 I groaned inwardly as the first drops of rain began to fall. I had planned everything so meticulously the exact date so it wouldn't interfere with my work. The flight booking, searching the internet for hours on end for the perfect location only to overlook something so obvious, the bloody weather. I cursed under my breath as the rain picked up momentum covering the windshield of my newly rented car. To make matters worse, I was starting to think I was lost. I was out here because I needed to get away from it all. Eat, sleep, work, the same routine month after month it was driving me crazy. So I decided to take advantage of my paid leave and book a log cabin all the way in Finland. Just me alone in a forest in the middle of nowhere for an entire week. So here I was on some obscure network of roads surrounded by dark, impenetrable woodland. The wind whistled like a siren as I tried to figure out the direction I was supposed to be heading in. At this point, the drumming of the rain was all I could hear. My GPS had lost signal and I could barely see through the windows. I could just about make out a yellow blur through the windshield which I assumed was a sign offering directions. I rolled the window down hoping to read it from the shelter of the car, but winced when the water immediately splashed inside. I rolled the window back up. This wasn't my car after all and I had to return it in perfect condition. Stealing myself, I pulled the hood of my jacket up and opened the door. Immediately the rain hammered itself upon me in a relentless fashion, leaving me drenched as I miserably trudged towards the bright yellow sign which fortunately had what I was looking for. The resort where my cabin is located should be no more than two kilometers away. I was about to turn and leave, but from the corner of my eye I noticed some words hastily spray painted on the sign. Beware of the V.I. It ended. What on earth was that supposed to mean? No idea. The letters were washed out and fading and it wasn't possible to read the rest of the word. V.I. I shrugged it off. I was only getting wetter the longer I stayed out here, so I hastily walked back to the car. Throwing it into gear, I stepped on the accelerator and made my way down to the cabin, feeling ever so slightly uneasy. The sky was black as char. By the time I reached the cabin, but the moon cast just enough light to see the surrounding area, painting an eerie glow over everything in sight. I was in a clearing surrounded by tall pine trees with branches that swayed in the wind. It looked like they were waving at me, but not in a particularly welcoming fashion. I parked the car just in front of the cabin and hurried to the door, bringing my bag with me. I unlocked it and stepped inside. It was dark inside. I was going to have to hook up the generator tomorrow to get the lights working. For now, I used my phone's flash to guide me upstairs to the bedroom, changed out my wet clothes, and laid down on the bed. It took me a long time to finally sleep. The rain hadn't eased off the slightest since yesterday, so I was stuck indoors. I spent most of the day exploring the cabin, which had a pretty simple layout. The ground floor had a living room with two leather couches and a log fire between them. The next from it was the kitchen, which luckily had running water. Upstairs was the bedroom I slept in last night, a bathroom, and a small additional room which I assumed was for storage. I happened to be in that room now, slumped against the wall, playing games on my phone to pass the time, miserable that my plans of exploring the great outdoors were ruined. I also couldn't figure out how to start up the generator, so the house had no electricity, which meant no lights. I admit, I lost track of time, and hours later I realized it was almost midnight. I holed myself up, and upon turning the flash of my phone on, I saw something I hadn't noticed before. A scrunched up piece of paper pushed into the corner of the room near the doorway. I picked it up and smoothed it out, squinting to read the hastily scrolled message. It read, When the visitor comes, don't let it in. My feeling of unease grew as I remembered the warning I encountered on the sign yesterday, could it possibly be related? Who on earth was the visitor? As if to answer my question, something started knocking on the front door. If I was uneasy before, now I was completely crept out. Rather than go to the door, I quietly made my way to the bedroom, which faced the front of the house, and tiptoed to the window. I couldn't see the doorstep, so I held my breath and slowly opened it, craning my neck to see who it was. Through the darkness, I could see the silhouette of someone standing by the door. Whoever they were, they didn't look particularly tall or threatening. The cabin wasn't far off the road, perhaps their car had broken down or something and they needed help. Still, I wasn't taking any chances. So I grabbed the curtain rail from the top of the window and pulled it down to use as a potential weapon. Quietly, I walked down the stairs to the front door and looked through the peephole. