FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

1

I woke up as Mark stopped the pickup truck by the side of the road. I sat up, stretched, and looked around. We were by the lake. No one was in sight. At first I thought Mark was taking a break, but he was already unbuckling his seat belt.

"We're here already?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Where are we going?"

"The lake." Mark reached for the glove compartment.

"I know that. Why are we here?"

The possum grabbed a flashlight and shut the compartment. "We wanted to spend the night together and everyone liked Charlie's suggestion. Hope that refreshes your memory."

"So we're not going to Alpenglow?"

"There's not a single kid who grew up here that isn't sick of Alpenglow by now."

I chuckled. "You have a point. But I kinda expected it to be somewhere deep in the woods the way she described it."

He nodded. "Yeah, life is full of surprises."

Mark got off the truck, and I followed suit. I jumped down, my feet digging into the snow, shivering at the sudden chill. As much as I was weak to the cold, winter nights were my favorite, especially when it was snowing. Just goes to show that it's still holiday season in town despite New Year's being a few days ago at that point. I snapped out of my thoughts when Mark turned on his flashlight and motioned for me to follow him. So I do.

"Where are we gonna go?" I asked.

"Just around the lake."

We walked along the lake. It was pretty peaceful at night without all the people wanting to skate during the day. I liked it. I think I would've been here more often if it weren't right next to the woods.

"I still think you should've let me drive," I said. "You were pretty tired."

"No," Mark said.

"Why not?"

"It'd only take headlights and it's game over for both of us."

"Haha. Very original deer joke."

I punched him in the shoulder. He gave me one of his rare smiles, then shook his head. "In all seriousness, I get pretty nervous when someone else drives. It scares me."

"Why? Are you scared that the car will automatically crash if someone else drives?"

"No, other people's driving makes me nervous is all."

"That's your big reason?"

"Pretty much."

I shook my head. "My point still stands, though. You could've let me drive, you know, and face your fears now and then."

"I could. But then again, the headlights."

I groaned. "Let it go already."

"Hell no. It's too fun."

I shook my head. At least he's having fun. I'll give him that.

We fell silent again, and I turned to the lake. I couldn't keep my eyes away from it. It was like a painting. There was snow everywhere, the ice reflected the moon, there were forests, and with a mountain range to boot. It was nice, but... I don't know. It just didn't feel right.

"You know, I feel uncomfortable around forests sometimes," I said.

Mark looked at me. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's not that bad, though, just feels pretty weird."

"How weird and uncomfortable are we talking here?"

"Just a bit. Like if you got electrocuted by a plug, and you have to plug it again. That kind of feeling, just without the danger. I kind of feel that way whenever I get close to the woods."

Mark looked at the forest beside me. "Okay. You do know we live in Redwater, right? Forests and mountain ranges?"

"Yes, I know. I just get that feeling sometimes... in some parts of town. I don't know, it's pretty complicated."

Mark looked like he was about to make a remark, but decided against it. "Why'd you feel that way?"

"Well..." I scratched my hands. "Before we start, don't feel bad because I didn't tell you about this."

"Don't worry about it. Now, what is it?"

I smiled in appreciation before starting. "I got lost in the woods back in middle school. It was summer, and you were at that camp you kept complaining about, and I convinced my parents it was best not to tell anyone. So I got lost in a while. I was hungry, and cold, and it left an impression on me. I used to have nightmares every other night."

"Are you okay now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. The woods don't make me scared like before. Just uneasy. And I have no idea why I just told you this."

"Maybe you need to let it out."

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just warning you of the scary monster in the woods."

He chuckled. "Thanks for the heads-up. I was about to walk into the woods myself."

"I won't be pulling you out of there."

"Wow. That's the pinnacle of friendship right there."

I laughed, and Mark chuckled after. It took a moment to calm myself and as I did, Mark shook his head.

"Seriously, does the forest really have that effect on you?" he asked.

"Well, not that much anymore, but I still meant what I said. I'd do anything not to experience that again."

Mark smiled. "Even if I was in danger?"

"Eh. Maybe. I'll think about it."

"Good to know you're not actually gonna save me when the time comes."

"Oh, shut up."

I punched him again and he snickered at me. I shook my head. He was back to his usual snarky asshole self, and that was a relief. I didn't have to deal with a caring Mark all of a sudden. Or having to remember what happened that night. I looked at the woods and take a deep glance before turning to Mark again.

"I'd save you when the time comes."

He nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

2

Mark and I walked for a full minute before a soft light shone in my eyes. I looked up to see a small cabin by the clearing. It looked pretty cozy; I imagined someone used to live here before.

