====----ADRIAN----====
From an early age, I’d always had a fascination with the supernatural.
I’ll never forget my first Goosebumps book (The Werewolf of Fever Swamp), and from then on from that point onward, my dream was to become a hunter of all things mythical and mysterious. I collected every book on mythology from around the world. I watched all manner of cryptid documentaries. I even tried to set traps everywhere in the woods behind my parent’s house, which they wisely stopped. Snares and bear traps didn't care if the thing that stepped in them was a Sasquatch or a hapless hiker. Still, as time went on, and I grew up, I was forced to spend less and less time entertaining that hobby and more and more time doing my job at the local supermarket. That didn’t mean my dream was shelved. Rather, I didn't feed it as much as I once did. I was forced to restrain myself to going on short, nearby trips once or twice a month. Unfortunately for me, I never found anything. After years of this, my dream began to fade. Perhaps everyone else was right. Perhaps there weren’t really monsters and undead and cryptids out there. Perhaps I’d been chasing after nothing after all.
Then, for better or worse, everything changed.
It was a chilly May morning, and I was preparing for work. Scrolling through my news feed, I sighed. Tensions were mounting in the Middle East – yet again. Some senator from a different state had been busted big time for tax fraud. A food poisoning outbreak from contaminated lettuce was hitting at least six states. Nothing remotely paranormal. I'd rarely heard anything about the paranormal on mainstream news, and I had a theory for that. Consider this: mere hundreds of years ago, people were reporting ghosts and vampires and werewolves galore. Yet within two, maybe three hundred years… everything was suddenly gone or at least marginalized. Considering the three to four hundred millennia of all manner of supernatural occurrences and lore… why had it all dried up so fast? Was it simple debunking?
Or had something covered it up?
A singular article caught my eye as I switched to local and fringe news sources. MULTIPLE DISAPPEARANCES IN PINE HEIGHTS, the headline blared. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and started reading.
Clarke, Stephanie: Over the past nine months, nine campers and hikers have disappeared in the woods surrounding the Northern West Virginia town of Pine Heights. Local police are mystified by these disappearances. “It’s like they’ve disappeared into thin air,” local police chief Jhonny Porter stated. “However, we are fully committed to finding these missing persons. If we cannot bring them back alive, we’ll ensure they at least can have a proper burial”
The article continued on for a few more paragraphs, mostly about the missing hiker’s descriptions and last known locations. However, my mind was racing at this. Nine people disappearing without a trace in a remote part of the woods? In nine months? This… this has to be it! Grinning, I turned to my laptop and started jotting down notes. My next vacation was only a month away, so I wanted to make sure that everything was planned out. I was grinning until I realized something. I didn’t know what it was that had made those hikers disappear, but it had to be bad news. I didn’t have anything to protect myself with, and for all I knew there was a band of cannibals living out in the woods that had made the missing people go up in smoke. Get a firearm I wrote down in my notes, before getting ready for the rest of the day.
Fast forward one month later, and I was on the road to West Virginia, complete with my car, camping equipment, and a shiny new 9mm handgun. Plus six boxes of eight-round clips. You could never be too careful after all. I didn’t know what it was making the hikers disappear, but it was obviously deadly, and you could never be too prepared. I was within ten miles of Pine Heights, the sun setting low on the horizon when my fuel warning light went on. “Fuck…” I muttered just as a gas station came into view. Relieved at my good luck, I pulled in got out of the car, and took a look at the station’s dated exterior. It was a company I didn't recognize, and there were only two pumps, and the convenience store was the size of a trailer home – storage included. Walking over to the pump, I saw that it was so old it didn’t take a card. It also had a sign reading PAY INSIDE. Sighing, I pulled out my wallet and counted out the sparse bills I kept in my wallet. Pulling out roughly twenty dollars (some of which was in coins,) I stuffed them back into my wallet and entered the cramped interior of the gas station convenience store.
If you could even call it that.
The interior consisted of a counter, a small drinks cooler, and two sparsely stocked shelves of prepackaged food. Sitting behind the counter was an older man with a balding scalp and a nametag that read TED pinned to his grey polo shirt. “Getting gas?” he asked casually as I walked in, a halfhearted grin on his face. “Yep,” I replied cheerfully. Passing over the pitiful amount of bills and coins, I looked up. “How much will this get me?” I asked sheepishly. The attendant looked over them. “Six gallons,” he stated before looking up. “You headed to Pine Heights?” he asked concernedly. I nodded, and his face hardened. “Be… be careful boy. There’s been people disappearing left and right. Some just like yourself. I don’t know what, but there’s something wrong going on down in that town.” His face hardened even further. “Something really, really wrong.”
