I thought that it was good time to share my story. I'm sure all of you are aware of the recent trend of skin walkers and Wendigos. For most, they think it's promoting the movie Antlers. My case, it's a cause of paranoia. I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to supernatural in the lines of like gods and deities, but when it comes to ghosts, mythological creatures and cryptids is a different story. Some where within my genetic code, I have Native American for one of my ethnicities but is covered by the fact that alot of my ancestors were Northern European. However I don't allow this from stopping me from learning my heritage. With that I made the discovery of these creatures. All this will make sense in the story. So please stick with me for a bit longer. I used to live in the state of West Virginia. Honestly, ask anyone in the world if they know this state, and they'll look at you crazy. I was young, probably 16 years old at the time. I used to live in suburb that wasn't too far from the woods. It was early morning, and I had been dealing with alot of personal problems. I decided that maybe it would be best to go on a hike that day to clear my mind, listen to music, smoke a cigarette, and be one with nature. At this point, I had hit some rather low points in my life. I'd even took up smoking to try to deal with the stress of my life. I probably hiked for about 4 hours. During this time I'd seen some deer, what looked to be a fox den and a small waterfall. It was rather peaceful till my hike almost took a fatal hit. The night before had previously rained, and the gravel and mud was loose on the trail. I had slowly walked up a hill for that there was a drop that went into a creek bed. Yet I made the mistake of misplacing my foot on the loose gravel to miss a 3 foot deep mud pit. I ended up falling off the drop off and busting my head of the bank. Lucky break that I didn't die from my head slamming off the bank. I'd probably got knocked out for hours. I awoke when the sun was getting ready to set. My vision was blurry and splotchy due to my concussion. A slow and painful walk home. Time felt slower than normal, and I had no way to call for emergency services. I also couldn't swallow my pride. Stumbling back through the forest, I came across the fox den again. My ears ringing and my vision blurred, I was able to make something out. First I would notice a pair of eyes, first mistaken for the eyes of animal. They shimmered in the dark, almost like a dog's or a cat's eye. I tried to ignore it, in the fact that it could fox, coyote, or even a mountain lion. The growl I heard next would make my hair stand on my neck. It sounded human but yet so distorted and animalistic that it almost drowned out all the humanity in it. Adrenaline would kick in, sending me in overdrive. My legs wouldn't stop running, and I knew I couldn't stop for it was behind me. Tree branches snapped and cracked, and the sound of something angry. I would occasionally look behind but see nothing but knew it was there, in the trees watching me, stalking me. Wanting to cease my existence. "This is it. this is how I'm going to die. I'm gonna fucking die. I don't want to die." words that implanted itself within my brain as I I tired to run for my life. I'd never felt such fear. Fear that wouldn't subside even after I got out of the forest. As I got into my suburban neighborhood, I could still hear the growls but far off, but close enough to know I was being watched. I didn't know where. It's been several years since then, and I always get and unnerving feeling in the woods. To this day, I still feel like I'm being watched, hunted. As if it's waiting for me to return, so that it can finish the job, and taste upon me.
© theillusivewriter