It happened on a Friday morning. A group of students called the police to ask for a search party to look for their missing friends.
One of them had apparently disappeared after another friend called him for a ride. After two hours with no response, the rest of the group assumed they simply were not coming back.
Only one of them felt that something was wrong. He kept flooding the inboxes of Jean-Francis and Loïc with messages, but nothing came back. Just silence.
Even though the 2 of them rarely wrote in the group chat, it was unusual for them to be silent for hours, even more after multiple days. After 8 hours with no reply at all, Gabriel, one of the person within the group called the police, worried that something really bad might have happened to them.
It didn't take long for the police to find Jean-Francis… at least, his destroyed corpse. Before telling Gabriel, they decided sent a second team of officers alongside a scientist to figure out what had happened. But like the boys, none of them ever came back.
The government then deployed an entire SWAT team to investigate the forest. But the forest in question seemed to have grown, it was now stretching several kilometres more than it had the day before which obviously was not possible. The SWAT team decided to remain there for the entire day to investigate. And again with no surprise, nothing came out of it, not even the team that had entered the forest.
The government soon issued a warning to the population about the forest. They decided to declare that anyone who entered it would be shot on sight no matter ho you ended up there. In reality, it was never their intention to kill anyone, they just wanted to scare people off. In the end even the warning didn't suffice and people went in and they were never seen again. Anyone who went in disappeared long before the police could even find them. That made the government think their warning had worked but come on, since when do people back down after hearing that from a pathetic government like that?
Each time authorities placed barricade tape around the dark forest, the forest itself continued to spread in every corner of the continent at an incredible speed, expanding again and again and again.
Out of fear, the world leaders reached a unanimous decision to... blow up the forest? In the leaders mind, the forest had to be destroyed by any means necessary even if it meant to kill anyone within the explosion range. Their solution was an atomic bomb or rather a small version of one. To many of the population of Canada, the decision felt rushed and reckless since it could endanger many lives, but the old and dumb leaders seemed too desperate to stop and reconsider. They were scared of a forest when they were at the top of the world, laughable.
The atomic bomb then completely destroyed the forest to bits and the dumb leaders taught they were safe from the divine punishment of god. Yet by the next day, it had returned as if the explosion had never happened to begin with. In the end, the only thing they accomplished was making whatever lived inside even more dangerous, angry and filled with resentment against the human race.
If they had only read Jean-Francis's journal, one of Gabriel's friend that had disappeared. It was lying and resting, waiting to be picked up just a few meters from his body. If the police or maybe even the SWAT team had found it, they might have known what kind of monster was waiting within the forest.
{Journal Entry, August 28, 2028
It's probably around 7:30 in the morning and I barely survived the night inside this weird forest. This forest is the work of a devil, a devil, I swear my life to that. It was around 10 o'clock last night when my friend Loïc called me and almost cried to me, asking my help to pick him up because his car had 'ran out of fuel'.
When I arrived at the coordinates this dumbass sent me, I found nothing but an old forest which wasn't a good start. Strangely though, it looked about half a kilometre larger than Google Maps which obviously made me think he bribed the compagnie to prank me. At first, I assumed it was just a mistake people make time to time, but thinking about it now, when does this company make an error of that scale?
Anyways, I decided to look around just in case Loïc had wandered like an idiot into the forest on his own. After a long search I needed to admit, was nowhere to be found at all. Even outside the forest. After searching for a while, I started to think it was some kind of sick joke and at some point even considered the fact that he let me go pick him up at dead end.
Then it hit me in the face, I never saw Loïc's car when I arrived and the one and only reason I had even came here was because his car supposedly ran out of fuel.
The moment I realized that, I decided to leave, certain this weirdo joke with my ass. But just as I turned around to leave this hell, something caught the corner of my eye. That thing was emitting a small blue reflection far off in the distance. It was barely recognizable because of the damned dark.
When I finally decided to approach the blue object, I noticed something weird. It seemed to be sinking in the ground??? The more I approached, the more I could see the phenomenon in action. It didn't take long for me to realize what the object in question was.
