My name is Adam, and I'm going to tell you a story you might not believe. Some friends and I were on an expedition with three scientists from our university: Professors Julia, Kia, and Timothy. They had gotten separated from us. We were doing some research. There was a big break in the investigation during a meteor shower when something spontaneous occurred. Something came crashing down to Earth and landed in this exact forest. At first light, we gathered supplies and a team and ventured inside, hoping to find what hit us. After a few hours, one disaster after another hit us. We got separated from the professors. We lost some of our food and gear. Our boat was on the other side of the forest, and someone busted the compass. That means all hope is gone. Mario, Evan, Tyler, Victor, Lauren, Sabrina, and Elaine are my friends. We thought this would be a fun-filled adventure. Also, this would be a good field experience to learn about nature and make discoveries.
The team and I banded together to search for our missing professors. Even though we were lost, tired, and hungry, we still managed to gather samples from the meteor crash. At least, that's what we thought it was. Evan and Tyler climbed inside the massive hole in the ground to collect samples from within. I found something strange on a tree branch a few feet from the spot. I examined it closely. It looked like the skin of an animal. I wasn't entirely sure until I did a further study. The team and I headed deeper into the forest, unaware of what awaited us. It was apparent that we were lost.
"Hey! Help us! Hey, please help us! "Lauren yelled out.
"Who are you talking to? "Asked Evan.
"I see someone over there by the ranger's station." She answered.
"Where? I don't see anything." He said, looking through his binoculars.
"He's gone. You scared him away. Jerk." She said.
"Whatever," Evan said, waving his hand.
"Will you two shut up! "I exclaimed. "We might as well set up camp here for the night. We won't get anything else done 'til morning."
Meanwhile, the scientists stumbled upon a feeding ground. They were open targets to any predator. "Where are we? "Asked Timothy.
"I don't know. "Answered Kia.
"I think we lost Julia. Wasn't she behind you? "He said.
"Yes. she needed a break. We must've left her. We need to go back." Kia said.
"It will take forever to find her. We must keep moving, or danger will find us here. It's way too dark, and we can barely see anything as it is." Professor Timothy explained.
"Where are we going? "She asked.
"Somewhere safe. I have been here before. There should be a cave up ahead to spend the night inside. This forest is a dangerous place to be. Let's get going." He replied.
They hoped to run into Julia. About two hours later, they reached the cave. It had a foul smell to it. "Come inside," Timothy said. Kia trailed after him deeper into the cave. A light shone into their faces. "Ahhh! "Kia screamed. Timothy ran to her rescue. She had found Julia, who was dead. Something ate her body. Something had killed her. It looks like she tried to get away. Her body rotted to the core. What could do that to her? So many questions filled their heads.
"Timothy, what could've done this to her? "She asked.
"I don't know. "Timothy said.
"What if it's still in here?" Kia said, panicking.
"Calm down, Kia. We are fine. "He assured her.
"I hope so." She said, settling down.
"Let's get some sleep. We need our energy. We are here to do one job, and that is to gather samples and do some research. Also, we need to find our students. So, Kia tries to relax. Goodnight." He said, trying to get comfortable.
"Goodnight."
They went to sleep after moving her body out of the way. The others were still bickering and lost in the forest. The boys pitched a tent and started a fire. Strange noises lurked in the darkness. "I hear something. I think it's coming this way." Said, Mario. There were groaning sounds outside the tent. It was probably a bear. We fell asleep after struggling to stay awake. Morning came, and the sun beamed into our faces. Everyone awoke, finding Elaine and Mario missing. They must have snuck out last night and wandered away. We had to
see them.
"Hello! Mario! Elaine! Are you out there? Come on, and this isn't funny! Hello! "We all shouted. There was nothing but silence.
"What are you kids doing out here? These parts are dangerous, especially at night." Ranger Sebastian said.
"We got lost about two days ago. Two of our friends and the three science professors we came here with are missing. "I explained.
