1 Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

Hello. If you are reading this, I suggest you put this book down immediately. Documented within these pages are some of the most dangerously curious anomalies to have ever plagued my being. I have delved deep into the vast world of the unknown and recorded my findings here. I have found answers to some of humanity's most complex questions. What I've learned goes far beyond the limits of human comprehension and what is widely accepted by the laws of science. I've explored a world of supernaturalism that has been kept secret from the public since the birth of  modern civilization. Let my introduction be a warning to you. Do not continue. Stop reading this sentence immediately. There is only a small group of very special people whom this book is intended for. Those people know who they are. Otherwise, I would like to once again warn you to not continue. What you may learn here will drive you down a long spiraling road of madness that destroys the barrier between fantasy and reality. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that knowledge is not power, but a debilitating curse stemmed from uninvited curiosity. It is the downfall of man. You have been warned.

. . .

    For those of you who dare to continue, my name is Noah Brooks. I am sixteen years old and I live in a small town called Farfall. It is in the middle of scenic nowhere and surrounded by miles and miles of thick forests. With a small population in this tiny town, everyone knows everyone, though there are only two people who have always mattered to me. There's my best friend Ethan. We've been as close as can be since before I can remember. We're always there for each other, even when one of us is having a bad day. We trust each other with everything. He's like my brother. Then there's my mother, Madeline. She's the only family I've ever had. My father left before I was born and I'm an only child. If it weren't for  her dedication as my mother, I wouldn't be here right now. Before my entire life was turned upside down by the ongoing mysteries of the paranormal, I was, for lack of a better term, normal. I was shy, boring, and dare I say a tad bit angsty. I didn't really talk to anyone who wasn't Ethan. My world was simple, and now that you know a little bit about me, let me take you back. 

My story began when a new girl moved in next door. Her name, I would soon find out, was Margaret Farewall. I met her one morning while I was out with Ethan shooting targets. That's how we referred to our slingshot target practice. When you live in a town as small as ours, you find creative ways to enjoy yourself. Ethan and I had crafted our own slingshots with materials from the woods and put up our own targets around town. We'd race day in and day out to see who could hit the most the quickest. I'd never say it to his face, but he's always been better than me. Anyways, we were out shooting targets when he stopped to use the bathroom. I took that time to get a head start on him. I grabbed a pebble off the dirt road, placed it in my slingshot, and  pulled back the cord. I let it fly, and the pebble bounced off the edge of the target and flew off into the forest. 

"Nice one!" I heard. I turned around, surprised to hear another voice. It was her. A girl I'd never seen before was sitting on the roof of a neighboring house. She jumped off as if it were nothing and began to approach me. "That was a nice shot you just made," She held out hand. "The name's Maggy. Maggy Farewall." 

"Noah," I responded as I shook her hand. I immediately noticed how bold this girl was. From her confidant introduction to her welcoming body language, she was definitely bold. What really intrigued me, however, were her eyes. They were fervently glowing with a sense of wonder. They grasped my attention and held it tight. I couldn't put my finger on it, but this girl was special. 

"You know, if you relaxed, you would have better control of your slingshot."

"Huh?" I wasn't sure how to respond to her statement, or even what she really meant.

"I could see it from way up there! You're tensing up just before you shoot. Here, grab another pebble. Aim at the target again," I obliged. She stood behind me and grabbed my shoulders, which made me flinch. "See, you're all tense. Just relax a little. Trust me," I  decided to entertain her suggestion. I didn't exactly believe her at the time, for I always felt pressure to excel at this activity, but I wanted to make a good first impression. I pulled back the string. For a moment, I stood and enjoyed the wind blowing through my hair and the peaceful serenity of my small world. As Maggy stood behind me, I could feel her stare. I made an extra point to relax my shoulders like she suggested. Release. The pebble flew at lightning speed through the cold autumn air. Direct hit. It hit and stuck in the small wood target hanging from Ethan's roof. "Bullseye!" She shouted. I was amazed.

