Author’s Note: All names used in the following story are fictional.
I grew up in a small area that was only a square mile every direction. It’s surprising we were even on the map. It was the end of second grade when I moved there. Since it was such a small area, everyone knew each other, mostly, except for one guy who lived down in the woods which teens referred to as “The Hollow”. I didn’t go into The Hollow ’till 6th grade with a group of friends. It was fun hanging from the extended vines and racing up the steep hillsides. At times we would hear creaking and snapping of branches behind us though. We never thought anything of it.
One day we went into The Hollow and heard a loud screech. It didn’t sound like a human or animal. My friends and I grabbed on to each other and slowly turned our heads toward the noise. It was coming from the house that had been isolated from the rest. The house that no one had seen anyone in. We all stood in panic. The screeching only got louder. Some of my friends started trying to inch us away but me and my friend Penelope were glued to the ground. I snapped out of my vacant state when I saw the source of the screeching.
It was a creature with sharp claws as fingers, a face that was stitched on human flesh only revealing its beaning eyes and creepy smile full of rugged teeth. It was a sight I would never forget. We tried to shake Penelope out of her frozen state but only failed. When it caught our eyes, it stared deep into our soul sending chills down to my spine just thinking about it. It started sprinting at us at inhuman speeds. We started running at tremendous speeds but Penelope still stood there. I quickly hurried back and grabbed her arm only then did she become aware of what was happening.
It was now incredibly close to Penelope and I. We quickly tried to run up the steep hill into unknown territory to get to the others. I slipped on a rock and slid down the hill but luckily Penelope grabbed the root of a tree that had bent sticking out and grabbed me by my sweater. I wish she didn’t and that she had run away for herself because when she did, she ended up tumbling with me. All I heard was her screams of terror as we watched it tear her to shreds. We took the time to our advantage and ran. Ever since that day all I can hear are her screams in my head.
~ AJ
