Chapter 2 - "Something’s Out Here"

"Who's looking at me?" Damon's voice shivered.

I was silent, I didn't say anything. 

"Damon, I am not at the cabin, I am standing by a tree, setting up a camera. I'm at least 20 to 30 minutes away from the cabin." I explained

"No, I'm looking right at you, but you look messed up. Is this a joke?" He asked.

"Grab a gun and go inside the bedroom, lock the doors and don't let anything in."

"Alright, Dylan, I'm taking my eyes off it." 

I'm assuming he went to get a gun, and he kept his button pressed, for that I assumed out of fear, but all I could hear was Damon breathing and a voice who's I can't recognize. It was a raspy, deep, and horrible voice, and it kept repeating itself, saying, "Dylan, Dylan, Dylan", over and over again, and with each time it said it, it got more clear and understandable. It sounded exactly like Damon. 

"Dylan, it's not there anymore, and it kept saying your name. Should I go outside and look for it?"

"NO!" I yelled, "I'm walking back now. Stay inside, I will call you when I'm there."

I put my walkie-talkie on my belt and picked up the bag. While I was walking down the trail, I noticed the sun was about to set, and night would come soon. Whatever Damon saw outside the window, I did not want to be alone with. I wouldn't be at the cabin very soon, so Damon would just have to hold his own for now. Each footstep I took there was always a noise, be it a stick underfoot, or a dried leaf, but I suddenly heard Damon calling my name, from outside.

"Dylan! Where are you!" He said desperately, "We need to get inside!"

"I thought I told you to stay inside!" I yelled back.

I couldn't see him yet, and only heard his voice, but he didn't respond. I picked up my walkie-talkie.

"Damon, get back inside! You shouldn't be outside!" I commanded

Damon's voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"What? I'm inside the cabin bedroom right now. I'm actually watching cameras for you."

"Are you saying you're not outside? Calling my name?" I questioned

"No, Dylan, that's not me." He responded.

Once again, I heard Damon's voice from the dense woods.

"Dylan, hurry up! I'm over here!" 

"Oh my god," I was frozen in place, I didn't move at all.

"Hello!?" The voice popped up again.

I was finally able to use my voice again.

"Something out here, and it's with me."

"I'll check the cameras real quick, gimme a second." Damon said.

I checked my bag, and realized it was empty. I must've dropped the last camera. 

"Dude, I dropped one of the cameras. My bag is empty."

"I'm not seeing anything from the cams, but you should just get back. Whatever that thing was, is not something you wanna be with alone." Damon countered.

"I didn't spend over $100 on a trail cam just so I could leave it out here. Don't worry, I'm not too far from where I dropped it, I'll be quick."

"Dylan no! Just get back! Who knows what that thing is and what'll do to you!"

I ignored him, put the walkie-talkie on my belt, and walked back on the trail towards the camera.

"Dylan! Get back, now!" I screamed at the walkie-talkie

Dylan didn't respond, and just kept quiet. I didn't know what else to do except to keep checking the cameras. I waited for a response from the walkie-talkie, but nothing came up. 

I kept flipping through each camera. Click, click, click. Every time, it was just the same old woods. Click, click, click. Finally, on "Camera 4", I saw Dylan, but the camera wasn't high enough to see his upper body. 

"Hey, just saw you on the cams." I said.

Dylan finally said something. "Yeah, just walked past one, I'm almost at the camera I dropped."

"Good, hurry back, the sun is setting already." 

"Yeah yeah I hear you."

I continued to flip through the cameras, but I didn't see anything. Camera 1: nothing, Camera 2: nothing, Camera 3, nothing, Camera 4: I saw Dylan yet again, on the same camera.

"Hey, did you just round back a camera?" I asked

"No, I haven't passed another camera, not that I remember." Dylan responded

"How many cameras did you place?" I asked

"I only set up four." He replied.

"Oh shit. Dylan, you need to get back now. I think that thing is behind you."

"I haven't heard any footsteps behind me." He said, "So I'm not leaving this camera."

