Samantha and Emily set out on a camping trip early in the morning, in the heart of the forest of Oregon. The sun was shining high in the sky, the perfect weather for a summer camping trip. As they drove deeper into the forest, they chatted excitedly about the adventure ahead. “I can’t wait to explore this new trail,” said Samantha, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve heard it’s one of the best in the area for spotting wildlife.”
“Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while now,” said Emily, her blonde hair whipping around her face in the wind. “I’m hoping to collect some data on the local bird population while we’re here.”
The car ride was full of excitement as the two friends talked about the many sights and sounds they would encounter in the forest. The forest of Oregon was a beautiful and lush landscape, a perfect place for a summer camping trip.
As they arrived at the trailhead, Emily noticed another car parked nearby. “Looks like we’re not the only ones here,” she commented, pointing to the other car.
Samantha nodded, “But it looks like it’s been here for a while. It’s all covered in dust.” They quickly began unloading their gear, with Samantha pulling out her tent and sleeping bags while Emily set up her research equipment. “Alright, let’s double check our supplies and make sure we have everything we need for the hike,” Emily said, as they both went through their packs.
As they set out on the trail, they were surrounded by the beauty of the forest. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. They hiked in silence, taking in the sights and sounds around them.
Samantha and Emily set out on the trail, eager to explore the wilderness. They walked side by side, chatting and pointing out interesting plants and animals they saw along the way. As they hiked, they occasionally heard the sound of a branch breaking in the distance.
“Do you hear that?” asked Emily, pausing to listen.
“Yeah, it’s just some animal,” said Samantha, trying to sound nonchalant.
But as they hiked deeper into the forest, the feeling of being watched became more intense. They crossed a log bridge over a small stream, the water gurgling below them.
“This place is so remote,” said Emily, looking around at the dense trees and tall peaks. “It’s like we’re the only people here.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” said Samantha, taking a deep breath of the fresh, pine-scented air.
But as they continued on the trail, they couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed. Every time they heard a branch break, they turned around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“It’s probably just our imagination,” said Samantha, trying to reassure her friend.
But deep down, they both knew that something was off. They pushed on, determined to reach their camping spot for the night, and put the strange feeling behind them.
Samantha and Emily hiked deeper into the Oregon forest, their conversation occasionally interrupted by the sound of branch breaks in the distance. They crossed a log bridge over a stream, the water rushing beneath them. The trail was remote and isolated, surrounded by towering trees and dense underbrush.
As they reached a clearing, Samantha’s eyes lit up. “This is perfect,” she said, gesturing to a flat area surrounded by tall pine trees. “We can set up camp here.”
But as they approached the clearing, they noticed something strange. The remnants of another camp were scattered about, as if the previous occupants had left in a hurry. Empty cans, food wrappers, and discarded camping gear littered the ground.
“Looks like someone didn’t pack out their trash,” said Emily, frowning.
“We’ll have to clean this up before we set up our own camp,” said Samantha, determined.
The two friends set to work, picking up the trash and breaking down the old camp. They came across an old fire pit, which they cleaned up and made sure it was safe to use. They noticed that the previous campers’ belongings were left in a hurry, as if they had packed up and left in a rush.
“It looks like they left in a hurry,” said Samantha as she picked up an empty can of beans.
As Emily finished stuffing the last bit of clothing into her garbage bag and looked around the clearing, she remarked, “Yeah, it’s strange. I wonder what happened.”
“It’s amazing how different this place looks now that it’s clean,” said Emily, looking around with satisfaction.
“Yeah, it’s always important to leave nature better than we found it,” said. “Now, let’s get dinner started.”
“Okay, let’s get a fire going,” said Samantha, rubbing her hands together. “It’s going to get a little chilly tonight and it’ll be nice to have a warm fire to sit by.”
“I agree,” Emily said, “I’ll get the fire pit ready, you go and gather some wood.”
Samantha nodded and grabbed an empty canvas bag to collect wood in. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, heading off into the woods.
As she walked deeper into the forest, Samantha could feel the cool air on her skin and the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot. She searched for dry branches and logs, listening to the birds singing and the gentle sound of a nearby stream.
As she bent to pick up a branch, she froze. Had she heard something move? She strained her ears, trying to make out the sound, but it was gone.
She stood up, her heart racing, and scanned the forest for any sign of movement. But the woods were eerily still. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her, stalking her. She gathered all the wood she could carry and hurried back to the clearing, her heart pounding with fear.
