"I Took a Job as a Park Ranger I Was Given a Strange List Of Duties" Creepypasta

working as a park ranger was a big deal for me I've always loved the outdoors and getting PID to patrol hiking trails and check on campsites felt like a dream it was only a seasonal job but I was still content with the allocated time I was given I'd been assigned to a remote National Park miles from anything resembling civilization my station was a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere surrounded by dense forest there wasn't even cell service most of the time first day in the job was pretty standard I met Ed my supervisor he's

this older guy maybe in his 50s with a kind of weathered face that says he's been out here way too long nice enough but kind of distant he handed me a basic book full of protocols how to check for trail damage what to do if you encounter a bear how to handle lost hikers stuff you'd expect but then tucked in between the normal sections there was this page titled special procedures the front looked older like it hadn't been updated in years and it stood out immediately the rules on the page well they were different ignore

the screaming after midnight never acknowledge the lake when it reflects the moon if you hear footsteps behind you do not turn around I actually laughed when I first read them I thought it was some kind of joke the older Rangers played on the newbies but when I asked Ed about it he didn't laugh he didn't even smirk he just said follow them and you'll be fine that's it no explanation no elaboration I even tried pushing him a little asking why these rules are in there and if this was some kind of hazing thing but he

just Shrugged and said you'll see so I put the book down and figured maybe it was just some weird tradition or Superstition the park step kept alive for fun maybe a way to freak out new hires whatever right but my first few nights of the cabin started to change my mind you ever stay somewhere so quiet that it almost feels loud that's how it was out there at night it was like the forest itself was holding its breath sometimes the only sound was the wind pushing through the trees other times there wasn't even that the

Stillness made me jump at every Creek of the cabin every rustle in the bushes outside and then there was this feeling like I wasn't really alone even when I knew I was it was my third day in when I first heard the scream I was sitting at the tiny table in the cabin halfway through a lukewarm cup of instant coffee my eyes were glued to the Book of Rules again trying to make sense of it all it was late past midnight but I wasn't tired something about the cabin made it hard to relax maybe it

was how the floor creaked randomly even when I wasn't moving or the way the wind outside never quite sounded like just wind I was flipping through the rules when it started at first it was faint I thought it was the wind again but then it got louder a sharp piercing scream that cut through the Stillness Like a Knife it sounded human a woman maybe or a kid my stomach dropped I froze my hand gripping the edge of the table so hard my Knuckles turned white my eyes darted back to the rules to that stupid yellowed

page ignore the screaming after midnight ignore it easy to write harder to do when it sounds like someone's out there begging for help I sat there for what felt like forever just listening the screen would rise hold for a few seconds and then fade then it would start again my heart was Raising and before I knew it I was standing by the cabin door my hand on the knob I told myself it had to be something explainable a hiker in trouble maybe or an animal that just sounded like a person I mean I'm a park

ranger it's literally my job to check these things out right I stepped outside the cold hit me first it wasn't a normal cold it was biting the kind that sinks into your bones the forest was Pitch Black except for the faint cone of light from my flashlight the scream came again louder now and I swung the beam in its direction trying to see through the trees my throat was dry and every step I took felt heavier than the last then it stopped not just the screen everything the wind the rustling of leaves the distant sound

of nocturnal animals it all just cut out like someone hit the mute button on the world the silence was so thick I could hear my own breathing quick and shallow I don't know how long I stood there Frozen in place but eventually I turned back toward the cabin whatever I thought I was going to find out there it wasn't worth it my skin crawled the entire way back like something was watching me just beyond the edge of the flashlights reach when I got inside I locked the door twice the next morning I asked Lisa about

it she's another Ranger works the main station closer to the visitor center Le is the kind of person who always seems upbeat like nothing rattles her but when I brought up the scream her face changed immediately she went pale and her eyes darted around the room like she was checking to see if anyone else was listening you didn't follow it did you she asked her voice low I hesitated not sure how much to admit I stepped outside I said finally didn't go far Lisa's expression darkened she looked at me like I just signed my own

