HOME | DD

Description
It was such a gorgeous day out, that you just had to go for a walk. Months of constant snow and brutal colds has made you appreciate the warm, lovely days of spring. And what better way to enjoy them than to take a hike through the woods? Just walking amongst the towering trees and taking in the fresh green growths that have brought color back to the world. You believe that nothing could spoil the lovely hike and your bright mood until something weird happens. You are just about to climb over a fallen log when you get a strange feeling. For some reason, you suddenly feel like something is watching you. You scan the woods around you, but there is nothing to be found. Though the place is filled with life, none of it appears to be interested in you. You dismiss the feeling and continue your adventure, but there is still the nagging thought in your mind that something is off.

A few minutes later, your brain sets off the alarm again, and you quickly look around for the person responsible. Nothing. You chuckle to yourself, trying to shrug off this odd paranoia with a nervous laugh. It is probably a deer or something, watching the intruder who is barging their way into the territory. Even as you try to push it away, the horrible feeling grows stronger. You are out in the middle of the woods by yourself. Though you have walked this deep forest before, that does not mean you own them. Something out there is watching you, following you. It has to be a hiker, you think as you try to come up with a reasonable excuse. Surely someone else is out here with you, enjoying the warm weather the same way. You hear the snap of a twig and you nearly jump out of your skin. If it was a person, then why are they hiding from you? Why have they not revealed their presence? Perhaps it is a bear. One that woke up and is now lazily searching the land for something to eat. Maybe that something is you. But can bears be this stealthy? Do they hunt like this? You feel yourself start to sweat, your eyes darting around wildly. Now the hike doesn't feel like such a good idea. It is now time to get back to the car and speed out of this nightmare.

You turn to go back the way you came, but your mind screams as you turn that direction. That is where the watcher is, you cannot go back that way. Though you are screaming on the inside, you calmly turn around and pretend to resume your walk. If you act like you have not noticed them, then maybe they will go away. Or they will make a blunder that will allow you to escape. You force your legs to move, trying to come up with a plan to flee from this madness. With your back turned, the thing must have grown in confidence. That feeling is getting stronger, heavier. You swear you can feel its presence, weighing you down like a barbel. Your mind is panicking, unable to focus. Was that the sound of leaves crunching? Has the woods suddenly gone eerily silent? You cannot tell, everything is wrong. The staring eyes practically bore holes in your body, and you tense up in preparation for the coming attack. You pick up your pace, desperate to get away. It does little to ease the burden. A part of you wants to turn around and face the stalker, but your body refuses to obey. There is no way you can beat it. It is too strong, too quick. You would be slaughtered in seconds if you stood your ground. You can just feel it. You move even faster, unable to steady your nerves and think of a better plan. The snap of the branch sounds like a gun shot, and you finally make a run for it.

You barrel through the woods at reckless speeds, hoping to escape your pursuer. You nearly collide with a few trees or trip over the gnarled roots, but your feet miraculously keep you upright. You sprint straight ahead, unsure of where to go. The thing is right behind you, gaining ground even as you run with all your might. It is nearly upon you, you can feel it. You quickly change your trajectory and dash to the side. Perhaps you can get around it and run to your car. Alarm bells in your skull go off, and you catch a glimpse of a dark blur cutting across your vision. You swerve back to your original route, seeing that your plan is futile. There has to be a place to go. Somewhere safe. Your heart is pounding as you run, sounding like a thunderstorm on this calm day. Are you screaming? You can't even tell. Everything has gotten so loud. The crashing of sticks, the toppling of trees. You must be pursued by a giant, as it smashes through the woods after you. You try to escape in different directions, but rushing shadows and feinting beasts keep you in line. There must be more of them. Dozens of them. No. Thousands. The whole woods is filled with them, monsters falling from every tree, bursting from the earth itself. An avalanche of death is right behind you, and you scream wildly as you vainly try to escape. Even as your leg muscles plead for relief, you run. There has to be a sanctuary. There just has to.

Just as you are about to give up hope, your eyes land upon a glorious sight. There! It looks like a clearing! A break in the trees! Perhaps there is a road, or a camp! You would cry out in joy if your throat wasn't ragged from the breathing and screaming. You aim yourself right for it, but you are not sure if you will make it. They are on your heels like a tsunami, critters and creatures from every dark corner of the earth. The entire forest has practically become a monstrosity in itself, with gnarled clawed branches reaching for you as earthen jaws snap at your feet. The cacophony has become deafening, an entire apocalypse going down around you. Great booms that would dwarf bombs, screeches that would terrify a dinosaur and buzzing like a thundercloud of vicious wasps. You shriek and flail as you sprint to your salvation, batting away the horrors that threaten to slow you. You burst into the clearing, but there is no one else. A parade of giants are right behind you, and you only have mere seconds to escape. They surge from the side, and you move to escape them. You sprint like a madman, clinging to these last final moments before the millions of hungry mouths rip you to shreds.

