Park Ranger Spills the Beans On What THEY CAPTURED

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Story One – 00:00 – Wyoming
Story Two – 06:20 – Charleston, South Carolina
Story Three – 12:02 – Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Story Four – 17:56 – Boulder, Colorado
Story Five – 24:38 – Boyles, Birmingham
Story Six – 30:21 – Forest City, North Carolina
Story Seven – 36:14 – False Cape State Park, Virginia
Story Eight – 42:00 – Kansas Prairie
Story Nine – 46:19 – Arizona
Story Ten – 52:34 – Indiana

#creepystories #horrorstories #scarystories

I narrate supernatural stories, including park ranger stories about mysterious creatures. Scary park ranger stories are very interesting and we can learn a lot about the supernatural.

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You must receive written permission from me to use any form of my content. reproduction of any of my narrations on any platform or medium is not allowed without prior written consent.

About My Stories
Some stories are researched from real events by writers hired by me, for example, missing person cases at national parks. I put references to the news sources in those videos. All other stories are sent in from viewers or recreated or inspired by existing stories. I will also read stories from other channels with their permission.

Content Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.

Background Music: Co Ag
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I need to get something off my chest because I can’t deny what happened to me last summer out on the ranch it defies any rational explanation and I’m still trying to make sense of the whole thing it was the middle of June and I was working the night security shift at a

Massive cattle ranch in the isolated Hills of Northern Wyoming not far from the Big Horn Mountains part of my duties involveed doing regular patrols around the outer boundaries of the 30,000 acre property to watch for trespassers or potential cattle rustlers on this particular night I was making my rounds

On the Far Eastern side of the ranch around 2 a.m. the summer moon was full and bright making the rugged landscape almost as visible as daylight as I drove down the dirt road hugging the barbed wire fence line something emerged from the tree line up ahead that made me slow

My vehicle at first I thought maybe it was a moose or a bear but as I got closer I realized this was no ordinary animal standing squarely in the middle of the road was an enormous hair covered thing it had to be at least 8 ft tall if

Not taller with a barrel chested body and Incredibly broad shoulders its arms were easily 4 ft long hanging down past its knees with massive powerful hands at least the size of a catcher mitt but the most chilling feature was its head it had a protruding ap-like muzzle and

Sunken eyes that seemed to faintly glow from the Moonlight the face was flat with flared nostrils and what looked like a permanent sneer across its lips revealing gruesome fangs coarse matted fur covered its entire body in a sickening grayish brown color when I first laid eyes on this ungodly creature

I instinctively slammed on the brakes of my truck skidding to a stop about 50 yard away from it we locked Eyes For What felt like an eternal the exterior lights of the truck Illuminating its horrific features that’s when the real terror set in a deep visceral dread unlike anything I’ve

Experienced before or since suddenly the creature reared up to its full height pounding its gigantic fists against its barrel chest the resulting Roar shook me to my core it was so deafening and Powerful that the truck’s exterior mirrors were actually vibrating the sound seemed to reverberate across the

Lands ESC ape and last for minutes a deep guttural bellowing that sounded almost ancient I’ve heard my fair share of loud noises gunshots thunderstorms you name it but this this sound was on another level entirely in that moment I was certain it could have been heard for Miles without consciously deciding to I

Threw the truck into reverse and stomped on the gas pedal as hard as I could the rear wheels dug into into the loose dirt as I tore out of there fish tailing wildly and kicking up a thick cloud of dust behind me I drove like a bat out of

Hell along that Lonely Road glancing fearfully in the rearview mirror expecting to see that colossal hair covered monstrosity charging after me at any moment but it never gave Chase in fact the last view I had of the creature was it casually turning its broad back to me and lumbering off into the tree

Line from where it first emerged as if our encounter didn’t phase it in the slightest I’ve never driven so recklessly in my life but I was running on pure Terror at that point I made it back to the main Ranch House in record time sweating and shaking uncontrollably

But trying to keep it together I tried to relay to the owner what I had witnessed but he just looked at me in a way that said he didn’t think I was cut out for my job if I was spooked by a big old bear let me tell you that sure as

Hell wasn’t any bear I’ve ever seen Bears don’t stand 8 ft tall and weigh what must have been at least 800 lb of muscle and matted hair and they definitely don’t let out Earth shaking Roars that rattle your bones what I encountered that night was something else something not of this world at

Least not anymore maybe it was some long forgotten throwback from the past that managed to survive whatever it was one thing’s for certain it was very real and it made me feel more insign significantly human than I’d care to admit over the following days and weeks I tried to rationalize what I saw

Through some admittedly far-fetched theories but nothing could explain the sheer enormity and grotesqueness of the creature there’s local lore of a similar hairy Wildman creature spotted through the years in the Big Horn mountains but those stories hardly captured the sheer raw power and otherworldliness of what I

Came face to face with some folks might try to write it off as a creative tale or an encounter with the mythical Bigfoot but I know what I saw out there in the cold light of the full moon it was something ancient and Primal something not meant for this modern

World we’ve tamed mark my words that thing was no myth crypted or legendary folk tale it was very real and very terrifying I only worked that ranch for another week after my encounter before quitting on the spot there was no way I could go go back out on those night

Patrols constantly wondering if I might cross paths with that Unholy Titan of a creature again I’m usually not one to scare easy but that experience shook me to my core in a way I still can’t fully articulate so there you have it the honest to God truth about the most

