Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-32057701-20170610151456

I remember this day like it was yesterday. The events that took place were just too terrifying to forget. My name is John Wayner. I love nature and going hiking. The sounds of birds chirping and leafs rustling with wilderness active in the background relaxes me. I was hiking on a trail not too far from my house one day, October 21st, 1987 to be exact, when I came across an elderly man who was limping with a cane at his side, walking slowly towards my direction.

I began to feel dread in my body as I got closer. When I finally got near him he spoke to me in a raspy voice and asked if I’ve ever heard of Crows Lake. I replied no. He smelled of mildew and dust he then laughed and said I see you like nature and asked if he could give me a suggestion. “Ugh sure” I replied. Now at this point in time, I knew I should’ve walked away but me being the curious 20-year old I decided to listen.

Crows Lake is just a few miles from here all you have to do is head north and turn right where you see the largest oak tree. There will be a park right next to it. Once you see it park your car and walk on the path nearest to your left. The trail will be around one mile. You’ll eventually see a large black lake on the left of the trail which is Crows Lake. You will be amazed at what you see because of how beautiful the surrounding area is, oh and John those who have ventured off to Crows Lake say that it is impossible to leave. The man then walked away slowly from me, limping with every step. I then wondered how the hell he knew my name, I never told him it.

Since I didn’t have to go back to work until Monday of next week I decided to check the place out. I drove in the direction he had told me to go following every turn and landmark he told me about. It took about 15 minutes to reach the park. I parked my car and had walked on the trail he told me about. With the trail only being one mile I got to Crows Lake relatively quick.

The lake was pitch black and the surrounding area had an eerie vibe to it. I couldn’t see any sign of life besides the trees and various forest plants. I stared at the lake for what it seemed like minutes, something seemed unnatural about it. Out of nowhere the sound of crows calling off echoed behind me. I turned my head slowly, nothing but the feeling of dread filled my body when I saw that old man standing right behind me, smiling with his crooked yellow teeth, stained with tartar. He walked forward, I tried to move and run away but it felt like I was paralyzed. He then pushed me into the lake.

As I drifted deeper and deeper into the dark abyss only one thought went through my head, just how deep is this lake? I was just by the shore but it felt like I drifted 50 feet already. Bubbles had begun to flow to the bottom, I was confused because I was drifting down not up. I just swam in the direction of the bubbles and eventually reached the surface coughing and panting for air. I pulled myself onto the shore in my drenched clothes. The surrounding area was quiet and it seemed a bit sinister. I looked up at the sky and saw it was blood red. What the hell, how long was I down there for?

When I just got here it was only 2 pm so it couldn’t have been that long, plus the sun was still shining, come to think of it I don’t even see the sun. I decided to head back home and get some rest from the weird day I was having. When I got to my car that old man was there staring and laughing at me. I cussed him out and sped out of that parking lot. The roads were empty and I didn’t see anyone at all but I ignored this and headed home. When I got to my apartment and walked in the front door no one was in the lobby, not even the front desk worker Mr. Williams.

I checked the time and it read 3 pm. He doesn’t leave until 5 so this puzzled me. I just guessed he got sick and left early. I headed up to my room and went to bed. When I woke up it was 3 am. Everything was still quiet. Around this time the guy above me usually has loud music playing, but there was no music being played. I decided to get my ass up and see what the problem was. I headed over to my neighbor’s door and knocked but didn’t get an answer, I knocked again but still no answer. Surprisingly the door was unlocked which allowed me to sneak in and take a peep inside. I yelled his name but no one answered and no one was there. Nothing but dread filled my body when I realized this.

I ran out to my car panicking with fear. I yelled out into the open, Hello is anyone here? A black figure appeared in the distance. Oh, thank God I finally found someone, hey do you know what the hell is going on? He didn’t respond, instead, he got closer limping as he walked. When he got closer I could tell this was no man. The things body was black with distorted limbs, it had a twisted face with no eyes and three rows of sharp jagged teeth. A gurgling noise came from its mouth as if it were trying to breathe. I got in my car and sped off downtown and stopped in front of the town hall.