THERE! Your brain cries out, and your eyes follow. You see it and rejoice. A cave! A hole bored into the side of a knoll, almost invisible beneath the curtains of moss and vegetation. Safety! Sanctuary! You run for it, defying the nightmares just a little longer. They are nearly upon you, but you are going to make it. You can see the perfectly round entrance before you, just the right size. Without slowing in the slightest, you dive for it, just as the obsidian hand of death reaches to snare you in its claws. You crash spectacularly into the tunnel, cracking your face against the stone and scrapping your limbs against the floor. You are bleeding, your nose is broken and your skin is shredded but you barely notice. You claw at the spiraled walls around you, pulling yourself deeper into the hole. The stone becomes slick and crimson, as your feral digging and crawling turns your fingers into bloodied claws. You have to go deeper, you have to. The things are at the entrance, reaching in with their impossible arms and hooked claws. The space is so tight, but you force your body through regardless. Deeper and deeper you go, unable to look back or slow for a single moment. At last, you finally collapse in the small tunnel, relieved beyond belief that you finally made it. You are safe. The monsters cannot reach you. You beat them. The broken nose doesn't even pain you in the slightest, and your ruined fingers are hardly a concern. You just lay there bleeding, wheezing with your ragged lungs and ravaged throat. Despite the dripping wounds and exhausted muscles, you feel great. There has never been a better feeling in your life. The horrors of the world were after you, and you beat them. You outran death, and there is nothing sweeter than that. The blissful quiet is like music to your ears. You begin to laugh, ignorant to the pain that wracks your body. Your chuckles are raw and pathetic, but you go on regardless, drowning out the sounds of scratching. You just lay there and laugh at your victory, uncaring of the sharp pain that has pierced your sides. Your body feels like it is burning up, but the joy of survival is stronger. The world is growing dark and faded, and you feel things stab into your skin, but you are oblivious to it. You won. You escaped. Despite the odds, you escaped those horrible things and are now safe...

Description
It was such a gorgeous day out, that you just had to go for a walk. Months of constant snow and brutal colds has made you appreciate the warm, lovely days of spring. And what better way to enjoy them than to take a hike through the woods? Just walking amongst the towering trees and taking in the fresh green growths that have brought color back to the world. You believe that nothing could spoil the lovely hike and your bright mood until something weird happens. You are just about to climb over a fallen log when you get a strange feeling. For some reason, you suddenly feel like something is watching you. You scan the woods around you, but there is nothing to be found. Though the place is filled with life, none of it appears to be interested in you. You dismiss the feeling and continue your adventure, but there is still the nagging thought in your mind that something is off.

A few minutes later, your brain sets off the alarm again, and you quickly look around for the person responsible. Nothing. You chuckle to yourself, trying to shrug off this odd paranoia with a nervous laugh. It is probably a deer or something, watching the intruder who is barging their way into the territory. Even as you try to push it away, the horrible feeling grows stronger. You are out in the middle of the woods by yourself. Though you have walked this deep forest before, that does not mean you own them. Something out there is watching you, following you. It has to be a hiker, you think as you try to come up with a reasonable excuse. Surely someone else is out here with you, enjoying the warm weather the same way. You hear the snap of a twig and you nearly jump out of your skin. If it was a person, then why are they hiding from you? Why have they not revealed their presence? Perhaps it is a bear. One that woke up and is now lazily searching the land for something to eat. Maybe that something is you. But can bears be this stealthy? Do they hunt like this? You feel yourself start to sweat, your eyes darting around wildly. Now the hike doesn't feel like such a good idea. It is now time to get back to the car and speed out of this nightmare.

You turn to go back the way you came, but your mind screams as you turn that direction. That is where the watcher is, you cannot go back that way. Though you are screaming on the inside, you calmly turn around and pretend to resume your walk. If you act like you have not noticed them, then maybe they will go away. Or they will make a blunder that will allow you to escape. You force your legs to move, trying to come up with a plan to flee from this madness. With your back turned, the thing must have grown in confidence. That feeling is getting stronger, heavier. You swear you can feel its presence, weighing you down like a barbel. Your mind is panicking, unable to focus. Was that the sound of leaves crunching? Has the woods suddenly gone eerily silent? You cannot tell, everything is wrong. The staring eyes practically bore holes in your body, and you tense up in preparation for the coming attack. You pick up your pace, desperate to get away. It does little to ease the burden. A part of you wants to turn around and face the stalker, but your body refuses to obey. There is no way you can beat it. It is too strong, too quick. You would be slaughtered in seconds if you stood your ground. You can just feel it. You move even faster, unable to steady your nerves and think of a better plan. The snap of the branch sounds like a gun shot, and you finally make a run for it.