Bizarre inexplicable Encounter of my life maybe someday I’ll uncover a rational explanation that can settle my mind but deep down I know there are certain things in this world that simply defy logic and reason as we know it all I can say is that you need to be

Cautious of what roams those isolated Hills in Forest after dark because there are monsters out there that are more real and terrifying than you might Think my name is Greg and I’m 27 years old pretty much my whole life has been spent right here in Charlestown going to school working construction jobs spending night with friends it’s a historic city with a lot of old buildings in some towns on the outskirts that have been around for centuries you

Can’t go more than a couple blocks downtown without seeing a plaque about some haunted place or other I’ve lived here so long that I pretty much tuned all that ghost talk out a long time ago just Stone houses with some quirky stories attached at least that’s what I

Always thought at least until that night in October when I came fix face to face with something that changed my mind completely it happened on a Saturday night in late October I was out driving alone after midnight heading home from a friend’s house over on the west side I

Took my usual route cutting through the back streets instead of taking the main roads fewer stop lights to deal with that way as I was driving down chaplain Street which is just a short residential street I noticed up ahead on the right side of the road what looked like a

Person stumbling around near near some shrubs and trees I slowed down to get a better look and that’s when I realized this wasn’t any person at all it was something else entirely this thing was about 5 ft tall with a really skinny build its arms seemed too long for its

Body it had a small head too and I couldn’t make out any distinct facial features from the distance just some Dark Hollow areas where the eyes and mouth should be the weirdest part was its legs they bent backward like an animal’s back legs its movements were all jerky and unnatural almost

In a way it would freeze in place for a few seconds then abruptly whip its body in a different direction it was skinny as a rail with these really long lanky arms that seemed too big for its frame the arms didn’t swing normally either the joints bent in weird angles as it

Shuffled about the head was weirdly tiny too and I couldn’t make out any distinct facial features at first just dark Hollows where the eyes and mouth should be but the legs that’s what really made my stomach churn they were bent backwards at the knee like a deer’s

Or dog’s back legs every few steps it would have to pause and readjust its balance just a totally unnatural at first I thought maybe I wasn’t seeing clearly so I blinked hard a few times and shook my head but it was still there shuffling around in that bizarre erratic

Way I felt unsettled just looking at at it for a second I thought maybe it was a person who had lost something in the bushes but I quickly realized that was not possible by the way it looked and moved my heart started pounding as my mind tried to categorize it an animal

Maybe but what kind of creature walks on two legs and has arms like that I must have stared at it for a good 20 seconds before the thing seemed to sense my presence it froze for a split second then whipped its head around to look right at me even though I couldn’t see

Its eyes I could feel its gaze lock onto me that’s when the fear really kicked in this wasn’t any stray dog or other animal this was something unnatural and totally wrong before I could even think about driving away the thing started coming straight for me at one hell of a

Speed it covered those 30 yards from the trees to my car in just a couple seconds bounding in these huge freaky leaps I hit the gas and tore off down chaplain Street as fast as I could my heart was pounding out of my chest and my hands

Were shaking on the steering wheel even though I knew those roads I couldn’t even think of how to get out of there I could hardly believe what I’d just seen but there was no mistaking it I kept glancing in the rearview mirror half expecting to see it chasing after me on

Those freakishly bent legs but there was nothing there I made a couple of hard turns cutting through some side streets just to be sure I wasn’t being followed finally after maybe 10 minutes minutes of just aimless driving I started to calm down a bit I’d heard stories before

Of people claiming to see supernatural creatures but I always dismissed that kind of thing as nonsense now I wasn’t so sure I considered stopping by the police station to report it but then I thought what am I going to tell them that I saw some weird half-human monster

Along the side of the road no I needed to just get home and get some sleep try to convince myself that I could return to normal and get past this experience when I finally got back to my place I was too wired to sleep right away I made

Myself a strong drink and just sat there on the couch replaying it all in my head the jerky movements the strange shape the way it bounded right at me my body started involuntarily shaking just thinking about what could have happened if I hadn’t seen it in time to get away

The thought of what could have happened is terrifying and won’t leave my mind why was I the lucky one to catch a glimpse of something that shouldn’t exist eventually I must have fallen into some kind of restless sleep but you can bet I had the hallway light on just in

Case and my baseball bat was right there beside me in the end there was no further word of the thing no mention in the paper or on the news of any other sighting so somehow it’s just me down here dealing with the horror of knowing what exists in South Carolina

My name is Dave and I’ve worked as a ranger at voyagers National Park in northern Minnesota for about 5 years now it’s a beautiful place with Lakes forest and Rocky outcroppings most days are pretty routine but something really strange happened to me last summer that I can’t

Quite explain it was early July so the summer crowds were in full swing I was doing my normal Patrol hiking along the shoreline Trail the day was hot and muggy Sun beating down as I rounded a Bend I noticed some large animal droppings on the trail up ahead

My first thought was Bare but as I got closer I could see they looked wrong somehow too large for a bear and they were in odd cylindrical shape I bent down to get a closer look that’s when I heard a loud crash and splintering of

Wood like a tree falling off to my right towards the lake I grabbed my radio to call it in as a possible dangerous situation before I could get a word out I heard heavy footsteps too heavy and solid sounding to be a bear then it emerged from the brush maybe 50 yard

