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Thing

My friends and I were inseparable when we were kids, our group could always be found running all around the neighborhood we grew up in, staying out late until the crack of dawn. We always got into our fair share of trouble and adventure all those wonderful years ago. Sadly with all good things they must come to a close and by graduation we had all grown up and moved on with our lives. The group that once found themselves hanging out together doing things they all enjoyed soon found it hard to find time just to see each other. My friends all had their own dreams and ambitions that they wished to pursue and I was no different, at nineteen years old I made my way into the vast world we all occupy to try and make a life for myself. Time flew by and I was now studying for my bachelor's degree in criminal justice, working myself to death at a local coffee shop and chain smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day. It's almost funny to look back when you were young and you felt like you could take on the world, but then you take a bite out of life and it's just plain bittersweet. I tried my damnedest to keep in touch with my friends to try and keep the friendship we all once had but the attempt was fleeting at best, even with the advancement of social media. A few of my friends went into the job market immediately while others chose to attend college like me and I do believe one had signed up in the military but again it was hard to know what they all were up to. Soon we all kind of stopped talking to one another and our lives moved on, but on occasions we'd get an email from one of the old group members and we would chat for a while then it was back to silence. Fast forward a few years and I was now a criminal analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation living close to comfortably out in California and I couldn't be happier, but that all changed when I got an email from one of my friends from long ago.

I was shocked when I looked at my inbox and saw who it was from, one of my best friends must have been reminiscing and decided to try to catch up on what I've been up to all these years. The subject box had the simple phrase what's up written in it and I couldn't wait to see how he had been doing. Simon Banks was one of the few people on this planet I could honestly say that I would do damn near anything for him, we would always get ourselves into trouble and we'd always fight our way out while making sure we would get our fair share of the excitement. It had been years since his last email and after I read it I was happy to hear he was doing well. He apparently came into a large sum of money when his grandfather passed away from a heart attack a few years back and had also inherited the 6 acre estate that was used as a summer home when his grandfather was still alive. The place was just the kind of home he wanted, there was plenty of open space, it was always quite minus a few animals that wandered into his yard, the closet neighbor was a ways a way, and the nearest town was a quick trip down the road. He had truly found his dream home and he said anytime I wanted to come by I was more than welcome to. We kept writing back and forth for some time and per usual we stopped and I figured it would be another few months or even years before I heard back from him, but just a few weeks later I received this email from him.

From: Simon B. [Redacted].com Subject: Quick Question! Hey man I have a quick and kinda out of the blue question......are you at all familiar with paranormal stuff, like ghosts or creatures...that kind of stuff? Please let me know ASAP!!!! I felt it was an odd question but back in high school I did a little dabbling in the such so I told him that I was rusty on it but I could lend him a hand and tell him what I know or could look up online

From: Simon B. [Redacted].com Subject: Re: Quick Question That's good to hear, I've tried the other guys but either they shrugged off the email or flat out didn't respond. Well to get to the point I have been feeling very uneasy lately, you know like getting that "bad Juju" vibe...almost like...well...like I'm being watched and not like a deer glances at a car going by but almost like I'm being stalked...I was wondering if this could be a ghost or something like that, I'm open to the idea that weird stuff happens but I don't want it happening to me, any ideas? I informed him that it could honestly be anything normal or paranormal, he simply didn't give me enough information outside of a "bad Juju vibe" so I explained that unless anything else happens he's out of luck, he told me thanks and that he would keep me posted on what's going on. After another week or so he had sent another email to me this time titled Getting Worse

