Year: 2020
Time Since Attack: 1-year 2-months 3-days
Victims: Eduardo Fraire, Callie Seymour, Jack Hazen
Place: Ho-Chunk Forest Campsite, Nicolet National Forest, Vilas County, WI
I can’t believe he still lives. Was it worth taking my loved one’s life? Was it worth taking my best friend’s life? It’s all over now…..
Three months after therapy and five months after the attack, my life was changed. I forgot about everything that happened in those damn woods. It was at a Friday night football game when I met Catherine Ann Seymour. Everyone calls her Callie, even though her name is Catherine. Now this girl, my girlfriend, changed me. We live together now, she’s my fiance.
I asked her out weeks after I met her at a football game, and she obviously said yes. It was 9 months into our relationship when she asked me if I wanted to go camping with her. My heart dropped all the way to my feet, my breathing got heavy, I felt sick, memories came flooding in, bad memories, everything got quiet, I got dizzy, my vision blurred, I passed out.
I felt a slapping feeling on my face, followed by a splash of water.
“Babe? You passed out. All I did was ask you a question,” Callie said with a soft tone.
“Oh, shit, sorry I... I have to explain something to you” I replied shakily
“What is it?” replied Callie
I stood up, walked over to my desk littered with paper, and pulled out my notebook with shaking hands. In this notebook, I wrote down what happened those days at Paulsin Cabins. It was part of a therapy exercise.
“Take this, please read it.” I told her
She nervously accepted the worn notebook “What’s in it?”
“I don’t want to explain, just read it, it’ll explain why I passed out,” I could barely make out as her soft hand took the notebook. She cautiously made her way to the couch and began to read. I sat next to her waiting for a response. I could see the distress. Tears rolled down her face, causing a dark rivers of mascara on her cheeks. It killed me to have her in such misery. I could feel a panic attack coming up. All I could do was comfort her as she read. Tears pooled in her eyes and had no intention to stop. I hugged her tightly, tears ran down my face as well. I felt her crying ran onto my arms. Our bodies entangled, wet with tears.
“Did that really happen?” she asked with a small shaking voice, already knowing the answer.
“Yes.”
“How are you still….”
“Alive?” I said finishing her sentence “Callie, everyday I ask myself the same question over and over”
“What about Jack?”
“Jack and I still keep in touch, he has a family. A wife, and a little girl. It took him a while to get over the attack” I explained
“That’s good” she replied.
I brought her in closer to me, I hugged her tighter than ever, and gave her a light kiss on the head.
I said yes to Callie’s suggestion on going camping. She convinced me to tell Jack about our future plans. Jack was equally surprised, but willing to join us. He agreed to go, as long as i brought protection, guns, a few of them. It took more than a month to plan and until we decided to go to the Ho-Chunk Campsite in Nicolet National Forest. It was free to get in and it was a beautiful place to camp. Just beautiful.
Maybe I’m a bit bias about camping, but I was a little suspicious about the place. The loose gravel roads that seemed to have no end, and the many trees containing deep scratches.It was odd to find most of the campsites were empty, as it was midsummer.We picked a place to camp, which happened to be a cabin right by a sparkling blue lake. It was very deep in the woods, which raised my suspicion by a lot. But how could I bring it up when everyone was having so much fun?
We got off my truck and started to unpack, it was sundown, so we did it fast. Callie was super excited about going camping, Jack was too. It was about 11 PM when we finished setting up everything. We started a fire and roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. This is when it began.
The wind started to pick up causing the roaring fire to come to a halt. We stayed there and listened to the trees crash into one another like slamming screen doors. The lake was dark, black almost, with crashing waves nearly reaching our camp chairs.
Every colliding tree made me jump. Every noise brought back yet another horrid memory of my lost friends. I could see the same in Jack’s eyes.
It neared 12 PM when Callie decided it was too late to stay up any longer. She went off on the makeshift path to the small cabin.
Jack and I stayed.
The wind died down to nothing.
The silence was unbearable, the kind that makes a man crazy in a matter of minutes.
No one dared to disrupt the agonizing silence. Not Jack or I at least.
The silence was then ruptured by a faint, but distinct, howl. A certain howl that sounded unreal. But familiar in a way. In less than an instant I made the connection. A connection that sent chills all throughout my body. Flashbacks shot through my mind- the first shot I took at the grotesque beast, the pull of blood in the Paulsin Cabin bathroom, the lifelessness of my disempled friends.
I shot a haunting look at Jack. He seemed to have noticed the same miniscule howl.
“Please tell me you didn’t hear that.” I said feeling my own skin crawl.
“I wish I hadn’t.” was his response.
I could almost feel wide eyes staring me down from the back. I could barely turn around to check if it was just my imagination, but it wasn’t. I saw the disgusting creature, I saw the Goat Man. It didn’t do anything it just stood there menacingly. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of it, but I had to look over at Jack. I could just barely see him in the corner of my eye, when I fully looked over he was trembling but still looking at the thing. When I looked back at the Goat Man, he wasn’t there. The first thing that came to my mind was Callie. She was in the cabin alone, the thought of her death haunted me.
“Jack!” I whispered, loudly
“Jack!!!” I yelled again
I looked over, Jack was on the shore line of the lake. He just stood there. The smell of ozone hit me, the familiar smell made me puke. The acidic taste, just made me puke even more. I looked up, Jack was in front of me.