Away I’ll never forget the sight it was massive at least 8 ft tall with a barrel chested body covered in Shaggy matted dark fur its arms were powerfully muscled and hung low almost past its knees the head was small compared to the body but had a sloped elongated face

With a muzzle it turned towards me locking eyes with me my heart was pounding out of my chest as the thing started moving towards me taking heavy thunderous strides I fumbled for my pistol the radio dropping to the ground as I raised the gun and shouted for it

To stop the thing opened its mouth and let out a roar that I could feel vibrating in my bones I’ve never heard a sound like that in my life so deep and Powerful that’s when I got a glimpse of the teeth rows of fangs like Jagged

Knives I fired a couple shots in the air hoping to scare it off but it didn’t even Flinch it just kept coming closing to within 30 yards of me now that’s when it reared up onto its hind legs towering even taller it must have been 10 or 11

Ft high at that point its head was brushing the lower branches of the trees the roar it let out this time was deafening I could feel the sound waves pounding my body with my ears ringing I fired off a few more shots into the air but the gunshots didn’t seem to phase it

At all if anything they only enraged it further it dropped back down to all fours and charged right at me with shocking speed for something so big I turned and ran as fast as I could back down the trail adrenaline was the only thing keeping me ahead of that monster

Crashing through the brush and trees behind me every few seconds I risked to glance back seeing that terrifying snarling muzzle and those dagger-like teeth drawing ever closer up ahead was a rocky outcropping overlooking one of the lakes with no other options I scrambled up the Rocks finally putting some

Distance between me and the creature it snarled and roared furiously From Below swiping at the rock face but unable to climb up I stayed up there for what felt like hours not taking my eyes off the monster pacing and growling below waiting for any opportunity to get at me

A couple times it reared up easily tall enough to grab me off the Rocks but I just scrambled back further out of its reach each time finally after the sky grew dark the thing stopped its agitated pacing and let out a last bone chilling Roar before turning and crashing back

Off into the forest the way it came I didn’t move from that rock until first light when I could finally see other rangers approaching from the trail in the distance I tried explaining what happened what I saw but they just looked at me like I was crazy which I can’t

Really blame them for I know how unbelievable it all sounds but I also know what I saw out there once I was off that rock outcropping I led the Rangers to the area where the thing first appeared we found more of those huge cylindrical droppings there were also

Deep gouges torn into the Earth and trees shredded and snapped like match sticks from when it barreled through even with all that physical evidence they still looked at me skeptically when I described the massive Shaggy ap-like Beast a few of the younger guys barely suppressed laughs and comments like

You’ve been out in the sun too long Dave the head Ranger was at least more professional about it he listened carefully and didn’t dismiss my story entirely but he said something to the effect of could have been a bear or Woods ape adrenaline can mess with your perception I could tell didn’t entirely

Believe me either what really sealed it for them was when we found one of my spent cartridges out on the trail the ranger held it up to me with furrowed brows and said you really think firing on a bear was the right call here I didn’t have a good reply from their

Perspective it must have looked like I lost my cool out there in their final report they described the whole thing as an unidentified bear encounter where no animals were harmed they made it clear I wouldn’t be officially reprimanded but that any more Reckless Behavior could lead to Serious consequences so

Officially that’s the story in the Park Records but I know what I saw out there it was no bear or Woods ape this was something else something that still gives me nights of restless sleep wondering what might happen Next I’ll never forget the night I came face face to face with that thing in the woods behind my house even now just thinking about it makes me feel unsettled deep down it was a Friday evening in early October the weather had been nice that day so after dinner I

Decided to take a short hike on the trail that starts behind my backyard I live in Boulder Colorado and I’m an avid hiker and that little Trail was one of my favorite places to unwind after a long week at work I headed out around 700 p.m. figuring I’d be back before it

Got fully dark the first half mile or so was pretty routine just your basic Wooded Path surrounded by trees and bushes the usual sights and sounds of Critters scampering about but then I started getting this nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right at first I couldn’t put my finger on it the

Forest seemed quieter than normal which struck me as odd normally that trail is alive with all kinds of noises birds chirping squirrels chattering leaves crunching underfoot but it had gone almost dead silent that’s when the hair on the back of my neck started to rise I

Stopped for a moment to get my bearings and listen closely that’s when I first heard the snap of a twig or Branch breaking off in the distance behind me I turned to look over my shoulder but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary just trees and brush as far as I could

See shrugging it off as probably just a deer moving through the woods I kept hiking but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that I was being watched or followed every few minutes I’d stop again to listen and each time it sounded like whatever was back there was a bit

Closer after about 15 more minutes I rounded a bend and the trees opened up into a small clearing and that’s when I saw it this massive hairy beast standing upright like a man it had to be at least 7 ft tall maybe even bigger its body was covered from head to toe

In thick matted brown fur at first I thought it must be a bear despite its very unbe likee posture and gate but as it got closer emerging more into the fading evening light I could make out other distinctly unbe likee features the elongated muzzle and pointed ears the

Thick razored claws on its hands and feet the glint of these sharp Wicked looking teeth protruding over its blackened lips which were curled back in a vicious snarl as it fixed me with these glowing feral eyes that’s when the reality hit me like a punch to the gut

This wasn’t any bare I was just yards away from whatever the hell kind of monster that thing was my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest as it closed in each bone chilling step shaking the ground beneath my feet I wanted to run but I was frozen in

