The Woods

Are we alone out there in the woods? Find out!

Tim watched the ceiling of the tent shift back and forth in the wind. His girlfriend slept next to him and she shifted while she dreamt. The smell of cooked s'mores still lingered in Tim's mouth, Angela knew how to kiss. Now he was staring at the ceiling, wishing that he could push his sexual fantasies out of his head. The sound of rushing water could be heard outside, and they had taken advantage of the fishing opportunities earlier. The
other campers were in the surrounding tents, two other tents to be exact. He had heard laughing before, but Tim guessed that the other campers had quit thier sexual acts hours ago. His parents only thought that he was here with his friends, and they of course believed that Tim would be a good Christian boy. Define good. There would be alcohol, and there would be plenty of good times to be had, you just has to put up with the occasional pain you felt when you took a breath out here. That was the one thing about the campsite, the stench. It smelled like something had died recently all of the time out here and it was really starting to annoy the whole group. James has suggested that maybe an animal had died there recently and was just decomposing, or maybe a serial killer had buried a body close by. Nobody laughed at that joke at all, except for that slimeball Steven. Steven laughed at everything. The one thing about the smell was that it came around and then disappeared just as quickly. Then it would return later on. Was a zombie walking around the campsite constantly?

The tent was starting to make Tim very hot. His hands were caked with sweat and his partner smelled like beer and coke, a great combination. He flicked on the lantern and crawled over to retrieve a flashlight from it's container. Still the girl did not move. She whispered something in her sleep though and her hands twitched. Tim decided to crawl to kiss her forehead. He really did care for her, even of she wasn't perfect. She smiled in her sleep, upon receiving the loving gesture. Tim looked at his electronic watch, wincing when he noticed that he had been lying awake for quite a while. "S**t." The beer had not done its job yet.

The zipper of the tent made little noise and the moonlight was his guiding light. God he needed to take a whizz! His urethra burned, finding refuge in the nearby woods. The campfire was just barely warm when Tim was zipping up his pants. The wind picked up from the East, causing every noise from that area to flood the ears of the teen. There was one that stood out however. A soft hooting sound. Tim shook his head, not believing it. What the hell was that? It wasn't any sound that he had ever heard before. It sounded like an animal was becoming defensive. The trees parted to reveal a small bear like creature crawling toward the shaking human body. It didn't move like any bear, moving with wide steps. It wasn't a bear at all, it was just a taxidermied head! The bear was just a placeholder for the crazed, snarling face that used it as cover! God it was terrible! It was some kind of an ape or it was a disfigured human being! It shook it's fist in the air, beating it's albino chest with such a fury! Tim covered his eyes and ears. He couldn't have imagined such a horrible creature in his life. It had disappeared though, no longer standing in the same place! Watching from the shadows not doubt! Tim leapt back into the tent and zipped up the tent. He crawled into his sleeping bag and covered his eyes once again, all while not waking up his girlfriend. Hadn't she heard the creature crying out in the night? The sound still borrowed into the boys eardrums. God it felt like somebody had set off a car alarm right next to his head! The ape must have been defending something, a baby maybe! Those red eyes were something spectacular, and the flames burned a joke through the minds of men.

Twigs snapped around the tent, and an owl screamed out it's territorial protest. Something was moving through the brush now, the thick trees swung back and forth on thier roots. The air grew thick with the scent of decay, drawing in breath became very difficult. The warm hand pressed the side of the tent, sliding across with a slippery sliding sound. The creature growled under it's breath, which made Tim shutter. The girl woke up at this exact moment. She stretched and checked her flip-phone, then yawned as loud as she could.

"What are you doing up? Are you okay?" She talked as though she was only curious for the sake of being nice, not because they were truly romantic partners. She checked her phone constantly, uninterested in Tim's eventual response.

"Something is out there, something in in our campsite." The girl responded with a smirk.

"Steven or Bryan could be taking a dump out in the woods. Those things happen."