“Hey, I’m back,” she said, dropping the wood beside the fire pit. “But I think something’s following me or watching me.”
Emily looked up from where she was arranging the fire pit. “Oh, it’s probably just an animal. We’re in the deep woods, after all,” she said, trying to play it off as nothing. But despite her words, Emily couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach.
She didn’t want to admit it, but the thought of something watching her in the woods was creeping her out too.
As Samantha and Emily worked to arrange the fire in the pit, they couldn’t help but notice the sun starting to set and the air cooling. The orange and pink hues of the sky were slowly overtaking the blue, and the forest was starting to take on a different feeling.
“Wow, it gets dark fast out here,” said Samantha as she fiddled with the kindling, trying to get it to catch fire. Emily nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I’m glad we got the fire going before it got too dark.” Together, they watched as the fire crackled to life, casting a warm glow across the clearing.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a lot different from the city,” replied Emily, dumping some water into her cooking pot. “But it’s so peaceful and quiet. I love it.”
“Speaking of which, let’s get dinner started,” said Samantha, pulling the bags of food from her own backpack. “I’m starving.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Emily, putting her pot over the fire. “I’m thinking we should make that stew you brought. Something that will warm us up.”
As Samantha and Emily sat by the fire, they waited for their water to heat up for their dinner. “Wow, it is getting dark faster than I expected,” said Emily, looking up at the darkening forest around her.
The pair was starting to relax, settled into their camping chairs, when a pinecone came flying into the camp and landed at Samantha’s feet with a thud and bounced to a stop between them. “What the…?” she said, picking it up and examining it. “That’s strange.”
“Probably just the wind,” said Emily, looking at Samantha and shrugging her shoulders. “Angry squirrels?”
The pair had just settled down and had started to relax again when another pinecone came flying into camp, this time from a different direction. “That’s definitely not the wind,” said Samantha, her heart starting to race. “Someone, or something, is throwing these at us.”
Samantha and Emily sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the crackle of the fire, their faces etched with concern. “I think we should leave,” said Samantha, her voice shaking slightly. “I can’t shake this feeling that something isn’t right.”
“I know what you mean,” said Emily, her eyes scanning the surrounding woods. “But it’s too late to hike out now. We’ll just have to stay here and keep the fire going all night.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Samantha said with a sigh. “We’ll just have to keep a close eye on our surroundings and stay alert.”
“Exactly,” Emily said, nodding. “We’ll stick together and keep each other safe. No leaving each other’s sight.” Samantha nodded in agreement.
The two friends sat in silence for a moment, staring into the flickering flames of the fire. “If we are going to keep the fire going all night,” Samantha said, breaking the silence, “we are going to need more wood.”
“I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to go out there,” said Samantha, her voice quivering as she looked out into the dark woods.
“I know, me neither,” agreed Emily, shining her flashlight nervously into the darkness. “But we need more firewood if we’re going to stay here all night.”
“I guess you’re right,” said Samantha, reluctantly getting to her feet. “But let’s stick together, okay?”
The two friends grabbed their flashlights and stepped tentatively into the woods.
Samantha and Emily headlamps out of their packs and headed into the woods.
As they left the clearing and the safety of their fire, Emily and Samantha couldn’t help but feel scared. Their hearts were pounding, and their ears strained to hear any out of place sound as they cautiously started gathering firewood.
They both filled their arms with wood, then dropped it back in camp.
“We are going to need more than that” Emily sighed, her skin crawling at the thought of returning to the woods.
Back into the woods the pair went, searching for more downed wood for their fire.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Samantha said as she picked up some small branches. “We’re going to have to go deeper into the woods if we want to find any decent sized branches.”
“I know,” Emily replied, her headlight beam barely making a dent in the darkness. “But it’s so dark. I can barely see anything.”
As they walked deeper into the woods, the darkness seemed to swallow them whole. Their headlights barely did anything to cut through the thick canopy above. They were both tense and on edge, expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.
The stillness of the night was broken only by the sounds of the girl’s boots as they picked their way through the dark.
Suddenly, an ear splitting “Hooooooot” split the night from right over the top of them, causing both of them to scream and jump.
“Oh my god,” Samantha exclaimed, her heart racing. “That scared the crap out of me.”
“Same. Stupid owl.” Emily agreed, laughing. “Let’s just get this wood and get back to camp before something else happens.”
