Creative writing: The Mortal Woods

A cura di Francesco Paoletti, 2AS

Continuiamo la pubblicazione di storie inventate dagli studenti, in questo caso si tratta di storie horror.

The moonlight illuminated the entrance to that seemingly endless wood.

The idea of ​​walking among those gloomy trees scared me but I had no choice: if Ellen was there, I had to find her.

I entered that dark wood and walked a few hundred meters until I heard a frightening noise coming from the bushes on my right.

I illuminated those bushes with my flashlight and saw two red eyes among them.

I backed away in fright continuing to aim the flashlight at those eyes but with great speed the figure disappeared into the darkness.

I began to run with a speed I didn’t know I had and with my heart in my mouth colliding with bushes and tangles until I saw a light in the distance.

There was a rather run down hut among four very large trees, outside there were two lamps that gave off a dim light, on the roof there were various animal skulls and on the door there were two furs next to it so I thought that it was a hunter’s cabin.

I knocked a couple of times but no one answered so I tried again a few more times but nothing.

I looked out the window to look inside but even with the torch I couldn’t see anything.

From the depths of the darkness I heard a fearful scream.

With a heart full of fear I broke down the door and ran inside.

I barricaded the doors and windows with everything I found inside and sat down in a chair with a lamp near me that dimly lit the room.

I was very scared but decided to calm down by taking stock of the situation.

Ellen was in that wood due to a bet made the same day:

If had managed to spend a whole night in that forest, I would have taken her on vacation to her favorite city.

It was obviously an impossible and senseless bet but Ellen with her indomitable and courageous character had accepted the challenge.

I didn’t think about it until the same evening I received a phone call from Ellen who, frightened, asked me to go and retrieve her.

At first I thought it was a joke but now I seriously feared something had happened to her.

There was another question that popped into my mind:

What happened to the hunter of the hut?

I searched his room and found a diary chronicling his senior year.

the first notations spoke of normal routines and personal considerations but after a few pages the notes began to speak of strange noises in the night, dismembered animals along the path and a strange humanoid figure hidden in the darkness.

I also found several drawings depicting the creature: There simply could not be such a being.

Finally I found one last note where the hunter said it was time to kill the creature in its lair to the north.

By now I was determined to find Ellen so I searched the hunter’s closet and found a shotgun and various ammunition.

I went out and headed north.

I stumbled upon a large den surrounded by animal and human skeletons and skins, it smelled disgusting and I could hear gasping breath inside it.

I found the hunter dying with a large gash in his chest yelling at me to run as far as possible.

I asked him about the creature and he breathed his last and told me it was a Wendigo.

I entered until I reached the depths of the cave and found myself face to face with the monster that was feeding on Ellen’s body.

I couldn’t believe my eyes: I was horrified and furious at the same time so I pointed the rifle at the monster and emptied the loader.

The monster screamed in pain and attacked me, seriously injuring me.

He managed to escape outside and collect the hunter’s rifle.

The monster came back to give me the final blow but I managed to hit his head killing him.

Meanwhile the moon had reached our position and in that soft light I could see Ellen holding out her hand.

Suddenly everything went black.