Sheer Terror the creature seemed totally focused on me like I was its prey it pulled its lips back even further further letting out this guttural rattling growl that made my blood run cold I’ve truly never heard any sound like it before or since FedEd spittle and drool flew from its powerful jaws as

The growling intensified it leaned forward still stalking toward me in this unnatural hunched over posture apparently ready to pounce on me as soon as it could I don’t know what finally kicked me out of my trance of fear but something made me snap to my senses with

Every ounce of strength I could muster I turned and ran ran like my life depended on it because it absolutely did I tore through the woods as fast as my legs could carry me branches whipping across my face not even caring which way the trail went all that mattered was putting

As much distance between me and that thing as humanly possible I could hear the sounds of it crashing through the underbrush behind me snarling and nashing its teeth it was giving Chase my heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe panic and adrenaline coarsed through my veins in desperation I

Scanned the darkening forest for any place to take shelter or hide that’s when I spotted a large hollowed out log up ahead and Dove inside without a second thought I laid there in the confined space gasping for air and praying that nightmare couldn’t pick up my scent or hear my ragged breathing

Over its own earthshaking footstep steps the sounds of its Pursuit seemed to Circle back and forth frantically always agonizingly close by at one point it let out this bone chilling elongated Roar of Fury that made my entire body convulse in Terror I don’t know how long I stayed

Crouched in that log 20 minutes an hour it felt like an eternity eventually the noises started to recede into the distance as the creature moved off hopefully having given up its hunt when I finally felt it was safe to emerge I was already hopelessly turned around and

Lost in the dark woods it took me what felt like hours more to find my way back out to civilization frantically checking over my shoulder the entire way when I finally made it back home I was trembling uncontrollably drenched in sweat and coated in dirt scratches and

Bruises I must have looked like I’d barely survived a bear attack or something my family was frantic with worry and kept peppering me with questions about what happened but I just couldn’t find the words to explain it what could I possibly say that I was attacked by some Unholy monstrous Beast

No definitely not so I just told them I got turned around on the trail after dark and got spooked in the pitch black forest that’s all but they could see the sheer Terror still on my face even as I said it deep down I think part of me is

Still out there in those woods never able to fully Escape Escape that encounter I haven’t set foot on that trail since nor anywhere near those woods I’m not sure I ever will again because I know whatever I saw out there was no drunken hallucination or prank it was horribly utterly real and the

Thought of catching even the faintest glimpse of it again is enough to make me completely petrified so that’s my story make of it what you will all I know is something monstrous lurks in those woods and it’s the stuff of living nightmares unlike anything you can possibly Imagine Tom grew up near a train yard a lot of sounds come from a trainyard all hours of the night metal is grinding and turning and clanking together sometimes it’s quiet like The Whisper of the air brakes or the chugging of a car just starting to roll out of place other

Times it’s loud sometimes it’s like thunder Tom spent so much of his youth near that train yard that he grew particularly accustomed to blocking it out the grinding and clanking was all background noise to him it wasn’t any different than the low volume in the living room TV there were few times very

Few times where a collision genuinely startled Tom in the middle of the night it’s easy to forget yourself in moments like that it’s easy to forget exactly where you are when the soundtrack of a nightmare starts blaring into reality that was what Tom heard on this particular night he woke eyes wide and

Sat upright in his bed so quickly that the room was still spinning when he looked around had it been a crash it was loud whatever it was he’d been too deeply asleep to recognize it The Sound had Faded by the time he was awake and alert but the cold chill was still

Crawling across his skin he was still shivering cowering if it had only been a crash Why was his body reacting like that he swallowed the dry lump in his throat and threw off the covers then the sound came back a low long- winded howl rattled the windows and seeped into

Tom’s bones it wasn’t like a train car at all it wasn’t the sound he was used to hearing from outside it came from the same direction but this sound was more like the Roar of a lion trapped in the zoo it was deep and animalistic it was

The warning of a creature ready to do anything to escape but Escape what that question was even more pungent than the icy shiver running down Tom’s spine he needed an answer he needed to know what was lurking so close to his home if he didn’t track it down how could he ever

Step foot outside how could he feel safe tomorrow night or the night after that if this night ended in mystery he grabbed a baseball bat and slid on his shoes he’d hopped the fence into the train yard before usually just to impress his friends during a night of

Drinking so getting inside was as easy as throwing open his own back door when he landed on the other side he hunkered down real low there were more sounds now he could hear the voices of men muffled and agitated they were tossing commands back and forth barking about positions

And safety measures it was their voices that made Tom feel endangered it was strange because he thought he’d need to be scared of whatever made the house howling sound from earlier in the night he kept moving anyway now he wanted to know who the men were he wanted to know

What they were doing there the train yard was usually reserved for soy and grain something else must have come in security was never this tight he caught a glimpse of the men from his place in the shadows they were Soldier types heavily outfitted carrying guns Tom’s

Baseball bat felt like a toy in his hands but it was all he had so he held it close kept quiet quiet kept watching one of the sliding side doors on a nearby train car was propped open a ramp was hanging out of it he could only vaguely see the interior the lighting

Was bad but it looked like there were deep grooves on the interior walls places where the dark metal had been scratched revealing a brighter silver color beneath it didn’t make any sense unless something had exploded inside the car and damaged the inner walls what else could have caused those groups

Grooves that’s when he saw them dragging something four of the men were hauling it back hoisting it up the ramp they were panning and grunting it was massive so it had to be heavy Tom squinted each Soldier was holding on to a limb they were arranged like the arms and legs of