"I saw something, an ape I think! I swear I'm not crazy!" Footsteps began to circle the tent again, only this time the monster seemed more hesitant. Perhaps he heard the two voices and couldn't decide whether approaching was too risky. Nevertheless, the steps continued.

"Why do you do this? You bring me out here into the middle of the woods to get some action and then talk all crazy? You really didn't deserve this tonight Tim." She started to pack her things and leave.

"You can't go out there. This thing might hurt you!"

"How do I know you won't? You talk as though your going to lose your mind!"

The creature backed into the brush, sensing the movement of the humans. The hair stood up on his neck, signaling the rest of his body to hide and stay hidden. The eyes twitched inside of the massive skull, tormenting the creature for a moment. The tent was unzipped from the side and one human emerged. The teeth flashed in a flurry of territorial anger, but yet the massive animal did not reveal himself just yet. He simply stared at the woman. She could sense him too, the smell gave him away. She didn't know where to look. Tim had been right, for the heard the breathing and the snarling just off in the brush on her right.

Clutching it's baby to it's chest, the ape hooted softly. The pitch increased, like a gorilla about to charge, until she exploded from the brush in a single bound. The girl saw only a flash of hair and teeth. The ape grabbed the easiest body part to reach, clasping the head with two massive fists. In one movement, the face was mangled. Blood dripped from the jaws of the mutated humanoid, accompanied by chunks of human flesh and fragments of the skull. The girl had died immediately, her body twitching as the mind shut down. Her last breath was easily cut off by the screams of the mother. The body fell in a crumpled heap near the tent.

Tim heard his girl die, every crunch had been crystal clear. He had no chance of living of the creature registered his movement, although he had sensed it slipping into the trees. The corpse would be gone he knew, along with his "date." Stupid girl should have listened. Maybe she would have survived, and maybe he could have escaped with her.

The tent suddenly shook violently and something was thrown against the paper-thin exterior. It can't have been bigger than a soccer ball and it left a thick, dark trail flowing down the shelter. Tim could only guess what it had been, a human head. Oh no! He was trapped. He tried to pick up his phone and dial Steven's number. Maybe he was alive and well in the other tent and they could work as a team to escape! The phone rang and rang, and finally there was a static sound before human breathing could be heard.

"Yeah bud? What do you want?" Steven was still partially drunk.

"I need your help. Something just killed Angela outside!"

"What the hell? Are you serious? Dude is she really...... AHHHHHH Jesus Christ, mother of God............*click*"

Tim froze. He could hear the men screaming from just a few feet away. It sounded like they were shouting about something. A torso had landed on their tent? Blood was dripping into the tent!!!!! Angela had been ripped apart!!!!!

Tim thought fast. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the emergency flare gun. It seemed like a shame to waste the flare, but Steven and Ben would die if he did not act.

The tent was unzipped in a flash. Tim found the ape dragging a completely unrecognizable corpse around the other tents, dousing them in blood and body parts. The eyes shone bright in the glistening sun, reflecting back pure instinct and pure rage. The flare gun was raised so that it was level with the shoulder blade. Tim steadied his hand and watched as a blazing streak crashed into the hairy bicep of the ape. She shrieked and turned to face him but acted afraid and shy when she noticed the gun. She sheltered her baby on her back and prepared to charge again. Her breath was thick in the air and he could see that she was flashing her massive fangs in the moonlight. She pawed at the ground with her massive foot, which let a massive impression in the dirt. Tim raised the flare gun again, aiming this time for the eyes. He wanted to cry so much, but kept his tears back. The ape charged at full speed twoard the tiny man while the flare streaked just above the ground.