It was that dumbass billionaire's car, it was Loïc's Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. You know, the one that supposedly and somehow cost 28 million dollars, the one he had bought less than a month ago? Yet that uncomfortable yet expansive car was sinking into the ground like in was falling in water. And to top it all off, the car in front looked decades old and plot twist, the car wasn't made that long ago. The metal was almost completely oxidized as if the surface had been used like a maniac for years. And the situation it was in was as if it had been abandoned in the wild for 20, no maybe even 30 years.
The moment I noticed that, I knew I had to leave because who wouldn't??? This was no longer funny, it was beyond terrifying, it showed me that this forest probably ate Loïc like it ate his car. To be honest, I had barely walked 5 minutes within this forest, no, within this Sacred Grove of Demeter. But when I turned around to go back, the path behind me was gone, It was an endless mist of wood, trees and vegetation. The forest stretched on like a never ending battlefield of doom for what looked like hours and hours.
In the distance, I could clearly still see my car, but that very car that transported me instants ago was sinking into the ground at an abominable and terrifying speed while trees and vegetation grew like a dog trying to surround its food around my only possession it was swallowing it whole as if the forest itself was alter ego of greed.
You can probably imagine the look on my face, utter shock indeed. After all, I just saw my car getting eaten away by nature??? Lady nature must really hate me to this point, huh?
Now enough with the jokes, as I absolutely must tell you what came right after that.
When things couldn't have been worse, an old and enormous bush around me started to move by itself. The bush barely moved at all but it moved enough to convince me that something was indeed there, and that it was probably waiting for me to look away. But I'm not that dumb compared to Loïc who probably fell for such an easy trick!
I couldn't move out of fear I must admit it. At that point I knew that if I did, I might regret it with my life.
After what felt like an eternity and beyond which made me actually consider I was the dumb one here, a pair of white eyes, suddenly opened within the bush. Like gang? Are we serious? I KNEW IT! They had no pupils at all ( of course not, why would something in a bush be normal??? ), yet I could easily feel that they were staring directly at me, filled with a rage pure of resentment. I should also probably mention that the only way I noticed was because I could also hear a small growl that seemed to be going in that direction.
Then out of nowhere, the thing, no, the actual monster started creeping out of the bush as it probably realized I noticed it.
It took me a few seconds to realize what I was looking at and I clearly remembered that less than a week ago, I was laughing with my friends at the people who actually believed that this creature once existed and now, yet again, I feel like I am the little dumb kid here.
If I'm not mistaken, I am pretty certain the creature is called the Phantom.
There are many myths about it, but clearly, it isn't just a myth anymore as this beast that looks like it hasn't eaten in years stood before me.
At that precise moment, I quickly tried to convince myself that I was dreaming but after hitting my gut twice, I knew that what I was seeing could not be further away from the truth. Yet this thing was not supposed to be alive and breathing, it wasn't even supposed to exist, it was suppose to come from an imaginary myth.
But whether I wanted it to exist or, it did not matter as it was very clearly standing right before me with a gruesome smile as it probably thought of how it could eat me. And if even some of the myths about this creature that I read online were even remotely true, then I am beyond toasted and grilled.
If you are reading this journal, the following paragraphs will describe the creature's appearance along with the three most well known myths about it.
Firstly, the creature is known for its clear intense hatred and violence toward the human race. The reason for the specific hatred was not mentioned in the myth so we might just never know. Its empty white eyes that holds no pupil are said to drive people into madness. Its hands end in claws capable of tearing apart almost any living being which obviously includes human such as myself. Its teeth are strong enough to crush rocks, and its body is a humanoid pitch black body. The body in question is extremely slim as if it never ate anything in days if not years.
Secondly, it is said that the creature can enter shadows and move freely within them, appearing and disappearing without warning. In other myths, it is even said that the phantom can create and control any shadow to use as weapons that are even stronger then its already deadly claws
Thirdly, and perhaps the most terrifying of all, these monsters are believed to travel in packs of thousands.
I knew that if I didn't run away, I would soon be overwhelmed by these phantoms, and if that happens, I will obviously die without even having the time to fight for my life. It didn't take me long to decide since the phantom in front of me made its move before I could even think for myself. Without even an hint of advancing, this little shit started to jump at me, forcing me to start running in a random direction immediately.
I couldn't risk other phantoms from its possible pack to arrive. If they did, it would be over for me before I could even count to ten. Its pretty clear that I do not want that to happen. And so I ran. I ran and ran and ran at full speed for what felt like an entire hour and surprisingly, I almost never end ran out of breath. Then, in the distance, I saw something that made me stop for a small moment.
