Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Jul 8, 2012 16:06:52 GMT -6
As we approached the shack, we saw that there was a lock on the door. We look around the shack to find no windows or any other way to get inside. Nor did we find any clues to the whereabouts of a hidden key.
So it was quite clearly that we were going to have to break the lock to get in. Fortunately, I saw that there were at least a dozen rocks lying around the clearing. So I picked one up, and with a mighty thrust, I slammed it against the lock on the door. It took three poundings, but I managed to break the lock and open the door.
With opened before us, Adam and I slowly stepped inside to find a scene that you would expect from a movie about witchcraft. Inside was an empty rusted cauldron, a shelf of old dusty, moldy books, tons of spiderwebs, a desk that had an unholy red pentagram surrounded by blue-flamed candles, a black-flamed candle at the head of the pentagram, and infront of that very candle was a locked chest. There was some foul magic aloof to have these candles still be lit in a shack that looks like it has not been used for hundreds of years.
"Adam, I have feeling we have located the Book of Shadows." I stated in awe.
"Just one problem." Adam replied, "Even if we do find this book, how are we going to read it?
"Based upon my visions and research on the Book of Shadows background, this copy we're seeking was written by the warlocks of old." I explained, "So I'm pretty sure it's in English and was originally kept by Elly Kedward. How she got access to it, I have no clue, but it's ironic considering she was the only known person of Blair to have direct contacts with the Arez'kahni...before they vanished."
Still holding the rock from before in my right hand, while Adam held George the crystal skull in his left hand and the camcorder in his right, I approached the chest. With one big herculean swing, I made the rock collide with the lock on a chest, and with a loud thud the lock fell off. I then opened the chest, and we both gasped at what we saw was inside.
Within the chest was a strange grimoire, bounded in an unusual black leather, with inscriptions like I had never seen before. I immediately dropped the rock to the floor and picked up the book. Upon examining the book's cover, front and back, I said aloud, "This is it! We've found...we've found...the Book of Shadows."
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Jul 23, 2012 15:51:30 GMT -6
Hastily, I opened up the grimoire and flipped through the pages. It was at this one page of a image of what looked like the Earth up in flames that caught my attention. Next to the image was a chilling prophetic text, which I began to read aloud:
At the end of the Age of Light, the dreaded comet shall pass the Earth once more. At Winter's Crossing this age will end, and the Sun will become like a fiery beast. The Earth will tremble and turn in turmoil, and with these coming to pass, then shall the next reign of the Ancient Ones begin.
For long ago, the Ancient Ones held dominion over the Earth, wielding an ever unholy power. They could not be matched and and their evil could not be contained. Yet, once the Age of Darkness faded, they too retreated away from our mortal realm. Yet, do take heed that they will return when this age is through, and nothing will stop the.
When the time of the Great End shall come, the race of Men will see the signs, but shall not heed. As the comet and Winter's Crossing approaches, more and more evil will be seen. More and more turmoil shall be seen. But Men shall remain ever oblivious to the Ancient Ones' return. It is only when the comet passes, and the sun spits its fire, and the Earth shall shake a terrible shake. Only then will the men see the ancient evil, realizing the foolishness of their ignorance. The Ancient Ones will have then returned and nothing will stop them.
All that has been made holy will become unholy; all that is light will fade into darkness. Life will become death, creation will become destruction, and the world of Men will be no more. The Ancient Ones will reclaim their rule and nothing will stop them.
After reading this dreadful prophecy, there was long eerie silence between Adam and I. What the Book of Shadows has described was obviously the end of the world. This is what the shaman and that cult leader were afraid to tell me; this is what my dreams were leading me to. There was no doubt that NASA and the government knew of some of these things; particularly the comet, the unusual solar activity, and the unusual activity of the Earth itself. But whether they know of the Anicent Ones as well, I can say, but what different will make? After all, "nothing will stop them."
Adam and I just stood there in the shack, at a loss of words, unsure of what to do next.
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Aug 3, 2012 15:13:37 GMT -6
It was only the hoot of a far-off owl that ended the dreaded silence. We then glanced around the shack, but did not find anything else that was worth any interest. Before I could comment on the Book of Shadows, we both heard this unusual high pitch noise that seemed to come from nowhere. Once that noise had ceased, I said, “I think we should leave.”
Adam nodded in agreement, and the two of use carefully walked back out to the clearing. We had been in that shack for no more than 10 minutes, and it seemed that everything has gotten darker for some reason. Where was the moon? Where were the stars? I assumed the trees were just obscuring the sky, so I just made for the cavern for a second time; Adam following behind without saying a word.
As we walked back through the cavern, I recited the reasons why I wanted to come out here, what my visions entailed, and what I already knew regarding the prophecy written within the Book of Shadows. While saw some the writing to be allegorical, I cannot help but imagine these “Ancient Ones” to be quite literal beings. After all, if evil spirits and witches exist, then why not monstrous gods?
We then came to that Arez’khani tomb once more, yet we were surprised to see that the preserved bodies were no longer there. We looked around, to find any trace to them, but found none.
“Where the heck are the bodies?” cried Adam. “Better if we not find out.” I replied, “Let’s just get outta here.”
So we picked up the pace, continuing our second trek through the underground cavern. All while remaining weary of any undead warriors that would dare ambush us. Fortunately, we made it back to the forest without a hitch. It seemed we had gotten out of the cavern too easily, but I dare not think about it. I just want to try to find the campsite, even in the pitch black darkness, and contemplate on the grimoire we now bear.
