Escape from the Wishing Falls

It all seems like a blurry dream. This morning I set out to look for my lost brother. Now I am lost myself. Nothing seems real as I walk through the clearing and towards the waterfall, towards the chilling yet sweet voice of the blonde woman in the lake. I hear her voice but I can't make out the words, my bare feet get swallowed up by the tall grass with every step I take. Nothing is right, my mind is in a fog, pain keeps shooting through my right leg, everything is so hard to focus. I walk and I walk but the lake gets no closer and the woman's song never becomes more clear. Every inch I move forward is harder than the last, but I know deep inside me I have to reach the waterfall.

It gets harder to breathe and I fall to my knees. A Scream curdled from my throat as I slammed my fist into the ground in frustration. I look up to see the deer from earlier just a few feet away. Its eyes were ghastly yellow and it's breath was unnaturally rough. I stared at it as it stared at me, I knew that there was something sinister to this creature.

“Let me go,” I heard myself say, my throat was dry and raspy. The creature lunged at me pointing its sharp pointed antlers towards me as it sprinted full force. I dove to the left and rolled out of the way. I glance behind me and see the creature swinging around, ready to charge again. I stumble to my feet and try to run as fast as I can , however I just can't get my feet to move right and I fall face first into the cold damp earth. The sound of the hooves getting closer behind me clashed with the crashing of the waterfall in front of me. I let out a small sigh of defeat, Suddenly I felt a strong hand grip my arm and pull me to my feet.

“COME ON MAGGOT, IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!” my brother's voice rang in my ears, and there he stood before me. At six foot he was two inches taller than me and built like a bull. His wide shoulders filled the camo uniform he wore, his baby blue eyes piercing but kind. The sound of ripping flesh cut off my train of thought as an antler pierced through my brother's chest. His warm blood splashed on my face and I widened my eyes in horror but his blue eyes remained unfazed as he put his heavy hand on my shoulder.

“ Keep going,” he said as blood gurgled in his throat and he pushed me backwards into the icy cold water of the lake.

I Gasp for air as I snap my eyes open and try to adjust to the dark cave around me. The muscles in my arms were on fire, as I have been hanging from a stone wall for God knows how long. I remembered everything now, I remember drinking the water from the river and then running from the wolves. I remember camping out by the lake and the beautiful Siren singing her song. I remember waking up without a leg and a horrible creature filling my mouth with slime she was secreting from her repugnant gills. I remember my Brother was dead.

I groan lightly as I shift my weight over to my left to get a look at my leg, or lack thereof. It was missing from the knee down and my black cargo pants were torn off from the thigh, the wound itself was covered in leaves. Stuck to the skin by some kind of slimy substance, I almost gag from the thought of the slime forced down my throat by that horrific creature. It must have been some kind of hallucinogenic. A hallucinogenic that she secreted, I thought back to when she scooped up the water with the shell, that mixed with the water that flowed out to the river. The same river stupid campers like me drank from. Fuck! I used all my strength to pull myself up with the shackles, trying to get my weight on my good foot.

Finally some good news. The shackles around my wrist were metal, however it looks like the metal that held the two shackles together had broken at some point and was tied together with rope. The rope was attached to the cave wall by a hook that was lodged into the stone walls of the cave. I gripped the rope now slightly above my head and leaned my body against the wall as I tried to maneuver the rope off the hook. It took me a few tries but finally I got the rope free and I was now longer attached to the wall. I hopped across the small stream of water that flowed through the cave, which felt more like a tunnel. I could only see upstream a few feet until the cave made a hard right turn.

I inspected to find the arm of My Dead brother instead just empty shackles hung on the wall. The cold hard cave floor was stained red with blood, on the floor to my left was my brother's backpack. I unzipped it and rummaged inside. I took his journal and his pocket knife. On the side pocket I found a flashlight, it didn't turn on at first but I smacked it against my shoulder and the light turned on. The room looked just as cold and Gloomy as it felt. I looked at the wall where my brother was and put my head against it. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner brother" I felt my eyes swell up with tears. I turned the flashlight off and reached further down into the bag and felt around until I felt a familiar handle stuffed into the bottom of the pack. I heard shrieks coming from further upstream and I quickly pulled it out and stashed it in my jacket.

It was time to go, I started to hobble downstream keeping my right hand on the wall. I hopped as fast as I could as I started to hear the shrieks echoing down the cave getting closer, I could hear splashing water now too. A loud roar filled the cave as I only guessed the Creature had figured out I had escaped. I tried to hop faster, my breath was heavy and the way my right thigh was throbbing I could almost faint if I wasn't jumping for my life. I glance behind me and see the shadows move and dart. It was coming for me.