From: Simon B. [Redacted].com Subject: Getting Worse Hey man I'm sorry to keep pestering you about this but...things just keep getting weird out here, I talked to my grandma and asked her about the land, you know to make sure it wasn't built on an ancient burial ground or something cliche like that...she wasn't aware of anything like that but she did say that when my grandpa was around 60 or so he had stopped using the house and wouldn't say why. She thought it was odd since he put a lot of time and effort into it, he apparently would make a trip every so often to keep the house cleaned and hired a landscaper to do the yard work. My grandpa never told her why he stopped going and generally avoided the subject, if asked he would change the subject or flat out ignore you. I thought it was just him being old and stubborn but with all this weird stuff going down I'm more inclined to believe that there is something going on here that scared him so bad he never wanted to talk about it again. After hearing this bit of information I told him that he may want to dig deeper and find out if anything happened on his property that may have something to do with what's going on, like cults or murders...maybe even a seance or two. He once again thanked me for my time and said he would get back to me. A week or two went by with no email, I was beginning to think the whole bit was over and then he sent me another email with the subject line Thing.

From: Simon B. [Redacted].com Subject: Thing! I...don't know where to begin...after what you said I researched the property, I checked everywhere I could think of but to no avail. It seemed that my land had no reason to make me feel so damn paranoid. I was beginning to think maybe I was losing my mind but then something happened last night, something that fortunately showed me I was mentally sane but makes me wish I was just making up in my head. Dude something was in my house last night...I just can't remember what it looked like, or much of what happened, it's as if something is keeping it hidden from me. I was sleeping when I heard what sounded like someone was in my house; naturally I grabbed my hand gun and went to investigate. I was no more than three steps out of my room when I heard the intruder in the kitchen. I leaned around the corner of my kitchen to see who was in my home, what I saw was...unreal. I wish I could describe to you what I saw but again I am unable to recall. I awoke on the floor, gun still in hand and my ears ringing. It took me a few minutes to get up because I felt so unbalanced. I didn't think anything was wrong, like what happened didn't register; it wasn't until I thought about it more while in town did it click and I rushed back to write this to you. Man, this is messed up, messed up in the worst possible way. There's still more, it's following me! I can feel it's stare no matter where I am, before it seemed like it was aware I was around but now it feels like it's locked in on me and keeping an eye on my where a bouts! I'm so freighted by this that I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight, I don't think I want to. How many times has this thing been inside my house? How long has it been following me? What if it watches me sleep?! I need you to come out here, to help me fight this thing; I can't do it by myself. I couldn't believe what I was reading, there was something defiantly wrong going on here and I wasn't able to help him figure it out from where I was. Worse yet was the fact that whatever was stalking Simon was dangerous. This was something more than a ghost or poltergeist, hell it wasn't even Bigfoot, this thing was after my best friend and I would be damned if it was going to attack him again let alone finish the job. I called my supervisor and informed him that one of my close friends was in the hospital and I needed to go see him. He told me to go and he would take care of the paperwork. I grabbed a few of my weapons I had amassed over the years, what with being FBI and all, and made my way to the nearest airport. I'll be making entry logs in my notebook to keep track of what transpires over my trip.

Entry #01: Airport I arrived at the Portland airport in Oregon and was greeted by Simon; we talked for a bit while we waited for my bags to show up at baggage claim. We avoided the subject of the thing until we were in his car and were on the road. I asked him what he could remember about it and he said he doesn't remember much, everything he wrote in the email was basically all he does remember. It was about an hour and a half before we made it to the dirt road that led to his house, all I can say was this place is just something else. The house he was in was a small, one story house, two bath and three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room. The place was furnished with a fireplace, TV, satellite and enough alcohol to run a small bar. He led me to the guest bedroom and I dropped my stuff and grabbed my weapons case and began to prep. I loaded my 870 Remington shotgun and my HK USP .40, I also sharpened my SOG Bowie knife just in case I needed it, you never know. I have to admit though, once we hit the dirt road I did getting the feeling like I was being watched, nothing to the extent of Simon but I did feel eyes on me. Nothing further to report.

Entry #02: Nothing Last night was uneventful, me and Simon slept fine with no disturbances. We ended up spending the day watching football and drinking beer and sampling some aged whiskey. Nothing further to report.