"We're on an expedition. "Added Sabrina.
"You were the ones yelling at my partner yesterday. He's gone, too. I've been looking for him. "Sebastian said.
"What's his name? "I asked.
"Devin. "He answered.
"Can you help us please?" Begged Lauren.
"I will do my best. Come back to the ranger station with me." He said, showing the way.
"Will do." We answered.
As soon as we entered the station, everyone dropped to the floor. "Evil lurks in this forest. You don't want to be caught out there at night. In about two days, we are due for a solar eclipse. Everyone around here is used to it. And we know when to go outside and what to stay away from. "Sebastian explained.
"What happens at night? "I queried.
"You don't want to know." He said, stroking his shabby beard.
"Why not? "Questioned Sabrina.
"Let's just say you won't live to see another day. And leave it at that. Let's move on, and let's find your friends. And scientists. We need to be quick and quiet. Stay with me and watch where you step." He said.
We stopped when we saw a man dodging out of the trees. He looked up and said, "Who are you, people? "Questioned Ranger Devin.
"Dev, where have you been? "Sebastian asked.
"I got lost. A panther chased me halfway around the forest. I jumped into the river, where it left me alone. "Ranger Devin explained.
"These college kids are here on an expedition with three lost scientists. Oh, Yeah, and two of their friends are missing too. "
"I just saw two kids roaming around not too long ago. Wait! Here they come now! "Devin said.
"Where'd you go? "Asked Brittney.
"We had to pee and asked Mario to come with us. We were scared to be alone. "Liana said.
"Where is he? "
"Dead. "
"What? You can't be serious. "
"Last night, we were attacked by something. It came out of the darkness and sucked the life out of him. His body dropped to the ground. There was nothing left except his bones. Whatever it was, it ate the flesh off him. We watched as blood splashed all over us, and we froze in shock. It had an ugly face. It even flew. It had messed up teeth that overlapped each other. It was hideous." She explained. Blood was covering their bodies.
"We have to get these kids out of here right this instance! Move quickly before nightfall. "Devin said, pushing us along.
Something was out to get us. The only thing on our minds was getting out of here. For all we knew, Kia and the other scientists could be dead. As we scampered through the forest, people fell and were left behind. Ranger Devin said that it was every man and woman for his or herself. Everyone was to worry only about themselves because of the dangers that awaited us. We cautiously avoided any unnecessary attacks from wild animals. I longed to be back in my dorm in my warm bed. I can only think of good things in this time of need. The time seemed to pass more slowly with each step taken. It was getting dark, and we were officially screwed. We had to face the truth that we wouldn't survive. Each person assembled their tents. Devin told us to get some sleep. And hopefully, by tomorrow, we will reach the boat. Also, we were not to leave the campsite for any reason. Everyone was to stay together.
Lauren, Elaine, Victor, and Sabrina sat by the campfire. The rest of us got some shut-eye. "What are we going to do? If there is something out there waiting to kill us, we should leave. "Elaine said.
"You heard what the man said. He said to stay here and stay together. "Victor said.
"So, what? I don't want to wait to die, either. "Added Lauren.
"Sabrina, what do you think? "Asked Victor.
"We want to wait for the others. Besides, the rangers have guns that can protect us, and we don't have anything. "Mario made out a point.
"Then it's settled. We wait for the others. "Victor said.
Morning came, and it was time to start the day. We packed up our equipment, and we were off. Half an hour into our journey, we were ram shacked by an eccentric woman. What is she doing alone in the middle of the forest? I watched as Elaine, Victor, Tyler, and Lauren examined her. She didn't seem to know where she was. Ranger Sebastian asked where she came from. She pointed at the sky. Tyler asked her if she can show us where she came from. The woman was wearing strange clothing, not of this world. She wore a tattered dress no shoes, and her hair was red and tangled. I asked her if she could speak English, but she didn't respond. I don't think she can talk.
