The Girl in the Woods
Have you ever had the inkling that you're being watched? That no matter where you turn, you know someone's following you, stalking you, seeing your every move. And yet you never know if someone is watching you, you just trust that little inkling, and hope that it is just a little inkling.
—
Katelynn crept through the dense woodland, every cautious footstep silent. She'd learnt how to move stealthily through the trees, how to dodge the twigs and sticks that caked the floor, how to ascend up a tree bark without ruffling a single leaf. The crackling campfire easily drowned out the pained screeches of a single, forlorn crow perched high in the towering trees; sparkling embers waltzed around the roaring flames of crimson and lemon yellow and coral, and the fire lit up a small portion of the dull, lifeless forest.
The scarlet coat that adorned Katelynn's slim body didn't offer much camouflage, yet she didn't mind very much. No animal had noticed her because of her bright clothes.
She ducked under the stout branches that swung down and attempted to lacerate her pallid flash and carried on through the forest, tucking her blonde locks behind her ears. As she hurdled a bulky log, she thought about what had possessed her to come here, to run away to the woods, to abandon her little brother and leave him to fend for himself in the outskirts thicket as she sped into the dark, scary woodlot. She knew he was certainly dead: it had been more than a year.
Her gaunt fingers enclosing the bow she had made, she found the dying campfire she had started earlier and sat beside it, warming her body, dragging her hands through the burning heatwaves the fire released. Just as she had gotten comfortable, there was a quiet hiss, and she noticed the droplets of rain falling from the gathering clouds.
As the rain fell faster and faster, Katelynn pulled up the hood of her raincoat, crushed the remaining flames with her foot and ran through the backwoods, her baby blue eyes scanning the vegetation for any shelter. It wasn't long before she reached a large pile of branches, positioned to make a tee-pee-like shape, the sticks pressed together tightly; she raced into the shelter, shaking the drips from her coat, silently thanking the person who built this shelter.
Her eyes burning at the sound of the torrential rain smacking against the ground, she slithered down onto the floor and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. She rolled over again, trying to get comfy, when she felt something nestling under her thigh. It was cold to touch, and smooth. Katelynn immediately sat up, alarmed, thinking it to be some kind of animal, when her eyes laid on what made her jump. A small, dirtied, disposable camera sat peacefully in the twigs, covered in soil and leaves, drops of water resting on its smooth surface. Relieved, Katelynn scooped the camera up in her soft hand, and she gently pressed down the power button. The screen was engulfed in movement, and Katelynn, strangely fascinated, pressed the gallery button.
The first picture was incredibly bleared and hazy, and impossible to make out what it actually was. The second one was a little better - it was obvious that it was taken in the forest. The third one was much clearer: it was a sepia snap of the thicket, detailing the branches and the leaf-covered floor. Katelynn was about to turn the camera off when she saw something: in the background of the third photo stood a figure, dressed in black, its face not visible. Yet the really chilling thing was the fact that its arms were straight and slacking down by its sides - they were curved, and raised, and extraordinarily long.
Credited to Lead The Careers
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