I Know What's TAKING People in National Parks - 3 TRUE Scary Work Stories

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of lore a folklore horror novel send your scariest workplace stories to us at Eerie cast.com submit and rate and review Tales from the breakroom on Spotify and apple podcasts thanks hi welcome to dead and roasted what can I get you I've really got to stop drinking so much coffee throughout the day true story I woke up crawling all over my wife last night when I came to she was like what the heck are you doing and I was just thinking oh she's safe now and I went to pee coffee man not even once now lucky

you I do have some stories today two of them oddly enough have the same title and both feature strange and vague entities that watch from afar one of these Tales might sound a bit ridiculous but sit back and enjoy nonetheless these are Tales from the break room the watchers from R Strayer 625 there's a strange feeling that comes from seeing a place void of people that should otherwise be occupied it's called kopsia a sense of profound emptiness Beyond simply being devoid of people ask anyone who has worked a night shift alone they have felt it

a security guard's feeling of being watched a Night Nurse seeing movements out of the corner of their eye the uncertain tension of an empty emergency room late at night heck ask the night janitor of a school why they all have headphones at least one will tell you it's to cover up the sound of children playing even though the school has been closed for hours however I'm here to tell you even in places that feel the most empty don't count on being alone the first time it happened I was a young EMT working a night shift

on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach the call came in as simple chest pain but quickly devolved into a full-on cardiac arrest upon our arrival my partner and I were doing everything by the book and had managed to at least bring the man back once before we arrived at the hospital as we bailed out of the ambulance and headed towards the emergency room doors I happened to look up at the awning that covered the ER entrance it had been misting a light almost tropical rain for most of the evening and vision through my glasses was less

than ideal but for a moment I could have sworn there was a figure standing on top of it I blinked trying to focus now emergency rooms are wild places it honestly would not be that unusual if someone had climbed up there during some sort of Hysteria or psychotic episode I tried glancing around to see if security was anywhere nearby maybe trying to talk them down but as I got closer I saw them sitting on a stool under the awning just looking rather bored I tried to squint as if it would make any kind of difference

only being rewarded with an even more blurry image my partner's rather large hand clapped onto my shoulder to drive me forward as I had stopped moving with the gurnie you taking a union break he said irritably shaking me out of my momentary pause I apologized and continued forward into the ER Bay I have to admit our hopes for the patient were not optimistic he was advanced in age and from the look at the monitor this wasn't his first cardiac event but we pressed forward into the bay and let the nurse and er Tex take over

after a brief explanation of what we had done so far a knowing look passed between the head nurse and my partner confirming what I already suspected this poor guy didn't have long my partner and I exchanged a brief and wordless shrug it was out of our hands now we both knew it and I know it sounds callous but that's the reality of emergency work sometimes all you can do is your best and that has to be enough we made our way down to the breakroom to fill out patient care reports and Refuel on caffeine one

rule of the ambulance life is never pass up an opportunity to eat sleep or use the bathroom you just never know when you'll get the chance to again plus this hospital had a reputation for having really good snacks I was tearing into a small bag of beef jerky while my partner made us coffee at the coffee machine meals are a tense Affair in our line of work it never fails that the moment your lips touch food the radio Springs to life to let you know it's going to be a while before you taste hot food

again if at all for the remainder of the evening so my partner and I were washing down whatever we could put into our faces when one of the nurses from the ER walked into the breakroom my partner looked up from a long pull of coffee raising an eyebrow with an expression of concern the nurse shook her head with a slight Grimace of confirmation saying nothing in return my partner returned the slight Grimace and Shrugged his shoulders we had just enough time to finish the paperwork before we were ordered to change locations to a different hospital

we made our way out of the hospital through the ER door back into the rain that had begun to fall even more heavily than before I pulled up my hood as we walked back to the ambulance Bay I chanced a glance back toward the awning of the entry Bay wondering about what I'd seen on my way in earlier and there it was again a figure standing on the roof but not really standing on it almost drifting away from it a grayish mass in the vague shape of a person only now it wasn't alone trailing behind

it was a lighter colored mass and they were both drifting something tickled my brain about the way they moved my hood shielded my glasses from the worst of the rain so it wasn't my vision telling me something was wrong then my mind nailed down what that was at the time not they were drifting in the opposite direction of the wind and rain my partner's hand clamped down on my shoulder I was expecting another chastising from him what I got was him turning to face me with a very serious expression don't stare whatever you do don't