"How - How did you know that would work?" She responded to my question by pulling her own slingshot from her back pocket and repeating the same shot I had just made. At this point, Ethan had emerged from his home and saw Maggy.

"Wow! That was amazing!" He ran to greet her.

"Thanks! I was just helping out your friend over here."

"How come we've never seen you out here?" He asked.

"Just moved in last night," She pointed to her house right next to Ethan's, with mine on the other side of her's. "I'm Maggy."

"Ethan," He introduced himself. "Hey, Noah and I were about to go shoot some more targets around town. Do you wanna come with?"

"Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna explore for a bit. I had to drive through the woods for at least an hour before getting here. Have you guys ever been through all of it?

"Nope," Ethan said. "It's so easy to get lost in those woods. It's best to just steer clear of going in too deep."

"Which is exactly why we should go with her," I jumped in, "To make sure she doesn't get lost!" I wanted to find out more about this Maggy girl. I couldn't get those eyes out of my head. I know I said it before, but I really mean it. There's something special about her. 

"Dude, for real? Since when do you want to explore the forest?"

"Since we made a new friend. We've gotta make a good impression. What better way to  welcome her than to give her a tour of the forest?"

"It's fine," She said, "I don't want to mess up your guys's plans."

"What plans? We go wherever the wind takes us. Right, Ethan?" I looked towards him for approval. He looked back skeptically, but replied,

"Whatever. Let's go."

"Cool! There's gotta be some awesome stuff somewhere in there!" Maggy exclaimed. Awesome wouldn't be the right word, though. Mysterious or dangerous would've been a much more accurate word to describe what we were about to face. I grabbed my backpack. Inside, I kept water, a journal and pencil, a pocket knife, and a flashlight. I didn't know what to expect, and I was a little nervous, but also excited, as we took our first steps into those woods. 

I must admit, it was nice to have been given the opportunity to appreciate nature for its beauty. It's wondrous, really. I saw a cacoon hanging from a tree as it began to shake. I watched as a stunning butterfly burst from its silk prison and flap its wings for the very first time. Its blue and red pattern glistened in the light that shed through the canopy. The magnificent creature flew upwards towards the sun and slowly disappeared into the sky. The sight was truly miraculous.

As we continued walking, the light began to fade. I knew it couldn't be sundown. It was way too early. It seemed the deeper we trekked into the forest, the thicker the trees became and therefore the less light seeped into the woods.

"You know what'd be wicked cool right now?" Maggy asked in the new daunting darkness.

"What?" I asked.

"Hide and seek!" Maggy said excitedly.

"I don't know about that. I wasn't kidding when I said we could get lost in here. It's happened before." Ethan's argument made total sense and I agreed with it, but there was something about Maggy; something so enticing that I couldn't resist siding with her. It seemed she really knew how to have fun. The dark of the forest did have an eerie atmosphere about it, to say the least, but I really wanted to play this game.

"Someone's a chicken!" I proceeded to make chicken noises and movements mocking Ethan. Maggy started laughing, which in turn made me start laughing. Ethan blushed.

"Fine, if you insist. I hope you guys know what you're getting us into." Ethan warned.

"Trust me, Ethan. We'll be just fine. Besides, there's three of us now. We can actually play games like this! Why don't you be 'it'?" I knew he would trust me. He always does. It was time we did something really fun, and what's more fun than playing hide and seek in a creepy forest?

He placed his forehead on one of the trees and began counting. Maggy and I ran off into different directions. My heart started to race. This was a game we seldom played. Before today, it was only Ethan and I. Now that someone else had joined us, I could feel a sort of competitive spirit flow through me like a raging river. I ran. And I ran. And I ran. I would follow that river to the end of the earth. Never before had I felt such a rush of adrenaline that I felt in that moment. I kept running and didn't stop. Through the forest, I could hear the water guide me. It called out to me. Go left. Turn right. Duck under the branch. Keep running. Don't stop running. I couldn't. I wouldn't. I ran faster and faster. The world was a blur to me. I felt that I would never stop. I stopped. I ran smack into a tree and fell down. I looked at my surroundings and realized I had no idea where I was or where I came from. I was so deep into the forest, I could hardly see anything. It was as if the black of night had taken dominion over the woods and ruled over them like an unforgiving tyrant. I couldn't hear anything either. No animals. No movement. Not even the voice of the wind. Everything was dark. Everything was quiet.