After concentrating my vision on the thing that stood out from the rest of the forest. I saw it, it was a human arm and I was beyond certain it was that dumbass's arm ( if you didn't understand yet, the dumbass here is Loïc ). I recognized the red bracelet he had bought for himself less than a week ago. This guy still bought it even though we all told him that the design was beyond horrible. That bracelet was still wrapped around his wrist, yet the arm wasn't moving?
The closer I got, the more something about it felt wrong, in addition, the disgusting smell grew worse and worse as I approached the arm. I refused to believe that anything terrible had happened to this dumbass. I remember clearly shouting Loïc's name while trying to ignore the worst possibilities my shitty brain constantly made as I got closer.
When I finally reached the arm and tried to grab it, it felt way too light for a human body. When I decided to look behind me, I noticed that there wasn't anybody at all, just an arm stood in my palm. When I looked beyond the arm I could see an enormous pool blood still spilling out.
I again vividly remember screaming in shock as I stared in awe at the dismembered arm of my friend. Even now, I don't know if he is alive but considering what I saw then and with an injury like that, he probably most likely died of a horrible death.
Without thinking twice, I started running again at the fastest pace my body could handle while silent tears of fear were slowly coming out of my eyes. Even though that guy was dumbass, he was still my friend and now? He was most likely dead.
After one heck of a run, I barely managed to stop myself as I barely reached the edge of an enormous cliff. Before I could even step away from it, I heard a small, low growl that came from right behind me.
The phantom had already caught up with me even though I ran like a maniac. That likely meant it was incredibly fast since my great self is faster than most or that the myth about traveling through shadows was sadly indeed true.
This time, it didn't hesitate to attack me. It most certainly didn't see the cliff that stood right behind me. It probably thought I stopped because my great self lost all hope of survival. Without looking ahead, the phantom leaped right at me with all of its strength which made me cough out blood ( not much but still, the impact wasn't made for the weak ). The charge of that exact impact forced us both over the damned edge. I could most clearly see it in its expression that it had just now realized why I had stopped. But all that was now too late as we were falling to our doom.
As we fell, I caught a final glimpse in the distance of this forest. It must have been hundreds, no, maybe even thousands of white eyes. They were all staring at us from the forest, probably sadden that their feast would never happen.
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a very very weird and strange looking beach. The beach in question possessed three different sand colours ( red, orange and yellow ), that alone made me consider the fact that I was probably not even on Earth anymore.
When I looked around the surrounding area, I quickly realized that the phantom which greatly helped me fall from the cliff had not been as lucky as I was. The phantom that fell with me had been impaled on a tree less than a meter away from me.
The top of the tree had pierced straight through its chest, likely through its lungs too. Even then, the creature was still slightly moving as if it were somehow still alive. It was horrible to witness, it was a horrifying sight even though it wasn't me that was there on that tree. I could even see thick black blood that was slowly pouring out from its body. Fricking disgusting.
Now that I think about it, how did I even survive that fall??? Looking at the cliff and where I landed, it seems to go higher than 50 meters tall in hight and the water is far too distant from where I hit the ground. Even if the tide were at its highest I would have most certainly still died. But in the end, it does not matter, as I survived the great fall.
What is clear however, is that it's certain that I will be stranded on this weird beach for quite some time before I find any help. In any case, I am fairly certain I saw apples on some of the trees back in the devils forest. The only thing worries me is the possibility that the information about phantoms appearing only at night might be false.
Still, I have no other choice, I need those apples or I will just starve to death here, waiting for the phantoms to get on the beach themselves and enjoy my death. If you ever find this journal lying on the ground, then it most likely means I did not survive my next encounter with these beasts.
Farewell to whoever reads this.}
In the end, no one ever found Jean-Francis's journal, the only thing police did find however, was far worse obviously.
Search teams eventually discovered his torso, dissected and partially eaten to the very core. His head lay around 58 meters away from the rest of his eaten body. The other parts were never recovered by anyone, not even years and years later after his death. They were likely eaten as well, carried away by the phantoms like pieces of meat to enjoy in group.
But who can truly say what happened to them?
Perhaps only God knows.