Chapter Four

FLASHBACK

"Once upon a time, there was a village similar to ours, but in a different location. Some say it was on the other side of the forest, others, inside it. There was a man that lived there and he was always alone. No family to speak of, no wife, no kids. The villagers had spoken a tale of how weird he is usually whenever they see him constantly talking to himself, and he was always twitching if anyone paid him any sort of mind.

One day, a kid had enough courage to approach him because he wanted to be friends. He didn't like the idea of anyone being so alone, so alienated from others, that he took the chance to introduce himself. What he saw next, scared him to the core. His face, good Lord his face was that of something Christ-like, something ungodly. It was almost split into two, one half was burnt and the other was full of scars, His mouth had been cut up and damaged.

Because the kid was so horrified at what he saw, he screamed. "Demon!" And soon enough, the villagers started swarming them.

He looked around fearfully and instantly shielded his face from those dark looks and tried to get away, but someone stopped him. "Who are you? The one who hides behind a mask?" A male villager with a reddish-brown beard on his face sneered. "I... I'm nobody sir. Pl... Please leave me be." He stuttered quietly. The villager merely looked at the others and smirked.

"Do you think we should leave him? You heard the child; he has the face of a demon. He's like a Trickster, playing tricks behind a mask for what, I ask? What is he hiding? Why should we leave him be when he could be a danger to us all?!! You know what we should do! Tell me!" He shouted as he gripped the man's dark hair and lifted his face, so he could force showing the scarred face to everyone.

Screams and loud gasps were heard throughout, and a baby had even cried somewhere in the background. "Kill him!" "Hang him!" "No, burn him!" Multiple people had shouted. The villager that had grabbed him smirked and shook the man now kneeling on the ground. "You heard them. Hmm, I reckon burning your body will make sure you won't come back from the dead, what do you say everyone? Should we burn him?!" He shouted to the crowd.

Every villager had roared at his suggestion in agreement, some had already started gathering large sticks and made a pyre. The leader dragged the scarred man to the pyre and wrapped his arms around it with a rope, making sure it was tight enough, so he couldn't escape. A neighbor nearby gave him a large stick covered in hay lit up in fire and raised it in the air.

Everyone ignored the man on the pyre that struggled to get out of his bindings. "May God's wealth is a sense o safety and light to banish this demon back to hell! Any last words, Trickster?" He sneered at him. The man huffed a little, out of breath. "Nothing, except that I hope to see you all rot in hell once I'm gone." His dark voice blended in with the darkness surrounding them with fear.

The leader holding onto the torch just chuckled and let the flames touch the hay beneath the pyre. Everyone watched the man burn to the ground, screaming in pain. It was then that the forest surrounding them turned on them like it was cursed. Wolves or something they couldn't ever see was always hunting them one by one until the village was considered no more. "

END FLASHBACK

"I was told that his spirit still lingered to this day, waiting to take his revenge on others for burning him at the pyre." After that declaration, everyone was breathing kind of hard. Haley felt terror rise through her at hearing the story, but for some strange reason, it was like she was seeing the story happening inside her mind.

How she didn't know. But now the forest definitely made her nervous. Josh just sighed and smiled at them. "It's just a story, everyone, I doubt it's true." He said reassuringly. Haley smiled back at him and started stretching. "I think I'm ready to turn in for the night, see you all in the morning." She spoke to them. The guys started making their way to their own tents as well.

Leah decided to follow her and linked her arms with her. "Hey, Haley, think I can stay in with you? I'm a little creeped out by that story." Leah said jokingly. Haley nodded. "Of course, Leah, you have what you need for the night?" She asked her. Her friend nodded, and they went ahead and laid down for the night.

THAT EVENING

It was dark when something approached the tents. It sniffed the air diligently and snorted in disgust at the scent of two males. Surrounding the other tent in its shadows, it started to purr at the females, particularly the small one. She had a scent that just had this being excited that it wanted to lure her out. But first, he had to get inside her mind to know her fear.

Inside the tent, Haley shuffled a bit in her sleep. Her breathing became irregular as dreams started to plague her mind. She shifted back and forth; her face squinted with terror, causing her to cry out. One particular jolt had her gasping with a slight scream from her lips. She sat upright, chest heaving heavily as she tried to get her bearings.

Looking around, she relaxed when she spotted Leah still sleeping next to her.

"Haley." A whispery voice sounded out in the night, causing her to jump in surprise. Shakily, she pulled the zipper of the tent and opened the entrance. It was a dark night, the fire long since burned out. Everyone was asleep. She got up from the tent and stood to her feet. "H... Hello, is someone out here?" She spoke out nervously.

"Grrr." A really low growl sounded out just across from Haley in the trees, making her jump in fear. "Who... Whose there?" She said shakily. A really large, thin like figure approached the bushes and stared at her with slitted red eyes that made Haley feel as though it was judging her from look alone.

"Josh." She whispered loudly. The figure decided to take a step closer, making her take a step back. "Josh." A little louder. It moved a bit closer, making her step back even further. The closer it got, the clearer she could see it, and what she saw shook her to the core. "Haley." It whispers sounded harsh, and it raised a thin hand with a claw and pointed it at her. Fear had her frozen.