I 


    If you could ever imagine a world so lost and hidden beneath darkness, 
then imagine this place.  A world covered in forests and mountain ranges 
hidden away within a blanket of mist and moonlight.  A place where the wind 
blows harshly and the trees dance beneath the moonlight to the cries of 
hungry creatures that lurk behind every turn of the path.  The twisted and 
dark paths seem as if they are the roads to doom as the clouds overhead 
travel past at such indescribable speeds.  Constantly you would have to look 
over your shoulders to be aware of danger and run for every inch of your 
life. In this world it is not wise to defend yourself for most fail.  It is 
in these woods and this twisting cobblestone path that we meet a young man. 
This man is but a humble farmer who has ventured out in search of an evening 
meal.  He has traveled miles by foot and tries to stay to the path.  He has 
grown very weary and stops to rest.  As he sits down against a tree and lifts 
his jug of wine to his lips he hears a rumbling in the branches.  Not the 
type of rumbling a bird would make, but a much more terrifying sound.  He 
rises to his feet and starts off again faster than before.  As the sound 
encircles him, he finds himself twisting and turning around in circles to see 
what is hunting him.  He sees nothing, only mist and branches dancing in the 
wind.  Suddenly the noises cease and he wipes the sweat from his brow.  When 
he comes to senses he looks at the path only to discover that it is no longer 
there.  Somehow in this fear he had ran off in an odd direction.  The moon 
was now hidden behind hazy black clouds and there was no way to know which 
way was home.  His hands were trembling in fear as he noticed a little hut 
standing in a dark thicket close to a dying stream.  As he slowly and 
carefully approached this place within the mist he noticed that it was made 
of broken twigs and branches.  There was no light peeking from the cracks and 
crevices only the sound of crows cawing in the branches above.  After a 
moment of petrified horror he collected himself and continued towards the 
beaten and battered door.  As he knocked on the door he felt pain on his 
knuckles.  He covered his mouth and shouted out with pain under his own 
breath.  His hands dripped with blood as the door was covered with thick 
vines with thorns.  It is only then that he leaned against the door and crept 
inside.  This, my friends is where our story truly begins. 
    Before his first step touches the dust-covered floor, he feels an amazing 
coldness that crept into his skin and struck deep in the heart.  Then a loud 
shriek came from across the dust filled room.  He held his hands to his ears 
to contain the pain and fell to his knees.  As he looked up in terror he saw 
a gruesome decaying body hunched over on a table covered with over-flown 
candle wax.  An old woman's body looks as if it has been sitting there for 
years and is covered with parasites and cobwebs.  The hardened wax is blood 
red and covers the entire table along with the woman's fingertips.  Under her 
fingers is a hardbound journal that looks to be made out of human skin.  It 
seems to be written in strange black ink that has crusted up and chipped off. 
 He soon realizes that it is the dried blood of the woman that wrote this 
journal.  What kind of evil madness could have over came this woman to cause 
her to write with the blood from a wound of her own arm?  Slowly, with the 
journal in his hand, he backs away from the table and looks around the room. 
In the darkness he sees the disgusting half-eaten crows hanging from their 
claws from the ceiling.  Their heads have been bitten off and the wings are 
hanging only by broken bones.  The bones have been gnawed on and the flesh 
and feathers have been ripped apart.  The man stumbles backwards and falls 
towards the door that suddenly shuts tightly in front of him.  The wind 
begins to blow and the sounds of hanging bones begin to sound like wicked 
wind chimes.  The floor is covered with decaying flesh from rats and crow 
bones are scattered every where.  The wind chills his soul and his blood 
crawled through his veins like parasites under his skin.  The window shutters 
are blown off the hinges and lost in the forest as he sees shadows between 
the walls of twigs and branches.  They are surrounding him with dimly lit 
torches and the cries of hungry wolves.  He suddenly feels a chill down his 
spine and turns around ever so quickly only to see a hooded figure looking 
into the broken window.  It is standing still as a tree and gazing right 
through him.  He could not see a face, but caught a glimpse of bone as it 
turned towards the moonlight.  He jumped to his feet and the shadow did not 
move.  The wolves were howling louder now and clawing at the walls.  The 
little hut was almost shaken apart as they backed off and retreated into the 
forest.  The man blinked and the hooded figure was no longer there.  He then 
lowered his head and fainted with his face falling flush against the bloody 
floor.  It was only moments later that he awoke and fled for his very soul 
back into the depths of the forest.  As he flew through the woods he realized 
that he was still holding the journal in his hands, he was clutching it out 
of fear. 
          
