 I'm currently sitting in my childhood bedroom right now, waiting for my mom to get back from work. I've been perusing Reddit No Sleep and similar subreddits a lot lately, and being in this house reminded me of a story I can actually share. I haven't lived here for a couple years now. I moved to the city to attend university after graduating high school, and haven't been back much aside from holidays. In truth, university was just an excuse, I really just wanted to get the hell out of the sticks. I grew up in this town, which has less than 12,000 people, a few elementary schools, and only one high school. I know lots of you probably grew up in much smaller places, but I think we're cut from the same cloth. I mean, going to Walmart as a kid was practically the same as a vacation in my mind, or at least would be the closest I had come to one. That being said, I might lose a lot of you when I say that our roads were paved, mostly, and the town's hub garnered a lot of tourism. So it's not like we're smack dab in the middle of nowhere. My mom's house, on the other hand, is a different story. It sits in the lonely creek on the outskirts of town, about a 20 minute drive to the closest grocery store. You wouldn't find street lamps or sidewalks out here, but you would find me, my mom, and my older sister, Leah. While we have neighbors, our homes aren't packed in tight like the suburbs. Even if you knew they were there, they're hidden from view by large stretches of thickets and trees. As far as we were concerned, we were living in total isolation. My friends in town loved coming over and playing out in the woods when we were kids. Compared to their little tunic and communes, it was the equivalent of trailblazing through uncharted territories. It may sound exciting, but there's not much going on in my house. No paved pathways, dainty gardens, inset pools, or fancy decks. Instead, there's extremely long fences on either side of our property, lined by ditches on both sides, which end abruptly. Where you'd expect a right angle, there was nothing. No corners or turns boxing us in, no frames around the land. I think it's just there to drain water and show where the property ended between us and our neighbors. While it walls us off on the sides, the gap at the back lays open to the vast forest which sprawls all the way to the coast, accessible to anyone brave enough to venture there. The house is a small, modest building, even after someone had added an extension to the weathered rustic cottage before we moved in. I say extension, but the truth is it was clearly an afterthought. It was essentially an unsightly trailer that had latched onto the house like a leech. Its tail extended out into the yard and trees while its maw opened up into our living room. At the tail end of this ugly L-shaped concoction was my bedroom, where I'm sitting now. I used to love it. Having windows on both sides of my room, they were low enough that I could climb in and out during a game of tag if I stacked up some cinder blocks. It pissed my friends off when I'd stow away there, but I always thought it was pretty funny when I'd finally pop out. The only other building on our property was a garage-like shed which sat at the end of a long, muddy road which somehow outlasted the seemingly endless fences. I always found it strange that it was erected so far away until my mom relayed some hearsay that it was there before the house was built. So they weren't actually sure if it was part of the property at all. It was so far, in fact, that there was a large swath of old trees and bushes which covered the space between the structures. It was dense, but you could see the garage peeking through the brush at night since the last owners installed some automatic lights on the outside. It wasn't exactly convenient, so we never really bothered to use it. It was always, and still is, just an empty building with stained concrete floors. Despite this, the automatic lights came on all the time at night. I guess it was just small animals or my neighbor's dog running by. I imagine the sensors must have a ludicrously wide range. With a property so small on the inside and unfathomably large on the outside, it was difficult to sit still indoors. There was always new stuff to find. After starting school, I would regularly have a number of my friends come over and we'd spend all day and nearly all night outside. I remember we often pretend to be jet eyes chopping each other's limbs off with saber-like sticks while force jumping on the trampoline. I was more of a decapitation kind of guy. I was always amused by the number of people who tried to convince me humans could survive without a head and even more often, deeply frustrated by those claiming it was just a scratch. Another favorite was hide-and-seek tag under the dark of night. Regular tag just didn't seem to satisfy us back then, so my sister and I would have friends over only to send them off to hide in the pitch black. A seeker would look for the hiders around the property who would have to run to the safe point