Countdown to Halloween: Creepypasta Edition

Day Thirty-One: My Plane Crash-landed in the Mountains

The cockpit was flooded with a warning signal that indicated engine failure. My veins filled with adrenaline as I struggled to restart the engine while I went through the emergency checklist of my Cessna 172. After several attempts, I failed to get any mechanical response and resorted to contacting air communications. Nothing but static.

I was flying a plane with no power. Losing altitude, I scanned the ocean of trees ahead for a clearing in which I could bring the plane down safely. My GPS had become disoriented and was shifting directions repeatedly, I knew this was going to end badly. I remembered my training; although I have covered this type of scenario several times, experiencing this first hand was a terrifying new experience.

The clouds above became darker, a heavy wind blew in from the north which caused me to descend at a dangerous rate. I saw an opening of trees that gave promise but there was no chance I could manage to safely meet the ground. I went for it. Heavy rain peppered my windshield; obscuring my vision. This is when I realized that I have lost all power to my vessel and was now flying a giant paper airplane.

I lined up my landing as best I could and hoped for the best. I was about 50 feet from the ground when a tree collided with my left wing and completely tore it from the plane. That's when I knew I was knee deep in shit creek and sinking like lead. I braced myself for impact, whiplash sent me into a state of disarray, shattered glass pierced my skin, rain broke through hit me like a tidal wave. The moment my plane contacted the ground, I blacked out.

A sharp pain in my side pulled me back to consciousness. I could hear roaring flames and the crackling of burning wood, but my vision took a bit of time to fully return. I undid my harness and reached down to identify the source of my pain. It felt like glass, and indeed it was, but it didn't feel deep enough to be fatal. I slowly removed the shard that protruded from just below my rib cage and I felt a warm trail of blood leak out of the opening.

Holding pressure onto the wound, I squirmed out of the cockpit, making sure to grab the first aid kit, only to see the wreckage that was before me. My plane was destroyed. Fuel had spilled from the tanks and filled the air with its pungent odor. Something had caused the fuel to ignite but it was slowly being extinguished by the heavy rainfall. A sense of dread washed over me as I came to the realization that not only had I crashed, but I was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Even from above, in every direction, there were only trees and cascading mountains that stretched far beyond my view. My radio was destroyed, most of my belongings were trapped inside the plane which was, at that time, completely engulfed in flames. I barely even managed to escape with only light injuries, and if I took a moment longer, I would've been burned alive.

Once the rain had put out the flames, I salvaged what I could from the wreckage; It wasn't much. Thunder roared as I struggled to dress my wound and proceeded to create some sort of shelter out of the remnants of my vessel, in order protect myself from the harsh weather. By the time I had finished, it was nightfall. I wandered around the woods and gathered as much dry wood I could possibly find in the dark. Using the tools in my first aid kit, I managed to get a fire going and was able keep warm enough to fall asleep.

A faint cough woke me from my slumber. I stirred a bit, adjusting my body for comfort, then I heard it again. This instantly grabbed my attention. The sound came from the other side of the fire. I opened one eye, hoping that whatever had made that sound didn't realize it had woke me up. Terror coursed through my veins as I saw what had invaded my shelter. It was the silhouette of what looked like a man; hunched over and mumbling something unintelligible to itself. The figure seemed completely nude, skinny, and unusually tall. I did my best not to move, the last thing I wanted was to provoke the creature.

I watched it for a while, analyzing its odd movement. It seemed to be trying to warm itself, only it was more fascinated by the fire if I had to guess. It kept far enough from the fire to where I couldn't pinpoint any distinct features other than what I could identify from its outline.