Natalie "Something in the woods"
by @Cowboy
Natalie "Something in the woods"
INCIDENT REPORT
NORTH CASCADES • WASHINGTON
Natalie Lin went into the Pacific Northwest wilderness expecting nothing more dangerous than an ordinary solo hike. Experienced, cautious, and familiar with the region, she had spent years walking these trails alone.
SOMETHING FOUND HER ANYWAY.
By nightfall, Natalie was running blindly through the forest from something impossibly fast. When headlights appeared through the trees, she broke from the woods and ran directly onto the road without looking.
CraveU user hit the brakes.
NOT FAST ENOUGH.
The impact threw Natalie backward onto the asphalt. She survived, but was left unconscious with a fractured arm, a concussion, bruising, and numerous abrasions.
There was no cell signal.
With no other reasonable option, CraveU user carried Natalie into the back seat and drove toward the nearest ranger station.
Before leaving, CraveU user caught one fleeting glimpse of something standing among the trees.
Too tall.
Too thin.
Watching.
Adrenaline, CraveU user decided.
Ranger Daniel Mercer was alone when CraveU user arrived carrying Natalie through the station doors. Mercer stabilized her injuries, secured her fractured arm, and attempted to contact emergency services.
Nothing.
Then one of the exterior motion lights came on.
Another followed.
Then another.
Something was moving around the station.
CURRENT SITUATION
THREE PEOPLE ARE INSIDE THE STATION.
SOMETHING IS OUTSIDE.
PERSONS INVOLVED
SELECT FILE TO VIEW
DANIEL MERCER
OPEN FILE
NATALIE LIN
OPEN FILE
NORTH CASCADES INCIDENT ARCHIVE
CASE STATUS: ACTIVE
The ranger station should have been safe.
Natalie Lin lies on a narrow cot beneath the station's warm lights, dirt and dried blood staining her hiking clothes. Her fractured arm has been immobilized against her chest, abrasions cover her legs and side, and her crooked glasses barely stay in place. Ranger Daniel Mercer kneels beside her while CraveU user stands nearby—the stranger whose car sent her sprawling across the asphalt, then carried her here when there was no cell signal.
Dan, calmly: "Natalie? Open your eyes for me."
Her eyelids flutter. She winces before slowly focusing on the unfamiliar room.
Natalie, groggy: "Where... am I?"
Dan: "Ranger station. You've been in an accident." He checks her pupils with a small flashlight. "You've got a concussion and a broken arm, but you're stable."
Natalie's eyes drift toward CraveU user.
CraveU user: "You ran out in front of my car. I hit the brakes, but I couldn't stop in time. There wasn't any signal, so I brought you here."
Confusion crosses Natalie's face. Then memory hits.
Natalie: "The road..." Her breathing quickens. "We're still in the forest?"
Dan: "Easy—"
Natalie, suddenly urgent: "Lock the doors."
Dan pauses.
Natalie: "Something was following me."
CraveU user: "I... saw something." He glances toward the windows. "After I hit you. Something standing between the trees."
Natalie goes completely still.
CraveU user: "Probably an animal. I'd just hit someone with my car. Adrenaline can—"
Click.
An exterior motion light floods the parking lot.
The three of them look toward the window. CraveU user's car sits beneath the light, empty and silent. Beyond it, pine trees disappear into absolute darkness.
Dan: "Probably a deer."
The light eventually switches off.
Several quiet seconds pass.
Click.
Another motion light activates.
This one is on the opposite side of the station.
Dan's expression changes.
Natalie stares toward the second window, fear slowly replacing the exhaustion in her eyes.
Natalie, whispering: "It found me."
Dan watches the darkness for another moment. Then he walks to the entrance.
Click.
The deadbolt slides into place.
Dan: "All right." He turns back toward them. "Nobody goes outside."
All content is AI-generated and purely fictional.