death warrant that's how it starts she muttered then she stood up and walked out of the room like I wasn't even there later that day I went out to patrol one of the popular trails near the cabin it was my first time on that root and for the most part it seemed normal just trees dirt and the occasional squirrel but about halfway through I noticed something odd the ground had the scuff marks like someone had been running off the trail the branches on the bushes nearby were broken and the dirt was churned up like it'd

been a struggle I followed the marks for maybe 20 ft before I found it a single boot muddy torn just sitting there in the middle of the forest there was no sign of its owner my stomach Twisted as I stared at it it wasn't just the boot itself it was the way it was sitting there like it had been dropped deliberately it didn't feel like something someone had just forgotten it felt wrong when I got back to the station I told Ed about it he barely looked up from his paperwork the forest takes what it

wants he said shrugging then he went back to his coffee like that was the end of it the first time I broke a rule I told myself it didn't really count it was maybe a week in and it almost started to feel like I had a routine down sure the rules are weird and yeah the nights were unnervingly quiet but I'd convinced myself that things weren't as bad as I'd made them out to be then the footsteps started it was late probably around 1:00 a.m. and I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep at

first I thought it was just the sound of branches tapping against the cabin but then I realized it was rhythmic slow deliberate someone was walking around the cabin I froze my heart was pounding but I kept telling myself to stay calm I remembered the rule if you hear footsteps behind you do not turn around okay fine the footsteps weren't exactly behind me but the logic seemed the same just don't engage right the pacing continued it circled the cabin slow and steady and I swear whoever or whatever it was would stop right by my window I

could feel it lingering there just out of sight the sound went on for hours I tried covering my ears but it didn't help I couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for me to look I held out as long as I could but by 3:00 a.m. my nerves were shot I figured if someone was actually outside I needed to know what if it was a hiker or got lost what if I was in danger I pulled back the curtain just a crack nothing there was nothing out there just the trees the dirt path and

the faint glow of the moon but the second I looked the footsteps stopped like they'd been waiting for me to break the silence that followed was even worse it was thick pressing down on me like gravity was being turned up on a dial I didn't sleep that night the next morning I noticed something was off my boots weren't by the door where I'd left them they were in the middle of the room my radio which I left off was on hissing with faint static and when I glanced at the window I swear my reflection didn't

move in time with me it lagged just a split second but enough to make my stomach drop I told myself it was nothing just my mind playing tricks but then I patrolled the lake a few days later I was out patrolling the trails near the lake at dusk the sky was this Brilliant Orange and the moon was just starting to rise when I got to the water's edge I noticed the moon's reflection it was too much too bright too Vivid almost like it wasn't just reflecting the moon but amplifying it I stood there for a

second hypnotized before the rule clicked in my head never acknowledged the lake when it reflects the moon I snapped out of it and took a step back but as I turned to leave I saw a ripple in the water there wasn't any wind no fish jumping just just that Ripple spreading out from the center and for a split second I swear I saw a hand pale and thin reach up toward the surface I didn't stick around to see what came next I stumbled back to the trail and didn't stop until I was halfway to the

cabin that night I had a dream I was back at the lake standing at the The Edge but the moon's reflection was shattered like broken glass I could hear something crawling out of the water slow and deliberate dragging itself toward me I couldn't move couldn't even scream I woke up drenched in sweat my heart racing but it wasn't just a dream when I swung my legs out of the bed I felt cold wet fabric my boots were soaked caked with mud and there were Footprints muddy unmistakable leading from the door to my bed looking back