With flashlights in hand, we set off to look for our campsite in the dark. Hours went by and we had not found a single trace to our campsite; already, the batteries in the flashlights were giving way. So we decided to stay by these trees and try to ride out the night. I had found a large stick nearby, which I kept in hand as I sat down against a tree. As Adam slept and I kept watch, I heard far off war cries of Arez’khani warriors. God forbid if they should find us around here.
I then looked down at the crystal skull, and the book it sat upon. George and I had some really good times and I am grateful that he has helped us out this far, but could he possibly be magic? That something I’ll have to ask the Maya, if I should ever get the chance again.
As for the Book of Shadows, I pondered on its eerie prophecy: is it really going to be all over in just a matter of weeks? Is our species really fated to be annihilated by these divine monsters? It all appeared to be so, for my visions told me that the Book of Shadows would provide answers to the rumors I had been hearing. I guess for once, the doomsayers are going to be right; more power to them on bragging rights of “I told you so.”
I awoke the next morning, realizing that I had fallen asleep during my watch, yet both Adam and I appeared to be unscathed. Before I dare awoke Adam, I decided to flip through the book some more. As I flipped through the pages I saw dreaded images of monstrosities, horrible curses, accounts of the occult, and intriguing prophecies. The prophecies I read described such events that I interpreted as follows: the American Revolution, the American Civil War, the plight of the Native Americans, the Lincoln assassination, the Spanish Flu Pandemic, the World Wars, the Cold War, the JFK assassination, the moon landings, the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption, 9/11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil spill, and the Tohoku Earthquake.
I spent half the morning glued to the Book of Shadows; reading and interpreting these prophecies and going over them again and again. All of these prophecies and more have been fulfilled, and yet only one remains pending: the return of the Ancient Ones. With what I have read, I began to fear what the outside world will make of this book if it were presented before them. Would they call it a hoax? Would the government destroy it? I had no clue, but I knew that I needed to get out of these woods with this book.
I then woke Adam up and the two of us hiked through the woods for almost an hour, until, lol and behold, we found our campsite. We further taken by surprised at what we found there: Marco. He was just sitting in the middle of the camp looking all blanked-face. I slowly approached him and said, “Hey Marco! Where you’ve been?” Marco did not reply.
“As you probably remember, that gunman from the other day caused us to get lost. Me and Adam actually found the Book of Shadows in a most unusual place. What about you? What happened to you”
Still, no response.
I was then standing right over him and I laid one hand on his shoulder, and then he started screaming uncontrollably. This was too unsettling to bear, so I did what I could to calm him down.
“Marco, stop it! Stop it!” I stated, but he would not stop screaming, “I said stop it!” I was then forced to slap him, and it actually got him to stop screaming.
“Marco, I can imagine that you’ve been through some pretty scary things these past nights. Is there any bit of it that you would like to tell us?” I asked him politely, to which he replied by shaking his head.
“Okay then, you don’t have to tell us anything. I can only imagine how horrible it must have been for you.” I said comfortingly. Adam and I then recounted our tale of what we went through the past couple of nights. Once we had told Marco everything, we then attempted to get our campsite back together. After completing that task, we noticed that several of our items were missing and that there was an obscured trail of footprints leading away from the camp.
We believed that the gunman had stolen our goods, and even though there was no hope of retrieving them, we believed that he may have gotten out of the woods. So we packed up our campsite as best as we could and began to follow the footprints; where ever we may end up, that is where we will set up our next campsite.
|
|
|
Post by Tweek on Aug 11, 2012 18:23:34 GMT -6
Something has changed.
When the unholy book was removed from its resting place, Blake's companion ghosts vanished at once. Though he no longer had a physical form and should have been immune, Blake felt a bitter coldness decend upon him then. Some force had been released at that moment. Something stronger and more ancient than Elly Kedward now stalked the Black Hills. The geas compelling him forward was gone now. He could no longer hear the voice of his master. Her attention was now directed elsewhere.
He followed the men back to the campsite. The one called Marco was the weakest of the three; Blake could sense it without even trying. When the man suddenly screamed in terror, Blake was sure that Marco was looking directly at him. When Blake floated away, the man's eyes followed him and the screams began anew.
The man could see ghosts now. And probably much more than that. Things no mortal ever wishes to see.
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Aug 16, 2012 15:20:28 GMT -6
So we followed the gunman's footprints, all the while Marco did not say a word. I can only imagine the horrible things he saw when we all got separated.
After sometime of walking, Adam pointed something lodged inside of a treetrunk. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was my laptop, which was one of several items missing from the campsite. The batter was still operation, but with no connection out here, the laptop was of no use. It was the same case with the cell phones; upon entering the forest, none of us could get any reception to make a call.
When kept on walking some more and then found our portable radio that was hidden by a couple of large rocks. Not only that, but nearby was Adam's iPad hidden underneath a small pile of leaves; we only found it because a corner of it was sticking out from the pile.
It was obvious that the thief had gotten tired and overencumbered while walking, so he hid the stolen goods and soldiered on. It was already midafternoon, but we were determined to get out of the woods, so we continued to follow the footprints in hopes of making it out alive.
Dusk was already approaching when we finally came across a creek and an absolutely horrible surprise: there, laying facedown in the creek, was the body of the so-called "deputy game warden."
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Aug 28, 2012 19:18:39 GMT -6
The body looked like it had been dead for no more than a day, but already it had some bite marks from scavenging wildlife; presumably coyotes. At these bites were groups of flies buzzing above with maggots and ants crawling all over the exposed tissue. As with corpses, there was a very foul odor in the air and I could not help but be nauseated and the very sight I was taking in.