A man but the rest of the details didn’t match the body was covered in long fur it looked thin and coar Claws sprouted from the fingertips and the joints and the legs didn’t bend the way they should have the creature’s head was hanging Face Down Swinging with each step of its

Captors Tom could see what looked like a long snout it looked like a wolf’s head a cluster of three small metal cylinders jutted from the monster’s back they looked like darts of some kind maybe used to knock the creature unconscious when they reached the top of the ramp

The strange Beast started to stir the men started shouting again they moved more quickly tossing the creature into a part of the car that Tom couldn’t quite see they ran out in pairs sliding the ramp back into place and locking the door shut then came another howl muted

This Time by the thick metal walls that was enough for Tom he had his answers some of them anyway and he didn’t like them one bit he knew every second he lingered was another chance for those weird men to spot him he ran he ran and started telling this story to his

Friends then to strangers of course nobody believed him but that that only makes a person want to tell a story more right Tom doesn’t live near the train yard anymore just the sound of grinding metal or the late night blow of a train horn is enough to remind him of that

Howl it’s enough to remind him of the sleeping creature that he never wants to see wake Up when was the last time you ran from a cat they’re cute mostly stop talking a toy from around the corner kicking at the Plush Mouse with their back feet they watch birds from the windows and chatter at the squirrels when they run by domestication has made cats adorable

A simple meow is often enough to get somebody’s attention and an excited awe this encounter featured a different kind of cat James wasn’t the outdoorsy type he didn’t like hiking camping fishing he did like Wildlife though sometimes he even liked it enough to go looking for

It or so The Story Goes how he ended up in the woods I guess doesn’t matter what matters is what he found out there first came the feeling of being watched followed every step he took deeper into the woods the more hairs James could feel leaping to attention on the back of

His neck he swatted at the chills as they spread across his skin convincing himself that he was just being paranoid he was always uncomfortable in the woods right so of course he was psyching himself out then something snapped behind him a branch breaking under the weight of some animal too loud to be

Anything small anything he could defend himself against it sounded like a baseball bat breaking over someone’s knee as if that was possible the deafening crack froze James in place he reached for his bear spray nearly dropping it as he unclipped the canister from his backpack it had to be a bear

Didn’t it bears were the biggest things in the woods but that wasn’t what James saw ducking into the Shadows he saw a lith but muscular back covered in short dark fur slinking between the bushes and the trees that fur shined like a pond in the Moonlight it moved too smoothly too

Gracefully and too low to the ground to be any kind of bear couldn’t be a dog either dogs weren’t graceful certainly not the Wild Ones white fangs and a pink tongue suddenly became visible in the darkness the creature’s mouth yawned open and a shriek like hiss came from the

Back of its throat it wasn’t the right color for a mountain lion James tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground the monster’s mouth snapped shut and its eyes locked onto James position slit pupil in a brilliant green the creature’s ears were long when they folded against its head they almost

Looked like curved horns a tail flick behind the Beast it was a cat of some kind or at least feline adjacent two big though bigger than two men big enough that one Leap would put it on top of James and one bite would put him out of

His misery there were stories about this thing people called it different names the black howler The Nightshade it had been dismissed as a misidentified species of wolf James thought so much for that he’d seen wolves and they never looked quite this evil it wanted to hurt

Him and James knew it he didn’t move cats like the chase right the they like the thrill the game if he didn’t look like the fun type of prey maybe the monster would find a different sport to pass the time it crawled closer slow moving and close to the ground the way

Its spine moved almost reminded James of a snake fluid and patient a lot more patient than James himself was feeling claws like pairing Knives inched Out of the monster’s Paws and sunk into the soil it was tense the muscles beneath its skin were Rippling flexing was it going to jump James decided not

To find out he yelled at the monster and raised the bear spray between them firing a stream of the repellent straight for the cat’s eyes it burned James too his eyes streamed tears and his nose and throat filled with mucus he coughed and spat and climbed to his feet

All while the creature yowled and retreated it was hissing and spitting and swiping at the terrain that was better than his own body James thought to keep it it that way he ran he ran blind through the woods hoping he was headed in the right direction his eyes

Were nearly swollen shut and it burned just to breath the fresh air stabbed his irritated lungs with every breath but if he stopped he knew he was dead he was sure the cat would recover before he did if he could just make it to the bottom of the next Hill James tripped again

This time falling forward and rolled the rest of the way down the rocks and thorn horns and branches had hacked into him scraped his flesh and left him bleeding it was better to be cut by the Earth than by the monster besides he was nearly home he was nearly back to the

Safety of his four walls his locked door and the running water he could use to rinse his eyes he ran all that way without ever knowing if he was really being chased he didn’t know he was safe until he heard the cats howl loud and piercing like the whales of an injured

Child James closed the door on that sound he wasn’t going to be lured back out by the howling he rinsed his eyes and laid prone beneath the stream of his showerhead for what felt like hours he reminded himself of all the things he already knew he hated the outdoors

Camping hiking fishing none of it had been for him the animals weren’t for him either it seemed he could go without ever seeing a deer again if it meant staying safe from that monster James steers clear of cats now too domesticated or not he can’t look at them without remembering that thing