That was off-putting, but I’d come too far to turn back now, so I simply pushed over the money. “Just give me whatever you can for this,” I said sheepishly. The attendant nodded and ran the money through a till that was just as old as him, if not more. “The pumps working for you,” he stated. I was about to leave when he said “Hey kid… stay safe, okay? I don’t want to hear about another person disappearing in those damn woods.” I nodded. “I’ll stay safe,” I said, recalling the 9mm in my glove compartment. I left the store before heading over to the pump and pulling the gas nozzle out. Fitting the nozzle in, I started pumping gas. I got only a few gallons, so I was hoping that there was a nearby station in town. Hopefully one that accepted card. Putting the nozzle back, I climbed in. Looking back at the convenience store, the man was reading a National Geographic magazine, something about the ‘War on Science.’ How do you wage a war on something that broad? I wondered before starting up the car and pulling out of the parking lot.
By the time the WELCOME TO PINE HEIGHTS sign came into view, my car’s gas meter needle was getting dangerously low. Hitting an intersection, the light flashed red just as I got to the beginning of the intersection. Hitting the gas, I pulled forward… just as a cop car pulled up. Shit, I thought as the car flashed its lights. Reluctantly, I pulled over and the police vehicle drove up behind me. An athletic-looking officer stepped up and walked over to the vehicle. His nametag read J. PORTER. I just ran a red light in front of the town police chief,I realized with horror. Rolling down my window, I looked sheepishly at the officer. It was hard to read the man’s face due to his wraparound sunglasses. “I’m guessing you didn't expect a patrol car to pull up?” he asked lightly. I gulped, trying to find a way out of this mess. “Uh…” I managed to get out, and he sighed. “Look, since this is your first mistake, I’ll let you off with a warning. Just don’t run a light again.” Looking over at the equipment strapped to my car, he raised an eyebrow. “Going camping?” he asked. I nodded, and Porter’s face became unreadable. After a few seconds, he said “Well, there’s a good camping spot down the road. Just follow the board, take a left at the EAST PINES CAMPGROUND sign, and you should reach it in fifteen to thirty minutes.” I nodded, and the police chief walked back to his car before pulling away. Thinking for a few seconds, something occurred to me. Why didn’t he warn me about the disappearances? That was a little odd, considering that Porter was the police chief and was featured in the paper. The man at the gas station’s words came back to me. There’s something really wrong with that town. Something really, really wrong.
But what?
My low fuel light came on at that point, meaning I needed to find a gas station and fast. Driving down the unimaginatively named Main Street, I thankfully saw a gas station next to a local pizza place. Breathing a sigh of relief, I pulled to a pump. Climbing out, I walked around to see the card and cash inserts had been covered over by a metal plate. A prominent sign read: CARD ONLY. PAY INSIDE. What is up with these gas stations? I wondered, sighing and making a beeline for the convenience store. The store was at least two and a half times larger than the one at the station outside of town and was much better stocked. A buzzer sounded as I walked in, and a young woman behind the counter turned to me. “Looking for gas?” she asked, expression blank as I came to the counter. I nodded, and she motioned to the bulky card reader sitting on the counter. “Just slide or insert in here.” Obediently, I inserted my credit card, and typed in my code. After a few moments, the machine beeped. “How many gallons would you like?” she asked. Thinking of the long drive back home, I shrugged. “Ten should do. Pump 3” That was a big chunk out of my finds, but I’d get pain next week, and that should give me back some breathing room. The cashier wordlessly turned around, before typing on a computer. After that, she turned around and said, “Your pump is ready. Have a nice day.” With that, she then proceeded to stare at nothing.
