The Watcher in the Woods

Описание: We rented the cabin because it looked perfect online. Stillwater Cabin, deep in the Ozark National Forest, twenty miles from the nearest town. Six of us—me and my wife Sarah, my brother Matt and his girlfriend Jen, and our friends Kevin and Amanda. The cabin was more isolated than expected, surrounded by towering pines and overlooking a perfectly still lake.
That first night felt perfect. Dinner, wine, stories around the fireplace. Around midnight, Matt went outside for firewood. He came back two minutes later, face pale. "There's something out there," he said. "I heard it walking in the trees. Something big. And when I shined my flashlight, I saw it move behind a tree. It was too tall. Taller than any person."
We went outside together with flashlights. The woods were completely silent—no crickets, no birds. Just oppressive quiet. Then Jen pointed to the edge of the clearing. Something stood between two trees, at least seven feet tall, not moving. Just watching. I shined my flashlight at it. It stepped behind a tree. Deliberately. Sarah grabbed my arm. "There are marks on the trees." Carved symbols surrounded the cabin. Crude, deep cuts. Matt touched one—his fingers came away sticky with fresh sap. "These were made today."
The next morning, none of our cars would start. All three vehicles, dead. We decided to hike out, following the road for two hours. Then we saw the cabin ahead of us. We'd walked in a complete circle. We tried again, marking trees to track progress. Three hours of walking. Back at the cabin. The forest was trapping us.
That night, we heard it circling the cabin. Heavy footsteps, stopping at each window. Kevin took a photo through the window. When we looked at the image, we saw it clearly—covered in bark and moss, like the forest had grown into something humanoid. Its face was twisted wood. Its fingers were branches, too long, too many joints. And in the background through the cabin window, we could see ourselves. But there was a seventh person in our group. Tall and wooden and wrong. It was already inside.