stare at them I had known this man through my whole internship we had walked into nightmarish situations before as far as I could remember he had never flinched at some of the most horrific scenes of violence that even I could hardly stomach and yet here he was his face contorted in an expression I had never seen before not on him fear his face didn't wear it well and it did not not look natural on him then without another word he turned his back to me and started toward the rig come on get moving he said

in his far more familiar tone of impatience with me I was almost relieved by it I began turning my head back toward The Apparition when his voice cut through the wind and rain again get your rear in gear he shouted spurring me to give up the attempt and scramble into the passenger seat I climbed in the cab shut the door and began to open my mouth to say something but he raised a single hand ordering me to silence I knew the gesture and had learned to respect it I sat back in my seat as we

drove onto the next Hospital in an uncomfortable silence I've screwed up more times than I cared to count as a rookie EMT and as a result I'd been at least a little used to a long uncomfortable Drive with my Angry Mentor so when he took a deep breath and let it out slowly I knew the lesson wasn't Far Behind by now I'd learned to just shut my mouth and listen inevitably he would be right in what he was saying regardless of how much I liked to argue in my youth this time however I wanted to

hear that lesson just so I had an explanation for the fear in a man I only knew was Fearless I wanted to know what could possibly make a veteran medic like him actually afraid I think not knowing what could do that to him scared me more than whatever it was I saw that night last call was a vet he began they always follow vets who have seen combat his eyes were so fixed on the road I wasn't totally sure if he was speaking directly to me rather than just out loud like like I was a

bystander to his inner monologue he inhaled again and I could almost swear I heard a crack in a voice that I could have before then sworn was made of iron the first time I saw one was in a rock we were out on security detail for a convoy had this idiot Lieutenant who liked to wear his rank bars out in the open as a sign of his authority not realizing it made him sniper bait he was such a jerk nobody even bothered to warn him about it can't save an idiot from himself I guess well

some decent shot noticed his authority and decided to evacuate his skull for the trouble right as we were trying to get a fix on the sniper's location one of a rock's tiresome dust storms decides to blow right on in if you've never seen a real dust storm there's no real way to describe them there's no warning no buildup or nothing you just see a wall coming at you then you're in it I dragged the lieutenant behind cover but it was already done the medic didn't even bother making a show for the sake of protocol he

just hunkered down next to me we knew we weren't going anywhere for a while the Wall came down and the world went Brown then black he paused as we pulled into the hospital parking lot he started to get out of the rig gesturing for me to follow we walked around the back of the ambulance he opened the back and sat down I dug around the glove box for a moment figuring this was as good a time as any for a cigarette I joined him around the back but before I could put the pack back in

my shirt pocket he snapped his fingers at me holding out two fingers a gesture asking me for one I'd never seen the man smoke before and he'd been pretty incessant about me quitting to a point of genuine irritation on my part but in a rare moment for me in my youth I just did what I was told without question he shot me a warning glance that said all I needed to know about even thinking about opening my mouth about the hypocrisy as I handed him my lighter the small flame lit features that suddenly looked very

tired as if the mere recall of the memories was aging him before my eyes he took a long pull letting the smoke waft out his nose for a moment before he continued it wasn't long after everything went dark when it came and those dang storms you can't do much of anything but wait you can't see you can't hear anything but the wind you just hunker down and wait till it blows out me and the medic had the Lieutenant's body laid out in front of us wasn't even a point in trying to cover him anything we

would have tried would have just blown away I was just about to fall asleep when the medic nudged me he was trying to say something but I couldn't hear him he was pointing out into the storm like I was going to be able to see anything at all but then something snapped into Focus out of all that dust almost like it was made from it I wouldn't say I could see it but more like I could see the dust blowing around where it was it was hot that day but right then I was shivering I

don't know what it was but it was cold like a dead cold you can't argue with no fire no heater is going to do anything about it the kind of cold that just felt final it was standing right in front of us I tried to look at the medic but he had pulled his knees up and was holding his head down with his hands and from what little I could hear he was praying when I looked back it was reaching down with what I could make out was a hand then it reached inside the Lieutenant's

