Part 2 — The Two-Day Hike
(Part 1) ➡️ https://storiesworld.us/archives/9519
The first day passed without incident.
Roy and his companions followed the old map through steep ridges and dense forests.
The farther they traveled, the more isolated everything became.
Signs of civilization disappeared completely.
No roads.
No fences.
No evidence that anyone had passed through the area in years.
By evening they made camp and spent the night discussing the location.
Everyone agreed it was perfect.
Nobody would ever find a still hidden this deep in the mountains.
The following morning they resumed the journey.
That’s when things began to change.
The vegetation became unusually thick.
Massive walls of rhododendron and tangled brush surrounded the group.
In many places they could barely see a few feet ahead.
The men were forced to push through the vegetation one step at a time.
According to Roy, the forest also felt strangely quiet.
Not completely silent.
Just different.
As though something was missing.
Around midday they heard it for the first time.
A scurrying noise.
Something moving quickly through the brush.
Every man immediately stopped.
The sound stopped too.
The group exchanged confused looks.
Nobody could see anything.
After several moments they resumed walking.
A minute later the sound returned.
Scrrrrch.
Scrrrrch.
Scrrrrch.
Something large moving through the undergrowth.
Not a squirrel.
Not a rabbit.
Much heavier.
The men searched the surrounding woods but saw nothing.
According to Roy, this continued throughout the day.
The sound would appear.
Move through the brush.
Then disappear.
Whenever the group stopped, it stopped too.
At first they assumed it was some kind of animal.
A bear perhaps.
But bears usually reveal themselves eventually.
Whatever was making this noise remained completely hidden.
Hours passed.
The men grew increasingly uncomfortable.
Not because of what they could see.
But because of what they couldn’t.
Every instinct told them something was following them.
Something intelligent enough to stay out of sight.
Something content to simply watch.
By late afternoon nobody was laughing anymore.
And according to Roy, the worst part was that they were still hearing the scurrying.
(Part 3) ➡️ https://storiesworld.us/archives/9521