"This is the place?" I asked.

"Remote cabin by the side of the lake beside the woods," Mark said. "Yeah, this is the place. Why?"

I shrugged. "I kinda expected it to be more... more."

"Yeah, me too."

As we got closer, I saw a familiar raccoon by the porch. She looked at us and began waving as we were a few yards away from the porch.

"You guys took your time," she said.

"Hello to you too, Lyla," Mark said.

I smiled at her. "Can you really blame us? Mark's driving, after all."

"Or," Mark gently nudged my shoulder. "Or, maybe it's because I haven't been given clear directions sent spontaneously through text message with a sleeping deer in the passenger's seat. I bet he could've helped plenty."

"I dunno. Lyla, what do you think?"

"It's definitely the first one," she said.

"Yeah, I definitely think so, too."

Mark shook his head. "Sure."

I looked around me, at the lake and the woods. "So, what's so amazing about this cabin that Charlie chose this place?"

Lyla shrugged. "I've been wondering the same thing too. I've seen this place inside and out and I still got nothing. Maybe it's the view?"

I looked at the lake and the moon barely above the mountain. "It could be that."

"That's for Charlie to answer." Lyla went to the door. "Come on in."

I followed her inside, with Mark right behind me. The first thing to greet me was the warm light of the fireplace nearby. The cabin definitely used to be home, at least a house for summer. It was complete with a living room, a kitchen and counter, and a hallway which probably lead to rooms. The TV was new, too. I wondered what things were here before, and what they brought here for the night.

My eyes landed on a certain weasel and otter talking by the fireplace. They turned to me as I closed the door. The otter then walked over to me, and I knew then and there that my personal space was going to be invaded.

"Cole," he said, wrapping an arm around me. "You guys finally came. I wished you guys came a little earlier, though. I lost a bet."

"Hey, Damian," I said. "How much did you lose?"

He brushed it off. "Nothing debilitating."

"Sure got your priorities straight there," Mark said. "Now I'm glad Cole slept all the way here."

"So it was your fault." Damian turned to me. "How could you?"

"If it's not debilitating, then no harm done."

Damian looked like he was going to make a comeback, then he shook his head and smiled. "You're getting away with it this time." The otter walked toward Mark, sliding his arm away from me in a strangely flamboyant fashion. "I'll go check in on Mark."

"Sure thing," I said. Mark practically sighed as Damian talked to him. I could never figure out why these two were still friends, what with Mark's expression and Damian's constant pestering. But they're still friends, so that's that.

I walked toward the weasel. "Hey, Charlie."

"You guys took your time," she said.

"Yes, for the third time, we know."

The weasel chuckled. "It's true, though. You're always late, you know that."

"Have yet to prove otherwise." I looked around again at this ridiculously homely cabin. "So, where'd this cabin come from? And why'd you choose this place?"

"It's my granddad's. He just kinda had it around and let us have it to do whatever we want. And I chose this place because we're all horror enthusiasts, so..." Charlie shrugged, giving me a face.

"That's a good enough reason. I sure hope there's more than one bedroom here, though."

Charlie dramatically put a hand on her chest. "I am offended. And no, this cabin has three bedrooms. Here, let me show you."

I followed her through the one hallway in this cabin. There were four doors, one to my left, two to my right, and one at the end of the hallway. Charlie pointed to the first door. "This is the bathroom, by the way."

"Noted," I said.

We reached the door at the end of the hallway. Charlie opened the door and went to the side, gesturing me to come in, so I do. The room was pretty much what I expected. Everything was made of wood and fabric. There was a bed, a pair of drawers, a vanity table, a painting, and one window opposite the door. I took a few more steps inside, sat on the bed, and looked around.

"This is pretty nice," I said. "I like it."

"Yeah, pretty cozy," Charlie said. "By the way, I hope you don't mind sharing a room with Mark, since there's only three rooms. Actually, you probably don't mind; you two are probably dying to make out right now."

I groaned. "Let it rest. It was just a dare."

"Maybe. But you know how the guy cares for you. It's tittering pretty close to gay territory."

"Hell will freeze over before he ever likes a dude."

"I dunno. Finals was pretty much hell for me, and it's freezing, so I guess it's a possibility now."

I took a long sigh. "Sure. Whatever you say. Anyway, thanks for the room."

"Don't worry about it. Make yourself at home." With that, Charlie closed the door.

I sat there for a few seconds, just taking it all in. I haven't been this near the woods in a while. Well, as much as I could living in a town like Redwater, anyway. It wasn't because of the reasons I thought it would. Guess finals really took a toll on me, too.