I think the first real warning sign wasn't the footsteps or the lake it was Lisa she'd been one of of the first people I'd met on the job and while she wasn't exactly friendly she was present she crack a joke now and then talk about the hike she liked to take but after the footsteps and the lake she changed she was still around technically but she wasn't Lisa anymore her skin looked pale like she'd been sick for weeks and her eyes I I don't even know how to describe it they just didn't seem to focus

like she was looking through me not at me she barely spoke unless it was necessary and even then her voice was flat almost mechanical one morning I asked her if she was okay she just Shrugged and said I'm fine just tired but she wasn't fine and the worst part Ed didn't seem surprised if anything he avoided her when I brought it up to Ed later he snapped at me Ed the guy who'd spent most of my first week cracking dad jokes and calling me newbie the rules are there for a reason Nick he said glaring

at me like I just insulted his entire family you don't follow them and you deal with a Fallout that's it no exceptions what kind of Fallout are we talking about I pressed what's actually happening here you don't want to know he muttered turning back to his coffee like we hadn't just had the most unsettling conversation of my life later that day I went out to patrol trying to shake the weird tension between us it was supposed to be a normal route one I'd done twice before but something was different the trail I was on didn't

feel right the trees seemed taller like they were leaning in toward me and the air was colder than it should have been for Midday still I pushed forward I don't know why maybe I was hoping to find something proof that I was still in control troll then I saw them carvings in the trees faces they were warped and stretched their mouths open in silent screams their eyes too big too round they weren't there the last time I'd walked this Trail I swear my life they weren't as I stood there staring I heard something it started

as a faint whisper like Wind Through the branches but it grew louder words I couldn't make out voices dozens of them maybe more all overlapping my chest tightened and I turned back the way I came practically running until I was back at the cabin that night the scream came back louder closer it didn't just echo through the forest this time it felt like it was inside my head rattling around my skull claing at my thoughts and then I swear to you I heard my name it was woven into the scream whispered at first then louder

my name over and over like it was begging me calling me I grabbed my flashlight and stood by the door my hand on the handle I almost opened it I don't know what stopped me maybe it was Instinct maybe it was the rule either way I let go of the handle and stepped back my whole body shaking I didn't sleep that night I wish I could tell you this is where it stopped that after ignoring the scream scream in The Whispers And whatever the hell happened with the lake I just rode up my time and

left the park like a normal [Music] person but that's not how it works here it was the manual that tipped me off one morning I woke up to find it sitting on my kitchen table I swear I'd left it in the drawer but there it was right next to my untouched breakfast I thought someone had just left it out but then I saw the writing the rules had changed the old ones were still there ignore the screaming don't look at the lake but new ones had appeared scribbled in handwriting I didn't recognize one read the

cabin lights must stay on after dark another if you hear knocking from inside the walls don't investigate but the one that made my stomach drop was at the bottom of the page you are part of the cycle you must stay I stared at it for a long time hoping I misread it or losing my mind Parton me wanted to crumple the page toss it in the trash and pretend I hadn't seen it but I couldn't something about about it felt final it wasn't instructions I could just ignore that afternoon I went to find Ed he

was sitting on the porch of his cabin sipping coffee like everything was fine like none of this was happening Ed I said holding up the manual what the hell is this he barely glanced at it it's the rules don't give me that the rules are changing look I flipped to the new entry shoving it toward him what does this mean what the hell is the cycle why does it say I have to stay Ed didn't say anything at first he just stared at the Horizon his face unreadable finally he sighed and put down his mug

I told you follow the rules Nick that's all you had to do what does that mean my voice cracked but I didn't care you knew this was going to happen didn't you you knew and you didn't say anything his eyes met mine and for the first time I saw cracks in his calm demeanor he looked tired defeated the rule aren't just there to keep you safe he said quietly they're part of the agreement what agreement with the forest he said his voice barely above a whisper it takes what it wants the rules are how we

keep it at Bay but once you start breaking them he Tred off shaking his head you can't undo it Nick it's already claimed you that night I didn't bother trying to sleep I sat at the table the manual open in front of me the words you must stay burned into my brain the footsteps started around midnight at first they were faint just a soft Shuffle outside the cabin then they grew louder circling the walls passing by the windows I kept my eyes on the manual my foot shaking nervously trying to focus then came the knocking

it was slow at first deliberate like someone tapping their Knuckles against the wood but it didn't come from the door it was inside the walls I tried to block it out repeating the rules in my head like a prayer but then I made the mistake of looking up my reflection was in the window staring back at me except it wasn't me it looked like me same face same clothes but his expression was wrong its mouth curved into a grin I wasn't making its eyes darker than they should have been it raised the hand pointing behind