body just passed right through it when it stood back up there was something else standing next to it even in all that dust I could make out the shape of the lieutenant he was staring right at me then the two forms just turned away and disappeared Into the Storm they took all that cold and darkness with them too I was left sitting in the dirt staring into the storm as it blew itself out when it was over I looked at the Lieutenant's body he looked somehow more empty than before I had no love for the

man but I knew he was truly gone and whatever that was had taken him my partner leaned forward as he finished the last bit hanging his head and running one of his hands over his scalp like he had just completed a great laborious task my stunned silence was interrupted when I felt the burn of the cigarette in my hand that it all but smoked itself and was beginning to work its way toward my fingers I adjusted it and took the last drag it had left to offer before snuffing it out on my shoe I I

tried to begin but he cut me off now that you've seen them you won't stop he didn't look up from the ground that's what the medic told me afterwards I started seeing them following patrols when I saw them I knew that not everyone was coming back from that one I lost rank once for trying to pull a friend from a first fire Squad after seeing one he went anyway and didn't make it back I don't know what they are or why some people can see them and some can't but now that you have it doesn't

stop he said it with an almost apologetic tone all I can tell you is don't stare you don't want to get their attention on you pay them the respect they deserve but you don't want them taking notice of you I was about to break what was probably my longest streak of being quiet in my life up to that point and ask him why but the haunted eyes staring back at me when he raised his head to meet my gaze almost as if he had since the question coming spoke to an answer I probably didn't want

to hear not that death unnerved me even by that point I'd seen my fair share but I didn't want to hear it from him this man had been my mentor for years I took everything he said about the job and even life as pretty much gospel even though the times IID argued with him just out of youthful Rebellion I had only known him to tell me the truth even if it hurt and if he was scared to tell me something I didn't want to contemplate what that could entail he reached for His Radio pressing the

key dispatch unit 211 going to stage at friend Crest he told dispatch copy 211 crackled back on the radio get in he said with that tone he used when he was giving orders not suggestions and for the second time in my life I did what I was told without question Fringe Crest was an affluent neighborhood that bordered downtown a whole new development of million dooll plus homes but the backside of the development was still under construction and open to the public without their private security harassing you about napping on a break in your rig by

then the rain had begun to Peter out and as we drove I rolled down the window to take in the smell of a city temporarily washed clean my partner cut back and forth along freshly paved roads amongst homes in various states of construction he pulled to a stop on the furthest back road at top the ridge that offered a view of the city sprawl beneath it that view was why people Justified paying two or three million for a place on the ridge he reached into his back pulling a small black nylon pouch from his backpack

and got out without saying a word I hopped out to follow he opened the pouch with a rip of velcro and produced a small pair of binoculars he pointed out to the southwest of town handing me the binoculars I eyed him for a moment just look near the 10 freeway he instructed I raised them to my eyes adjusting to bring the city into Focus I scanned for a few seconds and just before I was about to ask what it was that I was supposed to be looking at I caught it it was barely visible and

for a second I thought I was only seeing maybe a distant helicopter maybe someone's personal drone I turned the fine adjustment until I saw clearly what my partner had been trying to show to me tiny Moes of light slowly drifting through the night sky not very many maybe half a dozen all seemingly originating from the tallest building in the area my mind ran through the maps of the city and then all the pieces coalesced into a realization made of understanding laced with touches of fear and in some way awe the VA Retirement Village I said

not asking but merely stating my understanding I lowered the binoculars to glance at him he simply nodded he pointed again this time dead South I raised the binoculars again I scanned adjusting and repeating the entire process meeting the same mixture of emotions again not quite as many this time but definitely there the same tiny specks of light not moving fast enough to be any kind of man-made vessel just drifting away from the ground now look to the east where 101 meets downtown he spoke as if revealing the grand finale I turned without lowering the field

glasses before I could even focus I understood why this one was the last dozens of them some arriving some leaving I furrowed my brow in concentration then a clear image of the map popped into my mind's eye the VA hospital I spoke again with nothing but the understanding of what the implications of what I was seeing really meant I lowered the glasses and just took in the full view of the city I could just barely make out a few of them drifting up into the still lingering clouds a single odd thought occupied my mind mind