    
II 


    Years later the man had grown older and a bit wiser when it came to 
traveling through the forest.  He lived with his two children and his 
precious wife.  His daughter was very quiet and ever so beautiful as she was 
still a child.  His son was coming of age but still a boy.  The boy had 
learned so much from his father about hunting and how to be a good man.  His 
loving wife was the loveliest woman alive in the eyes of many.  They were a 
happy family that was surviving miles away from the nearest village.  Their 
home was a tiny hut that was built in a grassy clearing deep in the heart of 
the woods.  Not many travelers had ever come across them, for the journey 
there was almost forbidden.  It was just too dangerous to travel during the 
night in the forest.  The howling of wolves was their only company in the 
darkness.   
    It came upon an afternoon that the boy and his father were chopping wood 
for the feast they were planning that night.  The boy had killed a deer on 
his first hunt.  To this family, it was a very joyful occasion.  His sister 
was inside playing with her wooden toys and his mother had left that morning 
in search of something special for him. As his father sweated at each swing 
of the sharp axe, the boy looked around for more wood to cut.  There wasn't 
any in sight, so the boy began to walk out into the woods.  His father yelled 
in the background " Son don't stray too far, and stay near the house!"  The 
boy yelled back sarcastically " Dad, I'm a man now, I can handle myself!"  He 
knew where there was a giant tree and it wouldn't take long to get there as 
he often played there with his sister. The boy tried to remember the twisted 
path to the tree.  He drifted further and further into the dark thickets and 
came across the tree he had remembered.  He felt cold at the very sight that 
stood before him.  There was something strange about the tree.  It was split 
in half from lightening and there were ropes tied around it.  As he crept 
closer to the tree he could smell something terrible and the ropes seemed to 
be soaked in human blood.  He swatted at the flies and knats only to reveal a 
human body that was bound on the other side.  He covered his nose from the 
horrific stench and dropped to his knees.  He screamed as loud as he could, 
but he was too far for his father to hear him.  It was time to be the man he 
thought he had become.  He touched the head of the person that was dripping 
with blood to see who it was.  He could not recognize the face as it was torn 
completely off leaving wet muscle and bone exposed.  He stepped back from the 
body and through his tears of fear looked over the entire body.  There were 
bits of flesh ripped off and thrown about on the ground.  The guts had been 
sliced through and were dangling low to the ground.  With every turn of his 
head he saw blood everywhere.  It was on the trees all around him and on the 
leaves that were lying on the ground.  The sun was slowly setting and the 
wind grew colder and harsher.  Suddenly he noticed something nearby in a 
puddle of blood and flesh.  Black berries were floating in the dark pool of 
blood. He knelt over to pick up a shiny metal necklace.  As he wiped the 
blood away he realized who's it was.  It was his own mother's that his father 
gave to her long ago.  She had ventured out that morning in search of berries 
for her pie that she was planning to bake for him.  He screamed in terror as 
he began to hear the most terrifying noise he had ever heard.  It was a dark 
wicked laughter coming from the trees around him.  It was growing louder and 
louder as complete darkness took over the forest.    A dark coldness ran down 
his spine and went right through his soul.  He felt like ghosts were flying 
in and out of his body. He was frozen in complete terror.  The woods were 
dark and the insane laughter was closing in on him.  He covered his ears and 
started running home as fast as his feet could move.  He was running out of 
breath quickly and was too scared to scream now.  He hurled himself through 
thorns and vines running faster and faster.  He could see the branches moving 
all around him and the laughter was right behind him.  He could feel warm 
breath on the back of his neck and the sound of horse's hooves pounding on 
his heels.  Suddenly, the clouds broke and rain began to fall.  He could feel 
the wind from an axe slicing the air behind him.  He looked ahead and through 
the darkness he could see a clearing, it was home.  The boy only ran faster 
and faster, never realizing that the thorns had sliced him all over his body 
and he was covered in blood and vines.  As he fell onto the clearing the 
noise behind him stopped, but the laughter did not.  The wicked laugh began 
to multiply and the boy realized that dark hooded creatures surrounded him. 
With all of his might he cried out in terror " Father help me!"  There was no 
answer.  The boy fell to his knees and looked up through the mist only to his 
sister nailed to the front door.  Her white night gown was drenched in blood. 
 Her blood was dripping from her toes onto the entrance of the once happy 
home.  He screamed and screamed but his father never came to his rescue.  He 
cried out up to the heavens in terror " Father, where are you?"  A stiffness 
came over his body as he watched dark hooded figures come out of the dark 
woods on horses.  They had surrounded the clearing and had wolves bound in 
chains latched to their saddles.  The boy could do nothing but watch the 
wolves drool over the blood that covered his entire body.  They clawed and 
scrapped at the ground trying to get to him to rip him apart and eat his 
flesh.  He could see crows flying over head and cawing as the wickedly evil 
laugh pierced his soul.   Then the world fell silent within an instant. 
There was no sound at all as if he had lost his hearing.  As he gazed out at 
the hooded terrors that surrounded him he could feel the wind blowing through 
his hair.  He knew that he was doomed and was going to die.  With an evil 
glare one of figures stepped towards him.  He pointed to the blood drenched 
body of his sister and with the voice of evil said, " You have until dawn to 
bring us the book!" The boy could only see the shadow of a human skull under 
the hood and then fell to the ground.  As he began to faint, he heard the 
sound of wolves howling and hooves disappearing back into the woods. 