Watching a kitten chase a toy is a lot less endearing when you’ve been in that toy Position some encounters are about a slow and ominous sense of dread they’re about the buildup of suspense and the hanging moments before the creature or entity is spotted there can even be life lessons in there be aware of your surroundings be prepared then there are the encounters where the only lesson is

Run Dawn was on his third day of camping in false Cape it’s a park in Virginia the forestry there Thins and eventually turns to an open Sandy Beach on the right day you can get the best of all three Sunshine water and Woodlands Dawn had hoped to experience that Trifecta

When he woke up on that third day though he was under attack the moment he opened his eyes his world was shaking the sides of Dawn’s tent were flailing from side to side the sunlight gave the orange polyester a warm glow that light framed the monster outside he could see its

Arms grappling with the tent its broad shoulders wide enough to snap Dawn in two a large cone-shaped head like a gorilla Dawn thought it was a nightmare he tried to rub his eyes to Blink away the terror that was encroaching at the edges of his vision but it was real the

Tent started to rip the sound of the fabric being pulled apart snap Dawn’s full attention back to reality he could feel it see it he could hear it growling now growling and nashing teeth that he could only imagine were long and pointed he could smell it damp and salty like a

Wet dog back from the ocean shore the creatur’s thick fingers poked through the holes in the tent and yanked them into long gashes glimpses of fur and dark scarred musculature peaked at dawn who was trying to scramble backwards the entrance to the tent the zipper and the

Door flap were at his back if he could get it open he could run or try to there was no other choice he tugged at the zipper and half crawled half fell into the daylight outside the monster heard the movement maybe even saw him escaping it tried to Lunge forward but got

Tangled in the tent now that it was in shreds the material was acting more like a net than a solid structure it wrapped around the creature’s Limbs and the Beast tumbled to the ground Dawn was already running he looked back only once just long enough to see that the monster was

Fighting to pull itself free it was still trying to move toward him to give Chase it clawed at the ground as if the soil could give it some kind of Leverage it roared at his back that was all Dawn needed to see and hear if he slowed down

He was done for maybe he was done for anyway even with all the Newfound distance between his feet in the campsite he could still hear the remainder of the tent being turned into scrap he knew the creature was free the problem was Dawn was running the wrong

Way there was no Freedom up ahead the mouth of his tent had opened up toward the beach when he hit the coast he’d be stuck between the tide and the creature even as he ran he knew he was doomed for a brief moment Dawn thought of turning

He thought of circling around and back trying to get to a road or even to his car but the trees were shaking behind him the birds were soaring in a frightened Panic scattering in every direction he’d been reduced to the same thing prey desperately trying to find a

Way out of a predator’s Jaws Dawn could hear the growling again the stench of the Beast was getting stronger he didn’t need to look to know how close the creature really was he was already thinking of its breath on his neck when his feet sunk into sand he kept running

It was harder it slowed him down but what else could he do he tripped and tasted a mouthful of the coast didn’t have time to spit he clumsily climbed back to his feet and continued maybe it couldn’t swim maybe he could get out just a few feet from the shore and the

Creature would turn back Dawn splashed into the water it Rose to his ankles then his knees he was already so tired tired so sore the thought of swimming aimlessly was almost as heavy as the water itself he did the unthinkable he slowed down he stopped when the water

Reached his waist he couldn’t hear the growling anymore the smell was replaced by the actual Ocean Air Don RIS a glance back toward the tree line expecting to see the Monster halfway between the brush and the brine he expected it to be barreling down upon him but it wasn’t

There at all Dawn exhaled doubled over until his face was nearly in the water trying to catch his breath each drop of sweat that fell into the ocean carried a bit of Dawn’s fear with it the adrenaline was fading and for the second time that morning reality was setting in

It was almost enough to make him smile it was gone it had given up and when Dawn eventually went back to his campsite with a group of hikers the creature was nowhere to be seen there were many signs of the attack the tent had been eviscerated large Footprints

Had sunk and skewed into the dirt but there was nothing to distinguish it from any other unlucky encounter in the woods no definitive proof Dawn was just glad to have learned his lesson it wasn’t about the Mysteries or the Wonders or the secrets of the woods that day for

Dawn it was just about survival and when the prize is living proving all the little details suddenly feels less important I’ve always loved being outside in nature ever since I was a little kid growing up in Kansas when I was young I spent a lot of time exploring the fields

Woods and hills around where I lived as I got older I found out I was pretty good at painting pictures of Landscapes and outdoor scenes for the past 15 years I’ve traveled around Kansas and other nearby States looking for nice natur natural areas to paint I like doing my

Painting Outdoors while looking right at the scenery because I think it helps me capture it better in my artwork most people might not think Kansas is very exciting but I’ve always thought the Wide Open Spaces big skies and Prairie Landscapes were really beautiful in their own way at least that’s what I

Thought until I went painting out in the Flint Hills one day and encountered something out there that scared me pretty bad one warm afternoon in early may I packed up my easel canvases and painting supplies into my old pickup truck and headed west from my home in

Topeka after about a 2-hour Drive I reached the Flint Hills and found a quiet dirt road to take me deeper into the Prairie I followed it for several miles until I came across a picturesque Valley ringed by grassy slopes it looked like the perfect spot to set up and

Paint for a few hours before Sunset I pulled off the dirt road and got my supplies ready on a little rise overlooking the valley the only sounds were The Whispers of the warm breeze through the tall grass and the buzzing of insects I started blocking in the