after they had been spotted. If they were tagged, they'd join the seeker in rooting out the rest of the players. There wasn't really any winning or losing, just a lot of running, hiding, and stretched out shirt collars. Anyway, the real story starts on one particular summer night, probably about 8 years ago. I would have been 12 at the time. It was late at night and my mom was working the night shift like usual. The creatures of the day had gone to sleep and their nocturnal neighbors began to fill the air with chirps, croaks, and howls. It wasn't uncommon to hear a branch or two break under the weight of a deer's hooves as they passed by, deep in the woods. The sky was clear, but the porch light on the house made it difficult to see any of the would-be stars above us. It was a new moon too, so the sky manifested as an absolute void. Typically, the darker it was, the more interesting the game was. In retrospect, I'm extremely relieved there wasn't any additional moonlight back then. There were six of us at the beginning, but as it grew dark, I had to say goodbye to two of my friends when their parents came by. It was getting quite late after all. There were four of us remaining, Leah, her friend Crystal, my friend Eric, and me. Everybody was ready to go inside, panning in out of breath when I suggested one more round of tag. Nobody was really interested at this point, but I enticed them by suggesting that the first one tagged would buy pizza. It sounded like a good idea at the time. A few games of rock, paper, scissors decided that Crystal would be the seeker this time around. She wasn't very fast, so I, being a cheeky little shit, wasn't going to bother hiding. Instead, I was just going to run circles around her until she gave up, meaning she'd have to cough up the pizza by default, not literally, of course. That would be gross. I wasn't the nicest kid back then, but I'd like to think I've changed at least a little. In a previous game of tag, we had an issue where people wouldn't shout the numbers loudly enough, intentionally or not, allowing them to sneak up on people who weren't ready. We found an interesting fix for this by making the seeker count out the seconds on the back of a metal pot. Wrapping their knuckles against the material, holding it high in the air while facing the house, it carried the sound nicely and prevented the aforementioned head starts. Thankfully, our neighbors were too far away to hear the racket and complain. People's knuckles began knocking, counting quicker than normal to avoid giving us too much of an advantage. I slipped around the corner of the house, waiting for my chance, not paying any mind to Leah and Eric as they faded into the night. When Crystal finally reached the 50 knocks we had agreed upon many moons ago, the ringing began to subside. Everything went quiet. And the crickets seemed to silence themselves under the suspense. I hadn't even started running yet and my heart was pounding in my chest. My hair was still damp with sweat from earlier. I kept listening for her footsteps or to see her run by so the game of cat and mouse could begin. Yet, she never came. Several minutes had passed and nothing seemed to change. I thought she might have just given up or went in an entirely different direction. Either way, the anticipation was killing me. My impatient curiosity got the better of me as I peeked around the aluminum siding. A face swaddled in hair stood right around the corner. Its fingers were already stretched out towards me. I panicked. Before I could turn to run, my sneakers slipped on the grass and I fell backwards onto my ass as it approached. I tried using my hands to push myself backwards, but I couldn't move fast enough. I looked up as the disheveled being's fingers moved quickly and jabbed into my shoulder. Got you? It was crystal. She pushed her dark brown hair out of her face and reached down to help me up. Unfortunately, my pubescent ego and wounded pride rejected her offer. Instead, I opted to awkwardly roll over and push myself back onto my feet. My panic had turned to shame. I was regretting the pizza thing now. Crystal crossed her arms, rightfully offended at my childishness. All right. She sighed. Well, I guess we just have to find the others. Unless you don't want my help with that either, pizza boy. Thankfully, I didn't have a snotty comeback I'd have to repeat to you now. The excitement I felt earlier at the free pizza had become a distant memory. I was just eager to end the game and pretend the whole thing never happened. To make this go faster, I asked Crystal where she'd already looked. With a hint of embarrassment, she declared that she was actually waiting around that corner for an uncomfortably long time. I felt a little bit better knowing we were both being pretty dumb. As we stealthily walked around the property and searched for the others, we whispered back and forth about the likelihood they were hiding together. It began to seem like the only option. With each spot we checked, the number of possibilities dwindled until there was