The sudden scare from the owl seemed to break the tension a bit and the girls dropped their second load in camp and returned for one more.
As they headed back into the woods for one more trip, Emily turned to Samantha and said “We need to be careful not to wander too far from camp, we don’t want to lose sight of the fire or we’ll be lost out here.”
Samantha nodded in agreement, “Yeah, it’s getting really dark. These headlamps barely do anything.”
Feeling more relaxed, they walked deeper into the woods looking for bigger firewood. They moved cautiously, trying to keep the campfire in sight.
“I can barely see anything,” Samantha said, her voice tight with anxiety.
“Just keep your eyes on the fire,” Emily reassured her. “We’ll be back in camp soon enough.”
Finding some larger wood at last, Emily and Samantha filled their arms and looked at each other.
“That should do it, don’t you think?” Samantha said.
“I think so,” Emily agreed, “Now let’s get back to the fire and relax.” They both grinned at each other, happy to have conquered their fear and accomplished their task.
Halfway back to camp, the pair froze. Staring through the woods, a shadow passed between them and their campfire.
“What was that?” Samantha whispered, her heart pounding.
“I don’t know, but we need to get back to the fire,” Emily replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
Nearly running, they made their way back to the fire, trying not to trip on the branches and sticks that littered the ground.
As they broke into the clearing and the light of the fire, they looked around. Everything was calm and still once again.
“Did you see that?” Emily asked, panting as she dropped the firewood.
“Yeah, I think so,” Samantha replied, her voice shaking. “What do you think it was?”
“I don’t know, but it was big,” Emily said, looking around nervously. “And it looked like it was walking upright.”
“It could have been an animal,” Samantha suggested, but her voice lacked conviction.
“Maybe, but it didn’t look like any animal I’ve ever seen,” Emily said, still scanning the woods. “And it definitely looked like it was walking upright.”
“Let’s just stay close to the fire and keep an eye out, just in case,” Samantha said, trying to sound brave.
“Agreed,” Emily said, still feeling uneasy.
“At least we can finally eat,” Emily said, as she and Samantha sat down in their chairs.
“Yeah, I’m starving,” Samantha agreed, as she pulled their dehydrated meals open and set them on the little camp table they had set up.
“Here, let me pour the water in,” Emily said, reaching for the pan of hot water.
“Be careful, the pan is really hot,” Samantha warned.
“I know, I know,” Emily said, trying to steady the pan as she poured the water into the meals.
“Okay, now we just need to stir it and let it sit for a bit,” Emily said, as she used her camping spoon to mix the water into the meals.
“Yeah, I can’t wait for this,” Samantha said, looking hungrily at the food.
“I know, it feels like it’s taking forever,” Emily said, glancing at her watch. “Five minutes can be a lifetime when you’re waiting for food.”
As they waited for their food to rehydrate, they sat in silence, listening to the woods around them. Samantha poked idly at the fire with a stick, sending sparks flying into the night sky.
“It’s so peaceful out here,” Samantha said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, it is,” Emily agreed, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. “Just us, the fire, and the woods.”
“And the occasional owl,” Samantha added, with a smile, trying to put the shadow they saw out of her mind.
“Yeah, that too,” Emily laughed, as they both sat and waited for their meals to finish cooking.
A few minutes later, their food finished rehydrating, the pair began to dig into their dinners.
“You know, I feel more relaxed now that we’re eating,” Emily said, taking a bite of her meal.
“Me too,” Samantha agreed. “But I think we should still keep the fire going all night, just in case.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Emily said, nodding. “Though, I can do with not seeing any more creepy shadows.”
“Definitely,” Samantha said.
As they ate, the night sounds of the forest returned and the stars twinkled high above. The fire crackled and popped, and the girls slowly relaxed.
“Look, a shooting star!” Emily exclaimed, pointing up at the sky.
“Make a wish,” Samantha said, with a smile.
“I already did,” Emily replied, “I wished for a safe and uneventful rest of the trip.”
“Me too,” Samantha said, as they watched the star disappear into the night sky.
“Wow, I can’t believe how tired I am,” Samantha said, stifling a yawn as she looked up at the sky.
“Yeah, me too,” Emily agreed, rubbing her eyes. “I guess all that hiking and the scare earlier really took it out of us.”
“I think it’s still pretty early, but I think it’s best if we call it a night,” Samantha said, starting to gather up their dishes.