III 


    A few moments later the boy awoke in pool of rainwater and blood. He 
stayed on the muddy ground and tried to clear his head.  As he wiped the 
blood away from his eyes he looked at the house and began to feel extreme 
pain in his chest.  He held himself tightly and tears fell from his eyes.  He 
lowered his head only to raise it and curse the heaven's above.  He cried out 
again for his father, only to hear the caw of the crows in the twisted 
branches that surrounded him.  The rain was washing the blood of his sister 
towards him and he began to walk on this path of blood to his home.  Without 
looking at his sister he pushed the door open to reveal that the home had 
been ripped apart.  The table had been smashed into pieces and the hay filled 
beds were torn apart.  His mother's pots and pans were tossed around and the 
fire had been drowned out.   
    He began to look for any book he could find, not knowing which book the 
hooded figure had commanded him to find.  He sat down near his parent's bed 
and looked around the room.  He knew the night was still young and he had to 
think hard and remember anything about a book.  There were the stories that 
mother had read to him and his sister each night before bed.  There was 
mother's recipe book.  Then he remembered his father long ago reading a 
strange book.  He had crept up on his father reading as a child and his 
father jumped at his touch on his shoulder.  His father was frightened by 
something in that book.  That must be the book they are looking for.  The boy 
knew nothing about the book other than it scared his father half out of his 
wits.  He closed his eyes and pictured his sister playing with her blocks 
that day.  He remembered his father's words " Son, don't stray too far, and 
stay near the house!" The words echoed in his mind.  What if he had stayed 
close to the family?  What if he was there, what would have happened then? 
It doesn't matter anymore.  His family was slaughtered and his father was 
missing.  He knew that his father was murdered and hanging from a tree in the 
woods somewhere.  The boy sat there for a long while trying to remember where 
his father had placed the book.  He remembered that his father a couple of 
years ago had it in his hand when he went to visit his grandmother.  He and 
his sister were never allowed to travel to that end of the woods, as it was 
far too dangerous.  He realized that he didn't have a choice he would head 
off in the direction his father would travel to get there and that was all he 
knew.  The boy gathered his father's axe and some bread that had been baked 
early that morning and began his descent back into the wicked forest.   
    The boy was still trembling as he started running off through the woods. 
Jumping over vines and thickets he never stopped to catch his breath.  He had 
no idea what he was looking for, but felt the presence of the dark figures 
all around him.  His fear began to take him over and all he did was run 
without thinking.  He could still hear that wicked laughter only it was very 
faint and hidden in the mist.  The rain was still falling and seemed to hurt 
more and more as the drops touched his skin.  His wounds were still dripping 
with blood and he was growing weary.  He had never been so deep in the woods 
before on his own, but was determined to find this hidden home in the 
catacombs of the darkness.  He could hear the wolves begin to howl again as 
the full moon came out from behind the clouds.  He knew that they were close 
and would kill him any moment if they wanted to take his soul back to hell 
with them.  He thought of how proud his father was of him and continued on. 
Suddenly, he came across a ditch within a row of trees of in the distance. 
The roots of trees had taken it over and it seemed as if a stream was once 
there.  This place was terrifying and the sounds of the wolves were growing 
closer and closer.  He climbed through the roots of the giant trees and saw a 
hut that had fallen apart.  It was barely standing and covered in vines.  As 
he approached he heard the gallop of the hooded figures come into the 
clearing.  He stood there in fear as he watched them come from the depths of 
the forest once again.  The only stood and gazed at him like hungry vultures. 
 Their wolves snarled and snorted as they tried to break free from the chains 
that bound them.  He quickly pushed the door of the hut open and jumped 
inside.  He closed the door quickly behind him and peered through the 
crevices of the door at the shadows that awaited him.  He turned around and 
looked around the little hut.  He saw the bones of crows hanging around the 
room and a decayed carcass of a human leaning over a cobweb covered table. 
He crept over to it and noticed a feather pen lying on the table.  He looked 
around for the book, but didn't see it.  He heard the wickedly evil laughter 
again and began to tremble in fear.  It grew louder and louder and within a 
moment there was a knocking at the door.  With a loud and evil tone the words 
" Open up this door in the name of Satan" rang out.   

