"well.." i said impatiently, "what time is it?"

i knew it had to be late evening, we had been on this hike for hours, only now finding an clearing between a canopy of thick trees and forestry to have a breather.

your eyes darted from mine to something in the distance, then quickly back to mine. i turned my head to look out of instinct, finding nothing behind me- only to face back to you with your hands pulled up in horror.
a faint snap of perhaps a twig or branch breaking in the distance, so quiet it fades into obscurity almost as soon as it's heard.

"..what is it?" i turn to stand next to you, side by side, both staring off into the shrubbery.

"i don't know, i swear.. i thought i saw.. i don't even know WHAT it was. it looked like something darted between those two trees. but this thing had long arms and long.. legs?"

"what the fuck are you talking about?" i grabbed your elbow out of security. "i swear to god, if you're making this shit up cos it's dark and you know how i am about being scared.." i hissed from behind my teeth, "i'll fucking kill you myself."

"i'm not! i wouldn't! look, we're done out here, lets just head back to the car."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? after you just said you saw some scary-as-fuck orangatang looking motherfucker lurking beyond the trees.. you now want to go??"

"i'm sorry! okay, i'm pretty sure this trail wraps around and has a short cut to where we're parked- probably about 10 minutes this way-" you pointed to your right, a slightly less used cutaway was tucked between two towering pine trees. overhead, the sky was quickly changing from what was a bright pastel blue speckled with thin clouds to sky of gray, feathered with what must be rain clouds. how could this lovely day turn into something so deeply unsettling in just a couple hours?

i stood next to you, staring off into the trail. visualizing our trip through the foliage, over exposed roots and around embedded rocks and stones -- my mind went numb. you know that feeling of zoning out for so long you somehow *snap* back into reality and it's almost as if you jumped back into your body and find yourself doing something without realizing it? this moment happens and two things became very clear to me:

1) somewhere in my zoned out gaze, i had locked eyes with someone. something down that trail was staring back at me. their eyes deep, black sockets-- and just beyond the sockets, a smolder of light. the faintest glimmer of red, yellow and white, slowly rotating colors .. a fire, burning behind this black skull, this black entity- and taking in the full image of this being - realizing its arms were reaching the ground from its swaying posture. it's knees slightly bent, moving from left to right and left again - hypnotizing me. it's knuckles scraping the dirt and debris ever so slightly with every lunge.

it's frame was thin, praying-mantis like, it's empty sockets burning holes into the back of my eyes. i found myself back in my body (was i ever in it?) trying to regain control of my view, of my body, of ANYTHING with no resolve. it was as if this entity had froze me in this moment, even blocking out my periphery of you or anything around me.

it began to walk towards us, i could hear the scraping gravel on its knuckles- it's fingers thin and long ..or was it fingernails?.. it's slightly crouched posture creaking with each step. it's fiery gaze locked into my own- and suddenly, a louder snap occurred in the distance- the creature whipped it's skull in the direction of the disturbance- breaking it's paralyzing hypnosis on me just long enough to notice:

2) i had been grasping so tightly to your arm, my nails had made punctures- a scarlet ribbon of blood running down your forearm, wrapping itself ever so around your fingers -dripping down your ring finger- i had been so gripped with fear i didn't notice this, even the urine dripping down my legs- and as my eyes followed up your arm it became clear .. it was no longer a part of you.

you were no longer standing next to me.

this arm i held in my hands, dripping with petals of ruby, had been ripped from your being. looking down, a streak of blood running from where you once stood to the trail we had come from -to where YOU had seen this .. THING .. and it happened to me, that there must be two of these creatures.

and before i could open my mouth to let out a scream -- after i had dropped your arm and just as my brain sent the signal for me to run, i--