It was deep. It was rumbling, gurgling, churning sounds similar to a big bike cruising on the highways; revving until it gets parked in front of a fancy seafood restaurant. Honestly, I thought it was my stomach rumbling—I haven't eaten a thing since last night or even drank a spat of that icy cold rain. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Just when I looked back, behind me, up-close was a crouching huge, black hound. It had silver, gauntlet-like paws and an intricate brown cuirass. It bared its stained white fangs on me. I wanted to run but I couldn't move a muscle and the only thing that I could do was stare at its icy-blue eyes.
Its pointy, furry ears that are facing at me twitching as if it had the magical ability to listen and hear the depths of my soul. If this dog moves even a single fur, I'd go for the run with high hopes that it won't outrun me. When I saw the hound tried to inch towards me, I immediately sprang out of my bearings and sprinted away from the camp.
I headed towards deep into the woods with a plan of losing it along the dense trees and vegetation. Of course, as a man, I won't let this vile beast ravage the lives of the peaceful striving campers. It ran after me; it was like a cheetah in pursuit of a gazelle in the African Savannas. I sped as fast as my legs could but the hound was gradually catching up my pace. I instinctively lured it onto smashing to the tree trunks and tripping it over some huge roots by slowing my pace down and doing sharp turns. It was effective for the first couple of attempts until it stopped chasing after me and shook its head out of his daze.
"Ha!", I smirked "Can't catch me, can you?"
As the beast turned its back away from me, making its way out of the center of this forest, I plopped myself on a huge root exhausted from all that pursuit, catching up my breath. This time, it really is my stomach rumbling. I've never been so relieved to hear my stomach grumble before. I patted my stomach as if it were my pet asking for its midnight munchies.
A good couple of minutes past, I found myself contemplating this turn of events. Well, Well, Well. What did I get myself into? First, I allegedly got myself struck by lightning which made me saw that horrifying figure—okay, could be just an aftereffects or shock from being struck by the gods of sky amperes (I invoke to insist!). After that, I fell from the upper floors of an abandoned building and was about to be rescued by a smexy grim reaper (heh~).
To think of it, I did wake up beside her—not to mention that I got to sniff her feminine fragrance and rub my skin on her tenderness—mmroow! We were just in this same position earlier; all that tenderness, within an instant turned to this hard crinkled tree bark. Where could she be right now? I left her vulnerable as she sleeps all alone on that flimsy shed. I did leave her but, technically speaking, I just accidentally left her alone, okay? Who would've known that I could end up having episodes by just trying to get a peek at my whereabouts—curse me for having acrophobia! I let out a deep sigh as I pushed myself up. "Back to the shed, I go."
Before I knew it, I have no means to navigate my way through; I have ventured deep enough in the woods. Basically, I'm lost. All that triumph from being able to flee from that canine is already dissipating and I'm starting to sense that the hound just had decide not to chase me any further because he knew he'd get lost, too.
"Ha~ Just when I thought I had outsmarted the hunter" I sighed.
Now that I got a clear identification within these woods, it makes sense as to why that dog retreated. I am surrounded by mist—the woods are shrouded in mist. There is no wind yet there's always that chilling sensation that would tingle one's skin as if the vicinity is charged with reactive 'tons (you know, protons; electrons; neutrons—you name it!). I am starting to feel creeped out. Could there be any worse encounter than that dog?
There's still a clear visibility approximately within a 10-meter radius though (Oh, I didn't know I could do rough estimates now). I sat back on the root where I had plopped myself on; thinking what to do next and as to how to get out of here.
Seconds then minutes past, I'm starting to feel pain on my butt, "Dang, tree; you are really hard, aren't you?" I grunted as I pushed myself up then there burst a crowd of laughter.
"MiMi, be more gentle!",
"I never thought you're into things like that, MiMi. hmmm~"
"It wasn't like that!", retorted by a female voice. I swiftly swiveled behind me for it sounded like it came behind this tree.
"But he said it hurt his butt!", the laughter in the woods intensified.
The treetops are now swaying and shaking making it rain leaves. I felt something crawling on my left calf. I looked down to check on it only to meet the eerie eyes of the big bulging-eyed caterpillar. I yanked and thrashed my leg to get rid of it when something fell on my nape, "Gaaahhhh!" I yelped and wriggled my entire body.
"Look! He's into it!", chimed in by another voice.
"Shika-shik-shik-shika-shik"
"Chika-shik-shik-shik"
The trees went to a chorus of their weird incantations as they started to shake vigorously; more worms fell from the treetops, and I decided to take the run.
I no longer cared as to where I'm headed. I just had to get out from that spot. The incantations are echoing in the woods as if following me wherever I ran. The place seemed to be darker than usual and I'm starting to see tints of orange lights. I don't know if it's just my eyes playing tricks on me but somehow, with the added lighting, I'm seeing somewhat-like faces or profiles on the trees.
I leapt over and over on some huge roots—dashing and evading trunks gave me a good look on the profiles; they seemed to be vivid now—it's as if people are starting to come out from the trees. I was distracted by it and tripped. The chanting perished but was replaced by a weird distant sound instead.
It sounded like a fusion of a human baby crying, a cat and a goat. I was intrigued and got curious. I walked towards the cry. The more near I get, the more steps I take, it slowly changes as if it gets being relieved upon knowing that someone is coming. "Don't worry. I—", I gasped when something grabbed my left shoulder. A palm putting pressure on my lips.
"Don't", hushed by a certain female. The voice was familiar. Where have I heard of it? Oh! Right. It was the same voice of that tree that got teased earlier. I slowly turned my back to face her.
"Don't go any further", she warned and put her fingers on my lips, "and do not speak until I tell you to"
I just nodded out of cooperation. She took her finger from my lips and grabbed my wrist. I thought she was being raunchy, but she just guided me to walk-away from the direction of that sound. Silly, me. What did I even expect?
The call slowly reverted back from the first time I heard it and the further we are getting, it sounded more miserable. Just when I was about to turn my head out of concern for it, her grip on my wrist got stronger and tighter. I started to get furious at her for ignoring somebody who is in distress, "Hey—"
Just when I was about to confront her, before I knew it, the woods that was once dark turned back to how it was—the sun was up shining; the mist was nowhere to be seen. "How did we..."
She's gone. Huh? I looked for her left and right, but she's nowhere to be found. I looked and felt my wrist; her touch still lingers. I then again caught the waft of that premium cooking earlier. I decided to put on hold the things that had happened moments ago and looked for the river instead. When I heard water burbling, I head towards it and headed upstream in hopes of getting back to that settlement.
At last, I found myself back near to the camp. Before I set my foot there, I first checked the area where I got up close with that big black canine. Certainly, there were footprints and that concluded that everything up until now did happen; it wasn't just mere delusions. I look beyond and tried to investigate where that area with the weirdest occasions have happened so far. From there, I heard a bird—a raven of some sort—cawing a couple of steps away.
"I wouldn't stare at it that much if I were you, kid", a man called on to me. Jeez! That scared the living hell out of me. I immediately snapped to turn from the voice's direction.