Chapter Text
Prologue
The Monsters were never under my bed. Because the Monsters lived inside my head.
I fear no Monsters, for no Monster I see. Because all this time, the Monster has been me.
- NIKITA GILL
CW & TW // caution to readers // this story will contain mature themes such as violence, blood & injury, death & possible character death, strong language, disturbing imagery, mental health disorders, and other such conditions. if you are sensitive to any of these topics, read with caution. if you, a family member, or a friend are experiencing negative thoughts, please reach out to any of the resources linked below. take care of yourself and enjoy <33
1. **National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA):** 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
2. **Crisis Text Line (USA):** Text "HELLO" to 7417413. **SAMHSA National Helpline (USA):** 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)4. **National Domestic Violence Hotline (USA):** 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)5. **Lifeline (Australia):** 13 11 146. **Samaritans (UK and Ireland):** 116 1237. **Kids Help Phone (Canada):** 1-800-668-68688. **International Suicide Hotlines:** [Find the list here](https://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html)
These hotlines offer confidential support and are available 24/7.
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The night was cloaked in darkness, the moon obscured behind thick, swirling clouds that seemed to mirror the fog sticking close to the forest floor. A figure stood at the forest's edge, his silhouette illuminated by the glow of the flashlight he clutched tightly in his trembling hand.
There was an old rumor that had gone around for years and years that there was a strange man that lived in the forest, that he'd murder anyone that got too close to his cabin. A strange man with a strange mask and blood-red eyes. That was why the state forest was so popular, at least, to his group of friends at school. Said friends had dared him to go inside the forest alone, a few of them standing with him, giggling and snickering as they shoved him forward when he had hesitated for long enough. The rest of them, those who were too scared to even get close, stood by the campfire.
"Come on, Sam! Get in there, we don't have all night!"
"Alright, alright, shut up." He waved them off, giving them a goofy salute before he trudged hesitantly into the forest, their laughter fading into the distance behind him.
With each step deeper into the darkness and trees, Sam's heart pounded in his chest, the rhythm of his footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. No birds sang, no crickets called to their lovers, just wind rustling the leaves. The tangled branches above cast strange, twisting shadows that danced across the ground, playing tricks on his already frayed nerves.
"Stupid," he muttered to himself, trying to shake off the sense of unease that clung to him like a second skin. "It's just a stupid dare. All that's in these woods are little rabbits and squirrels, not murderers." He noted, scoffing.
But despite his attempts at reassurance, the forest seemed to close in around him, the oppressive darkness pressing down on him from all sides. He felt as if eyes were watching him from the depths of the trees, unseen whispers brushing against his ears like ghostly fingers. And then, just as his nerves reached their breaking point and he was about to turn around, he saw him.
He raised his flashlight down the trail, and he skidded to a stop. Standing alone in the middle of the trail and facing him was a person. Sam's breath caught in his throat, his body freezing in place as he stared at the stranger before him. He was unmoving, wearing a black t-shirt that was tucked into his black jeans, his muddied boots sinking into the puddles underneath him. But that wasn't what made his skin crawl with goosebumps, as creepy as it was already. He was wearing a mask, and his strange-colored eyes peered at him from the dark black holes.
"Come on, Jason. Cut it out, this isn't funny."
Sam's voice wavered as he spoke, his attempt at bravado crumbling in the face of the eerie figure before him. Jason was known for pulling pranks on his friends all the time. But the man remained silent, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Sam with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Seriously, man, this isn't funny," Sam called out again, his voice tinged with a note of desperation.
But the man made no response, his stance unyielding as he continued to watch him. Panic surged through Sam's veins, his mind racing and heart thrumming. The rumors couldn't possibly be true. The one who supposedly lurked in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims and whisk them away? No, it couldn't be.
Yet, the longer the strange man stared at him, the longer those fears became very real.
Sam took a tentative step backward, his gaze never leaving the masked figure before him. But as he moved, he stumbled over a root hidden in the darkness under the leaves and fell onto his back, the flashlight slipping from his grasp and clattering to the forest floor. In an instant, the world was plunged into darkness, the only sound the pounding of Sam's heartbeat in his ears. Panicking, he scrambled around in the darkness, his hands searching for the flashlight that had fallen from his grasp. He finally found it in a pile of leaves, flicking it on and pointing it in the direction the man had been standing.
He was gone, nothing but his boot prints in the mud.
Sam's eyes widened, and he whipped around to run, only to slam into something warm and hard. He steadied himself and looked up. Blood-red eyes, just like the rumors had said, silver pooling at the edges of his irises. They were strangely mesmerizing, the gorgeous color drawing Sam's gaze like a moth to a flame. A pleasant smell of wood and amber washed over him as the man grew closer, merely inches now. Fear surged through Sam's veins as he watched the masked stranger with trembling hands, his mind racing with a thousand questions.
Was he going to hurt him? What did he want? Why was he just staring at him with absolutely nothing to say?
"Who - Who are you?" Sam's voice quivered, barely a whisper in the oppressive silence of the forest.
"Leave." he said, his voice low and gravelly.
"What?" Sam stammered, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Leave and don't come back," he repeated cryptically. He reached forward and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, his masked face lowering to his ear, "There are monsters in these woods, you know. You should run."
Sam's heart pounded in his chest at the stranger's touch, his ear tingling as his warning was whispered to him. Without another word, the man let his hand drop off his shoulder and backed away. Without a second to spare, Samuel dodged around him and took off, his movements frantic, and never let his eyes leave the stranger. The man watched him in silence, his eyes piercing through the darkness like twin beacons of warning. The night seemed to stretch on forever as Sam raced through the trees, his mind consumed by fear and confusion. He didn't stop running until he burst through the tree line and stumbled into the clearing where his friends waited by the campfire. Their laughter instantly faded when they saw his pale, shaken appearance.
Kirika and Jason ran over to him with wide eyes when he collapsed to his knees, his entire body heaving as he tried to catch his breath with burning lungs.
"Oh, my gods, Sam. What happened? Are you okay?"
But he couldn't find the words to respond. He continued to gasp for breath, glancing over his shoulder momentarily to make sure the man hadn't followed him, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened to him. The muddied handprint on his shoulder was enough to remind him that it wasn't a dream, that the man in the woods was very real, and Sam had barely managed to get away from him. As he lay there on his hands and knees, he came to one conclusion.
He was never stepping foot in that forest ever again.