“Agreed,” Emily said, getting up from her chair and starting to pack away their cooking gear. “We’ve got another big day ahead of us tomorrow, so we should get some rest.”
“Yeah, but before we head to bed, let’s add some more wood to the fire,” Samantha said, picking up an armful of wood.
“Good idea,” Emily said, following suit. “And we should probably take turns putting wood on the fire all night, just to be safe.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Samantha said, as they added the wood to the fire and watched it crackle and pop.
“We should wake up every hour to add more wood,” Emily suggested, “just to make sure it stays going all night, sound good?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Samantha said, as she led the way into the tent.
“Okay, I’m going to set my phone alarm for every hour, just in case we sleep through,” Emily said, as she pulled off her boots and climbed into her sleeping bag.
“Good idea,” Samantha said, doing the same. “I’m beat, but I’ll make sure to wake up for my turn to add wood to the fire.”
“Thanks, Samantha,” Emily said, as she settled into her sleeping bag. “I’m glad we have each other’s back out here.”
“Always,” Samantha said with a smile, as they closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“Okay, I’m setting my phone alarm for an hour,” Emily said, as she fiddled with her phone.
“Sounds good,” Samantha said, as she pulled off her boots and climbed into her sleeping bag.
The two women quickly fell asleep, lulled by the sound of the fire crackling and the peacefulness of the forest. But before long, Emily’s phone alarm went off, jolting her awake.
“Time to add wood to the fire,” she mumbled, as she climbed out of her sleeping bag and put on her boots.
As Emily placed a good size pile of wood on the fire, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was watching her. She stared into the darkness, searching for any sign of movement.
Her heart raced as she wondered if something dangerous was lurking in the shadows, just beyond the reach of the firelight. She shook her head, trying to convince herself that she was just being paranoid. But as she turned to climb back into her tent, she could have sworn she saw a pair of glowing eyes staring back at her.
She froze, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to process what she was seeing. Was it a wild animal? A bear or a mountain lion? She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she couldn’t just stand there, exposed and vulnerable. She quickly grabbed her flashlight and shone it into the darkness, but all she saw was the dense forest, silent and still.
With a sigh, she tried to convince herself that she must have been seeing things. She was tired and on edge after the events of the day. She quickly climbed back into her tent and set her phone alarm for the next hour, determined to stay vigilant and keep the fire burning all night. But as she drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still watching her from the inky blackness of the forest.
The pair slept soundly, taking turns keeping the fire burning throughout the night. The darkness was deep and still, the only sound was the occasional crackle of the fire. Suddenly, Samantha jolted awake.
From somewhere in their camp came the soft sound of shuffling footsteps. She lay there, her heart pounding, listening as the footsteps slowly circled their campsite, unable to speak.
Samantha’s eyes widened as the footsteps grew closer and closer. She could hear the footsteps, almost too quiet to hear, but unmistakable as they moved across the camp, closer and closer to their tent.
She felt paralyzed, unable to move or speak, her mind racing with fear. Suddenly, the shadow of a large biped moved across the wall of the tent. Samantha could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps. She knew she had to act fast, but she couldn’t even make her body move. She was trapped in a state of pure terror.
Samantha’s heart raced as the shadow grew larger and larger, her mind racing with fear and uncertainty. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears, her breath coming in short gasps. And then, she saw something press gently against the tent, moving down it, as if a hand was running down the fabric.
She lay there, frozen in fear, unable to move or speak, as the hand continued its slow progression, moving closer and closer to the door of the tent.
Through sheer force of will, Samantha turned her head to look at Emily. To her surprise, her eyes locked with Emily’s, who was wide awake, also frozen in fear, eyes wide open staring at the shadow. Samantha could see the terror etched on her face, mirroring her own feelings. She wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but her voice was stuck in her throat.
It was Emily who broke the silence. “Run!” she screamed, her voice cutting through the stillness of the night. The word was enough to snap Samantha out of her paralysis. Without hesitation, they both tore out of their tent, forgetting everything and running away from the tent as fast as they could.
They ran barefoot into the woods, and into the darkness. Sharp sticks poked at their feet making them stumble and branches scratched their faces as they tried to put as much distance between them and the campsite as possible until finally Samantha tripped and fell. Emily, who was behind her, immediately rushed to her side, cradling her head and holding her close.