Dylan went silent, I assumed he was just ignoring me. He was dead-set on finding that camera. I considered going out there, but it would just put both of us in danger, and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between me and whatever I saw. 

I was not leaving that camera, I put my walkie-talkie away and ignored any of Damon's calls. I was nearing the tree, and when I looked down, I couldn't see the ground all too well, so I grabbed a flashlight and shone it on the ground. To my surprise, it was gone. I looked for it, maybe it was scattered or maybe my placement was wrong. I looked for about as long as a minute, but I couldn't stay here, and if what Damon said about me being followed, I didn't have much time and I was getting more nervous and scared by the second. The sun was set and night was only a few minutes away, so I walked back.

"Hey, the camera is gone, I looked for it but it wasn't there anymore. I'm walking back now." I said.

"You have a rifle right?" Damon asked. 

"Yeah, I do, I just hope I don't have to use it." I said.

I kept on the trail as best as I could, my flashlight guiding me. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground where the light was focused, but as soon as I heard an unfamiliar noise, I looked behind me instantly.

"Why would you leave me, Dylan? You left me alone out here!" Damon's voice yelled at me.

I stayed quiet, listening. All I was able to hear was a very faint mumble and some disturbing giggles. 

"You should've stayed in the city, poor Dylan. Your foul stench reeks in these forests!"

I grabbed my rifle, preparing for anything. I grabbed my walkie-talkie.

"Damon, that thing is talking to me, check the cams for me"

"Gotcha, gimme a sec." The real Damon replied.

I sat in the dark forest, waiting for a response. I was shaking in fear. I've never been in this type of situation. Sure, I've heard some scary stories and watched some horror movies, but they weren't real, at least I thought they weren't.

"Nothing is coming up, Dylan," The walkie-talkie said, "I don't see anything."

"Ok, I need you to look out the window, and keep watch for me. If I run, it's probably gonna chase after me." I said

"Alright, I'm going there now." He replied.

I walked backwards, keeping my eyes on the trail behind me. I took about 7 steps before I heard a rock thrown to the side of me. I looked to the left for a second, and that's when I heard it.

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

Footsteps in a very quick succession were heading directly towards me. I shone the flashlight in front of me, and saw it for the first time. It was an exact replica of me, but the clothes were dirtier and my face was mangled. The arms were abnormally long, down almost all the way to the knees. They weren't being swayed at all, just stuck to the side of my body. 

A horrible and hysterical laugh came from the monster as it got closer and closer to me.

I put the stock of my gun to my shoulder, holding the barrel and flashlight with the same hand. I shot almost blindly, just hoping I could slow it down, scare it off, or anything.

I heard the bullet connect, then an ear splitting scream from the creature. I fell from the recoil, almost losing my grip on my gun, but my flashlight was knocked out of my hand from the fall. My ears rang from the gunshot, disorienting me, so I didn't know if the creature was still following me. I got up as fast as I could; sprinting away from the area. By the time I was already sprinting, I realized I didn't have my flashlight and was just running recklessly through the forest in the direction of the cabin, at least I hoped I was. 

"No time to turn back, just gonna have to keep running." I said in thought.

I was sure I wasn't on the trail since all I heard under my feet were sticks and twigs cracking under me. It was basically night, and I couldn't see well. I didn't know if I was still being chased, I just kept running. Then, I saw the light illuminating from the cabin window with Damon's silhouette in the middle of it. 

"I see you!" Damon said on the walkie-talkie

I didn't have time to pull out my walkie-talkie, and didn't wanna focus on that.

"Oh crap, get down Dylan!" Damon commanded

I dropped on a somewhat soft piece of grass and layed down.

I heard another scream from the monster behind me. I rolled my body to face it. I tried to get my rifle from my back, but I wasn't gonna get it in time, and this monster just might get me. It got closer and closer, and I struggled more and more to get my rifle but to no avail. This might be it.

I covered my head with my forearms and braced myself.

"AHHHHH" the monster screamed again.

It continued to yell at me and was getting louder.

BANG, and the scream was cut off.