nowhere left to hide. Nowhere. Except the forest. There was never any rule against hiding out in the dark woods. It just happened that it was too creepy for most people to hide out there alone, waiting to be found. However, after searching the entire property, the pieces started lining up in my mind. What if they really were hiding together? Crystal was fast to agree with my theory. Oh, totally. I bet they're just tucked away behind a bush back there. She continued in a suggestive voice while raising an eyebrow. Maybe they want to be alone. I playfully wretched at the thought of Eric being into my sister. But who knows? Maybe Crystal was right. Either way, they were definitely crouched down together somewhere in the dense undergrowth between my house and that old shed. I could just sense it. Yet, even though Crystal and I were working as a pair, I could tell neither of us had any intention of walking through those gnarled roots and thick trunks in the dead of night. We stood at the edge of the woods for a while, examining the sight line when Crystal seemed to notice something. She swiftly walked several paces to my right, leaned slightly, and brought up her arm to a point. Hey, the light on that building turned on. I sidestepped until we were shoulder to shoulder. My eyes followed her outstretched finger, the same finger that probably left a bruise on my shoulder. The garage light was on, cutting through the dark and allowing us to better examine the lush green space in front of us. I attempted to remediate my earlier cowardice by taking a few steps into the bushes, but I stopped as a swift breeze rustled the greenery in front of me, and a snapping twig broke the forest vow of silence. Butterflies began to fill my stomach, pushing outward and making my insides turn. The sweat on my brow and back went cold in the evening air, and a chill ran down my body. Even though I knew that was probably Eric and Leah, I couldn't ask my legs to move any further. In my head, we'd found them. The light was enough confirmation for me. That would have to be good enough for my ego. All right, you guys, we give up, seriously. We know you're back there. I said into the thicket, hoping my surrender would warrant feedback ending the game. Crystal echoed my sentiments, cupping her hands around her mouth to carry her voice deep into the ancient woodland. Come on, lovebirds. Games over. Maybe a minute passed as we returned to absolute silence. The crickets and frogs from earlier still seemed to suppress their natural urge to speak up. Then another twig snapped. Two dark silhouettes stood up in the distance. They looked about equal in size, but shapeless and blurred against the faint light that broke up the dark miasma. Hey, we see you. Come on out now. I followed Crystal's example, encircling my hands around my lips as I commanded the shadows. After a moment, they began walking toward us. They were standing real close together. It sort of looked like they were holding something. Maybe each other's hands? I remember being shocked that Crystal might have been right about Eric. It was dark and hard to tell, but I rolled my eyes anyway, just in case. Crystal and I both gave each other a knowing smile, mixed with a lot of exasperation. We were glad to be done with a seemingly endless hunt. From a distance, there was a call. Man, why'd you guys give up so easily? It was definitely Eric. Crystal's smile melted away. Her lips ran parallel as her jaw dropped slightly. Her relief turned into concern, slowly spreading across the entirety of her face as she gazed into the light slatted by black trees. Yeah, seriously, you two walked past us three times. It was definitely Leah. I knew that Crystal realized it, just after I did. To a bystander, it must have looked like she was trying to mimic my face, mirroring the primal fear that crept up my spine and out my eyes. The silhouettes continued to approach us. My heart was pounding, but again, it wasn't from running. Eric and Leah were definitely together, just like we thought. But their voices weren't coming from the forest in front of us. They were definitely coming from behind us. I looked towards the house, but Eric and Leah weren't in view yet. When I turned back to confirm where the silhouettes once stood, I only found a deep, hungry blackness. The garage light had turned off. As Crystal continued to stare, deep into the encroaching shadows of the woods, I instinctively grabbed her wrist and began pulling her in the direction of our friend's voices. It was the one time of my life where I knew being a coward was the right choice. Eric and Leah came out near the road from the other side of the fence. They began explaining how they were lying in the ditch on the other side. But I didn't care. It didn't matter where they were hiding unless they somehow figured out how to be in two places at once. I tried to hide my anxiety under hushed tones, but spoke with urgency. Guys, don't freak out. But there's people out in the woods. They both looked at me blankly before casting skeptical looks at each