The Myths

Cascade Falls was where my best friend, that was busy searching her over run closet for a flashlight grew up, and our current place of residence for the next eight weeks. Current because this was NOT where I pictured spending the two best months, aka free days of summer three months ago.

I had pictured a beach somewhere, hiding the sun, maybe skinny dipping, being harassed by some guy before turning him down -again. Instead, I got a mock up of what would be considered abandoned Texas only it has trees, people didn't hail each other with "howdy folks" or wore hats and cow boy boots, wheeling guns. But in my opinion maybe if they had, it'd have made this town plenty interesting.

I sighed again. So much for a great summer!

My body flipped back into the queen size bed with a thud, the mattress hugging my body with so much softnesss, I swore I fell in a cotton candy cloud.

"Yes!" Shouted Moi waving the poor flashlight in her hand triumphantly. I instantly felt sad. I had hoped she wouldn't discover it tonight. "I finally found it. "

Moi grinned waltzing over to my livid body, as I laid staring at the roof of her room.

"Okay, story time!" She chimed happily climbing into the bed beside me and folding her feet like the statue of Buddha.

I groaned annoyed, which earned me a slap to the shoulder.

"Hey, that hurts! " I said nursing my arm. The hell! I can never understand how the smallest people have the heaviest hands.

"Come on, you mope around all day about being bored, " she says tucking a strand of her blue dyed hair behind her ear. "Now is your chance to have fun, " Her eyes narrowed on me mischeviously. "Unless you're terrified. "

"Please, " I stated lifting my chin, scrambling on all fours. "Do your worse. "

She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows as the lights flicker off and the light from the flashlight in her hands illuminates only the small area between us.

"Cascade Falls wasn't always the fancy place we know it to be today, not even by a long shot. This entire area was once inhabited by shadows, towering trees and practically creatures known only to the dark. No human habitation was ever found, that is until humans started encroaching on endangered territories unknown to them, ruled by entities only known by myths. "

I yawn and Moi slapped me against my naked thigh forcing me to writhe in pain. Her hands were heavy and they stung like a damn jelly fish and she knew it. Dammit. I rolled my eyes soothing my skin, nodding for her to continue her half dead, boring story.

"It wasn't until people started disappearing, one, two at a time and sometimes an entire camp that people started to search the lands. Only to stumble upon piercing wolf cries. Those whom have seen the creatures claim they were rabid dogs, eyes as red as blood, and teeth as long as tusks. "

I snorted in unbelief. "Yet they still didn't move away, even with all that. "

"There were people who were afraid yes, many left the town in search of better lands. But in truth Cascade Falls was an Eden paradise, an earthy Atlantis. Goods grown here sustained the village for months on end, even with trading. A few towns men decided enough was enough, when even the livestock were now being killed. They left their families to catch the creatures only to return with most, if not all houses ransacked and broken. "

I sighed again.

"Are you sure this was caused by animals? History does point the logical explanation to what you've just described as plain ordinary thieves. "

"Will you stop interrupting the story or just go to sleep! " A frustrated Moi yelled.

"Fine, " I said throwing up my hands. "Bed it is. Good night."

"Sit, " she demanded tugging me back into the bed.

"I'm not a dog!"

She glared and I found myself whining like a puppy resting my ass on the side of the bed. Clearing her throat she continued, repositioning the flashlight at her face. I pretended to listen staring at the full moon outside, wondering all the possible things I could be doing right now. There was a forest behind their house, behind every house actually on this stretch of land. The trees growing unusually thick I noticed, walking around. From where I stood today at the window, it didn't seem as if light filtered through the canopy, which was unusual since most of the trees had very small leaves, but the periphery only hinted at darkness.

I turned my attention with drooping eyes back to my best friend, in time to hear her final set of words.

"No one really knows if what they caught were the creatures or if they were the only ones there, but after, everything returned to normal. Folks say their descendants still want blood and that they roam the forest. " She pointed out the window as the sliver -grey light from the moon filtered in adding to her dramatic effects. "Every full moon and those who are unfortunate to meet them never returns".

"Wow, " I say yawning sauntering over to my bed, stretching as I walk away. "That's a load of crap. "

My best friend shrugs throwing away her flashlight, as she crawls into my bed with me. Why? I don't know since hers was literally on the other side of the room. I should complain, but I bite it back, too tired to argue and my eyes had started to hurt from all the eye rolling I'd done all day. When she laid snugly beside me I ran a hand through her hair, laying my head against her.

"Please don't tell me you believe that bullshit just now?"

"Not one bit" She replied quickly.

"Then why the hell would you tell me a story like that?"

"Because, " She states proudly. "It makes a great scary story, especially for the little kids. "

"I'm not a child Moi."

She pursed her lips cocking her head to one side as if thinking.

"Aren't you? My bad, who was the one throwing a tantrum today, about me eating the last cup of strawberry ice cream?"

"That's because it's ice cream Ammoy!" I stated adamantly. "Only horrible people eat their best friend's favourite things, knowing it's the only one left. "

"Actually, " She saying attempting to be smart, her finger waving through the dark room. "Only a best friend would be thoughtful enough to know her bestfriend, her real best friend wouldn't care either way. "

"I pray you died in your sleep tonight, " I mumbled

"I love you too, " she responds with a kissy face.