We just started for a moment, before Adam rushed on over, while muttering, "Let's see what he stole." Before I could refrain Adam, he was already searching the body, finding his stolen wad of cash with the blue rubber band and my golden pocket watch. When he found nothing else that belonged to us, he quickly came back over, putting his cash back in his wallet.
"You should've worn gloves before doing that." I stated with disgust.
"We're out in the middle of the freakin' woods. Where the heck are we gonna get any gloves?" he retorted.
He was right with his comment; I originally back several pairs of plastic gloves but they got torn up by whatever it was that tore up our previous campsite.
We looked back at the body and Adam stated, "Well, there goes all hope of getting out of here alive."
"Don't say that just yet, Adam." I said reassuringly, "There may be hope yet."
"We're pretty much doomed." Marco said all of sudden, with a very sullen and blank tone to his voice.
"Guys, knock it with the pessimism. We got the Book and I am sure we'll get out of these woods alive as well." I said as hopefully as I could. Yet, deep down, I knew that even if we did made it out, we would only have weeks left to live according to that accursed book.
"Let's just try to get as far away from here as possible, set up a new camp, and ride out the night." I then added.
The two nodded in agreement, which was when Adam quickly pointed and said "Hey look!"
We then saw a lone coyote emerge from the trees, only eighteen feet away from where we were standing. The coyote's eyes first looked at the corpse, than at us, and than at the corpse again. It had undoubted come to see if there was still anything left to munch on.
Not only wanting to see this, I yelled "Hey! Get out of here! Go!" Waving my hand in gesture to get the coyote to leave, but instead it just stepped a few inches back and hunched its head down.
"I said leave!" I shouted as a I picked up a nearby rock and threw it past the coyote. This time, the coyote was more phased, so it then turned around and walked away. I then looked at my comrades and said "See why we have to move? It's already getting dark, and aside from that and the awful smell, we obviously don't wanna deal with any wildlife."
So we quickly vacated the scene and put it a good distance behind us before it became to dark for us to continue. We quickly set up camp, set up a campfire, and just looked at each other expressionlessly. We were all very tired, hungry, cold, and dirty from this adventure. Yet, in my heart, I felt like we just had to endure this for just one more night. Whether that means we actually make it out or we die horribly, has yet to be seen.
I just on going over the Book of Shadows again and again, and thinking about one of the reasons why I had wanted to find it. I thought it would make a nice find for the field of anthropology and that it would be a remarkable document to study at the University of Maryland and maybe even the University of Washington as well. It does not hurt to have a West Coast University study an East Coast folk legend, now does it? Yet, if the federal government were to know I had the Book in my possession, odds are that they would come and confiscated it. After that, they would either lock it away or destroy it completely. They somehow already know what is going to take place, whether or not they have all the details; my friend at NASA almost got into trouble for trying to find out too much.
I asked if anyone would like to hear a scary story, and after all we have been through, it was no surprise that they shook their heads. Still, I went on and read prophecies from the Book; I have read predictions by Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and even from the Bible, but none proved to be as chilling as those that I am reading from the Book of Shadows.
After a while of reading, Marco softly spoke, "Will you stop reading? I don't wanna hear any more. I really don't."
Before I could respond, Adam suddenly got a glint to his eye and said, "Hey, I just thought of something. You know that Book supposedly got spells, right? Well, maybe we should try one out. Right here, right now!"
Marco and I both spoke at once, "What?"
"Yeah. We might as well since we have it. Besides, it could somehow help us outta here. Don't you think it could?"
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Sept 14, 2012 2:56:45 GMT -6
"We're not gonna do any black magic and that's final!" I scowled at Adam.
The vicenarian man just gowered at me before he sat down by the campfire without a word. From there on out, we just sat by the campfire for warmth and did not speak much. Once the evening grew late, the three of us retired to the tent to get some sleep. For tonight, we felt like we did not need to have any watch; we have survived the woods for this long, and I just know we can make it for one more night. Besides, I told my companions that there is some really strange magic to George, who is somehow protecting us from evil.
I then found myself in a clearing in the woods, at wintertime with everything snow-covered. I was unsure of how I got here or what any of this meant, but suddenly I heard somebody shout.
I turned and saw a living Arez'khani man fifteen feet away, speaking to me in his native tongue. I had no clue, for almost all knowledge pertaining to their language had vanished with the people themselves. As he spoke, he kept on taking slow steps closer to me.
"Who are you?" I blurted out, suddenly realizing that he would probably understand me as well as I could understand him.
He then went silent and just started for what seemed like an eternity. His then turned to a pure teal and in a booming voice he said, "THEY COME!"
Suddenly, a furious gust picked up, averting my attention away from the man. When I turned back, I was shocked to find that he had just vanished.
"H-hello!" I said timidly. I then picked up my strength and yelled, "Where are you!!"
The gust then intensified and for a moment I was blinded by it. When I was able to see again, I saw I was in a different snow-covered clearing. I then took in my surroundings and saw a congregation of Arez'khani, thirty feet away. I was about to make a dash for hiding, but then I noticed that they didn't see me at all; almost as if I was invisible like a ghost.
As I approached the congregation, I realized that this area was Coffin Rock and that these people were engaged in some bizzare ritual. Before them, I saw a strange hooded young woman standing before a balding Caucasian man, who was gagged, hog-tied, and lying the very stone of Coffin Rock. The woman spoke in the Arez'khani tongue, holding out an obsidian dagger over the terrified man; a pit of burning embers glowed nearby. It was only when I was standing in the midst of the crowd, did I see that woman was not one of the Arez'khani, but instead a colonial New England woman.
