I finish lacing up my hiking boots, making sure they’re tight enough so that they give my ankles the extra little bit of support they need when walking on dirt trails. As I head out the door, I scoop up my backpack and double check I have everything I need for a couple hours of hiking through the forest that’s a couple of blocks away from my house. Keys, check. Water bottle, check. Cell phone, check. Small first aid kit, check.
Always have it when you go out, better to have it and not need it, the memory of my mother’s voice plays in my mind from the time she gave the first aid kit to me. I chuckle to myself thinking of how slim the chances are that I’ll need it on an easy trail, especially since I’ve walked it dozens of times before. I lock the door on my way out and start heading towards to the trail, following the footpath towards the trees in the distance.
It’s still early in the morning. There are hardly any cars on the road and only a few people out for their morning walks. Without much noise, I can hear the birds chirping away. There are a few clouds scattered across the soft blue sky and the sun is still sitting low against the horizon. I can even see the moon, although it seems to be more of a red colour than the faint grey that it usually is when I spot it on the occasional morning. Maybe there’s some celestial event that is happening today, I think to myself. I make a mental note to look it up when I get home in a couple of hours.
A few minutes later, I get to the start of the trail. I can see the light from the sun streaming through the leaves of the trees. It’s not a dense forest, so it should make for some nice lighting throughout the hike. I’m kicking myself for not bringing my camera along to capture some of the lighting effects that I might come across today.
I’ve been hiking along the trail for a while now. It must have been about half an hour, although I’m not too sure as I’ve been letting the smell of the trees and sounds of the birds take over my senses and I’ve lost track of the time that has passed. I decide that it’s a good time to stop for a little bit so that I can grab my water out of my bag and take in the view some more. As I’m taking a sip from my bottle, I notice something that I’ve never seen before.
Hanging from a branch on one of the trees in the distance is a bat. It’s a curious sight as I can still hear the occasional chirping from the birds, although they sound like they are far away now. As I look around more, I can see that the trees look different to what I’m used to seeing on my hikes. They’re taller and their leaves are blocking more of the light now. I wonder whether I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere, but that couldn’t have happened as there are no side trails turn onto.
I rule it down to a case of never having studied this certain part of the trail. After another sip of my water, I put it back into my backpack and carry on with my hike. Still a little curious, I’m studying everything around me as I continue walking.
It’s been a while now since I’ve heard any birds singing their songs. It has also gotten even darker as the trees grow denser than before. I’m getting chills as I feel like the temperature starts to drop, but I put it down to being in a darker part of the forest. Still telling myself that I’m overthinking things, I press on. I can see a clearing in the trees coming up.
I make it to the clearing and glance up in hopes to see the blue of the sky. That’s when I accept that things aren’t normal. Looking up at the sky, I can see a deep red full moon shining in full force, surrounded by a pitch-black sky. There isn’t a single star or cloud to be seen.
I rush to grab my phone out of my backpack as it should still be morning, there is no way that I’ve been walking all day. I turn my phone screen on, and the time lights up: 9:00 am. I’m freaked out. I’m wracking my brain trying to think of a plausible explanation for what is happening. Still looking at my phone, I check the cell signal. Nothing. No service at all. I usually still manage to get a few bars throughout my hike as it isn’t too far away from the road. That’s when I start to get the feeling that I’m being watched.
Frantically, I look around. Scanning the trees, hoping that it’s someone that has an explanation for what is happening. A figure catches my eyes, hidden partly behind one of the trees in the distance. It’s hard to make out, but from what I can see it seems to be the shadowy shape of a person. I debate whether to call out to them, but I sense that they aren’t looking to help me. Rather than pushing my luck with whoever it is hiding behind the trees, I pack everything back into my backpack and hurry forward along the trail. Almost in a run now. I keep checking over my shoulder to see whether the shadowy figure is following.
I haven’t seen them since I kept moving on, but I don’t let off the pace. Suddenly, out of the silence, I hear the screeching of a bat flying by me. The sudden sound sets off another burst of fear. With my heart feeling like it’s beating out of my chest, I check around me, trying to see where it went. Movement catches my eyes. Slowly stepping out from behind one of the trees, only a couple of metres away from me, is the dark figure. I can hear them mumbling a sentence under their breath, “blood… I must feed on blood.” As soon as I see them, I take off running through the trees.
As I’m sprinting for my life, dodging between the trees in the hope that I will lose them, I hear the screeching of a bat pierce the silence every so often. It feels like I’ve been running for hours and the adrenaline is starting to wear off now. My legs are starting to feel heavy with fatigue. I’ve also realised that I’ve strayed from the trail and have no clue where I am anymore.
I come to another clearing in the trees, this time it’s a small cliff. At the bottom, it looks like the trees are less dense and it’s a lot brighter than what I’ve seen since I had noticed that strange bat. Looking out into the distance, I can spot something very different to what I’ve been surrounded by. It looks to be cars passing by. I might only be a few hundred metres away from safety. I peer over the cliff to see whether I can make it down. It’s a steep decline but not completely vertical. As I’m trying to decide whether I’ll be able to slowly slide down it, I hear the screeching of a bat again.
I spin around to see the shadowy figure almost in reach of me. “Blood… I need blood,” they’re mumbling again. Without a second thought, I jump over the cliff. I’m sliding faster than I can control and start to tumble over myself until I hit the ground at the bottom. I try to stand but I can feel a sharp pain in my ankle.
I try to stand again, pushing through the pain. I manage to get to my feet and hobble towards to the sight of the cars in the distance. The pain becomes more unbearable with every step I take. After just a few metres, I collapse to the ground again. Once more, I hear a bat flying past. I’m frantically clawing at the ground trying to crawl the rest of the way. I can feel the air around me is starting to warm up again and it’s getting lighter the closer I get to safety.
That’s when I hear the slow and gentle footsteps right behind me. I flip over onto my back, just in time to see a pale man crouching over me. He’s dressed in dark tattered clothes that are covered in dirt. In a soft, quiet voice he says, “I’m sorry… I can’t stop it. I have to feed.” That’s when he bares his long sharp teeth as he bites into my neck. I feel a sharp pain as his teeth sink into my flesh. But then all my pain starts to fade, even the pain in my ankle starts to disappear.
I take one last glance at the cars passing though the gaps in the trees off in the distance, only a couple of hundred metres away. I almost made it out, I think to myself as the world starts to turn red. His teeth are still sunk into my neck and I can hear him feeding on me, but I can’t feel anything anymore. As my world fades from red to black, I hear the man sobbing as he pulls away from me.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry” he weeps.
The End
Thanks for reading for my short story, I hope you enjoyed it!
– Ry