other. I didn't bother to watch their reactions as I continued to pull Crystal inside. Branches continued to crack in the woods behind my house, just like they always did. But now each snap that came closer brought me closer to tears. These weren't dear. We all piled into the living room and I immediately began locking all the doors while Eric closed the windows and drew the blinds. My bedroom was the largest room with a lock. So Leah ushered a near catatonic crystal inside and onto my bed. I closed and latched the door behind us after grabbing a couple of knives from the kitchen. I kept the lights off and joined everyone else, kneeling in the dark next to my bed. Crystal and Leah were pressed up against the back wall, facing the door while Eric sat on the edge of the bed beside me. We waited in silence as I pulled out my cell phone. Looking at the time, I expected my mom to be home any minute, so I sent her a text asking for an ETA. I get that it seemed silly to text my mom and not call the authorities, but I'd never dialed 911 before and was afraid I'd be in trouble. I don't know why, but I thought at the time that once my mom was home, everything would be okay. I clutched my phone as a looming sense of dread filled the room. Footsteps could be heard approaching outside, slowly pacing around the entirety of my bedroom. A sharp sound surprised us, and Leah moved her hand over Crystal's mouth, trying to stifle her rising panic. It sounded like they might have thrown something at the house. Two more staccato strikes came from behind my head. It was like they knew where we were. Another loud tap made me grip the knife tightly as I realized what was happening. They weren't throwing things at the house. They were outside my room, knocking on the walls. They knew we were in that room. The knocks continued moving, along both sides of the room. Large shadows filled the majority of the shuttered windows. I could hear a deep, guttural breathing outside, as though someone was trying to heave breaths in and out, but copious amounts of phlegm blocked the way. I wondered what sort of being could make such a sound, but there was absolutely no way I was going to look. Eric put his hand on my shoulder and whispered over the knocks, which grew in both number and intensity. How many people did you say there were? Two, I replied without thinking. I could tell my answer wasn't comforting, as tremors emerged from Eric's hand, yet he refused to let go. Instead, his grasp tightened as he continued with a quiet stutter. The then, how are they knocking on every side of your room at once? My guts sank to the floor. I hadn't realized there were knocks coming from every direction, on every wall of the room, all at the same time. I could hear Leah whispering in the corner. 25, 26, 27. Crystal let out a muffled scream between Leah's fingers, as what I assumed was laughter erupted from outside. It sounded like a pack of ghoulish, cackling coyotes. Except coyotes don't know how to knock. As the cacophony of sounds seemed to grow, I pulled out my phone again to call for the police, animal control, anyone, but my phone rang first. It was my mom. My hand wouldn't stop shaking as I answered the call. Hey hun, what's up? Are you almost home? I must have nearly screamed it. I could hear her yelp on the other side of the line. I'm just about to pull down our road. Why? What's wrong? Leah was still going for some reason. 31, 32, 33. I wasn't sure what to say to my mom, but I can only think of one thing as the horrible, sick laughter continued outside. Please, please just lay into your horn as soon as you pull up. Please mom, don't ask why. I was hoping the desperation would get through to her. She stuttered, clearly confused. Uh, okay. Okay, I'm almost there. It'll be okay. I think she's always assumed that there was some kind of wild animal outside that we wanted to scare away. God, I hope she was right. I looked at my friends and saw Leah covering her own mouth too. Now tears dripped from the corner of her eyes as her head tilted back into the wall. 38, 39. Oh my God. She choked out as she cried. She never explained to me what she figured out that night. The nauseating knocking had turned into a frenzied assault. The things outside began hammering against the aluminum siding, creating the most thunderous climax I'd ever heard. I slumped down and wept, having no idea what would happen when it was over. Then a sound nearly as loud pierced the night and rivaled the demonic clanging from outside. The knocking stopped, immediately drowned out by the blaring siren coming from our short driveway. The shadows in front of the windows had moved away in the direction of the woods. Crystal broke free from Leah's grip and shouted, pleading for our savior to come and get us. I didn't know if these things outside were a bunch of demented bastards or some group of diseased animals, but the sound of the vehicle was loud enough to scare them away, at least for a minute or two. But I knew it would only be for a minute or two. Guys, we've gotta go. Now I