Chapter Text
Cold and dark. Dark and cold. That felt like all you knew. Rain steadily sprinkled down on you in a manner that had seemed light and misty at first, but now had you soaked to the bone. You were being hunted by something that's not man; nor beast. Something that shook the ground with each step, something that knew your exact position in the forest no matter how much you ran or where you hid. It was silent and loud at the same time; there and not there every time you looked over your shoulder. You could tell It wasn't chasing you at full speed. No, It was drawing out the chase, absorbing the thrill and feeding off it, feeding off your fear.
You lived two states away from your parents. You had moved away for college and decided to settle down in a nice little apartment on the shore. You liked the steady warmth and comfort of your new state, the friendly faces that always smiled and never judged, you liked the friends you gained, people who were so alike you that you couldn't help but feel obligated to stay with them and enjoy the sun.
It had been a few years since college, and you liked to head down to your parents house for holidays and parties, stay a few nights, see your siblings and hometown friends, all of that fun stuff. On December 18th, 2018, your parents invited you to come over for Christmas once again. It would take you almost two days of straight driving, but it wasn't something you hadn't done before. You loved to drive to your parents house and have a mini road trip with just you, the road, and nature surrounding you. So, you told them yes and said you would arrive on December 22nd.
The road trip was always comforting and peaceful. It was almost therapeutic for you. There were almost never any cars on the roads you took, so it really was just you and the road. You would always bring snacks, listen to music, and have fun with yourself as if there were other people with you on the trip. Sometimes, you would camp off the side of the highway in a tiny two person tent you got from your mother. You had always been adventurous, and she knew you would get good use out of it. You loved your mother. She somehow always knew exactly what you needed or wanted and knew exactly when to give it to you. She was so kind and open; everyone that met her loved her.
On December 20th, you packed your car with your belongings and packed yourself into the drivers seat with a bag of your favorite snack, and a bottle of your favorite drink. It was an unusually sunny day, and as you set upon your journey, the vibes were calm and relaxed. You listened to your favorite music and enjoyed the calming sounds of the cars engine humming and the tires rolling on the road. You were happy and excited to see your family and friends.
When it began getting late, you pulled off the highway into a little clearing with a makeshift fire pit. The same makeshift fire pit you had made around four years ago now when you made your first ever road trip to your parents house and found the clearing. Since then, you and other people had used it countless times, and it became a public fire pit. You sat down on a folding chair and lit a small fire within the circle of rocks, and cooked some camp food over the hot fire. You had everything you needed in your car to make a delicious meal, and the taste never disappointed.
By the time you had finished your food and began relaxing with a book — it began to rain steadily on you. You didn't mind of course; it simply meant you would just have to sleep in your car for the night. You had a big one with a big trunk space that could fit you and a small blow up mattress, so you quickly set that up and took all your belongings into the car with you. You locked the car doors and pulled the curtains you had installed closed. You weren't stupid. No pink to alert people that you're a woman, don't sleep exposed and vulnerable, you had curtains installed so no one could peer into your vehicle as you slept, and you kept a knife on hand. You had never encountered another person while camping off the road, but whenever you came back to the campsite, there were always new signs of another person.
You always assumed it was just a family or a bunch of random people that used the campsite whenever they stumbled upon it.
In the morning, you woke up feeling rested and excited for the day. You had slept in just a little, but you always planned for that sort of thing while going on your road trips, it wouldn't affect anything. You got ready in your car, and got back on the road. It was still raining, but it didn't feel dreary or downcast, it felt soothing, and oddly warm. There was a rainbow in the sky, and you could see the sun meekly peeking out from behind those fluffy clouds you loved to stare at as a child.
At 6:42 PM, December 21st, you pulled over on the side of the highway to relieve yourself. The sun was setting, and the sky was sprinkling rain softly. You were only an hour or two away from your parents house, so you weren't planning on camping for the night. You walked into the woods confidently, finding a thick tree to go pee behind. You went quickly and wiped yourself, trying to be quick so the rain didn't soak you.
Just as you were pulling up your jeans and zipping them up, you heard a twig snap behind you, the sound sharp, disrupting the calm sounds of rain and wind. Instantly, your heart picked up, beating loudly in your chest. Something felt wrong. You had quickly patted your pockets, feeling for your knife.
