The Fear Felt around The world by Big J

Prologue:

I was running through the thick foliage straining for breath, my heart pounding like a cannon. It felt as though my heart would burst right out of my chest. My pursuers were closing in on me; however it was difficult to say how far away they were, because of their ability to move silently through the woods. Still, there was one thing that gave away their position, their scent, and I definitely smelled them. It was a bitter stench similar to a combination of animal fesses and half-decayed bodies. The obnoxious odor bit at my nostrils which were unfortunately gasping for air. I was feeling quite nauseated, but I couldn’t permit myself to stop and vomit, I had to keep running. I had to keep moving, a moments hesitation would assuredly prove to be fatal. I had never been much of a runner, and I commonly was one who was quick to tire, but in this moment I was moving like a world class sprinter without the slightest inclination of my body weakening. I had been told that when a person is enveloped in fear they are endowed with near super human strength and abilities, and this theory was proving to be true. Unfortunately my predators seemed to have inhuman speed and agility, and I knew that they would soon be upon me. It was impossible to out run them, and I knew that I would have already been killed, but they were having their fun toying with me. It was all a game to them, they were like a group of ally cats and I was a rubber mouse. It was horrifying to imagine what they had in store for me once my capture was accomplished. I was positive that it would prove to be a fate worse than death. This thought caused me to recall the words of Long John Silver from the movie Treasure Island when he warned, “Them who die will be the lucky ones.” I now realized that I no longer feared death, in truth it would be a nice reprieve from the suffocating fear that I was now experiencing. However, I was afraid of the torture they had in mind for me. While I was in this stupor of fear, I suddenly had an epiphany, I could hide. Although it wasn’t the best plan, it was my only option if I were to survive this whole ordeal. When I came to the conclusion that I needed to conceal myself, my next dilemma was locating a sanctuary and locating it quickly. Then I saw it, my savior, a large pine tree with low hanging branches, without another thought I swung up into the tree with the agility of an Olympic gymnast. Then I quickly clambered up the tree until I was a good fifteen feet off the ground, and settled myself onto a large branch to wait.
Once I was settled I noticed several scratches which I had obtained when I was climbing up the tree. However, my soul was so racked with dread, that I was incapable of feeling the sting of my wounds. As I sat there, I tried to force my breathing and heartbeat to relax, for I feared that the frantic beating of my heart would call the attention of my hunters. By some miracle I was able to gain my composure and relax my body. Thus, I waited as silent as possible, the knotted branch slowly digging into my thighs, hoping beyond hope that my scheme would be successful. They say that there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole, might I add there is no such thing as an atheist when he is hiding in a tree from blood thirsty predators. So, for the first time in years I prayed, I prayed that some how by the mercies of God I would be sparred from the vengeance of these beasts. I did not try to make a deal with God for I knew I had nothing to offer. I simply hoped that I had not strayed to far from the herd that he couldn’t hear my cries for help.
After several seconds of waiting and praying, I suddenly heard the crackle of the fallen leaves below, I shuttered as the realization hit me, they had arrived. I held my breath and stared down upon the hideous beasts. They were tall but slender and extraordinarily muscular; their bodies were covered almost entirely with dark brown hair. Their mouths and nostrils were protruding in a K-9 fashion. Their form was extremely animalistic, and somewhat reminiscent of the werewolves one might see in a Hollywood movie. However, this is not the fact that caused such overwhelming terror to penetrate my heart, in truth it was their eyes that caused me to quack. Their eyes were like two glowing red embers full of hate and rage, which caused one’s blood to chill. I have been told that the eyes are the window into a person’s soul, if this were true these creatures were the embodiment of pure unadulterated evil. As I was reflecting upon this, the realization finally hit me, they were no longer running; they had come to a stop directly below where I sat. They were sniffing at the ground around them, determined to find my scent, however they seemed to be quite bewildered, unable to get a location on my path. My heart suddenly filled with hope, I actually thought that I would survive. I noticed that they were grouped in a small pack of three, a common hunting party among their kind, and I hoped that because of their small number they would soon tire of their search and leave. As my mind contemplated this possibility, a small twig that was on my branch broke under the pressure of my weight. It hardly made a sound, because of it being muffled by my leg, but to my horror in unison all of their dog like ears pricked up. They looked up into what I had once considered to be my sanctuary, and began to laugh. This was not a humorous giggle, but a mocking bloodthirsty cackle that chilled me to the bone. I silently cursed at myself for my carelessness in allowing myself to be found. All of a sudden they came for me, seeming to defy gravity they leapt into the tree and a second later I was surrounded by the nightmarish creatures. They were licking their fangs, blood dripping from their mouths. The one, who I supposed was their leader, starred at me through his fiery penetrating eyes. He sat no more that an inch from my face, the stench of his breath suffocating me with its pungency. Then in a deep demonic voice he spoke to me. “Jack I told you we would come to make retribution, and I always repay my debts.” “Wha-wha-what are you ga-ga-going to do to me,” I stammered. “Make you pay,” he shouted, as he brought down his huge claw like hand…
I awoke with a start, grasping at my chest to check if my heart was still beating. I soon recognized that I was safely in my bed, it had all been a dream. I began to relax. After I had gained my composure and slowed my heart rate back to a normal speed , I suddenly noticed that my pillow was drenched with a salty liquid. I absently reached for my head and noticed that my hair was fully saturated with sweat. It was not a particularly hot night, so I deduced that this extreme perspiration must have been caused by the stress that my dream was inflicting. I laughed at myself for being so childish, honestly a man of my age and experience should not be so terrified by a bad dream. However, I was terrified, these dreams had been tormenting me ever since I had begun work on this novel. It seems that the very creatures I was portraying in my book had now gained control of my dreams. I have discovered that exploring the world of the supernatural has it’s price, my sanity.
One might be wondering why I would write a book such as this, which seems to mock and defy the very laws of science. I for one am a very logical person, and many view me as a skeptic. However, in my short life I have traveled much and seen extraordinary things, many of which I would define as supernatural. I have come to the conclusion that there are things that go bump in the night, but unlike Casper the friendly ghost, they do mean us harm.
In my travels I have become acquainted with people from many different countries. Each of them with a story to tell about their encounters with the unexplainable. In this book I have compiled many of their stories, making only slight changes for dramatic effect. Although I find this work incredibly interesting I must warn it is not for the faint of heart. In fact, after completing this book you might find yourself agreeing with the old adage , “Ignorance is Bliss.”

Chapter 1

Skin-walker – A Navajo legend which speaks of evil humans who gain supernatural powers by killing a close relative. The are usually completely naked, except for a coyote skin which they wear. They travel around villages destroying holy objects and murdering villagers. They seem to be endowed with the power to shape shift much like a werewolf. On the reservation it is seen as a terrible taboo to talk about Skin-walkers, for fear that the mention of them will in some way invite them in. These creatures are commonly located within Indian reservations, there have been several sightings of such creatures over the years.