Horror Shorts

1 - Umbra Woods

Once a person enters the woods... They know the person is there... Who are they? No one knows... No one has seen them. No one knows what they look like... No one has lived to tell the tale of Shadows. See... They are called Shadows because no one has seen them... You don't want to see them... And you don't want them to see you... You're not safe until you're out of the woods... For the Shadows never leave... That's why... At the entrance to Umbra Woods there are signs... Warning you of the Shadows... Warning you not to enter... To tell you the truth, the name of the woods itself should be warning enough... Umbra is a synonym for shadow. That should be enough of a warning. Though you could tell that to the forty-three missing people who disappeared in Umbra Woods. When you disappear too... You've been warned... What more could you want from me?

=============================

"Run... Run as fast as you can. Don't stop." Alexander said, gripping onto Rachel's shoulders. "Do. Not. Stop. No matter what you hear or what you see... You run..." Rachel's heart was pounding in her chest. It had become a challenge to make it through the woods to the other side. A 1.5 mile trail that individuals have to run. They don't know if the person before them made it until they reach the end themselves. "You can do this, Rachel... I'll be on the other side waiting for you." Rachel nodded, giving her boyfriend a kiss. She watched him step away. If she had to be honest she was absolutely terrified. She'd never gone into the woods before and never intended to... Until now... When she was dared in front of the entire school to do the Umbra Woods Challenge. As soon as she stepped foot in the woods everything changed. The sounds became nonexistent, the atmosphere got heavy. The silence was far too loud. "Run baby... Run and don't stop... Just run... They can't get you if you're moving... Go!" He got into his car. Rachel stared into the woods and started going. She decided to walk quickly for the first part of the 1.5 mile trail. Rachel has run longer trails in less that thirty minutes. But she was too terrified to do anything this time. So she walked... She walked and she listened... She let out an ear piercing scream when she heard a loud roar behind her. Now she was just over 1/4th of a mile into the trail. She started running, only to hear pounding footsteps behind her.

"Crap... Crap, crap, crap..." She whispered. The footsteps behind her slowed and so did hers. She turned around, still walking but backwards. That's when she saw it. A large, looming shadow with insane red eyes. "Stay back! I just want to get out of here! My boyfriend is waiting for me!" She kept walking, turning around and walking faster. "FUDGE OFF, YOU BIG FUDGING SHADOW PRICK!" The shadow let out a loud, menacing laugh. One that echoed through the entire woods.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'LL GET TIRED! THEY ALWAYS DO!" The shadow shouted. Rachel shook her head hard and kept walking. But the shadow was right... She was getting tired. Her fear turning into exhaustion. Rachel reached into her bag as she walked, pulling a bottle of water from it.

"COME ON, BABY!" Alexander shouted. Still over half a mile away. Rachel sipped the water slowly so she didn't make herself sick but kept walking. She shoved the water back into her back when she was satisfied and took off running, able to hear the footsteps behind her again. Along with terrifying maniacal, demonic laughter. Deep, buzzing, maniacal laughter. She could see the end of the trail. "RACHEL! COME ON, BABY!" Just a foot away she stopped, the footsteps still coming. "Baby! Run!" She went to turn around but was grabbed. Just in time for everyone to see a large black misty hand reach out of the woods towards Rachel.

"You win this time." The voice growled. Everyone watched the red eyes disappear into the trees again. "Another person enters my woods..." Rachel gripped onto Alexander's shoulder.

"I've got you, babe... You did it..." He whispered. But the celebration ended when the sound of screams came from the woods. Another victim... The shadow has claimed another... In the morning... No one will remember those screams... They never do... The shadow erases memories of the screams of terror... Allowing a person to keep their victories in memory. "JAKE?!" Alexander heard his friend shouting. "JAKE! JUST RUN! KEEP RUNNING! YOU DUMBASS QUARTER BACK! RUN! I'M HERE! I'M HERE!" It was nearly half an hour later before a terrified and exhausted Jake came running out of the forest and right to Alexander. They hugged for some time. Next would be Rachel's younger sister, Evie.

"EVIE! I'M HERE! JUST KEEP RUNNING!" Rachel screamed. "RUN EVIE! DON'T STOP! DON'T STOP FOR ANYTHING! HE CAN'T GET YOU IF YOU RUN!"

"RACHEL!" Evie screamed, terrified.

"DON'T LOOK AT HIM! JUST FREAKING RUN!" Rachel screamed back.

The taunting. Oh god. Evie can't handle the taunting. Telling her that she'll never make it out. Evie has half a mile to go. Half a mile. She could hear her sister screaming for her to keep running. But Evie had slowed to walking. She drank her water as she walked. Tuning out the sound of the Shadow's voice. Until she gathered enough energy to run the last half mile. She ran and didn't stop. Jumping over tree roots. The red eyed shadow visible in her peripheral vision. But she ignored him and ran.

"RACHEL! I'M HERE!" She screamed excitedly. She saw her sister at the exit coming into view. "RACHEL!"

"EVIE!" She screamed. Her hands outstretched. Evie grabbed them and Rachel yanked her out of the woods into her arms. "I've got you... You're safe... You're safe..." Alexander came over and hugged the two girls tightly. "Fuck you, Shadow..." Rachel let out a relieved sigh. "Let's go home, Evie... Alex... Jake... You can come with us." Jake was glad to hear that. Not wanting to be without his friends... After his girlfriend was taken by the Shadow... Just before his turn... He watched her walk in... Heard her screams... And she never came out... She wasn't there when he got to the end.

"I lost her..." He whispered. Evie held Jake's hand tightly. The four students climbed into Alex's car and he took them back to Rachel and Evie's house.

"Mom! We're safe!" Rachel called out. Their parents came running, hugging the four teens tightly.

"Where's Emily?" Her mother asked.

"The Shadow got her..." Jake whispered. She took him to the kitchen and got him something to drink so they could talk. Evie went with them. Rachel and Alex sat on the couch and cuddled. Something Alex never thought he'd be so happy to do.

So... Umbra is a synonym of shadow... Tell that to the forty-three... Wait... Sorry about that... I actually meant forty-four people who have disappeared... In Umbra Woods.

=============================

Two Sentence Horror Story-

Everything was fine until I heard, "Don't close your eyes." And then the lights went out.