Confused and concerned, I walked out of the convenience store and over to my car. Picking up the nozzle, I started pumping gas. Once the fuel stopped flowing, I put the nozzle away and wiped my hands with a baby wipe before throwing it in the trash. Just as I was about to get in, my stomach growled, and I looked over at the seemingly local restaurant. Couldn’t hurt to get some pizza, I thought, and I climbed into my car before pulling out of the gas station and into the restaurant’s parking lot. The battered sign read PINE CITY EATERY; the building was worn but well-kept. Stepping out of my beater, I walked over to the door and entered the building. The windows were heavily tinted, and I could only see inside, thanks to the dim ceiling lights. Only a few people were eating, but the large, muscular man in a white button-up and chef apron stood at the reception stand. Looking up, his hazel eyes focusing on mine. “Welcome to Pine City Eatery. I’m William Harter, the owner of this establishment.” He looked around, before saying “Looks like we’ve got plenty of seating, so take your pick. I’ll be back in a few minutes or once you’ve decided on what you want.” I nodded, and William motioned me inward. Walking past him, I felt a little unsettled, but it quickly went away, and I chose a booth in the corner. Staring out the window, I could see it was still light outside, but only barely, with the sun barely hanging onto the horizon. Better get eating soon, I thought. Before, I can’t see where the hell I’m going once I’m in the forest.
Just then, a man dressed similarly to William came forward, an expression on his face akin to the cashier from the gas station, a menu in his hand. “Here’s the menu,” he said flatly. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to get your order.” He then turned around and walked back to the kitchen without acknowledging me.
Weird, I thought as I thought I saw the man pull out a vial of something red before turning the corner. However, my stomach growled, pulling me back to the matter at hand: Food. Pulling open the menu, I saw it was general dinner stuff, though unfortunately for me, the breakfast stuff stopped at 11 PM. While the picture of the grilled cheese on the menu looked promising, eventually I settled on the meatloaf, because why not. After roughly five minutes, the server, looking somewhat more chipper, returned. “Decide on anything?” he asked, voice far more lifelike. “Uh, I’ll have the meatloaf” I said, somewhat off-put by the drastic-seeming change in motivation. He nodded and wrote it down on a notepad. “I’ll be back with your food in about ten minutes or so,” he stated before turning around and walking with significantly more purpose than previously. Did he just pop some pills?I wondered in confusion. Because that’s a pretty quick change between mild depression and extreme enthusiasm.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Ten minutes later on the dot, the waiter came back with a plate containing a slice of meatloaf with tomato soup covering it and a slice of bread. “Thanks,” I said. The waiter, who was beginning to look aimless again, simply nodded and turned around. I was slightly concerned, but the meatloaf looked too good to put off eating for long. Digging in, I found the food, average, if filling. I ate in silence for about ten minutes when the waiter came back with the tab, almost back to his original, distant self. Pulling out my card, I handed it over and the waiter took it without a word. As he wandered back into the staff area, I pulled out my phone, only to find zero bars. Not even data. What the hell is happening in this place? I wondered confusedly, a sense of unease settling over me. The cashier was right. Something wrong with this town. Really wrong. At the very least, I could take a roundabout trip back home and avoid the creepshow that was this place. To my surprise, William brought back my card, an easy grin on his face. “You’re all set,” he said. “Have a nice time camping.”
How does he know I’m camping? I wondered confusedly, but nodded in return. “Thanks,” I said, tanking my card and getting up from the table. Stuffing the card back into my wallet, I exited the restaurant and headed back to my car. Pulling out the key, I unlocked my beater and climbed in. Starting up the engine, I backed out of the stall, and pulled out of the parking lot headed towards East Pines Campground. I was glad to put the creepiness of Pine Heights behind me and was desperately hoping I’d have enough gas to avoid coming back on the return trip. Assuming I’d come back at all.
Let’s not go there, I thought to myself, looking over at the gun in the passenger’s seat. Besides, this is a big forest, and I’m only staying one night. I should be safe.
Famous last words… Damn it, Why can’t I be more positive?
The reason was likely that both outcomes in this situation would be bad. I’d either find what made the campers disappear and likely disappear myself, or I’d find nothing and have my dreams crushed even more. Neither option was good, but I was in far too deep to back out now. Sighing, I gripped the wheel tighter and, after a few more minutes, reached East Pine Campground. The sign was old and half-covered by ferns and other vegetation, but enough was still peeking out to see. Just as I pulled into the dirt path leading to the campground, a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, and a few fat drops of water landed on my windshield. I groaned inwardly. Because now I have to set everything up in the damn rain. Great. As I pulled into the unpaved parking lot, the rain started up in full force, buckets of water hitting the car’s chassis while full-on lightning cracked the sky. I laid back in my seat, hands covering my face. Because it had to storm on the one time I might actually have caught something… I thought bitterly. That’s right, it had to storm on the one time I had a real, possible chance of catching something supernatural.
Fuck. My. Life.
