My Short Stories

Lost (Short Story)

I had no idea how much time had passed since I got lost. The wind howled, and my flashlight flickered dimly against the pitch-black forest. The moon hung high above me, a crooked crescent shape that seemed more mocking than magical. With each step forward, the trees got thicker, the wind grew harsher, and the creaking noises of old branches sounded more and more like footsteps. I could barely tell through the layer of clouds which way was north, and the guess that I made hours ago might just have been the wrong one.

I didn't hear the sounds of a highway or even a stream, nor could I see the blinking lights that signaled airplanes. There was nothing save the chirping of crickets that rang loudly in my ears and the wind that taunting whispers to me. Sounds that had once lulled me to sleep now pulled me to what might just be my grave.

Thankfully, before I split off and got lost from my hiking group, I was smart enough to grab my knife. Some water, a dead flashlight, a bag of trail mix, and a bit of rope were also tucked away in my small bag, as I thought I wouldn't need much to go hiking on my own.

Now I desperately wished for more than just peanuts and M&M's to be my dinner.

Ahead of me was an odd round-shaped shadow. But because of the darkness, I couldn't tell if it was a rock or an animal. Slowly, I lifted my foot to nudge the bulbous shape, and to my relief, my foot hit nothing but a boulder. With a sigh, I leaned against the rock to rest my feet for a moment.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the short moment of false security, entertaining the idea of sleeping there for the night. Hours of wandering, and I had yet to come in contact with anything alive; perhaps there weren't many nocturnal animals around. I could climb up a sturdy tree branch and rest...

~

I woke up abruptly with two glowing orbs shining bright on my face. At first, I thought they were flashlights and that my friends had found me at last. But when my eyes came into focus, the glowing lights moved in perfect unison. Not like independent lights, but eyes. Void of life, hanging in the air in front of me.

The muscles in my stomach contracted, the feeling of spiders crawled up my spine, and my hands clenched in white knuckle fists. I was frozen, paralyzed as I tried to make sense of the creature in front of me. Two black horns stood tall above the glowing eyes. I could see them clear as day, despite the darkness of night surrounding them. The eyes backed up a bit as the creature stood upright, towering over me at an inhuman height. The more I tried to focus on it, the less I could see. Averting my eyes, I could see its long arms trailing on the ground. But when I looked straight at it, everything disappeared except its eyes.

The creature raised an arm slowly. A hand with three sharp claws inched closer to my face. As terrified as I was, I dodged and ran out into the night. Trees flew by, the wind turned and met my back to propel me forwards now, and new energy coursed through my legs. But the faster I ran, the faster those demonic eyes danced from behind me. It was unfazed by my speed, and it seemed it was gliding through the forest. The crunching of leaves and branches beneath my feet were the only things I could hear. Crickets had gone silent, the wind faded, and the air felt deathly still.

My foot slipped, and I found myself at a cliff's edge. I turned to face the beast. "Dear god..." I whispered.

There.. .are... no... gods... here...

With the slightest nudge of the wind, down I went, tumbling down the side of the mountain.