R/Nosleep (Get Spooked)

There's An Ancient Tribe Residing In Our Local Woods

By: u/girl_from_the_crypt

When my dog ran off into the woods during one of our walks, I knew I couldn't chase after her right away. Everyone in our town knew that the woods weren't empty. There was something in there, and especially the older residents insisted that it was people. Or at least something akin to people. They called them the tribe.

I never fully embraced these beliefs, but I still acted according to them. There were just too many things off about the woods for the tribe to be nothing but an old legend. The fact that everyone was utterly convinced the tribe was real in itself was cause for concern. I'd never heard of anybody venturing into the forest, not even to prove the saying wrong. There was nobody working there either, despite the area being so huge. If the woods were normal, chances are there'd be foresters and woodcutters or maybe even hunters in there; that's what I figured.

Our pets usually stayed far away from the treeline as well. At that point, I had no idea why Chips, my dog, had gone off there in the first place. She had never shown any interest in the woods and had even seemed apprehensive about getting too close to them. That's why I always thought it safe to walk alongside the treeline–I was sure she'd never leave my side. Her tearing the leash from my hands and dashing off into the thicket that day had happened completely unexpectedly.

At least I knew who to go to for advice. There's this guy named Duncan. He's very old, maybe even the oldest man in the entire town, and definitely the most knowledgeable. He hangs out at a small pub most of the time, so I was sure I'd find him there. I got on my way as fast as I could. When I arrived at the bar, I needed to stop for a moment to catch my breath before looking around inside. The interior was dark in its colors, the wood of the floor and the counter as well as the tables being of a warm, deep brown. The lights were just bright enough for me to easily spot the man I'd been looking for over in one of the corner tables.

There weren't a lot of other people inside the pub at the time. Duncan lifted his head in mild surprise when he noticed me approaching. We weren't total strangers; in a town as small as ours basically everyone knew each other.

"Hello," I gasped. He lifted his glass to me with a lazy smile of greeting but didn't say anything. "I need to go into the woods. My dog ran off..."

He gave me a nod as if to tell me to say no more. He went straight to business. "First off, go in there by yourself. They don't take kindly to groups and noise. And be respectful to those you meet inside." He lowered his head slightly. "You know, they don't refrain from leaving those woods because they don't want to."

"Does that mean they're trapped there or something?"

"Not trapped. The woods are their home, and this is ours. And we've forbidden them from entering ours. That's why they don't come out." Duncan looked me over, his brows creased almost like he was trying to figure out if I'd understood the gravity of the situation. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded and went on.

"The woods are big. Easy to get lost in. There's a single path through. It leads into the woods and it'll lead you back out. You're safe there. Follow it and you won't get lost." Duncan gave me a few seconds to let everything sink in before continuing once more. "You don't wanna give anyone in there your real name. Names are taboo. Knowing your name will give them power over you, to be used in our world."

His wording was ominously cryptic. "What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"It means you won't be able to get rid of them." He sighed. "Nevermind, just don't let it come to that. Make up a nickname or something and expect them to do the same–they're very careful with that kind of thing. That's easy enough to remember, I'd say. You'll eventually come across the people in there and you're gonna have to talk to them. There's no way around it. I don't want to scare you, but the further you proceed into those woods, the crazier the ones you're gonna meet will be."