Both of them were crying and shaking, the fear and adrenaline still coursing through their bodies. Looking back at their campsite, the fire barely visible through the trees, the pair sobbed pitifully.
Samantha and Emily sat in the forest, both of them shaking and crying, trying to catch their breath. Their feet were cut and scratched from running barefoot through the woods, and the cold was starting to seep into their bones.
Finally, Samantha broke the silence, her voice trembling. “I’m cold,” she said. “And my feet hurt.”
Emily nodded, her teeth chattering. “Me too,” she said. “What should we do now?”
Samantha looked around at the darkness surrounding them. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t even know where we are. We left everything behind in the tent.”
Emily’s eyes widened in realization. “Our phones, our clothes, our camping gear, they are all back there”, her eyes darting back to their campsite, marked by the barely visible light of their fire.
Samantha nodded, her mind racing. “We need to go back to the campsite. We need to get help.”
But as they sat there, alone in the forest with that creature, it seemed like an impossible task.
“What should we do now?” Samantha asked, looking around nervously. “I don’t know,” Emily replied, her voice trembling. “I don’t know if that thing is still there, or what it was.”
They sat in silence for a moment, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Samantha spoke up again. “I think we should try to sneak back to the camp and grab our things. We can’t stay here,” she said.
Emily nodded, her eyes wide. “Okay,” she said, her voice barely audible. “But we have to be careful. We don’t know whatever that was is still out there.”
Samantha took a deep breath and stood up, wincing, the cuts on her feet sending sparks of pain through her body. “Let’s go,” she said, her voice determined.
Samantha and Emily limped through the dark forest, their hearts racing with fear. Every step they took resulted in the snap of a twig, or crunch of leaves, making them flinch.
They were both still trembling from their earlier terror, and the cuts and scratches on their feet made it difficult to move quietly. They looked at each other, silently communicating their fear and determination to make it back to the safety of their campfire.
As they approached the edge of the clearing, they slowed down even more, cautiously peeking through the trees. The campfire was still burning, casting a warm glow on the clearing, and looked tranquil. There was no sign of the creature that had terrorized them earlier. They looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: was it still out there, watching them? They didn’t know, but they knew they had to be careful.
They crept closer to the camp, staying low to the ground and trying to make as little noise as possible. Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing and peeked out from behind a tree. The camp looked deserted, but they could feel the tension in the air. They looked at each other, both wondering what to do next.
“Do you think it’s still there?” Emily whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I don’t know,” Samantha replied, her voice trembling. “But we have to check.”
They stepped into the campsite, their eyes scanning the area for any signs of the creature. To their relief, it seemed that it was gone. But as they walked towards their tent, they saw that it had been crushed. The fabric was ripped and torn, and their belongings were scattered everywhere.
“Oh my God,” Emily said, her voice trembling. “What was that thing?”
“I don’t know,” Samantha replied, her eyes wide with fear. “But I don’t want to stick around to find out.”
Samantha and Emily quickly scanned the campsite, their hearts racing with fear. They knew they had to get out of there as soon as possible, but they were having difficulty finding their shoes, phones, and car keys. Everything from their camp was scattered, and they could barely see in the darkness.
“Where are our shoes?” Samantha whispered frantically, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know,” Emily replied, her voice barely audible. “But we have to find them fast. That thing could come back at any moment.”
They searched frantically, their eyes darting back and forth, trying to spot any sign of their belongings. Suddenly, Samantha let out a cry of relief.
“I found them!” she exclaimed, holding up her shoes triumphantly, then stopped to quickly put them on.
“Great, now we just need to find our phones and car keys,” Emily said, her voice tight with fear.
They searched frantically, trying to find the car keys, but they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Emily’s eyes caught a glint of something in the firelight. She rushed over to investigate and found the keys, lying on the ground next to the fire pit. She picked them up and showed them to Samantha, who let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness,” Samantha said, her voice shaking. “Let’s get out of here.”
Emily stuffed the keys into her pocket and they both started to rise to their feet, but before they could fully stand, a deafening roar filled the air. The sound was so powerful that it felt like it was shaking the very ground beneath them. Samantha dropped to her knees, her hands clamped over her ears, as the roar continued. It was so loud and so powerful that they could feel it reverberating through their bodies.
When the roar finally ended, Emily returned to her senses, grabbed Samantha’s hand, and pulled her to her feet, and towards the trail to the car.