Entry #03: Uneasy Today I noticed that the "being watched" feeling is getting stronger, like whatever is watching me is getting used to my presence at the house. I can't pinpoint exactly where it's coming from but I feel it staring. I think it's time that we show it what it's going to deal with if it decides to come into the house. Nothing further to report.

Entry #04: Show of Force Simon and I grabbed the beer bottles and set up a makeshift range, we spent the morning target practicing with our weapons, Simon with his Colt 1911 and me with my HK and Remington. Fortunately the uneasiness dissipated, unfortunately it only lasted an hour or so then it returned even stronger. I'm started to think this wasn't the smartest thing to do. Nothing further to report.

Entry #05: Closer Last night I couldn't sleep and neither could Simon, we both felt to shook up to fall asleep. Even when we were both to the point of exhaustion we couldn't get any rest. We heard a strange noise outside that sounded like some animal was scratching at the house, we both went to investigate but whatever it was had left by the time we got outside, it's too dark to see much since all we had was a porch light, once the sun rises we'll check out the spot where the animal was. Nothing further to report.

Entry #06: Testing We checked the spot this morning and found large scratch marks where we heard the noise last night. It seems as if whatever did this wasn't doing it to get inside, more like it was trying to get us to leave the house. The marks are superficial and a simple paint job could fix it, which leaves me to believe that whatever this thing is...it's smart. The noise last night was a test to see how we would react, much like guerrilla fighters do. Simon isn't taking this very well and neither am I, nowhere feels safe now hell not even backed up into a corner feels safe. This sense of dread just will not let up, let alone the feeling of being watched. I hope we can get this thing to leave because I don't know how much I can take. Nothing further to report.

Entry #07: Arrival I...I don't know where to begin. I think the beginning would be good...not like my beginning but last night's beginning. We felt the overburdening finally lift around 10 pm, we were cautious but after an hour it was still gone so we decided that it moved on...foolish but none the less we tried to get some sleep. I had woken up a few hours later for reasons I'm not sure but I had awaken. Once my sense had caught with my body I realized that the feeling of dread had once again returned. Startled I went to Simon with my pistol in hand, again I'm not sure why but I just felt like I needed it with me. When I approached his room I noticed his door was ajar, which instantly made me worried because we both closed our doors before we went to bed, hoping that a closed door would deter any creature from getting to us...oh how we were wrong. I silently pushed the door open, pistol drawn, when I saw Simon sitting up in bed, he was staring at something but I couldn't see it since I wasn't completely in the room yet. I turned my head around to look at whatever it was that Simon saw...God how I wish I hadn't. What I saw, not even I'm sure how to I can describe it to you accurately but I will try. Its skin was pale and it was so horribly emaciated; its ribs were threatening to rip its skin. Its arms and legs were long, and I mean long, the thing must have been seven or eight feet tall, the limbs were thin and boney. Its finger was twice the length of a normal person's fingers; they were also boney and stained brown. The thing was sitting in the corner, its hands flat against the floor, its elbows sticking out to the sides, its knees up to its head. My God I forgot to mention its worst feature. That things head was shaped like an upside down water drop but bit more round, I couldn't see its face at that time but after a minute or two of staring at it I hit the light switch. I saw its face, if you could call it a face, its eyes were black and the size of jujubes and its mouth was tiny, not much wider then a dash or hyphen. The face didn't stay that way for very long, when the lights were turned on its head snapped right to me, like it was surprised to see me. In a flash its eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, they were pitch black and soulless. Its mouth grew so wide and big it almost seemed like the top part of its head was going to detach at the jaw, the mouth was also an empty blackness. Then I heard a ringing noise and had to cover my ears but it wouldn't stop, it seemed like it was in my brain and not in my ears. It began to stand up when I blacked out. I woke up in the door way of the room, there was a puddle of dried blood next to me face, upon inspection I discovered I had bleed from my eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Simon is gone, he was in the room with me but he isn't there now. I'm going to look for him, maybe call the police while I'm at it. Nothing further to report.

