Terrors in the Night

Have you ever seen something you weren’t supposed to see? Something disturbing. Unsettling. Unnatural. The type of unnatural that seared itself into your mind, haunting you for weeks, months, years afterwards? Disturbing enough that for the briefest of instances, a part of you wished that you’d clawed your eyes out before seeing something so sure to haunt you for the rest of your days? I bet you haven’t. But I have.

It began with me lying in a field, a mile or so deep into the woods of my family’s backyard. Not really a backyard, more like a field. My father owns six acres of land overall, which he uses to grow garlic. I’ve explored every inch of those six acres. It’s all I ever cared to do after my sister passed away. We used to sit in the field as the stars shot across the sky, and discuss what we wanted to do when we got older. And now here I sat, basically doing the exact same thing, only by my own damn self. The night couldn’t have been any more perfect, though – cool, but not cold, and rich with the clicking of bugs that weren’t seen, only heard. I inhaled deeply, taking in the puff of bud from my bowl before blowing the pine-scented smoke into the night-sky. For the first time in quite some time, I felt at peace with the universe… a universe that’d been as cruel to me as it had been kind. It was kind of like my mother – in that I loved her to death... but God, could she be a bitch.

But what I heard next shattered my peace completely. Rustles. Whispers. Footfalls in the dark. For a moment, my heart almost gave out completely. I put out my little fire immediately, and quietly crept several yards away from where I had been. But the sounds slowly approached my position as I laid on the ground in the tall grass, holding my breath and clenching my teeth, praying to the universe to hide me from whoever… or whatever… lurked nearby. However… they passed me. I exhaled softly and peered above the grass, to see that it wasn’t just a couple people… but rather, a few dozen – all of whom were dressed in black as they strode into the woods. A sense of dread overcame me as I watched them disappear, leaving the field in darkness.

As I sat in the dark, wide eyed and terrified, I turned to flee. Every fiber of my being wanted to… all except for my damned curiosity… which whispered in my ear, like a devil… "You need to see what they’re doing!" And just like that… I followed them deeper into the woods – a decision I regret making to this day.

For several minutes, maybe even a mile, I couldn’t find a trace of them. I thought I’d lost them completely, and could perhaps even head back now. But just before I did, lights –like those of several fires, off in the near distance– became apparent. And what I gazed upon, out in that clearing, was a gathering of people – the same ones from before, obviously… only now, several of them had taken off their robes, as many others began to do the same. Over the next several minutes, they began dancing to folklike music, while gradually descending into debauchery around three bountiful bonfires. And upon every participant’s face was a mask – that of an owl, with lifeless black eyes and brown beak. Behind these figures loomed a massive effigy… made into the form of a Barn Owl. I sat among the bushes, fifty or so yards away, repulsed but riveted by the sight before me. You should leave now! The better part of my being screamed at myself. But my curiosity once again waved that voice aside as I took out my phone and recorded the revelry.

Eventually, they settled down and all gathered round an old man, whose baritone voice carried enough for me to hear his tone, but not his words. The man uttered what sounded like a chant before pointing his finger to a pair of men nearby, who carried a stretcher to the center of the ring. Atop the stretcher was a pale, petrified woman who appeared every bit as terrified as I was. Her belly, which protruded from beneath her skimpy shirt, looked like a balloon mere seconds before popping. The old man increased the volume and intensity of his chant, and right before finishing, the girl screamed – a sorrowful shriek that carried throughout the entire woods. But as her cry subsided, another one let loose – one that sounded not only as humanly horrific as hers, but also oddly, undeniably, birdlike. And from between the woman’s legs, the masked man pulled what appeared to be a human child. Only the child’s head… was that of an owl.

The crowd began to rejoice as terror tore through me, until finally, I fled into the night. I barely even remember the journey back to my bedroom – all I recall is that while running, I developed a cramp, which felt like a knife being thrust into my kidney. But I didn’t stop for a single second. I pounded on my parents’ door and told them what I saw – none of which they believed, of course, until I showed them the recording. And even then, they remained skeptical. But they allowed me to call the police and inform them of everything.

The cops arrived at around 3:30 a.m. They listened to my story and watched the video. And by the end of it, they were even less convinced than my parents. But they followed me into the woods in search of the “alleged gathering,” muttering phrases like, “Kids these days,” and “Bullshit pranks.” But upon arriving, we found… nothing. Not a trace. Not even of the bonfires. The cops, who barely cared in the first place, began mocking me as they stalked off to their vehicles. One of them told me to send the video to the department’s email address in the morning. But other than that, they couldn’t do much else.

My parents and I returned home, and I fell asleep almost immediately from feverish, fearful exhaustion. But only a couple hours later, I awoke to the sound of rapping on my window. I rose from the bed and approached it. And upon it, a letter had been placed – one lacking an address of any kind. I opened it and saw, to my horror, an illustration of an owl’s face – underneath of which were a mere three words: Delete the video.

I began to tremble as my bladder nearly loosened with fright. And with trembling fingers, I did exactly as the letter demanded. Now, as I lie here in this bed, shivering not from cold but from fear, all I can do is pray to the universe to protect me from whatever the hell it was I saw out there. Why did I ever follow them into the woods? Damn my curiosity! Now, with each rap on the window I hear, my mind jumps to the conclusion that it’s that thing – tapping on my window with its beak, come to drag me into the dreadful darkness...