A crash to my left I felt drops of water kiss the back of my neck. The smell hit me first, the putrid smell of rotting flesh filled my nose and stung at my eyes. I could see the water falling just past the cave mouth, guarding the outside world from the horrors of the cave. I was just a few hops away when It's Bloodcurdling scream pierced my left ear, she had caught up. She spun in the water using her boney tail to smack my leg off the ground.

My face smashed against the cold cave floor and I felt the creature's sharp slimey claws wrap around my left biceps. I had to think quickly and be quicker if I wanted to live, I pressed the button on my flashlight but the light didn't come on. I felt Her sick hot breath on my neck as I twisted around and wacked her with the flash light across the mouth and the light busted to life. The bright beam shined into her dead eyes and she dropped me and shielded herself from the light. I crawled backwards on my elbows but she flipped and brought her heavy tail down on my chest and smacked the light out of my hand.

I could feel the cool splash of the waterfall on my face and I pulled myself to the edge and peered over as I tried to breath. I coughed and my chest was in pain but if I could fall over the edge into the lake I could make my escape. I tried to move forward but the creature leaped forward wrapping its claws around my throat. I was face to face with what looked like a mermaid from one's worst nightmare. Saliva dripped down her sharp black teeth and onto my face as she snarled. She had to slits in her face for a nose and black rotting Gills in her throat that flared as she showed her teeth.

I stared into her Cold Black fish eyes as I pulled the Flare gun out of the jacket and brought it under her jaw

"Fuck you" I struggle to say as I pulled the trigger.

She screamed as the Flare shot threw her jaw and into the roof of her mouth. The cave roared to life with the red light from the Flare as The creature flailed about the water. I tumble over the edge and hold my breath as I fall into the crushing weight of the waterfall. I get slammed into the water side first and get pushed under. I swim against the current of the river and towards the river bank. I start to crawl onto the riverbank when I hear another splash in the water behind me. I crawl onto land and I see the tree line a few feet off. I start to pull myself across the land, hoping to be able to pull myself up on a tree when I hear her coming out of the water behind me.

Her face was twisted and black ooze bled from her mouth. She gargled as she screamed at me, pain showed as she strained. She pulled herself up onto shore and started to slither towards me as I flipped on my back and brought my brother's little pocket knife up to my chest. It was hard to breathe, I figured I wouldn't make it out alive so I planned to go on swinging. She stopped coming towards me a few inches before she got to me and slowly moved backwards. I heard small feet moving behind me and I looked back to see a large Black wolf with vibrant Green eyes. It bared it's long sharp Canines and walked past me on the left towards the creature.

I felt a pressure on my right shoulder and I looked over to see another wolf. This one was gray with blue eyes, and it just looked at me and then looked down at the knife in my hand. I dropped the knife and let it fall to my side, something told me to trust these wild animals. Once the knife fell the wolf bit into my sweater narrowly avoiding my skin and began to drag me backwards into the trees. I glance back up to see the Fishy Devil stare at me one more time before diving back into the water. Almost a sense of relief fell over me, if it wasn't for the pain that I started to feel. Adrenaline now empty I struggle to keep my eyes open and for the second time since coming into the forest, I Pass out.

********************

PRESENT DAY

Gena Gramble sat at the back of the college lecture room. She watched Professor Joseph Serpine finish up his lecture. Like the professor she was a visitor to the Greek history class, she had no interest in Greece but in the professor himself. Joseph was known as a lunatic after he wrote the story of what happened to him in the woods. Claiming it was some sort of creature, a mermaid he called it. Gena thought he was a lunatic too until her own brother went missing a few nights ago.

Gerald Gramble was a MMA fighter and social media influencer who went into the forest out here in Oregon to cover the increasing number of disappearances over the past few months. Although Joseph never mentions Oregon specifically in his books he does mention a mile marker with a bullet hole in it as he was picked up by the paramedics when he came too on the side of the road.

"Okay class, Mr. Healy will be back tomorrow so make sure you Finish your assignment." Joseph dismissed the class and flashed a charming smile. He has kind brown eyes and his beard was starting to gray. As he walked around the desk to collect his own items Gena couldn't help but stare at the metal pipe prosthetic attached to his right leg. She waited for all the students to leave before approaching the Burly professor, she eyed his triceps as he lifted his briefcase to the desk.

"Can I help you miss" Joseph smiled slightly at her but she didn't smile back. She had to be serious if he were to believe her.

" I hope so" she heard her voice slip though like she was listening to someone else.

" I've read your work and I have to say I believe your story". He smiles again but a little sadder,

" Did you want me to sign something, it's not everyday someone has read my book."

Gena pulls open her jacket to reveal the butt of a sawed off shotgun.

" I was hoping we could go Fishing."

To be continued.

Part 3

Return To The Wishing Falls.