That I think I’m done with Astral Projection for good.

---

Credits