"Ethan! Maggy! Where are you guys?" There was no response. I took out the flashlight from my backpack and turned it on. What I saw next shook me to my very core. On the tree in front of me were dozens of strange unidentifiable symbols. In the middle of all of them were carved the words, 

"In the equinox's final hour,

Darkness will walk and shall devour

The light that shines through your darkest days,

Humanity is certain to raze,"

    I quickly took my journal out of my backpack and began sketching the symbols and the phrase, or prophecy, or whatever you want to call it. I drew as fast as my hands would let me. Once I finished, I placed my journal back in my backpack. Crack! Someone was there. I shut off my flashlight and sat down. I heard footsteps. They started getting closer and faster. I was frozen in fear. I heard my own heartbeat. It was almost deafening. My own heartbeat would be the cause of my death. Terror. Panic. Chaos. My mind raced. I felt I would explode at the suspense of it all. I felt the pressure build, and build, and build, then stop. The silence returned for a moment. My heart dropped when something grabbed my shoulder.

    "Got you!" I screamed and turned around only to see Ethan standing over me and laughing at my sudden outbreak.

    "Dude! What was that for?" I shouted.

    "You should've seen the look on your face!" He continued to laugh until footprints started again. They weren't Ethan's. My initial thought was that Maggy was pulling the same prank.

    "Ha ha! Very funny Maggy. Ethan already got me, so you can come on out," but she didn't respond. "Maggy?" I asked.

    "In the equinox's final hour," I heard a whisper. My face turned white. Those words were carved onto the tree behind me. It couldn't be Maggy. Then the same whisper came from another direction. 

"Darkness will walk and shall devour," Then from another direction, "The light that shines through your darkest days," And then from a fourth direction, "Humanity is certain to raze," The whispers continued over each other, flooding my mind with voices, filling my body with panic. I was shaking. I grabbed onto Ethan. It seemed we were surrounded. All of a sudden, a fire erupted around us. A great blazing wall lit up the darkness to reveal six men in red hooded cloaks. They held their arms out to the side and started chanting in some alien language. One man stepped forward and all chanting ceased. He whispered,

"Sacrifice."

"Run," Ethan said calmly. "Run!"He screamed as he grabbed my arm and bolted. But the fire completely encased us within this sacrificial circle. "Up here!" Ethan began climbing a tree and I followed closely. We got to over the fire and he leaped off the tree branch, over the fire, and out of my line of sight. I couldn't tell if he made it or not, but the tree started smoking. The cloaked men surrounded the base of my tree, still chanting. I made a quick decision and jumped. I fell through the cold night air and braced myself. I hit the ground and rolled forward.

"Come on!" Ethan shouted. We started running again. "Who are those guys? What do they want with us?"

"I don't know!" I yelled. We ran as fast as we could through the forest. I was just following Ethan. I didn't know where we were, and I didn't know if he did or not. We ran for what seemed like mere seconds before Ethan ran into something. It was Maggy.

"Ow! Jesus, why are you so excited?" She asked.

"There's no time! We're being chased!" He yelled.

"By who?" When she said this, I turned around and saw that the light was back. I hadn't noticed, but the forest wasn't dark anymore. The fire was gone too. It was nowhere to be seen. I swear we hadn't ran more than a hundred feet, but it was as though we'd traveled through worlds. 

"What? But they were just behind us!" Ethan shouted in a panic. Whether or not they were gone, the forest clearly wasn't safe.

"It doesn't matter! We need to leave now!" I grabbed both of them by the arm and started sprinting toward the light. 

