Mallory's Haunting

The worst part of camping alone was arguably the shadows.

You make a campfire, the fire dances and the shadows move.

It always make you think something’s there even when it’s nothing. The only way to stay sane was to ignore them.

Mallory had struggled with that logic a lot in her early days, turning at every shift, looking over her shoulder after every creak and groan from the forest.

Nine times out of ten, it was nothing. The one time she could remember it being something was just a deer that’d turned tail and run as soon as it had spotted her.

Knowing the shadows were just amplified by her imagination didn’t make it any easier though. They were still terrifying, making her heart drop every time she saw one from the corner of her eye.

Experience didn’t conquer fear, just made it more manageable.

That experience had served her well through the years, her body would try to freeze but her mind could still make it move. It was a battle she’d fought many times over the years.

But this time was different.

The shadows had eyes, or there were eyes in the shadows. She couldn’t tell you which it was, only that she was being watched.

The tingling feeling of eyes on her, that haunting feeling that raised the hairs on the back of her neck; sending chills down her spine as she tried not to let herself freeze up.

She knew, on some primal level she’d never felt before, that whatever was stalking her would get her if she froze. She had to keep moving.

She didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t matter. It’d been there for days, watching her every move. Hunting her through the forest as she tried to make her way back to civilization, to the relative safety that came with people.

It was teasing her too. Stealing her stuff, making bumps and thuds sound out around her. Scaring her for the fun of it.

Her whistle was first, then her map and slowly more and more of her supplies went missing until she was bush craft camping. It broke branches, scratched up trees and threw rocks. Taunting her, playing with her like a cat with a mouse.

But she was close to civilization. Close to home.

Close to escaping that retched forest and never returning.

A rock flew past her face, striking a tree and thudding to the ground.

Mallory spun in circles, trying to spot her tormentor from the shadows. Wanting to put and image to the creature that haunted her.

“Just leave me alone.” Mallory whispered, her eyes frantically searching.

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” She screamed.

She grabbed a handful of dirt and rocks, throwing it in a random direction, hoping to hit it.

“JUST STOP IT! GO AWAY!” She cried, throwing more and more rocks and sticks and anything she could get her hands on.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” She screeched.

She took a step forward, accidentally landing on a rock that immediately slid out from under her.

Mallory fell hard, her chest heaving as she sobbed, her hands and knees scrapped up from the rough landing.

She curled into a ball, her sobs wracking her body as she let out all of her fear, her pain and sorrow and longing to just… Go home.

She wanted to go home, tucked away safe in her bed, her Mom and Dad standing in the other room, talking about something so muffled she couldn’t figure out what it was.

Mallory screamed and cried and begged to experience that safety, that comfort, just one more time.

She was screaming so loudly that she didn’t notice the sudden silence that had enveloped the forest.

The forest that had been quiet, had fallen deathly silent.

Had Mallory been listening she would have taken it for the warning it was.

A branch snapped, drawing Mallory’s attention behind her.

A rush of wind, the flickering of her flashlight, the twinge of an almost forgotten warning.

Mallory was roughly jerked to the side, pain piercing her shoulder as she was pulled.

Fire raced up her back, a sickening crack sounded through the air as her arm was roughly jerked to one side.

Snarls filled the air, alongside a wet, gargling sound that Mallory could only guess was coming from her own throat.

Her mouth was flooding with a metallic tasting liquid, dripping down her throat and steadily choking her.

Her chest hurt, a pressure started on the surface of her skin seemed to plunge itself all the way in to her heart.

She gasped, crying out in pain.

The pressure shifted, a horrible squelching sound filling the air.

Tears cut through the grime on her face as Mallory stared skyward. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars through the treeline, anything to distract herself from the blinding pain consuming her.

She never even got the chance to register the twinkling lights in the sky.

In the span of a blink, night was replaced with day.

She was no longer under attack, she was no longer in pain.

Mallory was lying on her back, resting on the dirty forest floor.

She sat up, looking down at herself, half convinced the entire ordeal had been a dream.

The blood soaking her clothes told her otherwise.

She couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from, couldn’t feel any pain that told her where she might be hurt.

She was in shock. Her body was blocking out the pain, as a last act of kindness for her.

It was a second chance, one she didn’t intend to waste.

Mallory took off in a sprint, running in the direction she’d been facing when she woke.

She didn’t have long, if she could make it to someone else they could at least call for help.

Maybe then they would both survive.

The smell of coffee, the sight of a small tent in the near distance, and the idle chatter of people filled Mallory with hope.

“Hey!” She shouted waving her arms as she ran up to them. “Hey we need to go!”

They didn’t look at her, going about their morning like she wasn’t even there.

Which, on some level, Mallory could understand. When crazy comes running at you the last thing you want to do is acknowledge it.

“Listen to me, we need to get out of here!” She screamed, panting from the effort of her sprint. “There’s this- this thing out there!” She wheezed, point back in the direction she’d come from.

“Please I know it sounds crazy but we need to leave! Do you have a satellite messenger? A PLB? We need to call for help!” Mallory begged, watching the couple stare at her blankly, sipping on their coffee as she begged them to leave with her.

They didn’t budge, blinking lazily as they watched her break down.

“Why aren’t you listening to me?! We need to go!” Mallory screeched.

The woman before her sighed, lowering her cup with a content sigh.

“There’s just something peaceful about the sunrise in the forest.” She murmured.

Her partner huffed a laugh.

“Agreed, and if we face this way we can actually see how beautiful it is.” He joked, nudging her as he pointed to the open forest before them.

They were laughing.

They were joking and laughing and they were going to die.

“Just listen to me!” Mallory screeched stomping towards the pair.

She grabbed the girl by the shoulders, giving her a rough shake.

“Why won’t you listen to me?! Can you even hear me?!”

The girl shot up from her chair, shaking herself off.

“You okay?” Her partner asked, looking up at her.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine, just had some… intense chills.” She explained, shivering again. “Anyway, you want to get moving? I think that cave isn’t too far from here.”

The man nodded, grunting as he stood up.

“What’s the plan when we get there? Take some pictures, set up camp? Add some rocks to your collection?” He asked, folding up his chair.

“I collect geodes and crystals, not just any old rock on the ground.” She grumbled.

“Still rocks.” He called back.

They were acting like she wasn’t even there.

She was standing right there.

“You are going to die here!” Mallory screeched.

“You are going to die, we are both going to die why won’t you listen to me?!” She screamed, getting directly in the girl’s face.

The girl bumped shoulders with her as she walked past, shivering roughly.

“Need my hoodie?” The man called out in question the girl waved him off.

“I’m fine, I’ll warm up as we move.” She promised.

Mallory screamed in frustration, pulling at her hair.

“Can you even see me?! Hello?!” She asked, waving her arms like a madman.

Neither one acknowledged her, going about their business without pause.

“Goddammit!” Mallory screamed,dropping to her knees as she sobbed.

She sobbed and screamed and cursed the two who were pretending she didn’t even exist. Who were acting like she wasn’t even there.

“You deserve to die.” Mallory ground out, glaring at the girl with all the hatred she could muster. “YOU DESERVE TO DIE HERE!” She screamed at her.

The girl paused, casting a cursory glance about the surrounding area.

“Hey, Babe? Did you hear that?” She asked.

“Hear what?” The man asked, looking up in confusion.

“I could have sworn… No, never mind it was probably just a bird.” She said waving the man off.