Run

Jenna swung her brand-new Jeep Cherokee into the dirt parking lot of the visitor’s center. It was 7:02 a.m. and the warm sun was peeking through the trees that loomed above the parking spot she had chosen. It looked like the weather forecast was accurate for possibly the first time this spring.  She smiled; it was indeed going to be a gorgeous day.

 Jenna had parked close to the trail head although she really had her pick of spots. The lot was surprisingly empty for a Sunday, but it was still early in the day and based on past experience if she wanted the trail to herself, it was good to get out there early.

She pulled her long blond hair back into a ponytail, tightened her laces and locked her vehicle. Jenna’s keys went into her backpack along with her cell phone, a protein bar, a water bottle and her bear spray.  

After a quick stretch of her legs, she set out toward the trail feeling more relaxed already.  

After working fifteen hours of overtime this week she really needed this.

 It had been a stressful week filled with too many meetings and too little sleep and she was anxious to get out in nature and away from people. The trail she had chosen for today’s run was located about twenty miles from Yosemite National Park. The path followed a flowing river, and she had read online that the wildflowers were currently in full bloom. She had already set her cell phone to silent and was looking forward to hearing nothing but the sounds of nature for the next two or three hours.

Jenna was in no rush and decided to walk the first half mile. The trail led her to the familiar, wooden bridge. Jenna loved this bridge and had always thought it looked like something from a storybook.  She lingered there for a moment enjoying the peace and the warm sunshine on her face and then she crossed the bridge and began to jog.

The view along the river was spectacular and the wildflowers were in a super bloom this year due to the heavy winter rains the state had experienced.

Twenty minutes later Jenna was moving at a steady pace. She planned to run another two miles where she would pass the small campground coming up on her right. The campground was downhill from the trail and just a few minutes past the camp was a recreational area with some picnic tables set up near the water. If it were not too busy, she would stop there to hydrate and take in the sights and sounds of the river.

As she rounded the corner and caught a quick glimpse of the campground, she felt the first drops of rain hit her shoulders. Within seconds it had gone from a light sprinkle to steady rainfall.

Jenna sighed; the weather forecasters had failed again. Stopping under a large tree she half-heartedly dug for the rain poncho she knew as not there. Being tired and foggy brained this morning, she had not thought to toss it in. Jenna shrugged and pulled the hood of her gray, lightweight sweatshirt over her head. It was better than nothing. 

She would jog over to the recreation area. Ther restroom had an awning where she could take shelter and hopefully wait out the rain. 

She reached the recreation area in a matter of minutes. The rainstorm had assured that it would be deserted. Jenna had to laugh despite being a bit drenched at the moment. She had, after all, been hoping that it would not be too crowded. She made her way over to the restrooms and stepped beneath the awning. 

Jenna pulled out her cell phone. A quick peek at her weather app told her that the rain was predicted to stop within the next half hour. It could be worse. She shivered and hoped the sun would return after the rain. She was soaked and chilled.

The rain stopped about twenty minutes later. The dirt trail was one giant mud puddle by then and Jenna knew she would be hiking back rather than running. She decided to take her time before heading back to the car. She walked to the riverbank and spent a few minutes enjoying the view. As she turned reluctantly to leave, she noticed stone steps leading up a hill to the right of the recreation center. This would lead her away from the river, but she had never explored in that direction before, and she was not at all in a rush to get back to her car. The sun was peeking through the clouds and Jenna was feeling optimistic.  She tightened the straps on her backpack and headed toward the steps.

She carefully climbed about twenty slippery moss-covered steps and found herself on narrow trail set beneath tall Pine trees. She took a deep breath savoring the smell of wet pine needles and set off down the trail. It was muddy but manageable and her running shoes were already wet and muddy. She would just have to wash and dry them when she got home.

There was a different feel to this part of the woods. It was not until about ten minutes into the hike that Jenna realized how incredibly quiet it was here. It was a little unsettling. Jenna forced herself to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that something was off. She wanted to explore a little more before turning back. She assured herself that she was being silly and continued down the path determined to enjoy this little adventure.