as I watched them drift through the space above the hospital an airport of souls several weeks passed before the next time I would encounter anything like it again we were out again on a wellness check call that turned out to be a stroke after some initial Gathering of what Vital Signs we could get my partner had just reached into the gear bag to produce his lingos scope a device we used to assist putting in in an artificial Airway when I spied something on the fridge of the small apartment hey wait I said to him he

frowned up at me but paused just the same I went to the fridge and underneath an old electricity bill just barely visible I found our patient's DNR DNR stands for do not resuscitate it's a standing order signed by the patient's doctor stating that the person in question does not not wish to receive life-saving care in the event of any life-threatening emergency basically a legal document that says I am ready to go when the time comes my eyes darted over the document making sure all the appropriate signatures were in place and what the standing orders are

because they can vary wildly from person to person my eyes came to rest on the line at the bottom of the page no intervention was all it said I could feel my partner's heavy stare as if urging me to spit it out already no intervention I said he sighed and put the scope back in the gear bag then our work is done here nothing to do but pronounce when it's over just put the gear back in the rig I don't think it's going to be long time of death 2210 my partner said as I unhooked

our patient from our monitors and began Gathering the gear back into our bags I'll go talk to the officers he stated as he walked to the front stoop where the responding officer had offered to take up residence to give us all the space we could get in the cramped apartment I had just zipped the last bag shut and Was preparing to Lug all our cumbersome equipment back outside when something caught my eye on the man's upper arm I hadn't noticed it when we cut his bed shirt off but there it was a tattoo not that

it mattered much but I nudged the last scrap of a shirt aside to reveal four fading letters in bold print USMC i' had been kneeling on the ground with my hands holding each of our gear bags when it hit me it was hot in the apartment older folks with poor circulation always keep it warm but the air grew a Stillness and direct opposition of the warm a that should have been pouring out the vent in the floor by my feet I felt the tingling sensation of my hair beginning to stand on end the feeling spread

and brought with it a slight twinge of nausea as my blood pressure felt like it had fallen through the floor beneath me and kept going to meet up with the devil my vision could only focus on the tattoo as the edges began to gray out to Black faintly I realized I was no longer in in the process of lifting the bags but now my blue gloved hands rested at top them for support I shut my eyes bowing my head to try and give it all a moment to pass that's when the true cold washed over

me I grew up in Wyoming when I was 12 1 February I fell through the ice of a small lake near my house and nearly died the EMTs the brought me back told me later that the freezing temperatures were the only reason they were able to bring me back after so long underwater it was a big part of my decision to enter the field of emergency medicine I still have nightmares about being under that sheet of ice about the utterly hopeless feeling of ice cold water filling my lungs as I began to black out the

feeling of being cold and helpless and alone in the dark when whatever that thing was came from my patient passed over me I was back under that sheet of ice feet kicking against nothing screaming my last desperate gasps of precious air into a void of uncaring cold I dare to glance down at the patient still supporting myself on the gearbags my mind fighting viciously as it has all those years ago to remain conscious there was something in view that hadn't been there when I shut my eyes as the battle for Consciousness continued to rage my

eyes focused on a single thing in front of me reaching in from the Blackness growing at the borders of my perception a hand reaching down into my patient it was then I truly grasped the depth of fear I'd first seen on my partner's face that night weeks ago I shut my eyes against that unremitting cold while I waited and hoped it would be over soon then it left taking with it the cold nauseous Darkness I wasn't so much relieved of the sensation as I felt like I'd been thrust back into the apartment from wherever my

blood pressure had gone off to when it all began a memory clawed its way out of The Ether waking up in a hospital bed the feeling of people trying to warm me in a variety of ways my young mind couldn't understand with the Deep cold still gripping my my heart in its bitter hand opening my eyes Coler slowly rekindled the world around me heat warm comforting heat poured up through the floor vent began to dry the cold sweat that had formed about my temples I cautiously tested my arms to discover the dull ache of strained

muscles that had been working diligently to support me a bright Panic finally got its chance to warn me of something I had up to that moment been unaware of and let out without a breath I'd been holding for way too long Frosty breath escaped my lips accompanied by a shudder that for once had nothing to do with the cold I pulled in the warm air and let relief in with it a few deep breaths and I could rise to my feet from the kneeling position I'd been holding I looked down at my patient from my

new position standing over him holding my gear bags I blinked down at what I could only describe as an empty vessel devoid of life and gone from this world I pulled my practiced mask of professionalism hard down onto my face with no small effort and made my way out of the apartment past where my partner and the officer were still talking on the front stoop I dropped the gear bags into the rig without a word to either of them I fumbled about the small cabin of the ambulance until my shaking hands found my work coat