I got up from the bed and went to the window. I pulled the curtains off and stared outside. There were only trees and the snow and the dark. There wasn't much of a view here. But still, I found myself staring at the woods, at a certain tree in particular, and I don't know why. I just did.

Wonder why I didn't object to this outing in the first place? I knew I would've done so the moment I knew where we're going. Maybe I was getting over that fear? Probably. It was about time, after all. There was so much I could do for Cameron that day; I should let that go.

I wondered if the tree was staring back at me now.

3

We've planned to spend the night together the moment finals were over. With Christmas and New Year's passing by, we decided to hang out since we hadn't seen each other since being split up for the holidays. I had no idea what's gotten into us, making us sentimental all of a sudden, but it got me out of my house like my parents wanted, so that's that.

So far, whatever we tried to do for this evening never went to plan. We weren't prepared enough for games, or a full meal, or to go exploring in the woods, literally anything. Chalk it up to a lack of communication, like I always did. We ended up having s'mores by the fireplace. It was unplanned, but I have yet to see something we did that ever went to plan. Besides, we were having fun, so it didn't matter either way.

"All right, I'm bored." Damian leaned back. "Why are finals and Christmas the only thing we're talking about?"

"It's relevant, I guess," Mark said, eating his s'more and taking another marshmallow.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Charlie asked.

Damian shrugged. "Anything. Long as we're sitting down, that is."

"Well, we're in the middle of the nowhere, right?" Lyla said. "Why not tell some scary stories."

"Yeah, that's the great idea," Damian said.

Charlie took a bite out of her s'more. "What kind of scary stories are we talking here?"

Lyla shrugged. "Anything. It can be real or completely made up. Or somewhere in between."

"All right, why don't you start, since you suggested?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

"All right," Damian said. "Who's gonna start?"

Everyone fell silent. I looked at everyone and waited. No one was speaking up. We were probably going to stay here for a while. I sighed, muttered to myself, and spoke up.

"I'll start," I said.

Mark looked at me, the look on his face telling me what's on his mind. I simply smiled back at him. He looked unconvinced, but decided to let me go. I patted him on the back to provide at least of comfort. I closed my eyes and prepped myself.

"Okay, so bear in mind, this actually happened to me, so make of that as you will," I said.

"This is gonna be interesting," Damian muttered.

"How scared are we gonna be because of this?" Charlie asked.

I smiled. "You'd probably be sad more than anything."

"Then why is it a scary story, then?" Mark said.

"I'll get to that." I shook my head. "Anyway, this happened when I was eight, so I didn't know any of you guys yet, except for Mark. I had a friend back then. His name was Cameron. He was a boar, pretty friendly, a little bit too energetic. But he was my best friend, so that was that."

Everyone adjusted themselves accordingly, turning to face me as much as they could sitting down. I shook away the growing stage fright and continued on.

"We played pretty much everywhere we could think of. And I mean everywhere. I remember us playing by a dead tree on top of the river one time." I chuckled at that. "There were times when we played in more dangerous areas from time to time. One of them was in the woods by the road. We played there two times. One time was when both our parents decided that we have a play date. The second time was when we decided to go there of our own accord."

The day played in my head again and I took a deep breath. "It's... we were playing, thinking it was so cool that we walked so far away from home and there were no parents to tell us what to do."

I took my marshmallow and ate it so they wouldn't see my hands shaking. All of a sudden, I felt naked, like there were more eyes on me than before. I began to doubt my thoughts about this being a good idea.

"Okay, so... take this with a grain of salt, all right? But when it was getting dark, he just... stopped and stared at the woods. I tried coaxing him out of it, screaming at him, crying in front of him. I also did my best to pull him. But I couldn't. He was stuck in place. Then, he ran into the woods, and I followed."

I didn't want to continue. I just wanted to stop and ask someone else to tell their story, but I didn't. I looked at everyone all around me. They were all paying attention, and I don't think anyone's noticed. Mark looked a bit concerned, and so was everyone in varying degrees. They were still invested, though, so I continued.

"I never found him. I'll just say that upfront. No one found him ever again after that, even with the whole town looking for him. I still think about him sometimes on sleepless nights."

I took the time to compose myself, and everyone around me shared their condolences.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Charlie said.

"Likewise," Damian butted in, his head down. "It must've been rough, and you were a kid then, too."

Lyla smiled at me. "I'm sorry to hear that, too."

"Thanks," I said.

"Is that what you didn't tell me?" Mark asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Now, moving on because you weren't asking for a sob story, I got lost in the woods for a couple of hours. I ran for a long while just to chase after him. It took me another while to realize I was lost. It's a horrible feeling, letting sink in the fact that you're lost. It's like this growing sensation of dread that never goes away, even after you've cried. The woods looking the same only made it worse. It was a terrible few hours.