Shapes of the hills and the pockets of trees and shrubs dotting the landscape as I worked I kept glancing up to reference the scenery in front of me that’s when I noticed something odd further down in the valley at first I thought it was a couple of deer moving

Through the grass but as I looked closer I realized it was far too large to be any deer i’ ever seen something was definitely ambling through that Valley kicking up the grass and wild flowers as it moved I stopped painting and just watched trying to make sense of what I

Was seeing the shape seemed vaguely animall likee as it lumbered along but it was massive it honestly looked like it was the size of an elephant from the distance I was at I could make out a thick fur covered body and an arched line that looked like it could be a

Ridge spine or hump running along its back at one point the creature turned slightly in my direction and I got a better look at its head and upper body that’s when I felt a chill of fear whatever this thing was it definitely wasn’t any known animal it had a squash

Thick snout and two tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth its eyes were small and seemed to gaze outwards vacantly as it continued shambling through the valley I watched in horrified Fascination as this unidentified Beast plotted along for several more minutes before disappearing behind a rise at the far end of the

Valley my mind was racing what in the world could this creature have been it looked like some prehistoric mammal had come back to life an escaped elephant-like animal from a private zoo or facility I had no idea once it was out of sight I realized how tightly I

Had been gripping my pallet and brushes my hands were shaking from the adrenaline in my body I looked around quickly to make sure I was still alone on that little rise with shaky motions I packed up my supplies loaded them back into my truck as quickly as I could and

Got the hell out of there I’m not ashamed to admit that I told everyone how absolutely terrified I was I’ve recounted this experience to a few close friends and family members I feel that they are the only ones who know me well enough to know I’m telling the truth in

My heart though I know exactly what I saw that day out in the Flint Hills and it haunts me not knowing what kind of Beast was Lumber ing through that isolated Kansas Valley all I can say is that if you value your sanity avoid going out to paint or hike alone in

Those endless prairies because you just never know what Untold Mysteries still lurk out there hidden away from the modern World I don’t know if I’ve heard of somebody hating a dog as much as Jack hates this one that’s if it’s even a dog I guess that’s kind of the Crux of his story if you believe it’s a dog well it’s probably the most persistent dog

That ever lived and if it isn’t a dog if you believe it’s something else like Jack believes then we’ve all got a lot more to worry about Jack owns a farm in the southwest Arizona to be exact dry climate more Mountains on the horizon than neighbors it’s beautiful it’s

Peaceful it’s isolated and because of all that it’s a little d dangerous too because of all that when you get a story like Jack’s you realize just how strange and dangerous parts of the United States can be Jack sat out on the back of a four-wheeler one day he knew he was

Looking at maybe a 30-minute drive across uncooperative terrain but he was going to make the trip regardless in the distance earlier that morning he had spotted vultures enough of the giant Birds to blot out part of the sky like swirling splotches of paint spilled in the the sky they were circling something

He knew that much but what could have attracted so many of them whatever it was it was on Jack’s property his mind was made up he had to get to the bottom of it he thought maybe they’d fly away he thought as he got closer that the

Birds would scatter and that the rumble of the engine and the size of the four-wheeler would be enough to Spook the birds then he could investigate in peace he thought except as Jack got closer the group of vultures didn’t fly away at all by the way did you know that

A group of vultures is called a kettle I mentioned that because in this case that name is even more appropriate than usual you see as Jack got closer he realized that not every bird was in the sky he passed one hunchbacked and narrow-eyed squatting on the top of a cactus he

Passed two more standing motionless on the ground the closer Jack got to the spiral of birds overhead the more he was mixed into the current of that cattle and he got all stirred up with them out there in the sun and the heat but the birds weren’t enough to make him turn

Back instead the first time he considered it was when the stench hit his nose death acidic and almost medicinal it burned his nose and nostrils like someone had poured bleach into his lungs it made his eyes water and his mouth salivate like he’d just taken one too many sips from his whiskey

It made him nauseous dis oriented old Jack and the smell was getting stronger all too quickly he’d come too far though he stopped the four-wheeler and continued on foot thinking that if he moved just a little slower that it would be easier for him to adapt and breathe

He crested over a particular Rock finally looking out to the stretch of land where the vultures had gathered he expected to see a carcass maybe even a few he thought maybe a herd of loose cattle had gotten lost sick and perished but Jack saw a dog instead he thought it

Was a dog anyway Stout and muscular like a pitbull hairless more scabs on its skin than fur it had to be sick that was the only way to explain the smell Jack squinted in the sunlight shielded his face with his hand and tried to make out more details the animal was still alive

He knew that much it was chewing on something caught in its paw a trivial little Thorn or piece of Bramble its eyes bulg from its skin spines or quills of some kind formed a line down its back like a mohawk Jack didn’t know of any dogs with quills In Their Skin he’d

Never even seen a porcupine up close and couldn’t imagine that their spines would be so long no whatever it was was definitely growing from the dog itself had the vultures gathered just to watch this thing Jack wondered if he’d stumbled upon something else entirely one of Nature’s great rituals something

Man wasn’t supposed to see he was certainly an intruder when the wind changed Direction the dog agreed it’s nose snapped up to sniff the air a long tube likee tongue flopped from its mouth was it searching for him jack started to back away he felt his skin crawl as the

Creature’s tongue curled into its mouth like the prosis of a butterfly The Rock shifted and rolled down the hill the dog’s eyes jumped to Jack’s location and he felt the creatures gaze setting fire to his position it was marking him he knew marking him as prey the vultures