Dawning the simple jacket adorned with our company logos and my name embroidered on the chest I sat back onto the seat pulling it around me like that 12-year-old boy had done with another emt's coat so many years ago a deep gratitude washed over me for the whole experience to be over I risked a look up into the night sky just beyond the edge of the apartment building two Moes of gentle light wafted away into the darkness departure I said aloud to no one I leaned my head against the window and let myself Drift Off to

Sleep funnily enough the next story is also called the Watchers this one is from Jonathan Ford working as a park ranger was never something I'd planned for but life has a way of pushing you in directions you never expected growing up in a small town I was always drawn to the outdoors my father used to take me camping amongst the trees surrounding our home and those weekends spent under the stars listening to the distant hoot of owls and the rustling of leaves became some of my Fondest Memories so when I found myself needing a job

after college the opportunity to become a park ranger at let's call it Rose Woods seemed like a perfect fit Rose Woods is a beautiful expanse of untouched Wilderness with deep ravines and winding rivers that snake through the landscape it's the kind of place where you can't feel the weight of the modern world pressing down on you and you're left with nothing but the raw beauty of nature my typical day on the job involves a mix of routine patrols maintenance work and guiding the occasional lost hiker back to the tra Trails it's a solitary job for

the most part which suits me just fine there's something peaceful about The Silence in the woods broken only by the distant Roar of a waterfall one late autumn day 3 years back I was assigned to patrol the northern boundary of the park it was a remote area far from the main Trails where few visitors ventured the trees there grew so close together that the canopy overhead blocked out most of the sunlight the undergrowth was thick and Tangled making progress slow and tedious I had been out there before and while it wasn't my favorite area to

patrol it was still just another part of the job that morning I set out early the air was still really chilling I followed the narrow dirt path that led from the ranger station it was beautiful in a lonely sort of way after a few hours of hiking I reached the northern boundary and began my patrol the first part of my day was uneventful I checked the usual markers made sure there were no signs of illegal hunting or campfires and radioed in my position every hour as required by noon I was deep into the forest Far

From Any Human habitation the silence was almost complete broken only by the occasional crack of a branch or the sound of the wind it was then that I first noticed noticed something odd as I made my way along the faint Trail I spotted a figure in the distance standing just off the path at first I figured it was a tree stump or maybe a rock but as I got closer I realized it was a person they were standing perfectly still facing away from me their head slightly tilted to one side as if listening to something

I hesitated a cold knot of unease for me in my stomach it wasn't unusual to encounter people in the park but this person's Behavior was strange they were just standing there in a part of the forest where few people never went I couldn't see any gear or a backpack nothing that suggested they were a hiker or a camper hello I called out my voice sounding unnaturally loud in the Silence of the woods the figure didn't respond they didn't even Flinch at the sound of my voice I took a few cautious steps forward my hand instinctively

moving to the radio on my belt are you okay I called again this time the person moved slowly though almost mechanically they turned to face me and as they did I felt my breathing getting faster this person a man from what I could could tell was dressed in ragged dirty clothing that looked like it hadn't been washed in ages his skin was so pale it was basically gray and his eyes were wide and unblinking staring at me in the way that gave me goosebumps there was something quite off about his face something that made me

want to scream and turn and run but I couldn't put my finger on it right then he didn't say a word he just stood there staring at me with those unsettling eyes I took another step back my hand now firmly gripping the radio sir do you need help I asked trying to keep my voice steady the man's lips parted and for a moment I thought he was going to speak but all that came out was a low weird sound nearly a growl my heart pounded in my chest and every Instinct I had was telling me

to get out of there but I couldn't just leave him there if he was in trouble I'm going to call for help I said raising the radio to my mouth as I did the man suddenly came towards me his movements jerky and unnatural I stumbled back barely managing to keep my footing as I hit the trail behind me my hand fumbled with the radio trying to switch it on but before I could the man froze mid lunge his body rigid and trembling for a long moment we just stood there me with my heart in my