me I turned around nothing was there but the footsteps inside the cabin didn't stop Ed came to my cabin the next morning he didn't knock or ask permission to come in just opened the door stepped inside and stood there like he belonged you're taking the north Patrol today he said his voice was flat like we hadn't had that whole conversation about the cycle like I hadn't spent the entire night hearing footsteps inside my cabin I didn't argue what would have been the point if I refused he just give me some cryptic warning maybe shove the

manual at me I nodded and grabbed my gear the manual stayed on the table I didn't want it near me the patrol route was one of the longer ones winding past the lake and cutting through a part of the forest I'd avoided since I started the job J it was in a hard Trail but something about it felt heavy like the air itself was thicker harder to breathe I passed the lake first the surface was glassy perfectly still reflecting the sky like a giant mirror I kept my head down refusing to look too closely but

out of the corner of my eye I swear I saw something somewhere on just beneath the surface Lisa her pale face her eyes wide staring up at me I don't know if it was real or if my mind was playing tricks but I hurried past not daring to stop further down the trail I found a flashlight that belonged to Harris another Ranger lying in the dirt it was caked with mud the lens cracked I picked it up without thinking then immediately dropped it the metal was ice cold like it had been sitting in a freezer

not out in the open sun that's when I started to notice the forest wasn't quiet anymore there were faint Whispers coming from the trees layered and overlapping like a hund voices murmuring just out of earshot I couldn't make out the words but I didn't need to I knew they were for me by the time I reached the park boundary my legs felt like lead the air had a strange pull to it like the forest itself was holding me back I stopped at the edge of the tree line staring out at the empty road Beyond and

an intrusive thought hit me I could leave r right then right there I could drop my gear walk out of the forest and never look back I'd lose the job sure but I'd keep my life my real life the one I'd had before all of this but then I thought about the manual the rules Ed warnings the forest takes what it wants he said what if leaving wasn't an escape what what if I took something with me whatever this was and it followed me home or Worse what if leaving through everything off balance broke the

agreement and dragged someone else into this nightmare I stood there for what felt like hours staring at the road my mind was screaming at me to run but my legs wouldn't move The Whispers grew louder circling around me wrapping me in their invisible ible grip and then just like that they stopped the forest went silent completely utterly silent I turned back my heart pounding the trees seemed taller darker and the trail I'd come down looked like it had never been there at all I don't remember much about walking back to the cabin it felt like

the forest that swallowed me whole and when I stepped through the door I couldn't tell if ID escaped or walked deeper into something far worse the air inside was stale and cold my body ate like I'd run a marathon but the exhaustion wasn't just physical it was in my bones my mind I locked the door bolted it twice and sat down at the table the Manuel was still there waiting I opened it slowly flipping through the pages the rules were the same or at least I thought they were I read each one carefully over and

over like I was memorizing scripture I understood now the rules weren't suggestions they weren't folkl they were survival as long as I followed them I could stay I wouldn't disappear like Lisa wouldn't dissolve into Whispers like Harris the farus might have claimed me but it wouldn't take me all at once I fell into a routine after that Patrol during the day lock the door at night I didn't ask questions anymore I didn't peek through the curtains when the footsteps started I didn't let myself think about leaving because I knew there wasn't anywhere to go sometimes

I still heard the Scream It's always distant now muffled like it's coming from miles away maybe that's what happens you Fade Into the forest slowly until you're just another sound in the dark I don't know how long it's been time gets slippery out here the days blur together and the nights feel endless I've stopped counting the seasons stopped looking at the calendar the forest doesn't care about dates so why should I but something new has changed things last week I saw headlights through the trees a new ranger pulling into the station I watched from a

distance as Ed handed in the manual the kid looks so young so confident I wanted to warn him wanted to scream at him to leave now while he still could but I didn't because the forest was watching and the rules are clear he has unknowingly became a player in this game and I just pray he doesn't lose [Music] [Music]