She then shouted something that just sounded blood-chilling, which was then followed by her plunging the dagger. What I saw then was an example of mankind's old savagery; one that modern man would like to forget. With the horrific deed done, and diabolical shouts responding in kind, she brought up both the bloody dagger and the severed heart from the now dead man.
She then held the heart over the pit of embers and effortlessly dropped it in. Fire then erupted from the pit, consuming the heart whole. Once it had been fully engulfed into ash, the flames turned to midnight black and increased tenfold. The woman and Arez'khani all around me gave into a venomous chant, all while I could do nothing but stare in horror.
Then the sky turn black with clouds, thunder roared, the wintery gusts picked up speed, and from overhead a deep, demonic voice boomed, "BUK'A DYGH'FHP IRYT'NM QWEP NYARGYZZ GHERX JT'NBM ZGHA!!!"
I then awoke in an icy sweat like I had never been in before in my whole life. It was all just a dream, but there was undoubtedly some meaning to it. As I then tried to get my bearings strait, I then realized...that the woman at the sacrifice was a young Elly Kedward! Yet, what I didn't understand was what the omnious entity said or how I remembered those unearthly words. What could all this means? Just how exactly is everything connected altogether? I thought I had pieced most of everything together, but there are still some holes that need to be filled. Perhaps, the Book of Shadows can provide further answers.
Only then did I realize that Adam was not inside the tent, nor was George the crystal skull, portable radio, or the Book of Shadows itself. Before I could wake up Marco, I saw that the front of the tent was open and that a new campfire was going outside. In front of it, there was a shadowy figure of man that appeared to be in a seat position why reading from a book. I knew instantly that this was Adam, and he had taken those things outside to do Lord knows what.
I crawled my way out of the tent, blurting out, "Adam, what are you doing?"
|
|
|
Post by Tweek on Sept 15, 2012 21:57:45 GMT -6
Blake's specter hovered unseen a few feet above Adam, reading along with him as he read from the book. Though he did not comprehend the language, the meaning of the strange ancient syllables was clear enough. Death grants the dead certain knowledge forbidden to the world of the living. Dark secrets like this one. If this fool knew what he was awakening, who had written those terrible words, and why, he would stop reading and toss that book into the flames.
But, of course, Adam did not know. Did not see. That would be his undoing.
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Sept 26, 2012 3:26:35 GMT -6
I then saw that Adam had the crystal skull inside the fire pit and he was muttering an inenchantation from the Book of Shadows itself. The other items that were missing from the tent were right next to him where he sat.
"Adam, what is the mea-" before I could finish my statement, Adam then bellowed the inenchantation.
He said, "I SUMMON YOU, LORD OF THE SHADOWS! I SUMMON YOU WISE, TRICKSTER GOD! I SUMMON YOU, O LORD NYARGYZZ! I SUMMON YOU!"
I froze in horror, realizing that I had heard that name, Nyargyzz, in my dream. It must have been the omnious voice I heard at the end of it. What has gotten into Adam to cause him to invoke such demonic entity, I can only say one thing: desperation. There is no doubt in my mind that we have all become desperate to get out of this forest, but Adam the most desperate out of all of us. Does he really think he can get help from an evil being? Has he forgotten the witch and her minions? She has proven to be nothing but a menace to us, so I can imagine that an evil far greater than her will prove to be much of the same.
Sudden, the firepit extinguished itself, leaving nothing but ash and the crystal skull fully in tact. A new unnerving darkness had settle in, one we have never experienced before in our lives; dead silence surrounded the campsite.
It was the sudden noise of rolling thunder that broke the deathly silence. This was followed by bright, white lightning that illuminated everything; I swore that for a very split second, that I could not only see Adam, but his entire skeletal structure as well.
Taking in several terrified breaths, I walked over to Adam, but was then in for yet another surprised. From overhead came that same booming, demonic voice that I heard in my dream. The voice, from understanding, said, "GSK'ERV RWT'QWE NUXLP NYARGYZZ THIYVR YMPO KX'NEKA RHOG!!!"
I had no clue as to what "he" said, but I am sure the demon lord said something along the lines of "Who dare summons the Lord Nyargyzz from his slumber?" I expected the beast to speak again, but there was just a pause of silence.
Within this pause, my fear was sudden replaced by rage as I grabbed Adam by the throat and snarled, "What were you thinking, boy?!? What were thinking?!?"
"I..*gurgle*...I just"
"Wanted to get out? Do you realize you've just doomed us all?!? This monster's gonna kill us and it'll be your freakin' fault! You hear me, Adam? We're gonna die in these woods and it's you're, freakin'..."
"SILENCE!!!" boomed the voice of Nyargyzz.
I just went limp, letting go of Adam, who fell to my feet and gasp for some air. I saw that Marco had crawled out of the tent, looking all wide-eyed and as white as a sheet. I tried to pinpoint where the entity was speaking from, but it seemed to be coming from all sides of us. I then couldn't help but notice that, not too far off in the distance, branches were being snapped like on our first night here.
"You foolish mortals are lost, I see. Lost, in the woods of the Blair Witch herself. Pity that you know the way to danger, but not the way from it." said Nyargyzz.
Summoning what courage I can, I said to the dark god, "My companion, Adam, wished...to, uh, summon you...for...for your wisdom...and...uh...guidance. For we have...have read much from the book about th-the Ancient Gods and their, I mean, YOUR wisdom and power."
When you are as afraid as I am, you just cannot speak straight no matter how hard you try. How often is a mortal prepared to speak to some sort of evil demonic god?
"Hm, let me guess...you wish for me, Nyargyzz, to show you the way of the woods?" Nyargyzz, chided.