As we followed the peculiar woman, the rangers warned about the dark. They tried to get everyone to retreat. Our desire to know more kept us distracted. Finally, my team and I reached the site with a hole in the ground. The woman walked around a bit and gave Evan a shiny piece of metal. It looked like some machine part. She showed us some pictures, and honestly, I thought she was some crazy forest lady who was wasting our time. Ranger Devin snatched the pictures, flicked through them, and then told us to leave. Both rangers ran, and we followed, leaving the woman behind.
"Stop, this is far enough! Why did you run? What did you see in the pictures?" I questioned.
"That's not a woman. We don't know what she or it is, but that's not human. Ranger Sebastian and I have been out here for days investigating strange disturbances and mysterious disappearances. Then we found something hiding inside a cave. That woman, thing, or being is not of this world. It can take human or animal form. All we know is that it came from that meteor. It had to be the right." Ranger Devin explained as he sipped some water from his canteen. I saw a picture of what that thing is concerning the eclipse. We need to get to the ranger station and take cover immediately." He continued.
"Really? Are you serious? We must study her and learn about where she comes from. This is the breakthrough that we have been searching for. I knew something incredible was lurking about, waiting to be discovered. I want to know more. I'm going back. Who's coming with me?" Tyler said glowingly.
"Are you insane? That thing will show no mercy in killing you. The kid looks around, and there are barely any animals. Why do you think that is? They're dead, or they ran away. Haven't you ever heard about running from danger, not to it?" Sebastian said.
"I am a scientist, so we are here to uncover the unknown. I'm going and don't care about what you say." Tyler said as he grabbed his pack.
"Whatever, it's your funeral. Please don't say that I didn't warn you. Good luck, you're going to need it." Ranger Devin said.
Tyler was so convincing that Mario and Elaine trailed after him.
" Thanks, Devin. I thought I was a goner. I owe you one. Or was I dreaming about being so scared? " I said, panting.
" It's begun. We are all done for. All your friends are dead except Evan. We must keep moving. It will be back for us. That gunshot wound won't hold him off for long. Let's go. " Devin said.
" Where are we going? "
" To the mountains. We will be safe for a bit there. "
In the mountains, we ran into Professor Kia and Timothy. They were happy to see us. The creature was back and pushed us deeper into the caverns of the cave. We were trapped. It wouldn't be long before it would dig its way to us.
" Look, a solar eclipse. " Evan said, pointing at the sky.
" What does the solar eclipse have to do with anything? " Asked Kia.
" Every year, for the month of the solar eclipse, the space creature gets to kill and feed. It doesn't matter who, where, when, or why. No one knows where it came from or how it got here. In a few days, the killings will come to an end. The wolf has the power to heal itself. We must move with caution, for it can smell the sweat of fear that drips from our bodies. It moves with great speed. Its senses are far better at night. So, let's go." Explained Devin.
" How long have you two lived around here? And how'd you survived this long? " Queried Timothy.
" This forest is cursed, and all who dwell in and around it are too. We are bound here and can never leave. For if we do, we will perish. Sebastian and I are supposed to keep outsiders like you away. You anger the beast with your presence. He will seek vengeance on everyone now, including those living around here. There should be a way out through one of those tunnels. Come on. " Devin said.
You can hear it moving full speed towards us. It caught up to us to an opening near some water. The noise surrounded us. It made roaring and howling sounds into the air. The only thing we can do is hold on for dear life. All of this was going to end right here and now. There was no way to kill him. We had no chance since he could heal himself at a high rate. Whoever tried to kill it died. The next victim was Timothy. The wolf bashed his head against the wall several times. While that was going on, we got safely away. We hid by the water behind some large rocks. We decided to dive into the water and swim like it was right behind us. The wolf came after us. Where can we go? Are we trapped like bugs?
" I want to capture this creature. We need to devise a plan to catch it. " Kia said.
" No, lady! Are you insane? He will rip to shreds. No way! " Sebastian argued.