Yapped and hissed and finally scattered as the Beast sprinted for Jack’s position Jack yelled and ran wishing he’d brought some sort of weapon out with him he half fell down the ridge back to his four-wheeler stealing glances over his shoulder all the while the sweat on his brow went cold when he

Saw that the dog was still coming still chasing him he started the engine and turned the four-wheeler around it was right behind him now Jack accelerated tried to tear his way back home the vehicle lurched and sputtered when the Beast sunk its teeth into one of the rear tires the remaining three peeled

Out trying to find purchase on the loose dirt and stone it smelled like death and fire as the stress of the engine mixed with the creature’s sickly Aroma how could it be so strong why was it so determined to keep him there to stop him suddenly the four-wheeler yanked free

The dog yelped and recoiled turning its head from side to side as if surprised by the pain teeth had been ripped from its mouth it wasn’t a smooth ride home but at least Jack no longer felt hunted he watched the creature disappear in the distance shrinking gradually until it

Was nothing but one of the melded colors on the rocky Horizon he sighed locked himself inside his home and decided right then and there to never again interrupt the kettle of Vultures I’ll be honest with you I don’t believe in ghosts that’s kind of silly right wind and old houses and electrical mishaps I believe in those things but real Bonafide ghosts I don’t think so I don’t believe in them Sarah did though she believed with her whole heart and

Maybe that’s because of where Sarah grew up up smack dab in the midwest where there’s nothing but Soy factories and corn fields to keep you company she talked about her home with a type of endearment she described the fields like oceans she was fond of the factories

Where so many of her loved ones had made their livings she was bored though I knew she was who could blame her and bored people tell stories they come up with things to keep themselves occupied they let a tall tale or a superstitious friend influence the way that they see the

World they spread rumors and gossip until those rumors feel true folklore gets born somewhere in there fables myths none of it’s true any way you shake it that doesn’t mean all of Sarah’s stories were bad though I’ll tell you the good one I’ll tell you the

One that well it made me uneasy it didn’t make me scared just a little unsure Sarah’s aunt had passed away and Sarah was charged with going through her old belongings packing her aunt’s life into little boxes and distributing them amongst the family pictures clothes odds and ends it’s the painful and arduous

Part of passing that people don’t often talk about somebody has to deal with the stuff Sarah was the lucky winner so to speak she described her aunt as something of a recluse the house was from the 1800s originally built for a family that had gotten rich off of the

Railroad and it swallowed up Sarah’s aunt like the woman was a drop of water on a hotot summer day she disappeared into that home never came out not for anyone wouldn’t let people come over either each box that Sarah sealed felt like the next nail in her aunt’s coffin

All these parts of her that had been hidden away were now being tucked into closets and garages where they get kissed by dust and buried underneath towels or tools Sarah slowed down when she made that conclusion even though sifting through every item hurt it felt right it felt like the respectful thing

To do acknowledging that her aunt had actually lived when Sarah found the doll she made an exception it was an unremarkable child’s toy something from the 40s or 50s a doll in a long skirt with a bonnet hanging from her head both eyes were missing popped back into the

Toy skull they rattled around like marbles whenever the doll was tipped or shaken it made her uncomfortable that little eyeless th thing she packed it away immediately taped it inside a box all to itself that night Sarah had a nightmare she dreamt of being shut in a

Coffin when she woke up the doll was back not in anywhere special not in any place that Sarah could notice it right away but eventually she was backing up balancing a stack of books in her hands and sure enough that doll was beneath her feet she tripped and nearly fell

Dropped all those books and screamed when she saw the toy back in a box it went taped doubly this time then the knocking started something on the walls against the baseboards in the hallway every time Sarah’s eyes started to flutter shut the knocking came back and

Every time she searched for it it went silent again she never saw the doll wrapping against the wood with its little bald fist she never saw it move at all not really but she knew it was responsible she was so sure of it that the next day she added the box with the

Doll inside to the pile of trash by the curb it was picked up in the afternoon destroyed Sarah figured she hurried to finish up with her aunt’s belongings by the evening she was confident that she’d be done she’d be out of there the next day all that remained was the furniture

Too big to pack into her tiny car so for One Last Time Sarah tried to sleep she woke to the sound of dragging something loud and heavy scraping across the floor her eyes jumped open she could feel her heart beating out of her chest she was

Gazing up at the ceiling at the same ceiling that had always been above her aunt’s bed but it was different she couldn’t place it she wondered briefly if she was dreaming then the bed jerked to the side dragged scraped the wooden legs carved a shallow Groove into the

Floor beneath her Sarah rocked a top the mattress and wailed she clutched the blankets to her chest and sat upright the bed had been pulled away from the wall it was nearly in the center of the room now closer to the door she realized she ran out Barefoot and half dressed

Got into her car drove halfway down the block and stopped she threw out every box from the back seat and every box from the trunk she tossed her aunt’s belongings onto the side of the road and when she was satisfied she started driving again drove all the way home and

Never had a problem again eventually one of her aunt’s photo albums made its way back into her possession and you guessed it in one of those pictures Sarah saw the doll showed it to me too just to put some emphasis at the end of her story I

Couldn’t believe it I don’t believe in ghosts you see silly stuff but that doesn’t mean I didn’t wake up the first night I heard it thinking something was knocking on my walls better that than finding a doll I Guess