Don't Go Out In The Woods Today

Chapter Two

Chapter two

I didn't turn back to look or I risked slipping over again. I was running as fast as my legs would go, weaving through tree’s as my chest burned my lungs overwhelmed with the amount of oxygen I was inhaling, my body was telling me to slow down but my head told me to keep running. I could see the exit to the forest ahead when I escaped the forest I felt sick, my chest ached and my legs felt like rubber.

“Where did you go? You said you’d be right behind me,” a voice said behind me I flinched and squeaked with fright.

“Christ do you have to do that?” I was leant over with my hands on my knee’s trying to get my breath back.

“Are you okay?” Ellie asked looking at me with concern “What’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

“I saw something in the woods,“ I said between breaths, her eyes widened with terror “when we were running I slipped over.”

“What was it?”

“…I don’t know…maybe I’m over exaggerating,” I shook off the thought.

“Tell me what you saw,” she nagged.

“It was huge and it looked like a dog but the size of a horse and it’s eyes,” I paused as I pictured it in my head still trying to catch my breath “I’m not joking they were the size of saucers and they glowed yellow and-and it had long black fur,” I started to panic.

“Okay calm down it’s alright we’re out now.”

“I didn’t stop to pick up my basket and it had my phone in it.”

“We’re definitely not going back in there until daylight.”

When I got back home I was still shaking, I had cut my knee, grazes on my hands and mud on my skirt. Ellie was sleeping over tonight so we just told mum we’re going to take our costumes off and watch a film. We made a quick escape therefore avoiding the questions by running straight upstairs.

Ellie and I sat on my double bed all cleaned up and in our pyjamas still both shaken up by the experience “What do you think it was?” she asked again.

“I honestly don’t have a clue,” I said gazing into space.

“Take me through exactly what happened.”

I sighed “We started running and I was behind you then I slipped forward on some mud I looked around to see where you had gone. Through the tree’s it just stood there it looked at me like a cat looks at a stranger. It’s eyes were like headlights I was frozen to the spot. Slowly it went to put one paw or hoof, foot whatever it was towards me then I snapped out of it, I wasn’t going to stay around and be mauled to death. I felt around for my torch, found it, picked myself up and ran for my bloody life.”

“…maybe it was an…oversized fox?” I raised my eyebrows at her ridiculous suggestion.

“You know this is pretty ironic,” I looked at her confused “I mean let’s just say it was a wolf okay…and who were you dressed as?” …red riding hood. It took a second for me to piece together what she was saying ‘red riding hood and the big bad wolf’ we both laughed for a while “A modern retelling of little red riding hood here in this village,” she said.

“Maybe I’m being a total drama queen you know? It was pitch black maybe it was an animal that escaped from the farm or something.”

“…or from a science laboratory where they have created a creature like Frankenstein’s monster,” we both laughed again.

“Right then it’s time for a scary film and sweeties,” I got up and put ‘Paranormal activity’ in the DVD player and turned the lights off. Ellie picked up the massive tote bag full of sweets “Seeing as your sweets have probably been eaten by some kind of dog slash cow you can have half of mine,” I playfully slapped her on the arm. For the next few hours I had forgotten about it all that is until it was time to sleep. I didn’t want to tell her the whole story about how I knew what it was and that I saw it hours before Lizzy died; I don’t want to burden that on her.