cried out as I stood up. I took a quick look behind me to see that the others were already climbing to their feet, though Crystal took some coercion as she leaned into Leah. We ran down the hallway and out the door. My mom was standing in front of the vehicle's headlights, beckoning us to its open doors. I let everyone run past me towards her. I could hear her gasp lightly when she saw Eric run by, wielding a chef's knife. If I was going to get a look at these things that had been terrorizing us, I figured now would have been my only chance. I grasped the edge of the extension, took a breath, and looked. For better or worse, I peered around the trailer, yielding no results. Whatever had been there was gone. I remember hearing a symphony of branches and twigs snapping in the dark, hidden just beyond the treeline. I held my gaze until my mom called for me. Then I immediately turned tail and ran to the car. As my mom backed up, I couldn't take my eyes off the woods. The headlights pointed directly into the blackness, and I caught a glimpse of something. It was fast, so I could have imagined it. In fact, I really hope I did. Yet the image of it has been burned into my brain. A pair of eyes caught the light, reflecting a haunting yellow back at us from within the shadows. The glowing retinas were embedded deep into the seemingly exposed skull of a frail, deer-like creature that was hunched over, almost like a great ape. It lacked antlers, and its fur or skin was mostly black and patchy in places, almost like its outermost layer was peeling back. It reared backwards as the car screeched into drive, lifting one of its elongated, sinewy arms tipped with three distinct fingers to shield its body. This image on its own was the stuff of nightmares, but what made me tear up again was what I saw as we drove away. For only a couple seconds, as my mom turned to move to the road, the last bit of light revealed an ocean of twinkling stars throughout the forest. Only they weren't stars. It was an ocean of eyes. My mom sped off, and I found myself at a loss for words. We took Eric and Crystal back to their homes. I could barely manage a goodbye. It didn't take much convincing for our mom to rent a room that night. Leah and I tried our best to explain what had transpired that night, and while I could tell that it was hard for our mom to understand, I could see that she believed the unfiltered terror in our voices. I don't blame her, though. I honestly still can't wrap my head around it either. Though the two of us were reluctant to return to the house in the morning, nothing seemed out of place when we arrived with a family friend, one who owned a rifle. Aside from some flattened grass and a strange musky odor, there wasn't much to look at. I couldn't really pin the smell either, but it was enough to make Leah plug her nose while we looked around. I expected the siding to be bent out of shape because of the noises we heard, but it looked normal. I kept racking my brain over it. An animal trying to reach its prey wouldn't have held back or cared about denting the house. The more I thought, the more horrible my theory became. What if it, or they, knew what they were doing? What if they did it specifically to scare us before? I don't know. I'd really prefer not to know. Our mom took us to get a dog that same afternoon. He's some kind of mixed lab, and we named him Cooper. I don't know if having a dog actually changed anything, but having Cooper around really helped us during my mom's late shifts. We never played tag at night again, and whatever came out of the woods that night never seemed to come back. Or, at the very least, never came out from behind the trees, from deep within the forest. Man, it seriously gives me chills just thinking about it now. While I've heard the strange laughter several times since, it was further away and much easier to blame on some animal. I feel better thinking it was just our overactive imaginations, rather than let that thing exist somewhere out there. I know it seems far-fetched, but it was real enough that Crystal never came back to our house. I don't have a good answer as to what happened that night. I'm hoping it was either some teenagers playing a bad joke or some sick animal that was displaced by a storm earlier that year. But I guess we'll never know. I only feel comfortable thinking about this now because I know I'll be going back to the city tomorrow, and my mom will be moving into town at the end of the month. I'll admit, telling this has made me feel a little uneasy, especially since I haven't seen Cooper since this afternoon. He normally stays outside during the day, but tends to come scratching at the door once it's dark. I'm going to go looking for him with my mom when she gets home if he's not back by then. Oh, well, speaking of, it's getting near that time, and I think my mom's knocking on the front door right now. She joked about forgetting her house key lately, said she'd lose her head if it wasn't attached. I guess she wasn't kidding. Well, I hope to hear from you guys soon.