We quickly found our way back to Farefall, though I was very confused. The sun was setting. When we entered the forest, it  couldn't have been later than twelve o'clock. There were several hours of daylight left and we weren't in there for more than one. How could we have lost so much time? The whole experience was  equally puzzling and terrifying. Knowing my life was in danger - it still scares me even while I write this, especially since I know now what we truly found in the forest that day.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm gonna go home and lie awake all night wondering about what we just saw."

"Ditto," Ethan said.

"What exactly did you guys see?" Maggy asked us. We both froze, shook our heads towards each other, and kept walking.

"Okay, bye?" She said, obviously confused. Neither Ethan nor myself had the energy to explain and relive the events that just took place. I decided I'd tell her the next day, but for that night, I just needed to rest. I certainly had a new appreciation for my "normal" life. I walked back to my house and upon entrance was greeted by my mother.

"Hey, hon. How was your day?"

"Alright," I lied. I didn't want my mom to freak out. She's fragile and, ironically, I'm just of protective of her as she as of me.

"Dinner's on the counter!" I was in no mood to eat right now. I doubt anyone would be after experiencing the same sadistic demonic bullshit I just went through. She stopped in front of me and could clearly tell that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright, Noah? You look tense."

"Yeah. I'm just really tired."

"Alright then. Why don't you get off to bed. And let me know if you need anything."

"I promise, I will."

"Hey," she stopped me again, "I love you."

"I love you too," I hurried off to bed, though sleep was the last thing on my mind. I locked my door and sat down on my bed. I opened my backpack and took out my journal. I turned to the page I used earlier and stared at my sketch; the symbols and the words. I couldn't get them out of my head. They stayed with me. Even when I blinked, I could still see them. Darkness shall walk… what darkness was this writer referring to? Was this just some sick prank? God, I hoped so. Even more perplexing were the symbols that surrounded these words. They were unlike any language I'd ever seen. I stared at them for the longest time wondering… 

I jumped when I heard a knock at my window. It was Maggy. She waved me down and I went over to let her in.

"Hey. I came over to find out what in God's name you and Ethan were freaking out about today."

"Oh, that? It was nothing. Really."

"Nothing? Right…" she noticed my journal, "What'chu got there?" I quickly hid it behind me.

"Nothing!" I stammered.

"You seem to have a whole lotta nothing in here. Is that like your code word for weird sex stuff?"

"What?" I nervously blushed, shocked by her question. In my weakness, she reached behind me and grabbed my journal. I tried to take it from her, but she was too quick.

"Aha! Wait, what? What is this?" She asked, confused.

"Alright, fine. But what I'm about to tell you stays between you, me, and Ethan. No one else knows about this!"

"Jeez, okay. Just calm down."

"Today while we were in the woods, Ethan and I were stalked by a group of cultists. They trapped us in a circle and tried to burn us at the stake. These markings were carved onto the tree we were behind."

"For real? You're seriously expecting me to believe that? Listen Junior, if you're gonna make up some outlandish lie, make it a good one. Not some -" She looked at the journal, "Hold up. I saw that symbol carved into a statue at the museum on my way up here." She pointed to a single symbol I had drawn.

"You did? Do you know what it means?" 

"Not a clue. You're really not joking about this, then?"

"No!" I yelled a bit too loud, "We almost died!"

"This doesn't make any sense. And what does this even mean? Humanity is certain to raze? What is 'raze'?"

"Raze means destroyed," I told her.

"Oh, hell no," She dropped the journal, "Tomorrow, you, me, and Ethan are gonna head down to that museum and find out what's up. I don't like the looks of this at all."

"Agreed," I told her.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you in the morning. Good luck trying to get some sleep tonight," she teased.

"Ha! I wish!" I called out to her as she climbed back onto my roof and jumped back over to her house. I took one more look at the journal and focused on the symbol that Maggy supposedly saw at the museum. Nothing about this felt right. Whatever was going on, I decided that I was gonna get to the bottom of it. I went to sleep and prepared myself for the journey I would embark on the next day.