Sitting back in my seat, I sighed, turning off the engine but keeping the battery on. Fiddling with the radio, I tuned into some random country station nearby. I had no clue why, but county music, especially the slower examples, was strangely relaxing to me. As a standard love ballad started up, my eyes slowly closed as the rain almost became like white noise. After a few minutes, I fell dead asleep.
The woods were dark, cold, and seemingly endless as I wandered them for who knew how long. Every bit of the forest looked the same as the rest, and snow drifted down in freezing air. My legs were aching, the frost bit at my exposed parts, and I could feel, without a doubt, that something was stalking me. Something unfriendly.
Something hungry.
As I was about to give up and sit down for a few moments, an unpleasant smell and a waft of even colder air came from behind me. Turning around trepidatiously, I looked in horror at what was behind me. A monster in the truest sense of the word.
It stood roughly nine feet tall, not counting the antlers, and its hulking yet lanky frame was covered in matted black fur. A pair of bird talons tipped its digitigrade legs, while it had two sets of arms – one pair large and leaching to its knees, while the others were smaller and more dexterous. Both were tripped by serrated black claws, and behind it, a long, ropey tail waved around, tipped with a hooked barb. Its long neck was obscured by the ragged mane surrounding its head. And, of course, there was the face. It was a fleshless deer’s skull, glowing ice-blue orbs hanging in its sockets I stood back in shock as the creature stepped forward, one of its smaller arms bringing up to its skull in a ‘shush’ gesture. I then turned to run, only to trip on a tree root and fall flat on my face. A tooth cracked on a rock and stars swam through my eyes.
A large claw grabbed me by the waist as I struggled helplessly, and lifted me to eye level. The creature opened its mouth, either about to say something or eat me, when a blast of heavy static ripped through my dream and woke me up.
I shot up, gasping, as the radio blared out discordant static. Looking around, I could see nothing but fog around the car. Wendigo. I thought. I had a dream about a Wendigo. I paused for a second. Thank hell it was just a dream. Trying to figure out the source of the blaring static, I looked around, my eyes settling on my car radio. Must have knocked it out of tune while I was asleep, I thought. However, fiddling with the dials only got more static, even on frequencies I knew had stations. This was concerning, and as I looked around, something about the fog seemed… off to me. There was a coppery smell in the air, and looking closely at the fog… was it red-tinged? I need to get out of here, I thought, just as something even more terrifying happened. My EMP detector started making a sound like a Geiger counter, and the needle quickly headed to the opposite end of its dial. I gulped. That’s… not good. I thought, quickly inserting the car key into the ignition and firing my car up. Pulling out of the parking spot, I headed for the campground exit, or at least where I thought it was. Flicking on my high beams barely helped and I had only the barest clue where I was going. Thankfully within a few minutes, I saw the half-hidden sign to the campground exit.
Suddenly, there was the sound of tearing metal, and my car jerked to a complete stop, smoke billowing from the hood. “What the hell?” I exclaimed, grabbing the pistol as two figures walked out from the fog. Two very familiar figures.
It was Chief Porter and William, but horrifically changed. Irises glowed bloodred, while pale skin covered their bodies. William smiled, revealing sawtooth fangs replacing his teeth. “Well, well, well, Adrain. Looks like someone is a little lost. But don’t worry, we can take you to your new home.” I raised the pistol, the firearm shaking in my hands. “S-stay back,” I stuttered as Porter rolled his eyes. “Like that going to do much to us human,” he said lazily as I pointed the gun between the two of them. “But I’m sure we can give you some free shots.” He then started slowly walking towards me as I fired the pistol, boxy bangs echoing as rounds plinked off of the… vampire? Porter kept walking forward and making me step back. It wasn’t just the appearance or suddenly sadistic personality. There was some sort of sheer wrongness with the thing masquerading as a police chief. Some sort of primal fear, buried over the ages, passed down through generations, and now resurfacing. I continued firing until the gun ran dry, some of the rounds creating a few shallow cuts in Porter’s chest but nothing that could hinder him. As I reached for another clip, the monster dashed forward and slapped the gun out of my hand, almost breaking it and sending the pistol skittering across the ground. “Nice try human,” he chuckled. “But no cigar.”
