Samantha (Corrections Officer)

If there is another subreddit where I could share this and possibly help someone else, please let me know. Thanks for listening. I drove into Mendocino National Forest feeling both eager and oddly restless. Usually I get a burst of energy the moment I hit winding roads and thick woods, but something was off this time. The forest just seemed too quiet.

If there is another subreddit where I could share this and possibly help someone else, please let me know. Thanks for listening. I drove into Mendocino National Forest feeling both eager and oddly restless. Usually I get a burst of energy the moment I hit winding roads and thick woods, but something was off this time. The forest just seemed too quiet.

Not the peaceful, sleepy silence you might expect on a late afternoon, but a heavier stillness that lingered in the air, daring me to press on. Yuri, my dog, was panting in the back, head resting on the window ledge.

Not the peaceful, sleepy silence you might expect on a late afternoon, but a heavier stillness that lingered in the air, daring me to press on. Yuri, my dog, was panting in the back, head resting on the window ledge.

she's been my companion on countless backcountry trips before so i rely on her to sense if anything's wrong up until now she'd seem perfectly content i kept glancing at the rearview mirror half hoping she'd offer some reassuring sign that everything was normal each time i looked though she was just watching

she's been my companion on countless backcountry trips before so i rely on her to sense if anything's wrong up until now she'd seem perfectly content i kept glancing at the rearview mirror half hoping she'd offer some reassuring sign that everything was normal each time i looked though she was just watching

her ears flicked back and forth as if she was listening for something i couldn't hear the dirt road climbed higher becoming bumpier with each turn my tires crunched over loose gravel and i caught myself easing off the gas not wanting to go too deep into a place that had my nerves jumping I tried to brush it off. Maybe I was just spooked by how isolated this route was. Usually, I crave solitude.

her ears flicked back and forth as if she was listening for something i couldn't hear the dirt road climbed higher becoming bumpier with each turn my tires crunched over loose gravel and i caught myself easing off the gas not wanting to go too deep into a place that had my nerves jumping I tried to brush it off. Maybe I was just spooked by how isolated this route was. Usually, I crave solitude.

I'd planned this trip precisely because I was tired of crowded campsites and wanted somewhere remote where Yuri could run free. Yet, every foot forward stirred a growing unease in my gut. I decided to pull over when I saw a small clearing on the edge of a bluff. It was a decent spot to stretch my legs and give Yuri a chance to sniff around. The view should have been stunning.

I'd planned this trip precisely because I was tired of crowded campsites and wanted somewhere remote where Yuri could run free. Yet, every foot forward stirred a growing unease in my gut. I decided to pull over when I saw a small clearing on the edge of a bluff. It was a decent spot to stretch my legs and give Yuri a chance to sniff around. The view should have been stunning.

A sprawling valley with dark green treetops stretching out like an endless sea. But I felt unsettled enough that I couldn't properly appreciate it. My phone had just enough reception to send one last text to my boyfriend, something along the lines of, I feel strange out here, might head back. He joked as he does, saying maybe something mythical was lurking in the woods.

A sprawling valley with dark green treetops stretching out like an endless sea. But I felt unsettled enough that I couldn't properly appreciate it. My phone had just enough reception to send one last text to my boyfriend, something along the lines of, I feel strange out here, might head back. He joked as he does, saying maybe something mythical was lurking in the woods.

Under normal circumstances, I'd have laughed it off, but his words hung in my mind longer than they should have. I climbed out of the car and Yuri hopped after me. The breeze was light, but it carried a stale undercurrent that seemed out of place for this kind of forest. Then I noticed a squirrel's body near the dirt.

Under normal circumstances, I'd have laughed it off, but his words hung in my mind longer than they should have. I climbed out of the car and Yuri hopped after me. The breeze was light, but it carried a stale undercurrent that seemed out of place for this kind of forest. Then I noticed a squirrel's body near the dirt.

At first, I figured it must have been run over by some passing vehicle, but the road was empty and barely more than a narrow path. The sight of broken glass glittering around it was also jarring. The shards poked through the dirt, reflecting the sun in tiny blinding pinpricks.

At first, I figured it must have been run over by some passing vehicle, but the road was empty and barely more than a narrow path. The sight of broken glass glittering around it was also jarring. The shards poked through the dirt, reflecting the sun in tiny blinding pinpricks.

it had me wondering who would bother hauling bottles this far into the woods only to smash them and leave the mess behind yuri let out a low rumble one i'd almost call a growl she usually reserves that for encounters with strange dogs or wild animals never for random debris by the roadside my chest clenched at the sound i knelt down ran a hand along her back to calm her

it had me wondering who would bother hauling bottles this far into the woods only to smash them and leave the mess behind yuri let out a low rumble one i'd almost call a growl she usually reserves that for encounters with strange dogs or wild animals never for random debris by the roadside my chest clenched at the sound i knelt down ran a hand along her back to calm her

and her ears flattened against her skull she made direct eye contact with me as if to say we don't belong here determined not to overreact i exhaled slowly and got back into the driver's seat with every bump of the road as i continued uphill i kept telling myself that weird vibes happen sometimes

and her ears flattened against her skull she made direct eye contact with me as if to say we don't belong here determined not to overreact i exhaled slowly and got back into the driver's seat with every bump of the road as i continued uphill i kept telling myself that weird vibes happen sometimes