“Holy shit!” Excalimed Jack “Where the fuck was I?” He asked
“You were over there my the lake” i pointed out
“I can’t remember anything!” He yelled
“Shut up!!! He was here! Quick, grab your shit and lets go to the cabin!” I responded
Jack grabbed his bag, and we darted to the cabin. We slammed the door open, and closed it. I ordered Jack to make sure all the windows and doors were closed and locked. The cabin only had 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. I went to the kitchen, then to the 2 bathrooms, I couldn’t find Callie. Worriedly, I checked the first 2 rooms; nothing. I opened the third room. I sighed in relief. She was lying in bed, reading a book.
“Callie!” I exclaimed
“What?” She questioned
“Pack your stuff, we’re leaving at dusk” I responded
“What? Why?”
“Callie, please just do it, I don't have time to explain. Here take this.” I said handing her a 9mm pistol.
“Where did you get this?” she asked as her nervous hands wrapped around the handle.
“Its for protection, now quickly, get packed”
I quickly looked for Jack, he was sitting in front of the door, holding an M16. Next to him was my bag of weapons, an AK-47, a Milkor MGL grenade launcher, three 9mm Berettas, a flare gun, tear gas, night vision glasses, and a torch. I had everything to protect us.
“Jack, what are you doing?” I asked Jack
“SHH! He knows we’re in here. Every now and then he comes and knocks. He pretends to be a real person” Jack said waiting for another knock.
“Jack, we’re going to stay here until tomorrow morning” I reassured.
“But we can’t!” He said. I could see the sheer terror in his eyes.
“Jack, we can’t go outside, right now” I explained
“We’re going to have to stay awake for a couple of hours” He said
“Don’t worry, I have energy shots” I said
We quickly took them, the energy quickly kicked in. I checked on Callie. I noticed the organized luggage all ready to go . I took the time to admire her, I probably looked like a total creep staring at her. But I couldn’t help myself, she was just way too damn pretty. I went into the room, I grabbed her and kissed her, despite the horror we knew was coming. Her lips were as smooth as silk, I brought her closer but Jack came in. Fear was in his eyes.
“Guys…” Jack pled, blood poured like syrup out his mouth.
He fell on the ground, face first. I heard the bone crunch of his nose when it hit the ground. Jack’s back was torn open, his lungs and heart exposed. The sight shot fear and adrenaline thought my body. Callie was going to scream, but I cuffed her mouth with my hand. I couldn't let her announce to the thing that we were in here. I drew my gun out, I kept Callie close to me. I shuffled towards the door. The lights gave an eerie flicker, then darkness. The thing was smart, too fucking smart, it cut of the power to the cabin. I could hear a slight whimper full of despair. I pulled my night vision glasses on. It was here. Standing right in front of me was the all too familiar beast. I shot out at it without a second to spare. The shots were ineffective. The thing hit me across the face hard, knocking me into a wall. I could already feel the flow of blood starting at my temple. The damn thing took Callie, I could just barely see him drag her out.
“Let me go!!!” She screamed out, kicking and yelling as the beast towered over her.
The thing didn’t say anything, besides some grunts. I tried to get up, but blood was gushing out of my head. I tried so damn hard. When I finally managed to stand up, the thing was outside dragging Callie to who knows where. I grabbed the AK-47, I aimed at its head and fired several rounds. It dropped down, and finally releasing it’s white knuckled grip.
“Callie!!!, come here!” I screamed
She laid there motionless, peaceful in a way. I ran to her, she had a bullet through her heart. I picked her up, and I ran into the cabin. I knew what I did, I killed her. Tears instantaneously rushed down my face.
“Babe please! wake up” I begged
I shook her, but all I felt was her blood. Still alive she coughed blood.
“Callie?” I asked sick to my stomach.
The only reply i got was a slight nod, her consciousness quickly fading.
“Callie?” i tried once more, she was gone.
Her eyes closed, and she took her last breath. I laid there, but i remembered that i brought an emergency beacon. I quickly snatched in from the bag and started the signal. It read 10 minutes. It would be 10 minutes until emergency services came.
I ran back to Callie. She was cold, I knew it was over. I put a blanket on her, as I laid by her side. My head felt light, both of our blood mixed together in a pool by our sides. I hugged her tightly. I began to cry in silence. Everything was silent. All of our memories together came back, they filled my mind with temporary happiness. All I could see was Callie’s face, her soft skin, her light pink lips, her freckles, her closed eyes. I gave her a small kiss on the head. My vision began to blur, but I heard sirens, and the loud helicopter propeller. I felt someone pick me up, but I couldn’t see anything. I was so weak. I remember being placed on a cold stretcher. My eyes had no intention to open, the last i saw were two other stretchers, bloody bodies on each. Both of which were covered in a white cloth. Its a strange feeling to cry with closed eyes. No tears, no sound. Nothing.
Every scene that just happened flashed before “He’s alive!”
I knew I was on a Helicopter, the loud propeller made it obvious. Blades slicing the air was the last thing I heard of that horrendous day.
I remember falling asleep, I dreamt of Callie, my fiance. My mind went though all of my childhood memories, all of my happy memories, and my memories of Catherine Ann Seymour, my life flashed before my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I was in a white sterile room. In front of me a projector, on the top was a digital clock and calendar. It read Thursday, December 25, 2025.