throat and him with his eyes locked onto mine then as suddenly as he'd Frozen he collapsed to the ground his body convulsing violently I didn't think then I just acted I sprinted over to him dropping to my knees and trying to hold him still he was shaking so hard his limbs thrashed against the ground and I could see his eyes rolling back into his head hold on I shouted though I wasn't sure if he could hear me I managed to get my radio on and sent out a distress call giving my location as best I

could I wasn't even sure if anyone would hear me out here but I had to try the man's convulsion slowed after a minute or so and I was able to get a better look at him his breathing was shallow and his skin was cold to the touch up close I could see that his clothes were torn in several places and there were deep scratches on his arms and legs like he had been running through the underbrush without a care hey stay with me I said trying to keep him conscious his eyes fluttered open and for

a brief moment they seemed to focus on me then he mumbled something so faintly that I almost didn't catch it they're watching he whispered what who's watching I asked leaning in close but instead of answering me his eyes rolled back again and he went completely limp I checked his pulse it was weak but it was there I couldn't just leave him there but I wasn't sure how far I could carry him the closest ranger station was miles away and there was no guarantee anyone would get my call for help I was weighing my options when

I heard it a loud movement in the bushes nearby I froze my senses were on high alert I looked around trying to pinpoint the source of the movement but all I saw were trees and shadows I slowly reached for the flashlight on my belt clicking it on and sweeping the beam across the undergrowth the light gave me a better look but there was nothing there no animals no people just trees but then I noticed something that made my blood run cold the bushes directly in front of me about 20 ft away were parting as if

something were moving through them for a second I thought it might be a deer or some other animal but the movement was too deliberate I stood up slowly keeping the flashlight trained on the spot my hand hovering over the knife on my belt whatever was out there it was getting closer then without warning the movement stopped the forest went still again the silence pressing down on my nerves I held my breath waiting for something to happen but there was nothing no sound no movement just that creepy silence I didn't realize how tightly I was gripping

the flashlight until my hand started to cramp I forced myself to relax taking a slow deep breath I had to get the man out of there and I had to do it now I hooked my arms under his and started to drag him toward the trail he was surprisingly light his body limp and unresponsive responsive I moved as quickly as I could glancing back every few seconds to make sure we weren't being followed the trail was narrow and winding and the thick trees on either side made it feel like the forest was closing in the

man mumbled something again but his voice was too faint for me to make out the words I was just starting to think we might make it out when I heard the rustling again this time closer I whipped my head around shining the flashlight into the trees ahead of me but I still couldn't see anything my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat and every Instinct I had was screaming at me to run to get as far away from this place as possible but I couldn't leave The Man Behind not when

he was in this condition I tightened my grip on him and quickened my Pace nearly dragging him along the trail the rustling continued and now it was coming from multiple directions surrounding us something unseen stalking us from the dark my mind rised trying to figure out what we could do what I could do I couldn't fight what I couldn't see but staying put was just as dangerous if not more so I needed to find a defensible position somewhere we could hunker down until help arrived if it arrived I spotted a cluster of large Boulders up

ahead partially obscured by a Thicket of bushes it wasn't much but it would give us some cover and maybe buy us some time I half dragged and half carried the man toward the boulders every step feeling like it took an eternity the rustling was growing louder and more frantic as if whatever was out there knew that we were trying to escape when we finally reached the boulders I propped the man up against one of them and crouched down beside him my back pressed against the cold rough surface I moved the flashlight around trying to catch

any sign of movement but all I could see were trees and Shadows the rustling had stopped again but I knew better than to think we were safe I was trying to catch my breath my mind racing through options when the man's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed my arm his grip was surprisingly strong and his eyes snapped open wide and wild he looked at me with a mixture of fear and Desperation his voice aoar whisper they're here he rasped who's here I asked but before he could answer I felt a sudden chill in the air

it wasn't just the cold of the Autumn evening it was something deeper something that seemed to dig into my bones and wrap around my chest and then I saw them at first they were shapes just vague and indistinct shapes moving through the trees at the edge of the flashlights beam but as they drew closer they began to take form tall thin figures almost humanoid but not quite right their limbs were too long and their movements were too fluid like Shadows that had somehow come to life their faces were featureless with blank voids where eyes and

