Evan Mallory

Some small, some tall. Some had bones placed carefully in the center. Little ones. And then we saw the tree. It was maybe 50 yards off trail. A big poplar, gnarled and dead. Nailed into the side of it was an old iron horseshoe. Hanging from the horseshoe was a rope, and tied to the rope, no BS, was a deer skull. But the skull had carvings in it.

Some small, some tall. Some had bones placed carefully in the center. Little ones. And then we saw the tree. It was maybe 50 yards off trail. A big poplar, gnarled and dead. Nailed into the side of it was an old iron horseshoe. Hanging from the horseshoe was a rope, and tied to the rope, no BS, was a deer skull. But the skull had carvings in it.

Weird symbols like spirals and claw marks etched into the bone. Anna wanted to turn around right there, but I was too stubborn. I kept thinking if we just kept going, we'd hit the old trail shelter I remembered from years ago. A small A-frame near the ridgeline where we could get our bearings. So we pushed on. The fog got thicker, the trail got thinner.

Weird symbols like spirals and claw marks etched into the bone. Anna wanted to turn around right there, but I was too stubborn. I kept thinking if we just kept going, we'd hit the old trail shelter I remembered from years ago. A small A-frame near the ridgeline where we could get our bearings. So we pushed on. The fog got thicker, the trail got thinner.

At one point I swear we passed the same tree three different times. One with a split trunk and a slash of orange lichen across the side. That's when I started to think maybe we weren't just lost. Maybe something was leading us. Or worse, circling us. When we finally stumbled into the clearing, I almost cried from relief. The old trail shelter was still standing. Barely.

At one point I swear we passed the same tree three different times. One with a split trunk and a slash of orange lichen across the side. That's when I started to think maybe we weren't just lost. Maybe something was leading us. Or worse, circling us. When we finally stumbled into the clearing, I almost cried from relief. The old trail shelter was still standing. Barely.

Roof half-caved, moss all over the north wall, and some raccoon poop in the corner. But it was shelter. It was a place. We huddled up inside, ate some protein bars with shaking hands, and tried to get warm. I told Anna to rest while I checked the area. Didn't want to admit I was looking for signs of whatever that thing was. Tracks, fur, anything. But there was nothing. Just the quiet again.

Roof half-caved, moss all over the north wall, and some raccoon poop in the corner. But it was shelter. It was a place. We huddled up inside, ate some protein bars with shaking hands, and tried to get warm. I told Anna to rest while I checked the area. Didn't want to admit I was looking for signs of whatever that thing was. Tracks, fur, anything. But there was nothing. Just the quiet again.

I climbed back into the shelter and must have drifted off, because the next thing I remember is Anna screaming. She was standing outside the shelter, staring at the ground. No, no, no. What is that? What is that? At her feet was a perfect circle of stones. We hadn't made it. It hadn't been there when we arrived. Inside the circle was her boot, one of the ones she was wearing the night before.

I climbed back into the shelter and must have drifted off, because the next thing I remember is Anna screaming. She was standing outside the shelter, staring at the ground. No, no, no. What is that? What is that? At her feet was a perfect circle of stones. We hadn't made it. It hadn't been there when we arrived. Inside the circle was her boot, one of the ones she was wearing the night before.

It was dry, clean, the laces perfectly tied. She checked her feet. Both boots were on. I've never seen her that pale in my life. She couldn't stop crying. She kept asking me, how did it get that? How did it know? I had no answers. I just knew we couldn't stay. We packed and left that shelter without looking back. But even then, I had the feeling we were still being watched.

It was dry, clean, the laces perfectly tied. She checked her feet. Both boots were on. I've never seen her that pale in my life. She couldn't stop crying. She kept asking me, how did it get that? How did it know? I had no answers. I just knew we couldn't stay. We packed and left that shelter without looking back. But even then, I had the feeling we were still being watched.

Not hunted exactly, more like studied. Like something out there was learning us. By the time we left that shelter, I'd given up on the map. Nothing made sense anymore. The landscape felt like it had folded in on itself. Trees were repeating. I'd walk 30 feet and swear we were back where we started. Even Anna noticed it. She stopped asking if we were going the right way. We both knew we weren't.

Not hunted exactly, more like studied. Like something out there was learning us. By the time we left that shelter, I'd given up on the map. Nothing made sense anymore. The landscape felt like it had folded in on itself. Trees were repeating. I'd walk 30 feet and swear we were back where we started. Even Anna noticed it. She stopped asking if we were going the right way. We both knew we weren't.

i don't think there was a right way any more the fog was thicker than ever rolling low across the forest floor coiling around the trees like it was alive the light never changed morning never really became day There was just this dull gray half-light filtering through bare branches that looked wrong, like we were trapped inside a dream where the sun never quite rose.

i don't think there was a right way any more the fog was thicker than ever rolling low across the forest floor coiling around the trees like it was alive the light never changed morning never really became day There was just this dull gray half-light filtering through bare branches that looked wrong, like we were trapped inside a dream where the sun never quite rose.

We didn't speak much, just walked. Fast, packs bouncing. Every few steps I'd check over my shoulder. And eventually I saw them. Figures, not close, not even fully visible. Just dark shapes slipping between trees up on the ridge, always just out of sight. Too thin to be human, moving too fast, but always upright, always two-legged.

We didn't speak much, just walked. Fast, packs bouncing. Every few steps I'd check over my shoulder. And eventually I saw them. Figures, not close, not even fully visible. Just dark shapes slipping between trees up on the ridge, always just out of sight. Too thin to be human, moving too fast, but always upright, always two-legged.

The air started to smell like wet fur and decay, like something had died days ago and never cooled. At one point, Anna gagged and dropped to her knees. Her nose started bleeding.

The air started to smell like wet fur and decay, like something had died days ago and never cooled. At one point, Anna gagged and dropped to her knees. Her nose started bleeding.