He then proceeded to punch me in the face, causing me to fly back ten feet and slam into a tree. Stars flashed across my vision, and my jaw broke with a sickening crack. I was under no illusion that the vampire could have punched me far harder. I whimpered in pain as William stalked forward, a malicious, brutal grin stretching across his face. “Think we can-“ he asked before Porter shook his head, clearly annoyed. “You heard what the boss said. She wants something alive and conscious, not a Ghoul or Blooded. Control your damn thirst for once… Blood Glutton.” William scowled at that. “Like you ever do that Jhonny?” he sneered. “I see you feeding on the female humans all the time.” The two kept arguing and were about to fight when a female voice cleared its throat from behind them. William and Jhonny immediately stood at attention as the red-tinged fog partially dissipated, revealing a tall, thin, feminine silhouette.
The figure stalked through the mist with the poise of an apex predator, eyes glowing like red-hot coals. As it came closer, the… Pire was revealed to have raven-black hair, its facial features narrow, and was dressed in a form-fitting trench coat. Its face twisted into a grin as it saw me. This example’s fangs were double uppers, the front fangs being longer than the back ones. “Looks like you caught… she stopped before studying me quizzically. “This one’s different…” she muttered. “Very different.” The woman continued walking forward and causing me to scoot back until I hit a tree with my back. “Tell me,” she asked. “Would you like to be one of us?”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Sidney? He’s the most incompetent unaffiliated Hunter I’ve ever seen,” William complained. “And you want to waste space in the Coven by adding this juice box? We’ve already got enough to make twelve-“
“You know the Thirteenth in a coven is the most powerful,” Sidney snarled at William, who stepped back, fear on his face. She turned back to me, the grin on her face growing the more she studied me. “Besides, I see greatness in your Blood, Human. Something that will happen not once but twice.” She paused. “That is if you accept the Gift,” she added. I gulped. I think I know what that means… “What… what happens if I don’t accept?” I asked nervously. Sidney shrugged in response. “I turn you into a ghoul, and you’re stuck following my orders for all eternity or until you’re destroyed. Whichever comes first.” my eyes widened in fear. Either way, I lose… I thought miserably. And I don’t know which one is worse. Being a mindless monster or running the chance of becoming like these three… Still, I didn't like the idea of losing my free will, and… maybe I could avoid becoming like these three. Looking up at Sidney nervously, I said, “I… I accept.” Sidney’s face had gone neutral and quickly became giddy with excitement. “This will be quick,” she chuckled before digging her fangs into my neck. I gagged as blood dribbled down my neck while Sidney greedily gulped down my O-positive vital fluids. Over the course of a minute, the majority of my vital fluids were drained out of my body. I was left weak and listless, my body shutting down from anemia. I was laid down on the ground as Sidney pulled out a knife.
Holding her wrist above my mouth, she chuckled. “Open your mouth unless you want to ghoulify.” Weakly, I opened it as the undead slit her wrist, thick, deep-red blood dripping into my mouth. It tasted coppery and also tasted the way ozone smelled. “Geed Sidney, why are you giving him so much?” Jhonny asked just as she pulled her wrist away from my mouth. Sidney chuckled. “He’s going to need it. Besides, It's been quite a while since I used a lot of Blood up all at once. I’d forgotten the rush.” She turned to the tow. “Now, since you’re both such smartasses, one of you is going to have to carry him.”
Both looked horrified until Sidney laughed. “The two of you are so easy to stir up. Now, if neither of you are man enough to carry him, I will.” She then lifted me like a pillow and started walking, the red fog parting for Sidney like she was Moses. Already, I could feel the blood I’d drunk burning through my body, and the bite on my neck was healing over at a prodigious rate. I don’t know how long we walked. Still, eventually, we reached what looked like a decent-sized, if aging, manor, surrounded by poorly kept gardens, a rusty iron fence, and a badly patched paint job on the walls and different shingles on the same parts of the roofing. This looked more like a home for millionaires on hard times rather than the lair of a bunch of powerful undead who… who…
Why was it so hard to think? Oh, right, I was turning… into… something…
I wanted to sleep so badly as Sidney took me into the manor through the front door (which opened without anyone touching them) and through a series of side corridors to what looked like individual servant’s quarters. My vision was getting blurry, so all I could see was Sidney, parental pride written all over her pale face. I was laid down on something soft and somewhat comfortable. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” the woman stated gleefully. She then turned around, as I raised a hand towards her, a word echoed through my mind. “S- s- sire…” I stuttered as Sidney turned around, a parental grin on her face. “Yes, my offspring,” she said. “I am your Sire.”
With that, she exited the room, and I finally fell into a deep sleep.