Shit. You thought. Your knife was back in the car. You had been so confident in the shortness of your bathroom break and your familiarity of the area that you didn't think to bring it. You took a deep breath, convincing yourself that there was nothing behind you. But, you still had to look. Your car was in that direction after all.
Slowly, you turned around, your arms limp at your sides, your breath coming in short, panicked breaths when you saw it. No, him.
Only seven feet in front of you, was a huge man, just standing there, head slightly tilted to the side in a inquisitive look. He was dressed in all black jeans, a coat with the hood pulled over his head, wearing a skull balaclava, and, were those military boots? His foot was on a stick. A snapped stick. Like he had deliberately stepped on it. Your eyes widened, your breathing speeding up.
He tilted his head further, and took a single step forward, his eyes staring dead into your own.
"Stop!" You yelled, putting your hand up in a placating gesture and taking a step back.
The man stayed silent. He untilted his head and took another step forward, his dead eyes showing no sign of sympathy for your obvious distress. The rain was beginning to soak you, making you shiver.
Your car was about 30 feet behind him, and he was in your path. You took another step back. Then another, and another. He followed, taking two quick steps forward as if to lunge at you. You could never over power him; he was literally over twice your size. You only had one option.
You turned around and started running through the woods, wet branches hitting your face with cold, hard slaps. You could hear him behind you, but you didn't look back. Your shoes thudded on the ground and sloshed in mud, making you slip and slide with barely any balance. It was darker in the thickness of the woods, every bit of moonlight dampened down by the thick layer of trees over head. You could hear him behind you, footsteps heavy and thudding just like yours, but not slipping and losing balance like you.
You couldn't even tell whether or not you were breathing; whether or not your heart was still functioning in your chest. Every hit to the face from a tree branch felt like millions of tiny, cold needles poking you, scratching at your skin in anger. You slipped and fell in the mud, getting a glimpse of him behind you. He wasn't running at full speed. It was like he wanted a chase. You quickly pulled yourself up by some vines on a tree, taking off running as soon as you were upright again.
After ten minutes of running, your clothes were completely soaked through and he was beginning to wear you down. You felt your lungs burning; felt them vibrating and rattling in your ribcage with every painful breath. You had been tripping and falling on roots and rocks, resulting in tears in your pants and knees that were purple and bloody, slowly leaking and staining your jeans. It was so cold, and you were so wet, soaked down to your underwear and socks. You could barely feel your hands and legs, and your blurry vision and shocked nerves made it seem like your fingers were frozen together. Snot and tears leaked out of your face, but you couldn't remember when you had started crying.
You stumbled around, your original running speed slowed. Your legs felt like lead, and you were exhausted, your eyes felt scratchy and dry from rain getting in them, and you just wanted to lie down, give up. You were so lost, yet the man always seemed to be behind you in ways that made you shift your running path to get away from him, almost like he was leading you somewhere without you realizing.
You slowed down even more, barely even jogging. You could feel your heartbeat in your ears and your face felt hot and numb. You could tell you weren't going to last much longer. In the distance, appearing to you like a god in the middle of a plight, was a cabin in a clearing. It looked warm and inviting in an old, rustic way. Surely there had to be a sweet old grandpa or lumberjack in there, right? Naturally, you started heading towards it, not glancing back at the man. If you had, you would've seen a pleased look in his eye. One that might have made you turn another way.
But, you didn't. The cabin was only twenty feet away. Now seventeen. Your leg twitched, making you lose balance and fall over, mud spraying on your face and getting into your mouth. You couldn't stop. You had to keep going, no matter what. You started crawling, gasping on the ground and wheezing as you forced your arms to drag most of your weight. Your legs were numb, they felt like two heavy blocks tied to your torso, slowing you down. Fifteen feet now. Almost there.
Suddenly, the man grabbed you by your waist and effortlessly lifted you into the air, pressing you against his body. He felt warm, and your limbs stopped moving, stopped trying. You could feel your eyes slowly begin to get heavier and heavier, and you didn't notice that the man was walking you towards the cabin, nor did you notice his rock hard bulge pressing into your hip. You couldn't notice anything as your vision went black. the last thing you were aware of before your eyes closed, was your own body curling into his, seeking the warmth that seemed to be radiating off of him.
You let your eyes close, let the blackness take you.