"Uh, y-yeah. Can you, oh awesome god of shadows and tricks?" I asked timidly
More thundered rolled from the sky above.
"Foolish mortals! You come into the Black Hills Forest, skeptical of its maiden protector, but expect to find a magical tome? You come and take it, but leave nothing for her in return? If I were to grant you exit, what would you offer me?" Nyargyzz blared.
More thunder rolled over ahead, with a couple cracks of lightning flashing across the sky. The cracking noises I heard now sounded very closeby and were all around us; much like Nyargyzz's voice.
Feeling scared, timid, an awkward, I meekly stated, "Uh, what does a dark god, um, like yourself want?"
"We demand sacrifice! Expiation of the blood!" Nyargyzz boomed, "Your friend should have used a human heart to summon me, but the energy from your crystal skull sufficed. As for giving you the way out, that I shall not do. You mortals are so arrogant in your ways: coming into a realm, and just taking the Book of Shadows from the Blair Witch. You did not leave her any tribute, even if she is only a representation for the gods."
"She and her ilk cruelly took the lives of innocents! What should I owe? Nothing!" I said defiantly, but then regretting my words immediately.
Nyargyzz scoffed, "You just continue to prove my point with your incredibly foolish arrogance, mortal. As if that is not enough, your ignorance is a nuisance as well. You fail to realize that mortals are property of the gods to do what we please. Even those mortals that worship us are free to do what they like with the non-believers. When we return, your kind will be finished! Though, I am just essense of Nyargyzz for now, but soon I will reclaim my physical manifestation. When the end of your world comes, it will be OUR new beginning. Already your world is falling apart and it is only a matter of time when the galactic alignment commences."
More thunder and lightning overhead; the cracking of branches continuing; the ghostly laughter of children began to appear.
"Your race has been doomed since your beginning, but you three have just blindly walked into the very heart of evil. You may think you know terror, but now I shall show you terror like never before. The energies of the crystal skull was the only thing protecting you from the forces that dwell within this forest. Like fools, you drained it of all of its magic in the fire to summon me, so there is no way it can help you now!" Nyargyzz stated, "YTES IOS'P NEMTF KP'NES THYV YNTHUL GHESENR THKOP VES'TM WIGH'TH T'NM KOZF'HRG THOEMZ THI'PEHM!!!"
The thunder roared with fury and lightning flashed like crazy. My two companions were gathered close by me as we watched the lightning display with terror, but we began to take notice of the whole unholy cacophony. The cracking noise increased tenfold, a bitter wind picked up, coyotes howled with menace, bats squeeked, ghostly children laughed, Arez'khani war drums were sounding, warrior cries were being heard, and the very cackling of the witch herself rippled throughout the night air.
From the lightning flashes, the ghostly evils around began to show themselves to us: the laughing children, Rustin Parr's murder victims, looking all bloody and grotesque; Parr himself, giving an eerie smile has he beared a bloody axe; the ghosts of the three student filmmakers, Heather Donahue, Josh Leonard, and Mike Williams, looking more grotesque and macabre than when I had seem them before; and various ghosts of Arez'khani warriors, looking all bloodthirsty and ready to have our heads. There was yet another ghost I recognized in the mix: Blake the "Game Warden." The poor fool had not only drowned, but has become enslaved to the Blair Witch herself, who in turn is only a servant to the Ancient Ones. "Poor fool" was all I could think when I gazed upon him. There were a whole hosts of other ghosts, but I could not for the life of me identify any of them.
Finally, there, standing on the stump of a tree, was the horrific Blair Witch herself. She looked more hideous and more hellish than when I had seen her at the Parr house. She was cackling a horrifying cackle, gazing down at us, her eyes being like black holes that sucked out all traces of hope we had left. Seeing her and all these spooks here told that we were doomed; that we should have never bothered coming to these woods in the first place. Now it all amounts to what appears to be our terrifying undoing.
It was then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, all of this ceased. The witch and her ghostly minions vanished, all noise disappeared, and the thunder and lightning seemed to have stopped. The three of us just stood there, mouths agape, unable to move and unsure of what to do next. What just happened?
We then jumped when the radio turned itself on, and playing on it was an episode of Coast To Coast AM with George Noory. I heard Noory's voice say, "Welcome back to the program folks. Our guest for this hour, here to talk about the apocalyptic date of Dec-"
It was at that moment that a lightning bolt descended down from the sky, struck the radio, and blew up into countless pieces.
"Oh my God!" I screamed.
"Aw, jeez!" Adam whimpered.
Marco did not say anything, but just took an uneasy gulp and then shivered madly.
I quickly picked up George the crystal skull, which now felt quite cool after having been placed in a burning firepit. I then went for the Book of Shadows and then to the tent to get a flashlight and my backpack, which contained my journal of this expedition.
"We gotta get outta here now!" I told my companions, as I turned on my flashlight. The two of them dashed into the tent and rummaged for essentials (backpacks, flashlights, cellphones, my laptop, and the camcorder). As they emerged, two more lightning bolts came down, striking trees and setting them ablaze. A fourth came down and struck the ground, igniting scattered Autumn leaves. Then a fifth came down and oblitterated the now vacant tent.
Seeing the campsite going up in flames at a rapid paste, I screamed, "C'mon, guys! Let's move! Run! Run! Run!"
So we darted off like before, only this time we did our best to stay together. As we ran from the fire, the hellish noises resumed, the thunder itself continued to roar, and lightning continued to strike the forest. Out of all the times I have been scared on this misadventure, this had to be the scariest. Finding the way out of the woods was more crucial than ever now. We had to get out fast, or else we would be burned alive.