When I got out my car it felt as if a sinister presence awaited me. I went inside the town hall so I could use the phone because my phone had water damage. The phones in the building, unfortunately, weren’t working either. Dammit that’s just great no one is around, the whole city is pretty much a ghost town and some weird thing is chasing me. A faint gurgling noise came from outside. It was one of those black things in front of the glass doors, banging on them trying to get in. I ducked quickly so it wouldn’t see me but this attempt had failed because it banged even harder on the glass when it saw I tried to hide.

Oh man, what is there to do now? It’s just standing out there staring back at me with its non-existing eyes. I backed away slowly but made a mistake and hit the front desk causing a phone to drop on the floor making a loud buzzing noise. This apparently angered the creature. It banged on the glass doors harder causing them to crack. I decided to run away into the dark and narrow hallways to hide from it. As soon as I entered the halls there was a loud crashing noise coming from the front, it had gotten in. I ran into a room that was further into the hall and closed the door behind me quietly.

“Hehe, I’m surprised you actually came John”. I turned quickly and saw that same old man I met early that day. Where the hell did you take me to you old son of a bitch? Crows Lake, the land of sorrow. Stay here John, with my children and I. Fuck you. Tell me how to leave this place before I kick the shit out of you. Hehe, so you want to leave huh? All you have to do is swim down into the lake and you’ll eventually reach your world. But I’ll tell you just one time, if your skin is touched just once by one of my children, you’ll turn into one of them and stay here for eternity. The man gave a raspy laugh, turned into a crow and flew out the window.

A banging came from the door I just shut. It was that thing! My heart began to race as the things arms crashed through the door. I decided to jump through the window that was just broken. The shards of glass that were left behind tore into my skin causing me to bleed. The adrenaline coursing through my veins allowed me to not feel any pain though.

I ran to my car and stopped when I saw a black creature standing around my car. I ran back behind the building. How the hell am I going to get over there? Come on, think John think, aha! All I have to do is catch its attention and run around the corner. It’ll follow me and then when it’s around the corner I can just run back to my car and drive away. I shouted at it and it chased after me. When it got closer we both ran and then turned the corner to the back of Town Hall. My body froze when I saw what was in front of me. There were hundreds of those things just standing not making a single noise.

One of them saw me and gurgled which caught its companions attention. I ran and dodged the creature that was chasing me. They all followed behind as well. As soon as I got to my car I sped off and soon got away from the city. When I was about 5 miles from the lake my car had indicated a low fuel sign. Come on just a few more miles! It gave out on me anyway when I was just 3 miles away. I just got out and left that piece of junk behind.

When I finally got to the trail that led to Crows Lake the ground had begun to shake as if an earthquake was taking place. There in the distance behind me were those things running towards me at a fast speed. I immediately ran onto the path and through the forest! They were fast as hell though and eventually caught up to me when I was half way though. Adrenaline kicked in my body causing me to run faster. I finally reached Crows Lake. One of them was nearly 10 feet away from me before I jumped in. I swam as fast as my body would let me but one of them grabbed my leg trying to pull me back into their world. I kicked it in the face and swam deeper and deeper until I finally reached my world!

<p data-parsoid="{"dsr":[9032,9481,0,0]}">I swam out of the water and onto the shore coughing trying to catch my breath. I stood up and looked up at the clear blue sky, happy of being back home. That old man was at the other side of the lake, his voice echoed through my ears as he spoke. He stared at me and laughed that dry raspy laugh. “Hehe, you’ll come back John and when you’re ready you know where your family resides”. Fuck you, old piece of shit! I just ran to my car and drove home.

<p data-parsoid="{"dsr":[9483,10017,0,0]}">The sight of civilians relaxed me and brought me back to peace. Finally, I was home. Well, that’s my story. I’m so happy I got that off of my chest. Thank you all for listening. I wish I would’ve told my family and friends my experience but I was afraid they’d all laugh at me, calling me a madman. The only reason I told you all this story is because I’ve been hearing that same gurgling noise and I know it’s them. Those black distorted figures, waiting to drag me back to that forsaken place, the land of sorrow known as Crows Lake. <ac_metadata title="Crows Lake"> </ac_metadata>