Don't walk up the stairs in the woods

In my high school years, I used to venture into the woods alone. I've always been one for exploring, and sometimes I would like to go a little too far away from my house. One day I was off from school on a Holiday, it was a beautiful day and I felt my adventurous need tickling my insides. The furthest I've gone into the woods at that point was to a small creek about 5 miles in. I never went past it for some reason, I just had a weird feeling every time I got to that point. My gut reaction and instinct always told me to turn around right there, and never look back. Regardless of this feeling I had when I approached the stream, I had told myself that today, I was going to cross and keep going, no matter what....
Since I knew that I was probably going to go 10 miles into the woods, I found it necessary to prepare myself. I packed up some water bottles, munchies and a small pocket knife that my father had given me. I told my mother I was going into the woods for a little hike, told me to be back for dinner, and I was on my way.
My woods had a tiny, distinct path that started at the edge of our property. It wasn't a true, man made path, but you could tell that its been walked on so many times that it just kind of became the path in the woods. The first 5 miles was what I expected. I took in the sounds, the smells and the lights breaking through the tree tops. I was at peace. That all ended when I got to the stream. I got that same exact feeling that I always did one I got there... that sickening, dread feeling. I told myself earlier that I would keep going, but apparently fighting your instinct is a really hard thing to do.
I managed to push everything out of my mind for long enough to just go for it and jump the stream. Once I was able to, it was like I felt this immense pressure on my head, bad enough to where it was giving me a headache. I told myself I would keep going though... no matter what...
Once I started walking for about 5 minutes, I started to get better at ignoring the sick feelings. I was back to soaking up the environment around me, and getting lost in the sensations of nature. Then all of a sudden... I saw it. It was a huge, spiral staircase, just sitting in the middle of the forrest. A surge of pure excitement, combined with the weird pure dread feeling rushed over me. I will admit that was a very strange combination. When I went closer to the staircase, I noticed that there was no grass growing around it. It was absolutely gorgeous, despite how eerily out of place it was. It was as if you took the staircase of an old, victorian mansion and ploped it into the middle of the forrest. When I touched it, the metal beams were cold as ice. You know how something is so cold, it almost burns you when you are exposed to heat again?
Now that I think about it, this should have been the biggest red flag of all, since it was a nice sunny day outside. Regardless of the weirdness, I kept examining this staircase. I noticed that there was a particular molding on the stairs. It looked like little, weird, humanoid creatures dancing. I noticed some figures had horns, some had fangs. If the ice feeling didn't freak me out, this certainly did. Curiosity got the best of me though, and I would not have lived with myself if I didn't go up the stairs to get the best view I could of the forrest. The staircase went about 6 or 7 feet up, so I had to make sure they were sturdy. I gave it a hard shake, and to my surprise it was not even budging.
I took a big breath in, and without even thinking, I went for it. Once I placed my foot on the first step, my emotions went from, adrenaline/pressure sick feeling, to an overall, enchantment-like state. It was almost like I HAD to see what was at the top, like something amazingly mysterious and magical was awaiting for me. I could see that the very top was covered mostly by green, leaves, and I just wanted to peak my head into the opening I saw at the top. When I almost got to the leaves, I looked out into the forrest once last time, and it was breathtaking.
The foliage was green, with the hit of yellows and oranges just starting to stain the tips of leaves. I could see partially the trail leading through the forrest, but on the other side of the staircase, the trail had stopped. It was like the trail was just ment to lead to this particular staircase...in the middle of nowhere. Then, in an instant, I felt a hard chill in the wind. It was like the temperature dropped 10 degrees, and I had this eerie feeling that I wasn't alone. And that I was possibly on someones property, and they didn't like that I was there. That's when it hit me, I don't know what it was, but it came from behind me and shoved me hard enough to where I fell back down the stairs.
Darkness. I looked up, and it was completely dark. I didn't think I had passed out, I hadn't hit my head on anything and honestly I didn't feel too banged up, I was just in complete shock. I was less concerned with the fact that it was night time, with the fact that I was surely pushed off at the top of the stairs by something. I heard something rustle in the bushes behind me. I reached in my pack pocket, and grabbed my knife. I knew that it wouldn't be able to do much, but at least I had something to defend myself with.