mouths should have been my mind rebelled against what I was seeing trying to convince itself that it wasn't real that it was just a trick of the light or my imagination but deep down I knew it was real these things whatever they were were real and they were closing in on us the man's grip tightened on my arm his eyes wide with Terror don't let them take me please don't let them take me he begged I didn't know what to do all I had really was a flashlight and a knife neither of which seemed like

they'd be of much use against whatever they were but I couldn't just stand there I grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him trying to snap him out of whatever Panic had taken hold what are they I demanded what do they want they're the Watchers he whispered his voice barely audible they take people drag them into the woods they're never seen again please don't let them take me his words sent a shiver down my spine the Watchers when that man mentioned them I remembered that a few of my colleu colleagues said stories about Shadow

like things about people Vanishing in the woods and never being found but I would dismiss them as very rare cases or simply Legends now faced with these things I didn't understand I wasn't so sure the Watchers were closer now only a few yards away their forms becoming more distinct with each passing second they moved silently their Fe ESS faces locked onto us as they Advanced my mind screamed at me to run but my legs felt like they were made of lead Frozen in place by a primal fear which I could not shake the man was

trembling violently now we have to go we have to leave before they before he could finish one of the figures lunged towards us it moved with frightening speed that should not have been possible covering the distance in the blink of an eye I barely had time to react raising my flashlight and shining it directly at the thing to my surprise the light seemed to affect it The Watcher recoiled its form flickering and distorting as if the beam of light was somehow disrupting its presence I didn't hesitate I kept the flashlight trained on it and with

my free hand I grabbed the man and hauled him to his feet run I shouted pushing him ahead of me we bolted from The Boulders crashing through the underbrush flying down the trail the Watchers didn't follow immediately but I could hear them behind us moving through the trees with that Eerie unnatural speed I kept the flashlight aimed behind us the beam cutting through the dark hoping it would keep them at Bay we ran until my lungs burned I didn't know where I was going I just knew we needed to get as far far away from

those things as possible the man was barely keeping up stumbling and gasping for breath finally we burst into a small clearing the trees parting to reveal a patch of Open Sky I stopped gasping for breath then spun around my flashlight ready the Watchers were at the edge of the clearing their forms shifting and writhing as if they couldn't fully materialize in the open space I didn't understand what was happening but I wasn't about to question it the clearing seemed to be a safe Zone at least for now I turned to the man who had collapsed

on the ground panting heavily are you okay I asked kneeling beside him he nodded weakly but his eyes were still wide with fear they don't like the light he muttered more to himself than to me it keeps them away but it won't last I glanced back at the Watchers they were still there hovering at the edge of the clearing but they weren't coming forward then I thought maybe they were waiting for something what do we do now I asked trying to keep the Panic out of my voice the man didn't answer right away he stared

at the ground vacantly we can't stay here they'll wait us out I looked around trying to figure out where we were exactly after a few moments I realized we were near an older ranger station that could give us shelter there's a ranger station not far from here I think there's a generator there too which means light it wasn't much of a plan but but it was better than nothing if we could get to the Rangers station and power up the lights maybe we could hold out until someone found us again assuming anyone had even heard

my distress call can you walk I asked helping him to his feet he nodded though he was clearly exhausted yeah yeah I think so we set off again moving as quickly as we could through the forest the path was rough and uneven the undergrowth clawing at our legs but we pressed on every few minutes I would glance back checking to see if the Watchers were following they were always just at the edge of the light but they didn't seem to be able to cross the boundary into the clearing after what felt like ages we finally

saw it the old Ranger Station a small weathered building nestled among the trees it was long out of use replaced by a newer facility closer to the main entrance but I remembered it well it had a small generator for emergencies and and if we were lucky it might still work we reached the door which I opened after removing the lock on them using my knife the inside of the station was dark and musty and the air was thick with the scent of mold and Decay I could barely see anything in there but there was no

time to waste I pulled the man inside and shut the doors behind us sliding the heavy old Closet in front of them where's the generator the man asked in the back room I replied I moved quickly nearly tripping over the Clutter of old furniture and equipment that littered the floor the back room was small with a Dusty workbench and shelves lined with tools and supplies in the corner I found the generator a bulky old-fashioned model that looked like it hadn't been used in years I grabbed the pull cord and gave it a hard yank the

