Forbidden Pass

Mange

Sandy barked as she ran her way into the forest, chasing the yellow frisbee that I threw just for her. The frisbee flew its way into the wilderness, slowly disappeared from view as it went deeper.

My golden retriever didn't stop however, she kept running, chasing her favorite toy into the cursed forest.

The place where folklores are true.

"Sandy! Sandy!" I called out to her once more, but she didn't listen. Eventually, she already disappeared into the thick forest, barking as she went in to get her frisbee. I shouldn't have throw too far, or even play near this area. I ran towards the edge of the forest, letting out ragged breaths from my running, and wiped the sweat that travelled across my temple.

I was having second thoughts on getting inside to get her. I heard so many stories coming this place, and all of them weren't very good. Getting Sandy in there would mean risking my life from the horror that I heard about. I can't do that.

But will Sandy do it if I was in there?

She's my best friend; my companion; my everything after mom and dad got separated. She was always there for me when I was in a pinch, keep me company when I was alone. She would risk anything just to stay by my side, so I let out a sigh. I can't let her be in there alone, she's my best friend, I thought.

So I went to do what people told me what I had to do. I asked for permission, and went inside without thinking any further. The quicker I find her, the quicker I can get out from this place.

The forest wasn't that bad to be honest. It was actually calming, and beautiful. The sounds of birds chirping on the tall canopies above me helped me soothe my nerves. I wonder why people was being so superstitious about this place?

I called out to Sandy once more, but there wasn't any sounds of barks coming out from the forest. I followed the tracks the forest led me, and I kept on walking as I called out to her, but to no avail. She must be gone deeper in the woods, I thought. Probably why she couldn't hear me. I started to get worried, hoping that Sandy was okay. Who wouldn't be, if you're in a superstitious forest filled with scary folklores and stories?

I went deeper, went off the path I just followed and continued on with my instinct to look for her. I called out to her once again, even louder this time, hoping that she could hear me. I didn't know how long was I wandering inside the forest, but I was sure time flies by as I saw the sun was setting already; and here I was, coming from a morning jog with my dog and got herself walking around in a forest from an overthrown frisbee.

I was getting restless, worried and scared. I was starting to think that something bad might happened to Sandy, and I don't know if I should go back, or continue looking for her. It's getting late, and I started to feel a bit lost. The fog suddenly started to kick in, covering the dead leaves of the forest floor. Panic got into me.

"C'mon, Sandy! Where are you?!" I called out again, but this time, I heard a bark. My face brightened up as I turned towards the source of the bark, and went running towards it. A sense of relief rushed through my whole body. She's okay, and we can get outta here.

"Sandy! Here girl!" I called out again. There was another bark, and it's getting louder. Finally, I found you--

"Sandy...?"

Nothing.

I went to where she would be, but there was none. Only a stump of a huge tree covered by thick fog. Even the sunset was barely visible to my sights, I couldn't see well. I went closer to the stump, confusion was plastered on my face. I looked around, looking for her. Then I went to take a sit on the stump, finally realizing that I had been walking aimlessly and endlessly through the forest searching for her. I let out an exasperated sigh. Where could she be?

Suddenly I accidently kicked something hard on my shoe. It jingled when I kicked, so it got me curious. I went down to take it, and figured that it felt very familiar to my touch. I pulled it up from the fog,

It was Sandy's collar. And it was snapped and covered in blood.

My heart skipped a beat. Unwanted thoughts came flooding into my mind, panic quickly filled into my nervous system. Did something happened to Sandy?

Then suddenly I heard the bark again, this time, it was somewhere else farther than where I was now. But this time, it didn't make me feel relieved,

Instead it made my hair stood up.

That's not Sandy.

I quickly got up from the stump, fear got into me. I knew it wasn't Sandy, so I went to the opposite way of the source, running away from the bark,

From that thing.

That thing must've got my poor dog. I quickly ran as fast as I could, not knowing where I was, or where I should go. The path was already gone the time I already went off.

As long as that thing doesn't catch me.

The bark was getting louder, it was tailing me from behind. I ran even faster until my lungs felt like it was on fire, but I didn't want to stop. My breaths were getting uncontrollable as I ran for my dearest life. Tears and sweat mixed up just like my fear and sadness. I wasn't looking where I running, suddenly something caught onto my foot, catching me off-guard and caused me to face plant on the ground.

I scampered on the grass, more fear terrorized me as I tried to get up quickly. But something else caught my eye at that time. I looked at the item that tripped me, and went closer to take a look, and I wish I'd never done that in the first place.

I screamed on top of my tired lungs, more tears flowed down on my cheeks, as I quickly skidded away from Sandy's decapitated head. I whimpered as I covered my mouth, tried to muffle the sounds.

It was covered in blood, her face looked so painful as if she was suffering. I was crying that time, not bother to try getting up as I felt like my legs were so weak and burning up. It killed her. It killed Sandy.

There were no sounds of barks, but instead there's a growl in the short distance. I could see the silhoutte from the fog as it crawled closer towards me.

Until I saw it.

A huge dog, or more like a wolf, I couldn't tell. Walking on fours, and looked so skinny, I could convimce myself that the backbone was its only flesh for its scrawny, infected skin. The eye sockets were hollow, except one of them had an eye dangling out from the socket. It got no lower jaw, but the bloody teeth on its upper jaw was razor sharped and huge, just like its claws. There was a bloodshot light coming from its other unoccupied socket, staring at me straight to its vision. The hind legs were bigger than normal; and it started to walk closer. I couldn't move, and it was getting closer by the second as it passed by my deceased dog's head.

As it growls at me with its thin oesophagus, I knew that this was it.

I knew it as the claws slashed straight to me, pulling my flesh to shreds as I screamed to my last breath.

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Rule Number Four :

Do no stray from the path.