***

Twigs break with a snap beneath my feet as I walk with no sense of direction through the deadly hollows. So named by me because even now, there wasn't a single shred of light pouring from the trick trees above and it was a damn full moon. Literally, I don't think in all my twenty three years, I've ever seen a moon as gigantic as the one I left behind; following my inquisitive self into a darkened forest that presumably held flesh eating monsters. Probably witches, goblins and all other mythical creatures that you could possibly conjure up.

How did I get from bed to here? Well let's say I tried, attempted to sleep, might have taken a nap, woke up and climbed out the window and tada found myself dredging through the forest, one feet before the other acting like little Miss Nancy Drew on an adventure. Only I left my best friend behind. See I'm the curious one, Moi is the crazy but rational one. We balance each other except when it came to adventures. Once she had no control over the situation she didn't want to be apart of it. Yeah, she's a control freak!

My feet keep patting forward taking me deeper, further into the darkned epitome. My eyes catching the first rays of light that wasn't from my phone, and idiot me ran straight towards it. The light shone into a small clearing with other surrounding trees still covered in darkness, the small area seeming to be in use but everything else were at a distance away. The sky was devoid of stars only the streaks of grey with clouds shifting inside the dome before swirling beside the moon. Admittedly if everywhere else wasn't covered in darkness, I'd have claimed this place to be beautiful.

Weird plants bobbed in the rush of wind, before it became forceful, my hair and clothes lashing against my skin and blinding my eyes, then after a while everything went pitch black. I swallowed, willing myself not to panic. It was just the elements, the wind, the wind gets rough from time to time.

Crack!

I laughed nervously to myself. It's just a branch

Snap!

Just another branch

Crunch!

Okay someone is definitely messing with me. And why the hell is the moon gone!

As if sensing my agitation, the clouds immediately parted and a weird red colour now shone around me.

Great, scare the girl! Curious, my head snapped up, a gasp falling from my mouth and my eyes widening instantly.

"Oh my god!" My feet back tracked, before I tripped over a broken log finding myself against the damp floor of the forrest. "What the hell is that? Wha...what happened to the moon?"

Above me stood what I presumped was the planet/moon I'd seen earlier, only now fluorscently blood red and imposing. My eyes stared taking in the sight while my mind raged that what I saw could never be real. The wind whipped around me in ferocious lashes, the shuffling of leaves could now be heard coming closing from miles away. Something was coming. Everything about the atmosphere, everything about the forest at once started to change. Everything that was once quiet now came forth with life. Birds, owls, black, silver and grey spanned the skys, even the forbidden black birds or ravens whatever the hell you'd want to call them. My body felt heavy like lead, fallen in my spot, transfixed. Maybe I did fall down that rabbit hole afterall.

My head whipped into the direction of a loud growl before a howl pierced the air. Every animal that had peeked out had disappeared within seconds.

So why the hell was I still here?

Scrambling up on noodle legs, I grabbed my phone from the ground, grumbling about the dirt that had scraped under my fingernails, before trying to make it back. Hopefully unscaved and hopefully, a big hopefully not scared either. The prospective of the creatures Moi had described in her horror story being true was highly unlikely. Man eating beasts, psh, could never be true. That kind of mutation couldn't possibly survive life. Hell we weren't surviving and we had all the amenities required for life.

That thought however, went through the window hearing a growl inches behind me. Literal inches.

I felt the host's breath, retracting and reforming on my heels as I did my best not to topple over. I wanted to look back to see what it could have been, but with the darkness so thick I could hold it and the low branches clawing my face off, I had to keep moving forward.

Another heavy ferocious growl. I screamed tearing through the woods, hands waving like a maniac. Heavy pads of feet sounded behind me with splashes of what sounded like pools of water. I didn't pass water, wait, no. I glance around me. Dammit, I didn't have any idea the hell I was.

Another snap, twigs breaking, a trailer of probably what would soon be my own fate. I whinned a little later stepping back as whatever it was, that now lingered behind me approached slowly. I really should have taken Moi along. This way I wouldn't die lonely. I might have been annoyed but I wouldn't be alone. Whatever it was stopped moving and I squinted straining to make it out from where it stood. Maybe it was an animal. I should actually be hoping it's a man shouldn't I?

The flap of wings suddenly caused me to jump back hitching my feet in a vine before tumbling over, crashing to the ground face first.

"Dammit!" I groaned pushing up on my elbows. "Enough adventure for tonight Halie. No more imaginary friends, no more late night walks. Especially in creepy places unless bestie is tagging along. "

I nodded to my note to self, sprouting up and dusting myself off before scanning the surrounding ground for my phone I'd apparently thrown away from my fall. The light flickered in the distance, and I sighed in relief finally locating it, before padding on all fours retrieving it. Whipping my brow, I moved to stand glancing up, my eyes locking with a creature.

My feet wobbled dropping me back on my knees. It's eyes was trained on mine, it's mouth open, saliva draining from the sides looking like a rabid dog.

Oh damn, my mind registered, it's a wolf. An oversized mutt-wolf thing.

Didn't Moi say these damn things weren't real? So then why was it looking at me like I'm lunch?