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Oct 25, 2012 4:51:14 GMT -6
Drenched with sweat, hearts ready to explode, fighting back the overwhelming urge to collapse, we just ran from the hellfire that pursued us. No longer was it dark, for the light of the burning flames and of the constant lightning seemed to be lighting everything up, but still we were unsure of our direction.
As we ran, we were almost separated by the ambush of a skeletal Arez'khani warrior, who jumped in the middle of our group. I had only my flashlight, but it would appear that Adam, through quick thinking, grabbed a large stick and struck the assailant down. I then grabbed the tomahawk with my free hand, and noticed that the bats were descending down upon us. I then swatted them way with the tomahawk, while Adam swung at them with the stick.
"Guys, let's move!" Marco exclaimed, pointing to the flames behind us.
So we kept on running, now hearing what sounds like the movement of coyotes and undead Arez'khani warriors to the sides of us. The yipping of the coyotes and the war cries of the warrior made my skin crawl, and I knew that they were right on our tail. We just had to keep going straightforward; all other directs would lead to certain doom.
We ran for what seemed like an eternity, until we came to spot in which Marco tripped over a loose tree root. Adam and I rushed to his aide and helped him up as quickly as we could. We wanted to keep on running, but we were just so exhausted and our situation just seemed utterly hopeless.
"We have...to keep going." I said with tired breath.
"Man...we're like...screwed." Marco said as he grasped his freshly scraped knee and winced.
We listened closely and looked back; we had put a fair distance between us and the flames and our pursuers. Yet it was a matter of time before this concoction of Hell finally reached us.
"Ah, face it, we're doomed. I should have never messed with that book!" said Adam moapingly.
"We should have never came for it. If we die here, then the fault is all mine." I said gloomily.
It was all too obvious now; we were finished. We delved into the heart of evil, not fully aware of what lied in wait for us. We should have heeded the warnings about these woods. We should have not bothered looking for answers to questions we should not have even fathomed. We had sealed our doom the moment we set foot in this accursed forest. All hope was truly lost...
That was until I moved the light of my flashlight around and I then noticed that this place looked a lot familiar. It looked exactly like the pathway we took after leaving...Coffin Rock!
"You guys! I seriously know where we are!" I stated with excitement, "We're closeby to Coffin Rock! We can get outta here alive! Follow me!"
With newfound hope, I dashed off toward Coffin Rock, with my companions right behind me, as well as the wall of flame and the unholy denizens of these woods. We ran straight past Coffin Rock, knowing we were on the right way out of this forest. We were just overjoyed, but at the same time, we still felt uneasy about the danger that was still after us. We just had to keep going, keep our heads on our shoulders, and we might just make it to the exit.
I had no clue as to how long we ran with this newfound feeling of hope, but eventually we saw what we had thought we would never see again: the paved road! We then just dashed forward until our feet touched the hard surface of the road.
"Look! The car!" I shouted, pointing at our car, which I had remained park at the same spot undisturbed.
"Oh my God." Adam said breathlessly, though he sounded like he was going to cry with joy.
We then made our way to the car, almost forgetting about the fire and the evil things in the woods. We quickly loaded our gear up, climbed inside, and I ramaged through my backpack for the keys. I found them at the very bottom of the bag, lying next to George the green crystal skull. With shakey hands, I picked up the keys, put the driver's key into the ignition, and started up the car.
Our hearts soared as the engined roared to life, and without wasting another moment, we drove off. I looked in the rearview mirror as the fire had reached that edge of the woods.
"You guys! Check your phones! See if you can get a signal now!" I told my companions with concern.
Seeing as to how we could never get a signal while in the woods, maybe we could get reception now. Marco just sat in his seat, looking exhausted and unwilling to do anything more. Adam, on the other hand, who was sitting right next to me, reached into his pocket and pulled out his celluar phone.
"Call the Sheriff's department. They are going to want to know about this. As well as firefighting units." I said while mindful of all that had happened. Another thought occured to me, and then I ordered, "And make sure you put it on speakerphone."
Adam did just that while he dialed the Sheriff's number. We then heard the phone connecting us to the Sheriff's department, and we all just shouted with delight upon getting reception.
We had come to the Black Hills Forest to find the Book of Shadows, and we just barely made it out alive with it. We sat back in our seats, and begin telling a sheriff's deputy what was happening as we continued driving towards Burkittsville.
[Benson and his party have made it out of the woods alive! But their story is not over yet. Stay tuned for the conclusion!]
|
|
|
Post by Tweek on Nov 8, 2012 6:01:54 GMT -6
Blake's ghost watched the speeding car as it moved past the edge of the woods. He knew that he could not follow. Not now. His place was here. With them. With her. Turning back with a sigh, what remained of Robert Blake dissolved into a white foggish mist and merged with the ancient trees of the forest. There he would remain, until called forth again by his dark master. Elly Kedward. <<< BLAKE'S GHOST HAS LEFT THE GAME>>>
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Nov 26, 2012 5:01:35 GMT -6
Epilogue (part 1 of 2)
To conclude describing our misadventure through that hellish forest, I will say that upon driving to Burkittsville, the dark sky seemed to have just broken with a sudden crack of thunder and lightning, and before we knew it a very heavy rain came pouring down. It was the hardest downpour I had ever seen in my whole life, which says lot when one comes from the Northwest; we had thought that the car windows were going to break. Fortunately, we managed to drive on until we could safely pull to the side of the road, already a mile or so away from the forest to say the least.