Steven loaded his pistol and stepped out into the ruined campsite. He saw no sign of movement and no signs of any creature. He noticed the shredded body of Angela near the campfire, at least he hoped that it was Angela. The footprints in the sand has been wiped away, making it hard for Steven to tell what had happened exactly. The rain tapped the poor young man in the head in a massive downpour, making rain splash into his eyes. He listened for movement, but nothing moved just yet. The wind had died down and the only sound was that of an owl in the distance. Steven touched the handle of his pistol, walking slowly around the mangled bits of tent and human flesh. The hissing of a snake was heard somewhere in the trees. Steven stepped down into a cool puddle of water, which was settled into the massive footprint of some animal. Bears did roam these woods, and people reported grizzlies nearly every year. Maybe one had found the camp and trashed it, looking for food. That was something that Steven had seen on TV. The woods were now completely silent. Something was watching from the shadows, Steven could feel the piercing gaze and the hairs on the back of his neck alerted him to the enemy nearby. The growling was loud at first and then it slowly became silent again.

Momma was watching the human again from behind a massive tree. She could tell that the man was scared and that fear energized her very core. She bore her teeth with anticipation, but she also felt a small rise of anger within her. That human was on her turf, her baby was in her arms. She took a branch within her arms and broke it, twisting her body to face the man. She snarled and hooted softly. She wanted to attack.... she needed to defend her home!

Steven heard the branch brake and spun around to see the ape standing in the shadows. She was hitting her chest with her fists, almost laughing at the man with the gun. The gun was already loaded, making a clicking noise as it was raised.

"What are you? Come out and face me!" Yet the creature did not move at all. It stood in the bushes and continued to stare. Then the eyes disappeared. The creature walked down the path and was gone.

Steven lowered the gun and noticed something hanging from one of the nearby trees. It was strapped to the tree with rope and it swung back and forth in the wind.

"What the hell?" Steven walked forward with his gun in full view of whatever was out there. The wind picked up and a human hand swung in the wind. Tim had been hung in the tree, his entrails were hanging down and blood was dripping from his open stomach wound. Steven noticed that he must have been slashed with claws, or something similar, because the blood loss was massive. Angela's body was also hanging in the tree and she had lost several of her limps in the process. The sight was horrible, but Steven did not have much time to think about it.

The circling monster had caught the smell of human again and was making it's way back toward the clearing. The smell of fear was more intense than it had ever been. The creature had hidden the child, that's why she had walked away. She had hung the other humans earlier, a fine few trophies for sure. Now she was back to finish the job. Protecting her home was one thing, now it was time to hunt. Her brain was flowing with energy, telling her to move faster. The camp was closer now, just over the hill. Like a shark hunting her prey, she was closing in for the kill. Something stopped her from entering the clearing however. Steven had lit the surrounding grass on fire, a make-shift protective circle. He flashed his flashlight in every direction, trying to catch the creature in the beam. It was not interested in being found, it wanted to sit and watch. It wanted to know who had entered it's land. It threw stones into the clearing, but the man paid little attention to that. He was too busy trying to line up the perfect shot. The foot stepped out into the clearing slightly and Steven took a shot, missing as the limb crept back into the trees. What was he supposed to do? He was trapped out here with this thing! He was going to die just like his friends. He was doomed to be strung from the branches of a massive tree!

The monster stepped from behind a massive tree, swinging it's arms at Steven's head. Stevens shot and hot the monster in the chest, blood dripping insanely from the wound. Next there was the sound of clasping jaws, as the Bigfoot attempted to reach the man and bite his arm. The second shot missed, hitting the trunk of a nearby tree. The screams from this thing were horrifying! Your ears felt as though they were burning and melting within your skull. That was it's game, to distract you with pain so that it could kill you!

The ape stood in the middle of the camp, preparing to strike once again. Steven squeezed one shot off and he knew that the creature had felt it. It started to scream in agony, clawing it's wound with it's hand. One more bullet went flying, this time landing in the middle of the chest. The creature stopped in it's tracks, remaining completely still. Steven froze and lowered the gun. A loudspeaker went off: "Fatal shot, your test has concluded."

Claps surrounded the young man, as men in military uniforms hauled the busted Bigfoot robot away. Tim emerged from behind a black screen, grinning and congratulating the young man on his victory.

If Bigfoot is out there, we are prepared for him now!