As Stan strolled through the mountainous and rocky forest, he appreciated the silence of his surroundings. Hunting with a rifle or bow and arrow was his favorite thing to do.
It took him away from his busy work life and the hectic city he lived in. By all means the city he lived in wasn't big. It was on the smaller to medium-sized side of cities.
Stan just didn't like the noise and bustling atmosphere of where he lived. He liked it quiet and nature-filled. But then again, he couldn't just move away right now. The job that he got there was just too good, and he couldn't think of what he'd even do if he'd lost this kind of opportunity.
He kind of liked the silence of the forest, but then again he felt like the forest wasn't supposed to be this quiet. Thinking nothing of it, Stan just kept on going deeper into the forest and the sun was slowly setting.
Wanting to take a break, Stan climbed up a hunting tower and appreciated the sunset. While sitting there and staring at the sunset, he felt melancholic; if he could, he'd build himself a shack in the woods and live there for the rest of his life.
Then his thoughts drifted to the city he had to return to in a bit. The job he'd already would have quit if it weren't for the high salary.
His father and mother always wait for him every Monday evening for a family dinner.
His heart hurt every time he thought of them and how his brother just abandoned them. Stan was foolish to believe that his good-for-nothing brother would do anything good with that big loan in their names.
He had argued with his parents a lot about the loan, and they always wanted to support his younger brother, even though he had already spent time in jail because of his drug problem.
They still believed that he was innocent and would never do such things.
The two times they already caught him doing drugs and once he came home with more than a thousand dollars and they completely believed him that he earned it!
Never mind that he never had a job and refused any offer of one or the fact that he looked like a stick. Stan believed that he sold some of his stash to get that money.
But Stan felt like he couldn't just abandon his parents with that huge loan. He loved them and just because they couldn't see the truth behind his brother didn't mean that all the love and care they raised him with should be ignored.
He was left in darkness as his thoughts calmed down and only a bit of the sky was still red from the sunset. Carefully climbing down the tower Stan had decided to leave and go back to his car, as the nights in this forest were darker than ever this time of year.
The flashlight Stan had brought along was his only source of light, and the farther he walked from the hunting tower, the eerily silent felt the forest around him. Many details only started to cross his mind. Where were the birds cheerily chirped all day? Where were all the deer that he had seen the last time he was here? Where were the other animals that normally lived in this forest?
After that, he felt watched. Stan couldn't explain it to himself, it just felt wrong. No matter how many times he looked over his shoulder or looked into the distance, he couldn't spot whatever it was.
He continued into the direction where he thought he had parked his car, sweeping his surroundings with his flashlight every few steps. Stan couldn't see far, but it was luckily enough to see where he was going.
---
It must have taken him an hour bare minimum to find any of the small hunting trails that ran through the entirety of the large forest. Now, Stan was walking along the trail, still scanning the trees for what was watching him.
His flashlight stopped working again when he pointed it into a specific direction. He found it weird, it was like something was interfering with it. A bad prank, he thought at first, but that didn't feel like the real answer.
*crack*
As soon as he started turning around all possible survival instincts screamed throughout his body. At first he couldn't see the source of the sound and he noticed the deep purple cat-like eyes staring at his with overwhelming killing intent.
Stan took off running, his feet nearly moving on their own. He didn't know where to go, his only thoughts were to get away from that 'thing'.
Every second he prayed to whatever gods were out there to make it out of here alive.
The horrifying eyes were still staring into his back always close behind him. Tears started rolling from his eyes, he didn't want to die. His parents were waiting for him tomorrow evening.
His death would leave his parents alone and burried under their debt. Those two loving and caring souls wouldn't be able to take his death. His brother would probably celebrate his death while he rots in jail.
These purple eyes were tormenting him the whole way, inching closer and closer. 'Did whatever parents you monstrosity had, not teach you not to play with food?' Stan thought as he ran even faster than he thought possible for himself.
In the distance there was a tiny light. Relief washed over Stan as he ran into that direction with renewed intensity, knowing that he wasn't far from civilization.
Getting closer to the light, there were many more streetlights covering the road every few dozen meters. A car even drove by, when he got closer, but the slit eyes were still there, slowly coming closer, never relenting.
Even as he ran onto the street under one of the streetlamps, it kept coming closer, it's real form never caught by his eyes. Once close enough so that Stan should have been able see what predator was following him for so long. To Stan's horror, the Streetlight flickered and shut off, like it was malfunctioning.
At that moment he just started running again, even though Stan felt exhausted from all the running he kept powering through. Later he also had a car drive by him at very fast speeds that felt illegal. Stan cursed at the driver, because he just drove by a franticly running man, like it was a normal occurrence.
Stan could only keep going until he reached somewhere he could get help. The ominous feeling of getting watched by those murderous eyes had lessened before the car had driven by. It felt like a divine intervention for him, no longer terrorized by the horror that followed him.
*thwack*
The relief on his turned into horror and pain as a long and jagged spike pierced through him and tore apart his spine and insides. Stan couldn't even scream in pain as the air left his lungs. He fell face first directly onto the concrete.
Killed by the monster he thought had finally stopped chasing him. The last Stan saw was the dim headlight of an approaching car.
---
"911 what is your emergency?" the female voice clung loudly through the phone's speakers.
"Y-Ye-yes the-there is a-a man o-on the side o-of th-the road, m-ma'am. H-He has l-like a-a ma-ma-massive h-hole in his chest." A young male voice spoke panicked into the phone.
The female voice responded in a professional tone, "Could you tell me where you are right now, so that I can send help.".
Now a little more composed the young man looked towards the GPS in his semi truck and read out loud, Yes, I-I'm in the Plinwood forest on Park street near H-Hodurtown[1]"
"Okay, the police and emergency services are on their way. Would you like to have me wait with you for them to arrive?" The female voice on the other end of the line said in a comforting way to the distressed man.
"Yes, th-that would be nice." said the young man without even a second after the Dispatcher finished speaking.
-----
[1] This location is made up, just so you know.
words: 1372
If you have any ideas or stuff you'd like to see in this fanfic, I would love to hear it. Questions are also welcome!
English isn't my first language, so I'll take any constructive feedback you could give me and if you find any mistakes or if you would have written something diffently, please tell me.