The Hiker's Tale

A Hiker's Tale - A Horror Story Preview Into the sequel of 'The Devil's Tales' Sequel coming out in 2023.

It was supposed to be a chance to find myself, I’m not sure where it went wrong. Perhaps, if I had just stayed in bed that morning I wouldn’t be here, I just needed to escape reality. My therapist said “How do you know, unless you try?” and with that the plan was to break out of my comfort zone and try something new. I was scrolling through social media online and came across a picture, it showed rolling mountains engulfed by trees and a sunset that spoke a thousand words. This was it, something that would get me out of my comfort zone. Good idea, right? The scenery was even better than the pictures, it felt almost too good to be true. I had everything I needed, according to youtube's search results for hiking and survival gear, at least I hoped so anyways. I was halfway through the first branch of the trail I was following for my hike, my legs felt like jello, I was sweating out more than what I was drinking, and was really regretting leaving the comforts of my air conditioning. How did I ever believe I could pull this off? I slumped myself against a tree and looked up through the dancing leaves on the branches. Did I even tell anyone I was coming here? I pulled out my phone and squinted my brows at the zero signal. Looks like I’m not the one to assign to planning anything out, I can’t even plan out a hike at this rate. If I turn back now, I’m just proving I can’t change. I sucked up my sorrow and kept going. I had arrived at the site early in the morning, which should have given me plenty of time to make it to a clearing at the end of the first branch to camp out. It felt like only a few hours had passed, yet why was it getting dark already? I could see a light flicker at what looked about half a mile out through some trees off trail, according to the map I studied I should still have another three to four hours of hiking before the clearing. At the rate things are going though, it’d be pitch black by the time I got there. Against my better judgment, I crossed my fingers hoping perhaps it was a ranger building, or other hikers and went for it. The forest seemed to grow thicker the more I walked off trail, and the sunlight seemed to be rapidly fading away from me. This is it isn’t it? I’ll be one of those girls on a missing persons poster, well thats if anyone would even care to look for me. I could see the flickering light fairly close now. It was a small house, with no roads to or from. I didn’t see it listed anywhere on the map, so to say the least I was baffled.‘Knock-knock’, I tapped my fist on the wooden door only for there to be no answer. I stood in place for a moment, wondering if I had made a mistake. To my surprise the door slowly creaked open, but no one was there. I stepped inside, “Hello, is anyone there?”. Nothing. I looked about and saw a lit fire, it crackled away heating the room, in front of it was a rocking chair, and a worn down sofa. The walls were grasped by vines and ivy, as if the house had became part of the forest. I was tired, and the darkness had swept over the forest outside. I walked over and sat down on the couch, I pulled my survival knife out from my hiking bag and clutched it in my hand. Better safe than sorry. It felt like the most comforting thing in the world for some reason. I tried to keep my eyes open as I gazed at the fireplace, worried that the owner would swoop in at any moment, to find me a stranger in their home. Before I knew it, I was swept away into the most peaceful sleep. It felt like I had slept for days when I felt a nudge. “Hello, what are you doing here?”, a man stood leaned over and looked down at me with puzzled eyes. This is my chance. I swung my arm up and hit into the side of his neck as hard as I could with my knife. According to amazon reviews it is one of the sharpest knives you can get. He gargled, clawed his hands at the area I stabbed, as if it could save him. His eyes watered with a pleading look. I knew I could change.