Saturday, October 22, 2016

Tauy Creek Digest #27: The Deer Creek Devil

Dustin parked the car on a small access road to a farm field about a quarter mile away from where they were going to be walking. Dustin, along with Aaron and Nathan, got out of the car, Nathan had a backpack slung on his shoulder, and they all stood in the middle of the country road.

"Ready?" Dustin asked. Aaron and Nathan nodded and they began walking. "The bridge up ahead is Deer Creek," Dustin said, in a quiet voice but not quite a whisper.

"So what are we looking for?" Nathan asked.

"And why?" Aaron joked.

"The Deer Creek Devil," Dustin said as if everyone should know what he was talking about. "There's rumors of an odd creature roaming the woods of Deer Creek Park in Osage Lake. It has pale skin that glows in the moonlight, sharp teeth, and can run really fast."

"And we want to find this creature because...?" Aaron asked.

"It more than likely doesn't exist. We're just doing this because it would be cool to say we did it," Dustin said.

They continued walking until they got to the intersection. Off to their left, almost behind them, was a densely wooded area that followed the creek. The three of them walked slowly toward the woods and found a small trail and began following that. As they walked, the trail tapered off and soon became non-existent.

"So where do we go?" Aaron asked.

"I don't know. I figured the trail would just keep going," Dustin said. The sound of wood hitting echoed around them from above. "What is that?"

"Tree branches hitting together," Nathan said and pointed up. "It's a little windy tonight and even windier up there."

"I see something up ahead," Aaron said.

"Let's split up," Dustin said. "We'll each go a different way."

Aaron and Nathan reluctantly did that and separated into the woods. Nathan walked for several minutes but saw and heard nothing until he came to the edge of Deer Creek, the soft sound of water trickling between the banks. Nathan walked up to the banks and looked over the edge, holding onto a tree. Reflecting in the water, he could see the moon. He then heard a breathing sound from somewhere around him. At first, he thought it was his until the sound didn't match the rate of his breaths. He looked back into the water and saw that the pale reflection had moved. He turned around quickly and saw nothing. He began running back where he came from.

Dustin walked for awhile until he came to a clearing. He was now in a farm field with the moon shining down on him. He could still hear the branches clapping together from the woods but also the wind rustling the tall grass that he was standing in. Somehow, the knocking became louder and quicker. Dustin felt a tap on his shoulder and neck and quickly turned around to see no one standing near him. He began running back where he came from.

Dustin and Nathan ran into each other, adrenaline pumping. "What happened?" Dustin exclaimed.

"I don't know. What happened to you?"

"I don't know. We need to find Aaron," Dustin looked to where Aaron had walked off. The two of them quickly walked, following Aaron's path as best they could. They reached a clearing where a large stone house stood. The house was three stories, had no windows, and looked to have been abandoned for decades. "That must be what he saw."

"Is he in there?" Nathan wondered.

They heard a faint shout come from the house. "Sounds like it."

The two of them cautiously approached the house and went inside through the smashed front door. "Aaron," Nathan shouted.

They kept hearing the faint shouts of Aaron coming from somewhere in the house but it seemed to move every time they got near it. Finally, Dustin thought he trapped the noise in the basement. "Aaron! Nathan, he's down here!" he shouted and went down the stairs to the basement.

The shouts were louder down there but there was also something else that Dustin heard but didn't see and it knocked him down onto the dirt floor.

"Dustin," Nathan shouted. "Where are you?" Nathan slowly walked around the house and came to the basement door. He slowly crept down the fragile wooden stairs and onto the dirt floor. The shouts were quiet now and Nathan couldn't see anything in the basement. He shined his flashlight all around but saw and heard nothing. Then, only blackness.