I'm getting lycan of some kind. A were-something. Either that or a Dark Passenger, but I've never heard of Dark Passengers to be much for open fields. They seem to need people to latch onto.
“If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have the key to the universe.”
― Nikola Tesla
Is this a creature in shadow or a shadowy creature? Should it be so dark in an open field?
How many of them really know what they want, though? I mean, a lot of them think they have to know, right? But inside they don't really know, so... I don't know ,but I know that I don't know.- Lloyd Dobler
It's definitely human-like... unnervingly so. I'm leaning towards werewolf, but there's also something... either goat-like or deer-like about it? Am I the only one seeing that? I'm wondering if it has paws or hooves...
“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
I’ve been sent to Pennsylvania for work. The air was thick that afternoon, humid and suffocating, the kind of summer heat that clings to you long after the sun sets. I was driving back to my motel on a long, empty stretch of road when I saw something—something I still can’t quite explain.
Out on the plains, just as the sky was bleeding into dusk, I caught a glimpse of it. At first, it was just a shape, a silhouette against the fading light. Humanoid, but wrong. Too tall. Too thin. It moved with an odd fluidity, as though its limbs weren’t bound by the same constraints ours are. I slowed the car, squinting into the distance. My first instinct was to rationalize. A scarecrow, maybe. A trick of the light. But as I drew nearer, my stomach sank. It wasn’t a scarecrow.
It stood motionless now, watching—or at least, I think it was watching. I couldn’t make out a face, just long, gangly arms that hung too low, almost brushing the tops of the tall grass. Its skin—if I can even call it that—was pale, but not in the way humans are pale. It was... sickly, almost translucent, like the underbelly of something that had never seen daylight.
I know our forum rules are to never engage, and I should’ve driven away. I should’ve left it alone. But I didn’t. I can't explain the drive to get some form of confirmation of what I was seeing.
I stopped the car. Got out. Slowly. Got out my camera. Slowly. Stared. And in that moment, I swear it tilted its head, just slightly, as though acknowledging me. Then, without warning, it bolted. It didn’t move like anything I’d ever seen before. Its legs carried it across the field in long, smooth strides, faster than any person could run. And just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone—swallowed up by the horizon.
I sat in my car for a long time after that, heart pounding, eyes glued to the spot where it had disappeared.
Now, I'm back in the area for a follow up for work and I'm honestly debating going back to see if I find anything new.
It started as a glimpse at the corner of my eye, a fleeting shadow that seemed almost to pulse at the edges of my vision. When I looked, there was nothing there. But the feeling of being watched didn’t stop. It followed me from the plains into the woods.
Each time I tried to catch it, it slipped out of sight, melting back into the trees like it had no desire being seen. Then something in me, maybe fear, maybe something older, urged me to stop looking for it directly. So, I took my camera, pointed it behind me. I kept my eyes forward, my back to the trees, and whenever the hair on my neck prickled, I’d snap off a frame or two, blind as a bat.
After the last shot, I heard it. The faintest hiss, like air leaking from a long, thin crack. Then a shuffle, like something heavy dragging itself closer through the leaves. I froze, heart pounding, and I swear I nearly snapped my camera in half. The air thickened, coiling around me, and suddenly, in my mind’s eye, I saw it—a creature with sharp, gleaming teeth and a grin too wide. I ran.
The hiss grew louder, and then I heard the unmistakable sound of rapid footsteps—heavy, deliberate, moving toward me from the darkness.
I sprinted until the air seared my lungs and the pounding in my ears drowned out my own gasping breath. Only when I saw the edge of the woods did I dare to look back, but the trees were empty, silent as if nothing had been there at all, but nothing anyone can ever say will ever convince me that I hadn't just barely become a survivor.
I developed the roll as soon as I got home. Nothing but shadow and undergrowth in most, but three frames came out with something I can’t explain. The first two I share here, but the third…
The third is less clear than the first two, the shadow figure is like a ripple, a blur in the trees, but the trees are bent around it, bowing outward.
The third image doesn’t show up. Not on any scanner, not on any machine.
I don’t know what I survived. But there’s something out there and I think this should be upgraded to an official case file.
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That is...incredibly creepy. I'd actually say those images are super clear, though! It's enough to say it's humanoid...maybe with abnormally thin arms, though that could could be the way the light's shining around it. I'm really glad you're okay!
Something I can kind of contribute though...I actually have somebody I know from another forum who's from West Virginia, and he'd always talk about how Appalachia's chock full of things like this.
He'd talk for hours about people always warning you not to go out into the woods at night. That if you see something in the trees, you shouldn't look at it. That if you suddenly hear all the sounds of nature stop, you should look straight at the ground and immediately get inside. That if you live near the woods, you should never answer the door at night. All that fun stuff!
He never really said *why* you weren't supposed to do any of that, though. He'd never talk more than super vaguely about the thing that all these superstitions are based on. I hope this helps you at least a little, though.
It's good to see you're safe!
"I’ve come to believe that everyone has some type of magic inside them. If a person can find their magic and lovingly cultivate it, they’ll truly feel alive every day." - Eiko Kadono
Thats terrifying. I so glad you ok. IF you go back, and maybe you shouldn't, but if you do I'd suggest you try something as a basic protection. There are several cultures who developed the same trick to guard against wildlife prone to attacking from behind. In India, villagers wear masks on the back of their heads to ward off tigers. In Canada, lumber workers use an old First Nation's trick of painting eyes on the back of their hard hats to protect against cougar attacks. Both predators prefer to ambush from the rear. Maybe the same trick will be enough to provide some protection.
The Truth is out there, Mulder. But so are lies. - Dana Scully FBI