The eerie silence was suddenly broken. From somewhere off to her right she had heard movement. Something large. Definitely not a squirrel. Jenna paused and listened. There! More movement. She believed the sound had once again come from the right and slightly ahead of her.

Her thoughts immediately went to Mountain Lions or Black Bears, and she slipped her backpack from her shoulders and reached inside retrieving her bear spray just in case. Silence. Then came a sudden scurrying sound and a flash of pale white as something quickly crawled out onto the trail about thirty feet ahead of where Jenna stood staring.

Her mind struggled to make sense of what her eyes were seeing. The thing that had appeared on the path in front of her was scuttling on four limbs like a crab. It was moving surprisingly low to the ground considering its size. Jenna was looking at something the size of a human, its limbs long and sinewy. Its skin was smooth and appeared hairless except for the long, black, scraggly tresses on its head.

The creature turned its human-like face toward Jenna and smiled horribly with an impossibly large mouth. Jenna willed her body to move but she was frozen in terror. Then the creature scuttled toward her, and the smile was not even the worst part because the creature was staring directly into Jennas eyes with deep, empty eye sockets. Jenna aimed the bear spray at the abomination that was now maybe ten feet away and pressed the button. The thing let out a bone chilling shriek. Its enormous mouth opening wide to reveal jagged teeth.  It scrambled backwards pawing at its face.

Jenna ran. 

She ran faster than she had run in her entire life. Urban legends flooded her mind. Things in which she had never believed. Among those campfire tales were the alleged sighting of humanoids. The stories of these creatures and the reason for their existence varied but the descriptions were all terribly similar to what Jenna had left behind her on the trail.

Jenna did not slow her pace until she came to the campground. She made her way down the muddy slope slipping and falling more than once on the way down. She had not heard any signs of the thing following her, but she was not taking any chances. Her plan was to find the camp host and then.... and then she wasn’t sure what...who was going to believe her story?

Stepping into the campground it occurred to Jenna how unusually still it was for a weekend. True, it was a small campground with only ten sites, and it looked like maybe half were unoccupied today. However, there should have been some activity from the campers even with the recent rain. The campground was completely devoid of life.

A slow, cold feeling of dread began to set in even before she saw the first torn tent, the first bloody handprint on the bench of a picnic table, or the first human limbs scattered among the pine needles on the forest floor.

Her mind racing, Jenna scanned the small campground and was certain there were no survivors there. As she frantically clawed her way back up the muddy hill, she could hear a high-pitched inhuman shriek in the distance.  

Back on the trail, Jenna ran again and this time she did not stop until she reached her vehicle. She yanked off her backpack and quickly pulled her keys from the front pocket. As she unlocked her jeep, she thought she saw a flash of white near the trailhead. Resisting the urge to look again Jenna threw herself into the front seat locking the doors behind her. She started the car and peeled out of the lot.

Jenna would report the campground carnage when she got into town. She had a strong feeling it would be blamed on an animal attack. If Jenna told anyone what she had seen out there she would be written off as another “conspiracy theorist” the likes of those who claim they’ve seen Big Foot or Night Crawlers. She was not sure if she would ever tell another living soul what she had encountered in those woods.  

Jenna was distracted from her thoughts when from the corner of her eye she caught movement on the left side of the road. Something was moving swiftly alongside the car. A blur of pale, white skin sped past her vehicle and leapt onto the road ahead blocking the path of her car. Jenna instinctively hit the brakes coming to a halt just a few car lengths away from the monster that was perched low on all fours looking as though it might spring at any second. 

The thing stared at Jenna with its empty sockets and opened its awful mouth to let out another of its angry shrieks.

Jenna decided she was done running for today.  She put the Jeep in reverse and quickly backed up several feet then she put the car back in drive and with a determined shriek of her own she pressed her foot down hard on the accelerator.