The two of them found themselves running down the trail, their feet pounding against the dirt. Emily had found one headlamp, and it provided just enough light for them to see where they were going.
Finally, after several minutes, they had to stop, their lungs aching and gasping for breath. Emily’s feet were screaming and in pain and Samantha, despite having found her shoes and put them on, was still limping badly from the cuts on the bottoms of her feet.
“Come on, we have to keep moving,” Emily panted, her heart pounding in her chest. “We have to get out of here.” pulling Samantha back up to a walk.
Samantha nodded, tears streaming down her face as she tried to keep up with Emily’s pace. The cuts on her feet stung with every step, and she could feel blood oozing through her shoes. But she didn’t let it stop her, she pushed through the pain and kept running.
As they walked through the dark, navigating by only the puddle of light from Emily’s headlamp, they were both silent, lost in their own thoughts. Samantha’s feet were aching and bleeding, and she was limping badly. Emily could see the pain etched on her friend’s face, and she knew she needed to take a break.
“Samantha, let’s stop for a bit,” Emily said, her voice shaking with exhaustion. “We’ve been walking for hours, and your feet need a rest.”
Samantha nodded, too tired to speak and her legs throbbing with pain. They sat down close together on a fallen log.
“What are we going to do?” Samantha asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and we don’t even know if that thing is still following us.”
“I don’t know,” Emily replied, her voice trembling. “But we have to keep going. We need to get to the car and get out of here as fast as we can. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Standing and preparing to start walking again, Emily gasped and froze, looking back up the trail.
Seeing Emily’s fright, Samantha’s eyes followed Emily’s gaze up the trail. Standing in the middle of the trail, barely visible in the pale moonlight, they could see the form of a hulking creature.
They couldn’t see details, but it was clear that it was nearly 8’ tall, furry, and standing on two feet. Right at the edge of the trail, it stood there stark still, holding onto a tree with one hand.
“Oh my God,” Samantha whispered, her voice trembling with fear. “What do we do?”
“We have to keep moving,” Emily said, trying to keep her voice steady. “We can’t let it catch us.”
As they started to hike down the trail again, they kept looking back, but the bigfoot was nowhere to be seen. Samantha was crying, and Emily was trying to comfort her, but they knew they had to keep moving.
They hiked as fast as possible until they realized that there were footsteps moving quickly in the woods not far off from the trail. Eyes widening they stopped, and the footsteps stopped too.
“What is that thing?” Samantha cried, “It’s following us!”
“I don’t know, but we have to keep moving,” Emily replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “We’re almost to the car, we just have to keep going.”
A fresh wave of fear washed through them as the started walking again, because when they started walking, so did the sounds of whatever was walking in the woods.
Exhausted and emotionally shattered the girls hiked on through the night, flinching intermittently as they would catch the sound of footsteps in the woods around them.
Finally, the sky began to lighten and the trailhead was finally in sight. The sounds of footsteps had faded away and they were both exhausted and relieved to have made it out of the woods.
Samantha: “I can’t believe we made it out of there alive. My feet are killing me.”
Emily: “I know. Mine too. But at least we’re safe now.”
Samantha: “Do you think it was following us? That thing in the woods?”
Emily: “I don’t know. But I’m just glad it’s over.”
As they approached their car, their hearts racing with relief, they looked around at the sun that was breaking over the hills, illuminating the trees at the top of the low cliff that overlooked the parking lot. There, standing on the ridge, watching them, was a red-haired bigfoot.
The creature stood tall and proud, its fiery hair aglow in the morning light. It was as if it was waiting for them, watching their every move. The girls froze in fear, unable to look away from the creature’s piercing gaze. They knew they had to get out of there, fast. But as they quickly got into their car, their hands shaking and hearts pounding, they couldn’t help but keep looking back. The red haired bigfoot remained there watching them, as if it was taunting them, and they couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t sure if it was done with them yet.
“Is that… Is that the same one from last night?” Emily stuttered, her voice shaking.
“I think so,” Samantha replied, her eyes wide with fear. “What do we do?”
They stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. The bigfoot just stood there, watching them.
“Let’s just get in the car and go,” Emily said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Samantha nodded, and the two of them quickly got into the car, locking the doors behind them. Emily tore out of the parking lot giving them a sense of relief, but they couldn’t help but keep looking back, expecting the bigfoot to be chasing after them. It never did, and they were left to wonder what their encounter with the creature really meant.