" Why not? He will be worth a lot to the science community. They can run tests and all kinds of things on him if we catch the creature. "
" Is that you scientists care about? That wolf isn't some messed-up experiment that went wrong. You don't know what you are dealing with. He is deadly. It will kill you, me, all of us. If you want to try and capture it and fail, go on. The rest of us are out of here. See you. "
" You'll see I won't fail. I'm very confident. I think it could be a scientific breakthrough. If you don't want to help me, that's fine too. I need anyone's help. "
" Well, we will see who's right when you turn dead. "
She ran off after him. That was our cue to get moving. Finally, we reached the outside. We saw it run off with her in its arms. We heard her screams deep in the forest, that shook us. She begged and pleaded for it not to eat and kill her. He sliced both her cheeks and tasted the blood running down her face. Those cries were music to his ears. Next, he tore off her arms, ate them, and dismembered her body. Eventually, she gave up and let go of all the bleeding. He left her dead body there and scavenged for more food. Back to us, I was thinking about what to tell my friend's parents. All because of this stupid expedition, they're all dead. Any one of us can be next on the menu. Questions of guilt and sorrow soared through my mind.
" We're not going to make it to the boat in time. That thing will murder us before we can get close enough. I give up! I'm tired and hungry! This situation is making me sick. " Evan said, throwing his hands in the air.
" Relax, Evan. It can smell fear and will come raging after us. You're leading it right over here. " Sebastian said.
" Screw you. I can't take this anymore. I must do something. "
" Stop overreacting before you are the next target. "
" Yeah, whatever! Ahhh! Please help me! " He yelled as the creature tackled him to the ground.
Someone fired several bullets, and one finally struck the creature. That didn't slow him down, though. Then it came towards us. He went back over to Evan to finish him off. I saw him from a distance destroy my best friend. He picked Evan up by one arm and one leg and slammed him to the ground with a thump. All his bones shattered like glass, and a fountain of blood poured out of his mouth. I ran over to sit by him, yelling why. He was the only friend that I had left in this messed-up place. Now he's dead. If I ever leave here alive, I promise never to do anything like this again. I was hurt and apprehensive at all the obstacles I had been through. I tried to prevent my friends from dying. I guess I didn't try hard enough.
" Sneak away while he continues to devour your friend, and don't be prominent either. We need to take drastic action from here on out. We need to do anything in our power to avert capture. Are you willing to listen or not? " Sebastian said, pushing me along.
" Yes, okay. " I said.
" You have to comply with every request the two of us make. There are no other alternatives. Is that clear? We are in a life-or-death situation right this very second. Any one of us can be next. " He said concisely.
" I acknowledge that I need to pay close attention to what's going on. " I admitted.
" Okay. We need to find refuge. It will give us enough time to develop our strengths. We need an extensive amount of supplies and food to fortify our abilities. " Sebastian explained.
The three of us gathered around in a circle in a cave. A fire illuminated the cave so that we could see. That wolf is a ruthless menace waiting to destroy anything. All my friends showed little apathy when others warned them, but I listened because I was scared for my life. What could I do? I just wanted to go home. " Shush! Sit still, don't make a move." Devin whispered. The wolf disclosed itself to us. He hollered and growled at us as his wet tongue hung from his mouth. Devin thought the wolf wanted to derive something unique from us. No, he wants to eat us. That's what I think. And you know what else I think? Let's get out of here before we have dinner. I tried to devise a plan to get from them. I'm not holding back anymore. The ware wolf refrained from eating us. It was like he was waiting for something to happen. But what? He smelled and tasted out sweating flesh.
" What is he doing? " I questioned.
" He's trying to figure out who is more scared. I'm willing to sacrifice my life for you two. My time is up anyway. It hurts so bad. Sorry about Mario. That was me. I can't control it. Now go before I change my mind. " he said, his voice slowly changing. It sounded like growls.
Sebastian and I ran through the forest. It was dark out and cold. " What did he mean by "Before I Change"? I asked.
" Remember when I told you the town and forest were cursed? " He asked.