Then, I heard a heart beat. It wasn't my own... I could hear my own too cause it was beating so rapidly, but this... this was a rhythmic, steady heartbeat. It started to get louder, and louder to the point where it overpowered the sound of my own. As it would beat, I felt it all around me. The heartbeat became rhythmic with a immense pressure I felt in my head. It became so painful and powerful I was on my knees, grabbing my head, begging into the air to please stop.. it didn't stop.. my head kept pulsing, the heartbeat got louder, and it felt like this presence had complete control of me.. Like it was trying to get into my thoughts. I couldn't take the pain anymore, and I'm by no mean religious, but I knew that I wasn't hallucinating, what I was experiencing was real, and I knew only God could help me now. I screamed with all my might, and begged a higher being to hear my cries for help. And all of a sudden, It stopped. Everything stopped. The pulsing, the heartbeat, even the insects, crickets wind, all stopped. I had no idea what was happening, what just happened, or why it was night, and why I didn't remember anything, but I just ran. I ran all down the path leading to my parents house.
I couldn't think, I could't catch my breath, but I don't know where that presence went or if it was following me, but I couldn't look back, I couldn't stop moving. I Jumped the creek, and once I was over I started to slow down from a sprint, to a light jog. I tried to process what had just happened. I remember I stopped for a second, and tried to listen. I was expecting chirping, and other nature noises...but it was absolutely dead silence. I could see, but I couldn't hear. I even tried speaking, but I couldn't hear my own voice. Even when I tried to cry, I just felt the emotion, and the tears, I couldn't hear myself crying. When I walked, I felt like I was moving through something, almost like a matrix. Every time I took a step, I felt like I was walking through a substance. I couldn't see it, but when I moved my hand in front of the light from the moon, I could see the air, warping around my arm. I was "crying" and my insides were building with anxiety, but all I wanted in the moment was to go home. I started running again, the faster I saw the light of my parents back porch the faster I would be safe in my mothers arms.
Once I saw the familiar light from my house, I felt some relief. When I came out of the woods on to our land, I looked up at my house. Usually I would get a warm, comforting feeling from looking at my house, even at night... but this night it felt so different. As I looked up at my house, I felt that same dreading sensation. But, I would rather be in the house than outside with.... whatever I ran into out there.
I went up the back stairs, and took one last look at the woods as I was still processing. Right at the edge of the property where the trail starts, the same spot where I was standing, stood a dark overgrown figure, staring at me. His eyes looked like they were big and black...
I opened up the door and screamed for my mom and dad...no sound came out but I assure you..I tried. I ran all the way through the house, begging to God seeing my parents would make this end. I finally opened up the basement door, and there was my mother, at the bottom of the basement stairs. It was dark in the basement, and she was turned around, so I couldn't see her face. She was standing so still, like she didn't even hear me. I tried calling out, but still no sound. I walked slowly down the stairs, not knowing what to expect at this point. When I got to my mother, I tapped on her shoulder..she didn't turn around. I saw that she was facing a light switch, so I turned on the switch, and I looked at her face.
It was her, but...she was completely frozen...as if frozen in time. Her eyes were unblinking, and her hand was placed as if she was reaching for the light switch, and froze. I almost fell over... nothing made any sense. I went and looked for my dad, and I found him upstairs, in the same, frozen in time state... was in the middle of washing his hands. The water was even frozen in time.... I don't know what happened, but it all started by climbing those creepy stairs in the middle of nowhere. I went through every possible explanation in my head, and the only one possible was I fell into some kind of time warp, and the creature outside had somehow transported me into his dimension.
I was so desperate to reverse whatever I had done, whatever I had fallen into. I knew that if I went back into the woods, I would have to come face to face with the man with big black eyes. This was possibly my worst nightmare, and I wasn't sure how to snap out of it. The only way I could describe this was that I felt like I had fallen into hell. If I ever wanted any resemblance of reality again, I would have to face possibly one of the darkest forces that live deep in the trenches of the universe... The one that lives right in the woods behind my house...associated with that staircase.
to be continued...


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