IV 
    


    The boy turned back to the table quickly and fell to the floor.  As he 
looked up he noticed a book on the floor drenched in blood.  He crawled over 
to it quickly, grabbed it and backed into one of the corners of the rooms 
behind a rocking chair.  The voice outside was growing louder and louder and 
more ferocious with every breath.  He opened the book and began to read the 
words scribed in blood.   

I am writing this journal to tell a story.  This is a tale of madness and 
deceit that has rendered me helpless in my evil confinement.  This is a story 
of my son.  As I raised my son deep in these woods I recognized an evil 
personality.  There is an evil wickedness that thrives in him and has broken 
away out of my control.  As a child he had a secret invisible friend. 
Throughout the day, he spent countless hours listening to his friend and 
doing what it told him to do. It started out as simple pranks and the humor 
of a child.  It began innocent and now has turned to pure evil and his dark 
friend has taken him over.  My son has Satan in him!  He has confined me to 
my own home and performed evil experiments with me.  It was only one night 
ago that he severed my foot so that I wouldn't run away.  He then ate it in 
front of me and offered me a taste.  I am writing to whoever finds this book 
and pray for forgiveness from the Lord above.  I am sorry for bringing this 
creature into this world and I feel sorry for his new wife.  His madness is 
split in two.  I grow weaker each day and do not have the strength to warn 
her.  His shadows haunt him, and he haunts me.  I pray that he never come 
home again. 

The rest was covered in blood and could not be read.  The boy dropped the 
book on the floor as the door to the hut was smashed through with an axe. 
The boy grabbed his axe and rose to his feet.  He stood face to face with the 
dark figure.  It walked slowly around the room and stopped and starred right 
through the boy.   
A voice of evil rang out the words " Boy, give me the book!"  The boy wielded 
his axe and shouted out in pure fear " You killed my family over this book!" 
The figure took a couple of steps closer to the boy and stopped again.  The 
boy was petrified with fear  the figure was huge and shrouded in black.  The 
hooded figure turned to the body of the woman at the table and started to 
laugh.  That laugh which haunted the boy all night.  Then the demon turned to 
him again and slowly removed a mask.  It was then that the boy's heart nearly 
dropped out of his soul.  The figure starring back at him was sinister yes, 
but it was his own father.  The evil man spoke once again " I'm proud of you 
son, you have discovered my lord and master Satan!" and then whispered " You 
deserve to walk with him in the kingdom of hell!"  The boy fell to his knees 
and cried out " Why Father, Why?"  His father walked around him and laughed 
and poked at him with his axe.  " Boy, I was once proud of you, but like my 
mother you failed me.  Your mother and sister were but mere sacrifices for 
your new birth into darkness.  For years I was haunted by a hooded figure 
with a face of human skeleton.  I soon realized that my Lord was showing me 
the way to darkness and it felt divine.  I wanted so much to raise my son to 
stand by my side.  We no longer need the others, only Satan and his wisdom." 
The boys' blood began to boil with anger and he rose to his feet.  His father 
dropped to his knees and said " That's it boy, let him in and send me on my 
way to hell!"  The boy didn't hesitate  and with one swift blow he severed 
his father's head and dropped the axe.  He turned and walked away from the 
little hut out into the misty darkness of the cold forest.  He looked up to 
the blood red moon and the evil horsemen reared their horses and raised their 
axes to him.  " Hail to our new lord, Hail to the Prince of Darkness!" The 
boy began to laugh as the chants continued.  He laughed louder and louder!   
V 

    These woods are filled with nightmarish stories of evil my friends, but 
it's just too bad that this story is not over.  It is only the beginning.