" Yea. What does that mean you're cursed? "
" Sort of. "
" Are you? Because I can't be running around with you. What if you get hungry and eat me? Should I not be scared? "
" Yes, I am. The transformation won't happen 'til tomorrow night, I swear to you. You are safe until then. "
" Why is the creature trying to kill you then? "
" He thinks we have been disloyal by helping you. See, we usually eat outsiders. "
" So. What happened? "
" Devin and I wanted to leave the forest and live like ordinary people. The elder doesn't think that's wise of us. He feels we are full of treachery and deceit. Devin died because he didn't want to be a part of this curse. "
" How did it start? "
" It happened thousands of years ago when an evil warlock ruled this place. He brought darkness and fear with every word. We were a peaceful town. Ahhh! Let's walk and talk. You don't want me to change you. We were good people. Then, one day, darkness covered the lands. A curse was set upon us. We were to walk the streets like men during the day, be animals, and feed at night. We had no choice. It happened one gloomy night. The whole town changed into the thing that people feared most, and it was hunted and killed. The warlock placed this curse upon us when a huntsman killed one of the werewolf protectors. "
" What's a werewolf protector? "
" It is a werewolf who watches over the town and feeds on them every night when demands aren't met. I think I see your boat. "
" Where? "
" Way over there on the other side of the forest. "
" I have to get there. "
" He's coming run. "
He didn't have to tell me twice. I was gone like the wind. The boat was the only thing on my mind. Time was ticking on my life by the second. Now, for the rest of my life, I'll have an acute phobia of werewolves. This would adhere to me for the rest of my life. If I get back to him and tell my story, they will think it's absurd. No one will believe me. I prayed the wolf had defected. I had to keep propelling no matter what. I lost Sebastian. I think I left him. Oh well, I had to keep moving. Beyond some trees, I saw an accessible entrance that might save me. It was an old mine. I sheltered myself and went to sleep. " Get up quickly. Hurry before he sees you." Sebastian whispered. I saw him heading towards us. He knows my every move because Sebastian was leading him to me. I was confused. We scampered through the trees and small puddles of mud. I think he was watching to see how far we got. I had to keep running without looking back. We were out of breath. The wolf was getting closer and closer to us. Then he disappeared. I was looking around for him.
When we thought we were in the clear, he came after us again, causing us to go over the waterfall. I smashed into the rocks at the bottom of the water. I felt myself slipping away. The last thing I heard was Sebastian asking if I was okay. When I awoke, I found myself lying still in the tall grass. Sebastian must have pulled me out of the water. He probably thought I was dead and left me. I had a severe concussion. The side of my had a deep gash that was bleeding. I shook to my feet. I ached all over. As time elapsed, I wanted to let go. The boat seemed far away. It seemed impossible to reach since I was hurt. I limped through the forest, running into more danger. A black panther hounded me. It didn't get to kill me because the wolf killed it. I was off once more without looking back. Finally, I caught sight of the boat and went for it. I saw Sebastian's shotgun by the dock and picked it up. I looked to see if there were silver bullets in it. There were two. Was I happy or what?
Sebastian must have made it here. Where is he? I went on the boat and down the stairs. I found him dead with his heart torn out. The knife was dangling from his hand. I have no words for a man who would tear out his own heart. I dragged his body out onto the deck and pushed him overboard. I went back inside and started the boat up. Blood covered the floor, but I did not care. I only wanted to get out of there. I was so ecstatic that I vomited in the water. I was attacked on my way home. He had stowed away aboard the ship. I shot both bullets at him. He was wounded long enough for me to get out. He was like a fictitious character from a children's story. He just kept coming back. To think it was dumb, it trapped me. I thought I was safe, and now I am dead meat, literally. I jumped out of the boat barely. The wolf slashed my back, and I fell into the water. I managed to swim to the shoreline and lay there panting. Will I turn into a wolf and ensure peril amongst the world? Maybe or maybe not.