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw who it was, an old, harmless looking woman. Hello? She called out. Anyone home? I turned the key and opened the door, seeing her properly for the first time. She was definitely old, probably in her seventies. What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of the night? Hey, I said, is everything okay? Well, you see? Her voice faltered as she noticed the curtain rail in my hand. I propped it against the wall and she resumed talking. You see, I'm ever so slightly lost. I was out picking berries and I strayed from my usual route and then it got dark and I've been wandering around for hours now. What was I supposed to do? Tell her to go away just because I saw some creepy note, which was most likely just a prank? Take her wander around for another few hours in the dark while there was a bloody thunderstorm. She was obviously harmless, so I let her in. Luckily, she insisted on sleeping on the couch and promised to leave first thing in the morning, which was fine by me. Now I was back upstairs, laying on the bed while tossing and turning restlessly. I couldn't stop thinking about that note I found. In the end, I figured since I wasn't sleeping any time soon, I may as well do something. I grabbed my phone and opened Google. Here goes nothing, I muttered. As I keyed in the visitor and pressed search, unsurprisingly, nothing relevant showed up. Not to be deterred, I began delving deeper, typing in more specific searches. Eventually, I came across an article on some obscure wiki, which was supposedly about urban legends and unexplained events. It looked promising, so I opened the page and began reading. The visitor is a shape shifting entity that originates from an old Finnish folktale, which dates back hundreds of years, yet many people believe its existence to be real. Several people have even claimed to have witnessed it first hand. I skipped several transcripts of interviews and continued reading. According to tradition, the visitor has a weakness. It cannot enter any dwelling or structure unless it's given permission. However, the visitor is cunning. Being a shape shifter, it will assume the form of something else, typically the least intimidating thing it can think of in a bid to gain entry. Once it's inside, it will usually wait until its victims are asleep, or at the very least until nightfall, as it is powerless during the day. Then it will revert back to its true form and murder them in an extremely brutal fashion. Immediately, my thoughts went to the old woman I'd invited inside. I began shaking. My blood turned to ice and my heart started pounding in my chest once I realized what I'd done. I'd just let the visitor in, and now I could hear the stairs creaking. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I frantically grabbed my keys and rushed to the window, throwing it open. I leapt out and hit the ground hard. Seconds later, I heard the window explode as shards of glass rained down on my back. Winded and bleeding, I staggered over to the car and leapt inside, turning the key in the ignition. Just as I slammed my foot on the accelerator, I heard a massive thud behind me. Whatever the visitor's true form looked like, it was big, heart pounding. I sped down the road as it gave chase, emitting loud, guttural growls. I glanced at the rear view mirror and saw the abomination for the first time. It was a hellish being, huge and skeletal with a grinning skull like face. It was humanoid, but dropped down on all fours as it continued to chase me. It was fast, although apparently not fast enough to catch up with a car going near a hundred miles per hour. I watched it through the mirror as the terrifying beast began getting smaller and smaller and at that moment, I really believed I was going to get away. Then I lost control of the car. It violently wobbled side to side as I wrestled with a wheel, trying to get it under control. I coughed as I started to inhale the smell of burning rubber as the car began screeching to a halt. I realized at that moment that I must have punctured a tire. I desperately tried to get the car to move, but it was no use. There was nothing I could do, sobbing and shaking. I held my head in my hands and waited for it all to end. Minutes passed yet nothing happened. I looked up and a wave of relief hit me as a police officer walked towards my car. He was holding a flashlight and had what looked like a gun holstered on his hip. It's okay. He called out, I've taken care of it. You can come out now. I was about to open the door, but hesitated. I wasn't buying it. Why was an officer out here in the first place? Why hadn't I heard gunshots or the sound of a struggle? Sir, called the officer sharply. I need you to exit the vehicle immediately for your own safety. I slammed the horn of the car to drown out his voice. The visitor had tricked me once. It wasn't going to fool me again. The supposed police officer pulled out his gun, pointing it at me and yelling that he would shoot if I didn't open the door. I ignored him. It was all an illusion, so long as I don't let it in or leave the car. I was safe. Eventually the visitor gave up and transformed back to its true form. I stared at its grotesque face, unable to look away. Its skin was stretched tightly over its skull, and it had a grinning, serrated smile. However, when I looked into its smoldering eyes, I saw undisguised rage. It stared me down for what seemed like an eternity, before turning and disappearing into the night. Head spinning, I slumped back into the seat, struggling to comprehend what had transpired in the past 24 hours. Eventually, I fell asleep or passed out. I wasn't entirely sure, but by the time I was awake, it was midday. I changed the tire as quickly as I possibly could, and I drove away, leaving the nightmare that was the last few days behind me.