Upon following the deputy’s instructions, we waited in that spot, and moments later, we were met up by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department; along with a dozen or so fully-manned fire engines, a team of rescue workers, two helicopters (one of a news copter, the other a firefighting copter), a news van, and even the residents of Burkittsville itself. It turned out to be quite a scene, but having to deal with authorities was a huge relief compared to having to deal with the evil supernatural forces we left back in the woods.
The sheriff himself was present and was very curious about what exactly happened in the woods and wanted to hear all of the details as soon as possible. I told him that while we were in the woods, the lightning from the storm struck the ground and started the blaze. As for the firearms we brought, we had lost them while after our encounter with Blake, a man who posed as a deputy game warden. I went on to mention that he mysteriously died in the woods, possibly killed by vicious wildlife, but his remains should be somewhere in the woods.
While none of us were placed under arrest, there were still suspicions of arson and we were expected to go back to the station with the sheriff for further questioning. As well as provide evidence of our claims with the footage on our camcorder and the very tome we found in the woods. Upon being requested by the news crew to be interviewed, I immediately declined; I wanted to speak to no one else but the Sheriff’s Department. Meanwhile, the heavy downpour itself was still coming down hard, but later on I would hear that there was somehow still a blaze going on in the forest. Even though the rain took care of most of it, firefighters still had a good bit of work to do to with putting it out.
Back at the station, I told the sheriff everything I had told him back at the scene, but this time I was comfortable with telling him and the deputy present the supernatural things we encountered while in the woods. Naturally, he was skeptical, thinking that it was a possible put-on to mimic the 1994 disappearances of Heather Donahue, Josh Leonard, and Mike Williams. Yet, he stated that he would reserve judgment until he saw our evidence on the laptop that the deputy brought into the room.
I have to admit that for some reason, I felt very uneasy about showing our footage to the sheriff; what if some foul spirits tampered with it? What if what plays is not really what we recorded? The only way to know was to watch it, and so we then proceeded to play the full recordings on the laptop.
Fortunately, the footage played just fine and depicted everything that had happened on our misadventure: our encounter with Blake, our flight away from evil, our exploration of the Rustin Parr’s house, the secret tunnel, our discovery of the Book of Shadows, our discovery of Blake’s body, Adam’s tampering with the Book, our encounter with an Ancient One, the outburst of the forest fire, and our escape from those dreaded woods. Everything played just as it had happen, and having to rewatch it was far more agonizing than any lame movie I had to sit through.
When the footage had concluded playing, the sheriff and the deputy just stared at the laptop’s screen in deathly silence. Then the sheriff said, “Well, gentlemen…it looks like we do have a situation with that forest. I’ll see to it that it is permanently closed off to the public. As for the evidence you presented, this is some really profound stuff. I’m going to make a copy of it for the records. This is a really big story we got on our hands.”
A couple days afterwards, I gave the Book of Shadows to these anthropologists from the University of Maryland, who I had contacted after leaving the Sheriff’s Department; they even heard about our episode in the woods. As for the rescue workers who searched the forest for several days, all they came across were our missing firearms and the remains of our campsites. They never found Blake's body, Rustin Parr’s house, the underground passage, the shack, any Arez’khani remains, or even the area with all of the stickmen. They did not even find the tomahawk I had been carrying before ditching it as my party and I escaped from the woods.
After an exciting week following our escape, it evident that no criminal charges would be put against us and so both the jurisdiction and the county of Frederick, Maryland, permitted my companions and I to return safely to the State of Washington. All of that was two months ago.
It is now the middle of December, with snowfall taking place in my humble town of Tenino, and I just sit here quietly as I just write this all down in my journal. My life has never been the same since that trip; I have been psychologically scarred from the whole deal, and as a result, I have been forced to quit my job at the University of Washington. Marco Martinez is currently going under heavy psychiatric treatment due to heavy trauma from the whole event, his family deathly worried for his well-being. Adam Pulaski is under strict suicide watch after already having attempted to kill himself twice, his parents unsure on how they can help him beyond medical treatment. I myself am just broken, but am in no need of intensive care.
Even though the anthropologists in Maryland did promise that they would send it to my university so my colleagues and I could do further research on it ourselves, I received a phone call from them telling me that was not going to happen. Apparently, these men in black suits, claiming to be from the federal government, came to the University of Maryland and confiscated the Book of Shadows; saying that it was for the best interest in national security. Furthermore, they would not reveal if they were from the FBI, CIA, DHS, or some other federal affiliate. They would not even answer as to why their confiscation of the Book was in their best interest other than for “national security.”
It was a real shame that after all of the trouble we went through to get that book, the feds showed up and took it away from us. I cannot believe that a value piece of history, a significant knowledge for mankind, quite possibly taken away forever. Fortunately, I read enough of it and have memorized its most noteworthy texts.
To make matters even stranger, I also got a call from Frederick county deputy, who told me that these same kind of federal government agents in black came to the station and took the evidence of our misadventure. What evidence the Sheriff’s Department were allowed to keep, they were given strict instructions not to reveal any of it to the public. After that, the deputy would tell me no more except that it would be unwise to share my original copy of footage on my camcorder, or the written texts of my journal with anyone. Ironically, he would call back a couple days later and tell me that the Sheriff and Deputy Frederickson, the two have seen the footage, had committed suicide after taking consider time off from work. He could not help but comment that there must have been something about that footage that set them off; to which I agreed and gave my sincere condolences to their families.
As for these “government agents,” they were obviously the notorious Men in Black, an above-top secret government agency that hold the deepest of governmental secrets. Not wanting them to come to my house, I did all that I could to keep myself from drawing any more attention. But just to be on the safe side, I buried the camcorder in a secure spot in case if they ever did come to my door, and so far it remains safely buried.
