The Forest [2]

This is the second entry in my series 'The Forest'. It is my first attempt at a horror serial, so it probably isn't going to be the best thing you've ever read. If you have any pointers or things for me to improve on, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments!

I managed to steal a few hours of sleep, interrupted by surreal visions of chaos, and strange, inhuman echoes in the night. The wind was howling all night long, and the air pulsated as if the Universe was sending a distress signal.

By the time I awoke, it had been on Earth for around 3 hours. Like a weed, it had planted its roots and was now exploring, growing, and consuming. Even where I had camped, several miles away, reality seemed to be reeling. This cosmic being had smashed through the boundaries of our world, and the fallout was only just beginning.

I do not know what time I began to walk, as my watch was completely dead. The landscape around me looked slightly off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong with it, exactly. The forest was eerily quiet - not a bird in the sky nor a cricket in the grass chirped. It was just me, the wind, and the haunting echoes of this unknown force.

As I walked, I couldn't help but notice a slight chill running through my veins. It felt as if something was watching, stalking, and teasing me. With each step, this feeling grew within me, until I was so overwhelmed with dread that I could walk no further.

I sat against a tree, and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was back in my tent. I wept. After so little sleep, such strange scenes, my mind was so exhausted that I could hardly keep up. I cried, for at least half an hour, before I was finally able to pull myself together and leave the tent.

The world outside had completely changed. Gone was the beautiful, cloudless sky and lush trees blowing in the wind. The world that faced me was utterly dead. The trees, leafless and charred. The grass, wilted and rotten. It felt as if I had left Earth behind, and walked straight into Hell.

I began to run. I didn't know what I was running from, or too, but I just kept running. My mind was so overcome with desperation that I didn't even notice the shadows following me, or the movement out the corner of my eyes.

I ran until my body was nearly exhausted, and I stopped to catch my breath. It was dark now. It was not night- the Sun was still high in the crimson sky, and yet the ground around me was completely dark, as if a great cloak had blocked out the sky.

I turned, and saw behind me, a few metres back, the great mass of Darkness from the night before. I stood there in astonishment, completely paralysed with fear.

As I started, I noticed a shape begin to emerge from the darkness. Slowly, it appeared to be transforming. After a few moments, the shape became distinguishable. It was me. The imitation was crude however. Its eyes, slightly too far apart. Its skin had a slightly oily sheen, and its stringy hair floated as if under water. It stood there, completely motionless. Its vacant eyes gazed blankly at my face; the stare like daggers cast blindly into my core.

Without warning, its head exploded into a vile cacophony of colours, the incomprehensible patterns of which forced me to clamp my eyes shut. It let off a horrific, inhuman scream, as meaningless whispers yelled in my head. I felt the ground beneath me dissolve, as my mind began to melt away.