The Thing in the Deep Woods Chapter 2

"This is Sarge. That's Dutch."

My best friend, Mike, introduced me to the two men.

They were veteran hunters, ex-military. I paid a fortune to get them.

They had survival skills that could keep them alive in hell. They only agreed when I put fifty grand on the table.

The woods were a remote branch of the Appalachian Mountains. Rarely visited, except by a few locals living off the grid.

My dad had taken me there for a distant relative's funeral all those years ago.

It took us a full day of travel to reach the village on the edge of the forest.

The old village head welcomed us, but when he heard what we were after, he turned pale.

"Son, listen to me. Don't go in there."

"That thing takes lives. Everyone who sees it dies."

My voice was low. "I know you mean well, Uncle. But I have to go. I saw it when I was a kid. It took my father."

The old man paused, frowning deeply.

"Son, leave now. That thing... it can smell you. It might come down the mountain tonight just to finish the job."

That was a new detail.

Inside his cabin, the village head told us what he knew.

No one knew exactly what it was. It looked like an ape, but its scream was unearthly. Its bite force was stronger than a bear or a tiger. People found in the past had their skulls crushed.

It usually stayed dormant unless something woke it up.

But again, no survivors meant no details.

As for the smell? A few years ago, a group of poachers went up in winter, looking for easy fur.

They heard the scream. They tried to retreat, but one by one, they were picked off.

Only one old poacher made it down. He claimed he saw it—huge, pale hands. Hands strong enough to snap a neck like a twig.

He thought he was safe.

The next morning, the villagers found a hole in his roof. The poacher was gone.

They found him that afternoon by a creek. His head was crushed. Giant prints surrounded the body.

Rumor had it the creature fled because the police brought heavy firepower.

Sarge and Dutch exchanged a look. "This thing sounds supernatural."

I looked at them. "You can back out now. I won't force you."

Sarge shook his head. "I'm in. My mom needs surgery, and this money saves her."

Dutch shrugged. "I need the cash for my wedding. I'm in."

Seeing he couldn't stop us, the village head went to his shed and came back with two sticks of old mining explosives.

"Leftover from when they blasted the road years ago. Don't know if they still work, but take 'em. If you can kill that thing, we can all sleep easier."

I thanked him.

That night, the creature didn't come for me. But none of us slept well.

The next morning, under a heavy fog, we stepped into the woods.