Entry #08: Lost and Found I went searching for Simon, after an all-day search the sun was setting and I could not find a single trace. I was making my way into the house when I heard someone inside; I called out Simons name thinking it was him. It wasn't him, there was a loud crash like someone had broken through the window, and I ran into Simon's room and saw my friend. He was torn to shreds, blood was everywhere, chunks of flesh and organs littered the floor, bits of bone and skin joined the chunks. I looked up and saw more blood and bits from Simon, nothing that was left could have been used to identify my now deceased friend. I phoned the police and told them that I just found my friend dead in his house. The police were on their way; I unloaded my weapons and disassembled them. I sat down in front of Simon's room with a six pack next to me and just stared at the mess. Nothing further to report.

Entry #09 The Report It's been a few months now since I lost my best friend to that creature. When the cops showed up I told them that a creature butchered Simon. I described it to them, prepared for the fact that they wouldn't believe me and of course they didn't, they said I was suffering from illusions from the shock. The official report said that a bear had gotten in and mauled Simon, no charges were filed and I was sent back home. A closed casket funeral was held, they scrapped up his bits and pieces and put them in the coffin so there would be something to bury. His family was devastated but strangely were not angry at me, I think that bugged me the most, if it were me I would hold some sort of resentment for the fact that I could have done something but I assume the family felt at peace with it all. When I had returned to the FBI they offered me counseling but nothing worked, even after the third or fourth session I had confided with the therapist about what I saw. He told me that I was suffering from my loss and was making up something that was evil as a way to compensate the lack of seeing the bear that killed my friend. What I didn't tell the therapist is that I have been feeling the paranoia that I felt when I first entered the property. I feel like it's stalking me like it had before, worse still is I get the sense that it's upset. I think that seeing it has disturbed it, like it wants to remain hidden. This feeling has been getting worse little by little every day; I know that it will come for me one day to finish me off. Maybe this is why Simon was killed by it, maybe he accidentally saw it without knowing, and then it stalked him. Now I'm next for the chopping block, I'm going to have to get my affairs in order for when it comes.

Epilogue My name is Jerald Swanson; I am a college student at the University of [Redacted]. I am studying investigative journalism as my major. I was trying to find a story for my final and I was looking at strange police reports around the country and I had stumbled upon an odd report in Oregon about a man that was mauled in his home by a bear. Now normally this wouldn't have peeked my interest but the pictures didn't add up, this man was destroyed laterally torn apart. Bears don't do this; they just eat the flesh and organs of their food and leave some remnants. This wasn't the case, there was barely anything left of him. The report said that the friend who discovered him claimed some kind of creature did this but it was dismissed as shock. This sounded promising so I did some research on it. I found the friend and discovered he worked for the FBI out in California. I called the office and asked if he still worked there and if not where I could find him. After a half hour of explaining who I was and a background check they informed me that he had a psychotic break down and was sent to a mental hospital, I thanked them and set out to find him. Upon arrival to the mental hospital I asked the staff if I could speak with [Redacted] and they agreed. I was escorted to a padded cell, the typical "Solitary Confinement" room. I was only allowed to speak with him if there was an orderly present. He was sitting in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth. Nothing I asked about Mr. Banks or the incident seemed to jar him from his state. I then asked about the creature, he stopped rocking and just stared at me. For a few uncomfortable minutes he stared in silence. Then he retrieved a notebook and handed it to me, he said that everything I'd need to know was in there. He then sat back down and began to rock again. Before I left he told me this: "Whatever you do don't go looking for it, don't hunt it down, don't find it...and whatever you do don't look at it, for the love of God do not look at it!!!" With that I was escorted out of the room, notebook in hand I decided to head back to campus and begin working on my report. Before I go I just wanted to write down the fact the I'm getting this weird feeling like I'm being watched.