You barrel through the woods at reckless speeds, hoping to escape your pursuer. You nearly collide with a few trees or trip over the gnarled roots, but your feet miraculously keep you upright. You sprint straight ahead, unsure of where to go. The thing is right behind you, gaining ground even as you run with all your might. It is nearly upon you, you can feel it. You quickly change your trajectory and dash to the side. Perhaps you can get around it and run to your car. Alarm bells in your skull go off, and you catch a glimpse of a dark blur cutting across your vision. You swerve back to your original route, seeing that your plan is futile. There has to be a place to go. Somewhere safe. Your heart is pounding as you run, sounding like a thunderstorm on this calm day. Are you screaming? You can't even tell. Everything has gotten so loud. The crashing of sticks, the toppling of trees. You must be pursued by a giant, as it smashes through the woods after you. You try to escape in different directions, but rushing shadows and feinting beasts keep you in line. There must be more of them. Dozens of them. No. Thousands. The whole woods is filled with them, monsters falling from every tree, bursting from the earth itself. An avalanche of death is right behind you, and you scream wildly as you vainly try to escape. Even as your leg muscles plead for relief, you run. There has to be a sanctuary. There just has to.

Just as you are about to give up hope, your eyes land upon a glorious sight. There! It looks like a clearing! A break in the trees! Perhaps there is a road, or a camp! You would cry out in joy if your throat wasn't ragged from the breathing and screaming. You aim yourself right for it, but you are not sure if you will make it. They are on your heels like a tsunami, critters and creatures from every dark corner of the earth. The entire forest has practically become a monstrosity in itself, with gnarled clawed branches reaching for you as earthen jaws snap at your feet. The cacophony has become deafening, an entire apocalypse going down around you. Great booms that would dwarf bombs, screeches that would terrify a dinosaur and buzzing like a thundercloud of vicious wasps. You shriek and flail as you sprint to your salvation, batting away the horrors that threaten to slow you. You burst into the clearing, but there is no one else. A parade of giants are right behind you, and you only have mere seconds to escape. They surge from the side, and you move to escape them. You sprint like a madman, clinging to these last final moments before the millions of hungry mouths rip you to shreds.

THERE! Your brain cries out, and your eyes follow. You see it and rejoice. A cave! A hole bored into the side of a knoll, almost invisible beneath the curtains of moss and vegetation. Safety! Sanctuary! You run for it, defying the nightmares just a little longer. They are nearly upon you, but you are going to make it. You can see the perfectly round entrance before you, just the right size. Without slowing in the slightest, you dive for it, just as the obsidian hand of death reaches to snare you in its claws. You crash spectacularly into the tunnel, cracking your face against the stone and scrapping your limbs against the floor. You are bleeding, your nose is broken and your skin is shredded but you barely notice. You claw at the spiraled walls around you, pulling yourself deeper into the hole. The stone becomes slick and crimson, as your feral digging and crawling turns your fingers into bloodied claws. You have to go deeper, you have to. The things are at the entrance, reaching in with their impossible arms and hooked claws. The space is so tight, but you force your body through regardless. Deeper and deeper you go, unable to look back or slow for a single moment. At last, you finally collapse in the small tunnel, relieved beyond belief that you finally made it. You are safe. The monsters cannot reach you. You beat them. The broken nose doesn't even pain you in the slightest, and your ruined fingers are hardly a concern. You just lay there bleeding, wheezing with your ragged lungs and ravaged throat. Despite the dripping wounds and exhausted muscles, you feel great. There has never been a better feeling in your life. The horrors of the world were after you, and you beat them. You outran death, and there is nothing sweeter than that. The blissful quiet is like music to your ears. You begin to laugh, ignorant to the pain that wracks your body. Your chuckles are raw and pathetic, but you go on regardless, drowning out the sounds of scratching. You just lay there and laugh at your victory, uncaring of the sharp pain that has pierced your sides. Your body feels like it is burning up, but the joy of survival is stronger. The world is growing dark and faded, and you feel things stab into your skin, but you are oblivious to it. You won. You escaped. Despite the odds, you escaped those horrible things and are now safe...