"That would be pretty terrifying all on its own, but it gets worse. I was completely alone, considering that I was lost in the woods, but then... I wasn't alone. It probably wasn't true, because I was a kid and I was really scared, but I saw a monster."

I hugged myself. "I didn't notice it at first, but over time, I saw that one of the trees didn't look right, and that I kept seeing it everywhere I go.

I don't know. I was probably seeing things, but whatever it was, it was tall, bone thin, and looked like a tree. Probably was one. The way it moved was weird, like a spider, but either too fast or like an animation with missing frames. It was there in the corner of my eye every time I moved. When I saw it, that's when I noticed it had eyes too. It had my friend's eyes."

I still remember how I thought it was Cameron, and the sinking feeling that followed when I realized that those eyes were too far up the trees, and that those eyes were the only thing I could see. I didn't know if I could feel something like that again.

"Before I knew it, I was running again," I continued. "I kept running, and I didn't know how long, I just did. The monster followed me wherever I went, and it didn't make a sound. It chased after me, but never caught me, and I don't know how or why. Eventually, I got tired and just gave up and crumpled down on the ground and wished it was all over."

The feeling of everyone's eyes on me crept up my back. I shrunk into myself.

"That was when I was found. I was safe after that. I never saw the monster again either. They also tried looking for my friend, but... well, you already know what happened. At least I'm still around." I sighed. "I got a therapist to help me cope with what just happened and that was that. I still get nightmares from time to time, but it wasn't anything I wasn't prepared for. So yeah, I got lost in the woods and my friend was never found again."

Even if I tried--and failed--to lighten the mood, everyone was still shocked and downcast. No one spoke for the first few seconds before Damian broke the silence.

"This all really happened? Your friend was never found again?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry if I ruined the mood."

"No, no, you didn't." Lyla said. "It's fine. We are telling scary stories, after all."

"Yeah, it was pretty scary too," Damian said.

I chuckled. "Of course that's all you get out of it."

"What do you feel now that you let it all out?" Mark turned to me.

My gaze fell to the floor. I haven't told that story to anyone in a while. I'm even surprised I haven't told Mark yet. Or anybody, for that matter. But now that I did, it felt nice. But that still didn't stop that sense of regret I get sometimes, though. I still didn't try hard enough for Cameron.

I wish he were still here.

I nodded. "It feels good."

A moment of silence passed, and then Damian spoke up. "All right, who's next?"

"My turn," Charlie said.

We all readied ourselves as Charlie began her story. "So, this one is about my granddad back in the seventies."

4

I woke up, reaching out for the familiar feeling of my bed to comfort me. Instead, I felt a different blanket, a different bed. I got up and was greeted by wood and fabric. It took a second for me to realize I was in the cabin.

I reached for my phone on the drawer and check the time. Two in the morning. It wasn't that long since we called it a night. My sleep medication should be in full swing right now, but I guess it was just one of those nights. Still, I tried going back to sleep. I tossed and turned for a while before I realized I wasn't going to get any sleep for the next few minutes or so. With a sharp sigh, I sat back up.

I turn to the other side of the bed to find it empty. Guess Mark wasn't getting sleep too. He always was walking around in the middle of the night during sleepovers. Guess that didn't change about him. That, and I was probably following in his footsteps.

I get up and reached for my phone by the drawer and put it in my pocket and went out the door. I then went straight for the kitchen, turned on the lights, and grabbed a glass to get some water.

It had been a while since I last woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep. I made a big deal out of it at the time because I was scared that my medication wasn't working anymore. It turned out I just had these times where I'd just wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to sleep for another hour. There was no rhyme or reason to it, and I've stopped trying to find one. I always thought my lack of sleep came from having nightmares, but that was yet to be proven.

I poured some water and took a drink. I was about to wash it when something caught my eye. I looked up at the window and leaned closer. There was a blizzard. That, combined with the dark made it hard for me to see anything past ten feet. I leaned closer, and that's when I see it.

There was someone walking outside.

The first thing that came to mind was to call the cops. We shouldn't be near anyone where we are at this time of night, and there was no way whoever it was could walk all the way to the woods into the lake. They could be dangerous, but I shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. Phone in hand, I leaned forward, squinting my eyes. I made out a face and a tail. It was a possum.

"Mark?" I muttered.