Things only continue to get weirder. My friend Bud who worked for NASA supposedly committed suicide by leaping out of his apartment window in the middle of the night. While the obituary will fool the public, I knew that Bud was not the suicidal type. If anything, I think he found out too much from NASA, and as result, the government had him terminated before he could reveal anything.
The Cult Leader and his followers donned these green robes and hood one night, torches all ablaze, and they marched off into the wilderness to take part in some sort of great fulfillment; they had not been seen ever since. The Mayan Shaman who had originally gave me George, was standing outside of my home as soon as I got back from my trip. My wife, Elizabeth, did not knew how to deal with him, and seeing has to how I could speak Yucatec Mayan, I did. He said he desperately needed George back and that time was short. As much as I prodded for why he needed George back so badly, he kept on insisting that it was crucial and that he did not have time to explain. I ended up reluctantly handing George over, and then he immediately got into a car, driven by a bearded Mayan man, and that was the last I had seen of either George or the Shaman.
In fact, just last week, there were reports coming in from Central America that the entire indigenous population disappeared overnight without a trace. As a result, the governments of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize declared a state of emergency until this mystery was solved, if ever.
So much bizarre things have been happening in the world lately, and it just doesn’t seem to cease. War had broken out between Israel and Iran that only continues to intensify, a magnitude 9 quake struck Chile that created a tsunami that decimated a fourth of Hilo, Hawaii, Mt. Fuji is erupting in Japan for the first time in 300 years, and a meteorite had turned a peaceful Kazakhstani village into a smoldering crater. Sightings of ghosts, monsters, UFOs, and even Men in Black, have increased tenfold; mysterious mutilations of livestock have been occurring out in farmlands in Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, and even here in Washington. Thousands of arrests have been made worldwide over psychopaths going crazy in public and screaming that “They’re coming! They’re coming!”
It is even worth noting that the wolves and coyotes of Wolf Haven just disappeared overnight last month, right here in Tenino! As a result, the sanctuary has been closed to the public ever since and authorities are still conducting clues as to what may happened to them. They have made no progress and are doubtful if they'll find anything at all, let alone the wolves and coyotes themselves.
It would seem that the prophecies written wit in the Book of Shadows are true. This world is already falling apart and it shows no signs of ceasing. I know it is just going to get worse before we reach the grand climax in just a few days. I had lived a good life, and I will try to salvage what good feelings have left before that moment arrives.
|
|
Jib
rock pile disturber
Posts: 91
|
Post by Jib on Dec 23, 2012 2:29:44 GMT -6
Epilogue (part 2 of 2)
Well, this is it. I have buried everything I had left pertaining to this adventure, and these words I think are all I have left; the journals and camcorder are within the earth for the future to find, should there even be a future. I am now standing on a high ledge within the Mount Saint Helens area, binoculars and a thermostat in hand. I'm all alone, save for my new portable radio, for my wife Elizabeth had gone to Forks to spend time with her mother; which is something I totally understand. Today is the big day, winter's crossing, and I sip down on my hot chocolate as I standing in the snow waiting for something to happen.
Running through my mind is all the questions I have that will never be answered: What exactly does the government know about the Ancient Ones? Do they have some sort of pact with them, or plan made to survive the end of the world? What did the Men In Black do with the Book of Shadows? What would they need it for? What happened to the Mesoamericans and that cult? What connections does the Blair Witch have to the Ancient Ones beyond what I learned from my misadventure? What exactly are the Ancient Ones and why do they reign in cycles rather than linearly?
Then I felt it; the earth shakes violently under my feet as I see all the terrain for miles on end be twisted and cracked with immense force. This is the big quake that geologists had warned about for years, and finally it was taking place. After several minutes, the tremor subsides, but it would be a moment longer before I got my bearings straight again.
I heard on the radio that massive quakes were occurring all over, as well as meteorites colliding with various parts of the Earth. I even hear of things being described as "monsters, evil spirits, and even the undead" wrecking havoc in heavily populated areas. Before I could hear the radio report anymore news, a bright flash occurs in the sky and the power is instant shut down; some sort of solar EMP event I presume.
As hell is breaking loose, I look toward the northeast through my binoculars to see smoke rising from where Seattle should be. I suddenly see more smoke appear and hear a distant boom as it would appear that Mount Rainier had erupted. To make matters worse, I hear a much louder boom occur to the east; Yellowstone had finally gone off.
I then looked up and see all sorts of demonic abominations filling up the sky. Along with this, I see entities as tall as trees walking about, one in particular coming right for me. Having gone through so much in these past months, I have become like stone and just stand still; not expressing my fear, but deeply feeling it.
I then saw from the west the ocean, turned to blood, running inland and consuming all in its path. I knew it wouldn't be long before the blood would consume me as well, lest the beast lumbering towards me would get me first. This was when I felt myself lifted from the ground by an awful, slimy, tentacle belonging to a new beast that flew through the skies.
I tried to get a look at my captor, but the sky was so dark, I could not make out the details save for a mass of clawed arms, tentacles, and wings. I then looked down upon the Earth and saw that my whole world had gone to hell: that this really was the End of Days. I knew I was finished and that my death was at hand. So many thoughts ran through my head, but it all boiled down to this one thought: the Ancient Ones are real, they do hold dominion over all things, and Man is but a plaything and even a snack to eat for them.
Soon, my fear became so spiked that I just went limp, my mind went blank, and I held enough conscious to witness myself being taken into my captor's razor-toothed mouth. It wasa all over for me, for Mankind; for death had come at long last.
<<<BENSON HAS DIED>>>
The End
|
|