generator sputtered and coughed but it didn't start I tried it again and again each time with the same result my heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel the cold tendrils of panic creeping up my spine come on come on I muttered under my breath giving the cord one final desperate pull the generator roared to life its engine rumbling in the confined space I quickly flipped the switch and the overhead lights flickered on I breathed a sigh of relief my legs nearly giving out from the tension I stumbled back into the main room

where the man was waiting by the window his eyes wide the lights had come on in there as well Illuminating the place the lights are on we should be safe now but even as I said that I wasn't sure how right I was those things were still out there and I had no idea how long the generator was going to last we were safe for now but that safeness felt very temporary for a long time we sat there in the room silently listening to the low hum of the generator and the distant sound of the

forest outside the man was staring at the floor his hands trembling as he picked at The Frayed edges of his clothes I wanted to ask him more about these Watchers about what they actually were and why they were after him but I couldn't bring myself to break the silence eventually he spoke his voice was low and horar thank you for saving me I shook my head I don't even know what I'm dealing with here what are those things why are they after you he hesitated his eyes flicking to the door as if expecting them to

burn just through they've been following me for days he said I don't know why I just know they won't stop until they get what they want and what do they want he shook his head his face pale and drawn I don't know all I know is that they were out there that they chase people and they take them away I've seen it happen before they took my my friend a couple of weeks before at first I didn't believe him when he said he saw something but then he disappeared the idea of something stalking and taking

innocent people in the forest gave me chills we need to stay calm I said trying to convince him and myself as long as the lights are on they can't get us we'll just wait here until help arrives he nodded but there was a look in his eyes that told me he was doubtful the same could be said for me but what else was I supposed to believe in hours passed and the tension in the smaller room was almost unbearable every Creek of the old building every rustle of the wind outside set my nerves on edge

the man and I barely spoke both of us too consumed by our own thoughts and fears the generator was holding up but I could feel its vibration beginning to strain the lights flickered occasionally each time sending a jolt of panic through me but they would stay on I kept my eyes on the window half expecting these Watchers to force their way in finally as Dawn began to break and the rays of sunlight filtered through the dirty windows I heard the distant sound of a helicopter approaching the man and I exchanged a look of relief as

the noise grew louder the thumping of the rotors a welcome sound in the Eerie silence I moved the closet away and opened up the door just as the helicopter came into view hovering above the clearing outside a voice crackled over my radio asking for our location and condition and I quickly told them within minutes a rescue team was on the ground helping me and the man into the helicopter as we lifted off I glanced back at the woods below the Watchers weren't there maybe they had disappeared and Faded back into the shadows and trees maybe

they never did pass that clearing maybe we'd stayed awake and terrified for no reason but something told me as we flew away from there that we' barely escaped with our lives there were things in those woods things that watched from the Deep Shadows and fed off the fear of those who wandered too far I survived but I couldn't forget what I'd seen and experienced and ever since then I've never felt the same about the woods ghost at work from Young do I know it sounds like bull crap but I'm just going to put it bluntly

I am Scottish and a chef by trade 3 years ago when I was still at my old place of work I saw a ghost for a bit of context the last time that hotel was renovated was a 1993 before I was born when the builders were extending the hotel there were multiple reports coming back of missing tools and a cold feeling those reports happened when the hotel was busy the second floor is the most haunted as that seemed to be where most of the complaints were coming from I Was preparing breakfast one day there was

no one there from the hall I heard my name called though so naturally I went to see who was calling my name besides there being no one there save for the night Porter I went out to the hall again no one but it sounded like it was coming from the dry store so I went to up there to check it out by the door at the end of the dry store I saw a woman in a gray dress her back facing me she was floating with her neck tilted I called out a nervous hello she

turned around then said only John before rushing right at me before she reached me I swear she faded into nothingness terrified I ran upstairs to where I thought the night Porter was I found him and I settled down after a bit then I went back to set up breakfast that's the end of the story it might be all over the place but I've had a drink or two I swear on my family's grave it's real If This Were a phone call it might make more sense love from Scotland thanks for tuning in to Tales from

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