What the hell was Mark doing outside? It didn't even look like what he was wearing was enough for the cold. He wasn't one for doing this just for the hell of it, too. A strange feeling made its way up my spine, making me want to go back inside. I fight the urge, grabbed my coat, and went out the door.

The wind was ice cold. I clutched my coat tighter as I turned on my phone's flashlight again and tried to look past the snow all around me.

"Mark?" I called out.

I only heard the wind. I grumbled to myself, going down the porch and stopping just before my feet meet the snow. I waved my flashlight again at the empty space in front of me.

"Mark! Mark, answer me."

That was when I saw him. He was walking from the lake in my general direction. As he got closer, I realized he wasn't walking toward the cabin. He didn't look like he was looking at me, either.

I called out to him again, but Mark didn't seem to notice or hear me at all. I walked down the porch and went over to him. He still didn't seem to notice my presence at all. I shone my flashlight on his face. His eyes were unfocused, glazed. Like his mind was somewhere else. And he just kept walking.

"Mark. Mark, what's gotten into you?" I said, my voice cracking.

He still didn't reply, instead walking with this strange intensity in his walk that was unlike him. My heart pounded in my chest as the déjà vu sunk in.

"This isn't funny, Mark. Come on."

I tried holding him, shoving him, even trying to stop him dead in his tracks. But nothing I could do stopped him from walking. Tears welled in my eyes as he finally stopped. Then he looked up. I found myself doing the same.

It was dark. Just branches, leaves, and the darkness between them. There was nothing there. I turned to Mark again, but he was walking toward the woods.

I reached out to him. "No no no Mark, wait!"

I stopped. I was frozen again, and I couldn't fight it. Mark walked toward the trees, into the dark. And in that dark, Cameron's eyes were staring back at me. Wide open, sharp, and lifeless.

My entire body was numb and heavy as I instinctively went back to the cabin door. Next thing I knew it, I was running. I got up the porch and shoved the door open, not caring in the slightest the noise I was making. Before I did anything else, I turned outside again. Mark wasn't there anymore. There were only footsteps in the snow starting from the place I saw him last. The thing was still had its eyes on me. I watched too many limbs move in the darkness before I shut the door.

Tears were flowing down my face now. Then the gasping. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop it. I still tried, but it didn't help. I fell to the ground, choking between sobs as I curled into a little ball. I waited, but the monster didn't come for me.

5

I didn't get much sleep that night, and the next thing I knew, it was morning. I stared at the window, and at the light slowly making its way up the bed. It took a while to feel something again, and once I did, I still continued to just lie there on the bed.

I tried to ignore the empty space beside me, and the reminder it gave, but I was too tired to do anything. If there was anything I could've done, I couldn't do it anymore. I pulled what would've been Mark's pillow over my head, hoping I'd get some more sleep.

My ears caught a sound. It was the others talking outside, but muffled and quiet. Their voices were urgent, but low, I'm guessing as to not wake me up. It didn't matter. I already knew what they were talking about, anyway. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but just hearing them comforted me. Eventually, I got tired of it and I forced myself to get up and out the door. For the first time in a long while, the morning in someone else's house didn't feel nice at all.

"No, I don't remember anyone going out," I heard Lyla said.

"I'm pretty sure he was still there," Damian said.

"So none of you know where he is?" Charlie then chimed in.

I got to the living room, and all of them turned to me. All of them looked concerned, as if one of them had to break some horrible news. Funny what things go to your head at weird times.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Mark's missing," Lyla said. "We tried looking for him for a while now. No luck."

It was like a knife inside of me was twisted again. I spent the entire night and morning thinking about it--I was there, even--but to hear someone say it... for someone else to say what had happened.

I dropped to a nearby chair, letting it hold all my weight. They all watched me carefully, as if I'd break. I tried to get rid of that feeling by taking a deep breath.

"How long has he been missing?" I asked.

"Ever since Damian woke up. He didn't see Mark anywhere at all," Lyla said.

"None of you saw him?"

"I was up in the middle of the night for a few minutes," Charlie said. "Didn't see anyone at all."

I turned to the others. They both shook their head. I didn't know why, but that was the one that broke me. I cried, turning myself into a little ball again, just like I last night just a few feet away from where I was. That was when Charlie hugged me. Just like last night. She then pulled back, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, we're gonna find Mark, okay? I promise you that."

I wanted to tell her not to make that promise, because I know full well what would happen to that promise. I wanted to tell everyone that I was there; I saw how Mark got lost, and I got too scared to even try to stop him. He was inches away from me and I still couldn't do it. But I didn't tell her. How could I? I didn't do that for Cameron.

I looked outside the window again, staring at the trees, at the last time I saw Mark. And then I nodded.