Your feet tump against the ground as you run through the forest. Your breathing coming out in ragged pants that cloud up the air. You had heard it. Across the forest echoed loud screams that made your stomach churn and blood run cold.

It was a stupid rumor that you heard through out your childhood. Don’t go into the forest alone or it’ll catch you. Naturally you believe it when you were a little kid, but as you grew up the idea seemed more and more ridiculous. A demon in the forest? No that’s just something used to scare children so they won’t get lost in the wilderness. So when you lost your keys after an evening stroll in that very forest you decided that it was safe to continue looking for them even after it got dark. That’s when you saw it jump down from a tree from the other side of a lake. It’s movements faster than anything you’ve ever seen, and when their gaze locked on you.

Almost out…. At least you hope. No matter how fast and far you run you can’t seem to make it out of the dark and dense forest. Then- your foot catch at a root and you come tumbling down onto the mossy forest floor. Dirt cover your face and hands and you quickly try to scramble onto your feet again. As you look up you see it. Towering over you was a large body, their face glitching between features and people, their body twitching and contorting until it lands on a young man. Face beautiful, but off. His smile a little wide, his eyes a little too crazed.

He opens his mouth to speak but he’s still switching between tones and pitches. One second sounding like a little girl and the next like an old man, he’s trying to construct his voice.