It Called To Me

Chris had been driving for hours, with the GPS insisting he was close to his parents' house, but he was still ten hours away by paper map. "I knew I should have invested in that new Tesla. I wouldn't have to figure this out. My mom is going to be so worried about me. Dammit, where am I?" says Chris, with a hint of shame in his words.

The wooded road seemed to stretch on forever, the trees blurring together like sentinels guarding some ancient secret. He had been looking forward to this trip for weeks, eager to escape the city and spend some quality time with his family. He wasn't supposed to drive, but he won't fly due to his self diagnosed phobias. So, as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the road, Chris felt a growing sense of unease.

Without a second of hesitation, his car sputtered, coughed, and died, plunging him into pitch-black darkness. Now the panic really starts to set in and all directions looked the same.

Chris tried to start the engine, but it refused to turn over. Grabbing his glovebox flashlight, he got out and popped the hood. Chris looks around as if he's a car expert, but he knew the problem was beyond his expertise. Night had fallen, and he had no signal on his phone. "I hope there's a gas station up the road." He sets off on foot, hoping to find help, but the woods seem to swallow him whole.

The only sound was the crickets and the rustling of leaves beneath his feet. Chris quickened his pace, his senses on high alert, but the darkness seemed to press in around him like a physical force.

As he walked, a woman's blood-curdling scream pierced the air. "Help! Someone, please!" Chris's heart raced as he instinctually felt the need to save her. He turned towards the woods and followed the sound.

The voice seemed to come from a young woman, desperate and alone. He quickened his pace, his senses disoriented. The scream came again, closer this time, and Chris's skin crawled. He had to find her and help her. "I'm coming! Where are you!?" Chris asked with urgency. No answer to his question came, just more screaming.

The screams grew louder, drawing him deeper into the woods. Chris pushed through the underbrush, his senses still disoriented. The trees seemed to close in around him, their branches tangling above his head like skeletal fingers. Suddenly, the screaming stopped. An unsettling silence fell, like the woods were holding their breath. Fear set in deep as Chris called out, "Hello? Where are you?" but only the echo replied.

Chris waited, his heart pounding in his chest, his hands cold and shaky. And then a whisper—soft and seductive. "Over here. Please help me." Chris's neck snapped towards the sound as he continued to follow the voice once again, his heart still racing. As he walked towards a giant tree, he saw something slowly stretch around it. His flashlight flickers, so Chris hits it a few times to reset it. Pointing the flashlight back at the tree, Chris traces the tree's trunk as he feels that something is off.

That's when he saw it—a twisted, humanoid figure with eyes that burned like embers. Its skin was stretched tautly over its skull, its mouth open in a perpetual scream. "Help me, please," it says in an unusually pitched but sarcastic voice. Almost taunting Chris for being such a hero type.

Chris tried to run, but his feet felt rooted to the spot. He obviously realized too late that the voice was a mimic, a demon that lured victims with false voices. The creature's eyes locked onto his, and Chris felt a chill run down his spine. The mimic began to change, its form contorting into grotesque positions and its voice mocking him with cruel laughter. Chris tried to turn and run again, but his legs still wouldn't move. The mimic began to circle him, its eyes burning with an otherworldly intensity. He felt this was his last day on earth.

The mimic toyed with Chris, its voice taunting him with cruel whispers. "You should have stayed on the road. You should have kept driving." The creature spoke in different tones. "It's ok, son; I'll take care of you." Shocked, Chris looks at the demon, using his mother's voice. It was as if the creature had gained access to his mind and knew exactly how to sound like his mom. That's where the beast messed up. Hearing his mom's voice only made him feel calm, but was it enough to escape?

Chris then tried to defend himself, but the mimic was too quick and too strong. It pinned him to the ground, its hot breath on his face, its eyes burning with an evil light. Chris screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the mimic's cackling laughter.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Chris summoned all his strength and managed to break free. He stumbled, fell, and scrambled to his feet, not stopping until he saw the lights of a gas station in the distance. The demon close behind him, Chris, burst through the station door, gasping for air, and collapsed on the floor. The attendant rushed to his side, concern etched on his face. "What happened, son?" Chris tried to explain, but the words caught in his throat. He could only point back into the woods, his eyes wide, still in fear. "You must have met it. The creature of a thousand voices. Sigh, come on in boy. You aren't leaving until morning. Beast can't get you then."

The gas station attendant took Chris in and let him stay for the night. He explained to him what the creature was in grave detail, and in the morning, Chris called a tow truck for his car. Thanking the gas station employee, Chris sets off towards his car.

Later that day, Chris made it to his parents' house by tow. The whole experience left him shook, but at least he was no longer lost. Chris tried to calm down, but when he looked in the mirror, he saw a haunted look in his eyes, a reminder of the terror he faced on that isolated road. He tried to put the experience behind him, but the memories lingered, refusing to be forgotten. Chris knew he would never forget the horror of that night and the terror that lurked in the woods, waiting to strike.