Short horror stories: Urban Legend edition

Devil's footprints

Origin; roughly around February 1855, England.

"Eleanor, this place is beautiful don't you think?" I asked my wife while I put my luggage onto the rustic wooden floors of the small yet cozy cabin. She looked around and opened up the curtains, the bright sun bouncing off the white snow, nearly blinding my eyes.
"It's beautiful, but freezing." She giggled to herself.
"No worries, I've got it." I reply before igniting the fireplace that already had logs built inside of it. Eleanor shuffles over, sitting on the rocking chair in front of the warmth of the fire.
"Hmm, nice. You found a good vacation spot here, Devon." She compliments.
"The countryside is the prettiest part of every country, I think."
"You wanna go hiking soon?" She questions me as I walk to the small kitchen area to make up some hot coffee for us both.
"Hike? It's twelve degrees out there!" I exclaimed with raised eyebrows at her.
"Oh come on, we won't be out for long! Just a little hike, please." She says looking back at me, her bottom lip pouted out with fluttering eyelashes.
I looked upward with my eyes, "Okay, fine. Only a ten minute hike, any longer out there I'll become Jack Torrance from The Shining." I joked before handing her the cup of coffee as I sipped on mine. We sat together in the room holding one another by the fire, bringing a nice warming touch to our chilly skin. The crackling of the logs inside the fire, combined with the howling snow just outside, it was perfect.

"Okay, hike time!" Eleanor squeaks before quickly throwing on all of her winter gear. Jumpsuit, scarf, face mask, hat, earmuffs, and the heaviest boots that could be on anybody's feet. I copied her, but a lot less enthusiastically.
"I don't know about this El, there's already six inches of snow out there and it's still snowing." I doubted the activity much more now as I watched the snow fall harder and harder.
"It'll be fine, promise! Just follow me and don't go off, a short hike cannot harm us, my love." She reassured me. After strapping up my tall snow boots, we both walked out of the cabin and took the trail that led us through the bare woods. The cruel, cold air hit my face while the wind braced against us, leaving my face without much feeling to it.
"Don't get me wrong I love hiking, but in the winter? You might be crazy." I huffed out, trudging through the snow that reached up to my shins now.
Eleanor glances back to me, giving a wide smile with reddened cheeks, "Ahh it's not crazy! I'm just a nature person, that's all."
"A crazy nature person." I mumbled under my breath, but luckily she hadn't heard as for she was speedily getting through the trail much quicker than I was.

Once I started catching up to Eleanor finally, I'd realized she was stopped at the edge of the trail.
"What's the matter?" I questioned.
"The view is beautiful." She replies and once I made it up beside her, I realized she was right. We must've been on a mountain at this rate, you could see nothing but snow and trees for miles. Not much of civilization at all in the view. A few ponds that were frozen over, but that's all.
"It is really lovely, but it'd be much more lovelier if we could go back to the cabin." I commented.
She nudges me with her shoulder, "Oh alright, race you there!" She hollers abruptly before attempting a run back to the cabin through the thick snow.
"What are you, six?" I yelled, shaking my head to myself.
Walking back down the trail as carefully as I could, I bumped into a man.
"Oh, sorry sir!" I apologize, looking up to see the man. He was dressed in winter wear, but it looked very old fashion.
"It wasn't me boss, I swear." He says, sniffling back tears that remained in his dark eyes.
"Sir, do you need help? You're going to get frostbite." I commented as I had finally taken notice of his severely pale skin. It was just as white as the snow, though not nearly as bright.
" D-don't leave me out here with that thing." He said, his dried lips quivering. I glanced around the woods, trying to see what he was talking about.
"There's bears here? Follow me." I told him before walking ahead of him. As we walked, I hear his light footsteps from behind me.
"I-I told them I didn't do it." He repeated the similar line from earlier once again.
"Did what?" I inquired.
"The-the hooves. They betrayed me, they didn't trust me. They thought I was the devil." He spoke as his voice shakes. Once we made it up to the cabin, I went to open the door but it was locked.
"Eleanor!" I hollered, but no answer. I wandered over to the window and didn't see her inside. Remembering I had my phone in my pocket, I rang her up and she answered.
"Uhh, where are you?" I asked her.
"I'm so s-sorry, Devon. I-I'm afraid I got lost." She admitted.
"How?"
"This place isn't made for people." The man's voice said from behind me.
"I-I don't know how I got lost, I thought I was going the right-," Suddenly, the phone got cut off. I whipped around and the man was no longer standing there; in fact, he was nowhere around. The weirdest part, there was only my foot prints leading up to the cabin.
"Eleanor!" I yelled out, but nothing else responded except for the snowy winds. I sat down, sliding against the cabin and into the soft snow that nearly covered my entire body. I'll just wait here for Eleanor, no sense in us both getting lost. She'll find her way back, I know she will. However, the hike was getting to me and my eyes became heavy as the sun begin lowering in the gloomy skies.

I flinched awake as I heard a door slam and when I jumped up from the snow, I looked into the window to see Eleanor backing up and away from the window, covering her mouth with a shaky hand.
"Eleanor! Let me in!" I yelled to her, but she shook her head.
"I can't let it in." She points to me, or at least I thought she was until I turn around and see hoof prints circling the entire area.