Fogo [Discontinued Read Desc]

Fogo: The Arrival

The sky began to shift and bruise as the sun disappeared behind the tall evergreen mountains. Catching my eye in the distance beyond the purple and orange sky was a large radio tower. Blinking high above, on top, was a blinding yellow light, pulsing at random speeds as if it was having a conversation with itself. Using it's light the same way one would use their hands to explain a story. Shadows danced along the ground from the wind in the trees. The temperature dropped to near freezing; I could see my breath. Clutching my elbows I continued to press my way through the tall grass, feeling the blisters grow from the edges of my ankles to the balls of my feet. The blinking stopped and was replaced with a solid yellow hue, not shifting, not changing. It felt as if the tower had somehow noticed me miles and miles away walking through the evergreen forest and pushing my way through the grass. Uneasy and cold I began to feel another pair of eyes scan me.

Looking back at the direction of my broke down car I could see about half a mile away; the size of an ant at this point. Knowing my friend Mike would be at home in his farmhouse not far from my broke down car I continued to walk along the path. I was horrified, newspaper titles began to run through my head as the paranoia of being attack out in the wilderness filled my mind. Titles like "Man eaten by a Fogo bear" or "Fogo Forest is a magnet for missing persons", or even "Another Man going missing in Fogo Forest". Half way down the path, about a mile from my broke down car was when the sun fully vanished behind the mountains. Casting the small Fogo Valley in total darkness. Fogo Forest spread for miles along the North, East and South Coast; only reason it wasn't on the West was because of the Fogo Mountains and the small mining town of Cedars.

Soon enough my car was no longer in sight as I traveled further East the Valley path went down and twisted like human organs. Turning my backpack around and wearing it in front of me I held it close and pressed onward. The feeling of another pair of eyes never disintegrated and soon enough it began to feel worse. Continuing to think about how I was going to go missing, which has happened a lot recently since they built that radio tower, I stopped walking. I stopped walking because I thought I heard a second pair of shoes behind me. I continued to walk. Sticks breaking in the distance returned. I stopped once again. Silence. My heart rate picked up and my breathing sped out of control. Feeling a panic attack I began to walk even faster than before. I was almost at Mikes house, just another five minutes.

I stopped to listen, the pair of shoes took an extra three steps before falling silent like mine. That was enough to convince me that I was being followed. I picked up the pace and began to jog; my keys dangling on my waist rattled and clacked on my thigh. The footsteps in the distance soon faded after I began to run. Seeing a pair of eyes in the distance in front of me I stopped running and nearly shit myself. Taking a moment to process and catch my breath I realized that it wasn't eyes at all. The 'eyes' were two lights in two windows of Mikes house just off in the distance, maybe 100 yards away. Not stopping for another second I ran, full speed. The footsteps faded even more to the point where I couldn't hear them. Hopping up the five foot, pale green, brick wall and over to the other side I remained lying on the ground listening while catching my breath. Time passed and the footsteps never returned. Standing up I walked around the yard for a little while. I texted Mike stating I was in the backyard and to open the door. He didn't reply right away. I hope out of all the texts he didn't reply to that he would reply to this one.

Fear slipped through my veins as I watched the second floor curtains whisk closed. Slowly and surely the windows facing the south wall closed, then the west wall. I texted Mike again. By the time he replied the sun was gone and the sky became a beautiful black blanket with millions of white holes punched through. Mike opened the back door; it scared me for a moment. He grabbed hold of my collar throw me inside and shut the door. I tripped on the door footer and collapsed to the floor, smashing into the dinning chairs and table. My head smacked the table leg and the china clinked and chattered. Mike was frantically drawing the curtains and locking the doors. Rubbing my scalp and trying hard not to swear my head off I sat on the floor.