First Story

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXX=")[(text-style:"shudder")[**A Walk in the Woods**]] [[Start]]

--- You and you're friend Taylor are on a road trip up to Canada for the week. Halfway through Washington, on a stretch of road that leads through a forest, your car suddenly breaks down. You and Taylor both hop out of the car and look at the hood. Something is clearly smoking from beneath it. This isn't good, the sun is starting to set and you can't see another car in either direction. Taylor looks worried. Looking at your phone, there's no signal to call for help. Staying near the car seems like a good idea, but you thought you remembered seeing a sign that the next town was only two miles. "Hey, I can see something in the forest over there" Taylor says. "It looks like some sort of wooden signpost. You think someone lives near here?" Looking over, there is clearly something buried deep in the forest. Maybe someone does live nearby who can help. [[Begin Walking up the Road]] [[Investigate the Sign]] ---

--- You and Taylor begin to walk up the road. It's getting very dark now but at least you know which direction you're heading. The woods around you begin to explode with the sounds of nocturnal life. "You sure there's a town this way?" Taylor asks. "Im pretty sure we passed a road sign that says there's one only two miles up" you reply. Minutes pass as the two of you walk in silence. Taylor's looking at the map you remembered to snag from the glove compartment. No way two college-aged kids can read that thing. "I'm so fucking hungry" Taylor says. "I could eat a horse." "Well does it look like I have any food?" You snap back. It's been a few hours since you last had a proper meal. Plus, the burger place you stopped at sucked. "I'll bet if we jumped off the road we could find some berries or something" Taylor suggests. Taylor's right. There probably is a rasberry bush or something right off the road. [[Look for some berries]] [[Keep going up the road]] ---

--- Walking some fifty yards into the woods, you and Taylor approach the sign. It reads (text-colour:red)["**Oakly Family Farm**"] with a big red arrow pointing North. So Taylor was right, someone does live nearby. Looking around, there's a faint man-made path going in the direction of the arrow. "Hey, maybe these Oakly people have a phone we could use" Taylor suggests. It does seem like a good idea but the path seems to go on forever. It's getting dark and you're sure the next town was only a few miles away. If you went back, at least you could see the road. [[Look for the farm]] [[Head back to the road]] ---

--- Maybe it would be better to try and find immediate help. You and Taylor begin walking on the small path. The sun's setting quickly and its getting nearly impossible to see with the tall pine trees surrounding both sides of you. In the distance, a loon calls. There must be a lake soemwhere. There's still no sign of any structures. Taylor seems much more apprehensive now. You've been walking for a good five minutes. The two of you say nothing to each other. The crickets begin to chirp as the sun is almost set by now. You begin to gain some doubts yourself but there's not much to do but keep walking. You can barely see the path. [[Keep walking]] ---

(goto:"Begin Walking up the Road")

--- After nearly fifteen minutes of walking down the path, a small clearing opens up to reveal a large but rundown cabin-like house. Wooden fences cover the perimeter but overall, the structure looks abandoned. The only light eminates from a small lantern hanging near the entrance of the house. This must be the farm, but you can't see any animals, cages, or vegetables. Maybe they're around the back? "You ever seen a horror movie?" Taylor says. "This is giving me some major creepy vibes. Maybe we should try to go back." [[Try to find your way back]] [[Knock on the front door]] [[Try and explore the rest of the property]] ---

--- You and Taylor turn and half-run back the way you came. It was such a dumb idea to go this deep into the woods at night. The path is impossible to follow. The two of you stumble in the direction of what you think is the road. After a few minutes, it's clear you're completely lost. All directions look the same. The immense trees on all sides block any view you would have. "Shit" you say. "Taylor, we're lost. What do we do now?" Taylor is freaking out next to you. "I have no idea, every decision I've made tonight has screwed us. Your turn to lead." [[Start walking....West?]] ---

--- You and Taylor walk up to the door and knock. You hear some rustling inside and suddenly the door swings open to reveal an old man standing there. He smiles at the pair of you. "Hello sir," you say. "Our car broke down on the main road. We were hoping you had a phone we could borrow to call a towing company." He grins even wider, "of course! Come on in you two!" You notice how quiet it's gotten since you've entered the property. There's barely any chirping of grasshoppers anymore. Something about this house seems off, but heading back into the woods this late seems like suicide. Taylor seems to want to run off, but maybe that's not the greatest idea. [[Run away]] [[Enter the house]] ---

--- You and Taylor walk jump the fence and walk around to the back of the house. Everything you'd expect from a farm isn't here. No vegatable patches, no animals, no barns or any other structures. This is certainly very odd. Besides, why would a farm even be in the middle of a forest? What's even more creepy are mounds of dirt that are scattered around the yard. If there were headstones, they'd look like graves. Suddenly, a bright light begins to (text-style:"blink")[flicker] from the house. The back door swings open and an old man steps out and raises a shotgun towards you and Taylor. "**Hey you!**" he shouts. "**What the hell do you think you're doing? Get over here!**" "I don't feel like getting shot tonight" Taylor says to you. "Let's do what he says." [[Obey]] ---

--- It's no use. There's absolutely no way to tell where the road is. You and Taylor keep walking until you wan't walk any further. The two of you stop by a large bush and sit down. The sounds of the forest erupt all around you. "Fuck" Taylor says. "We're totally screwed." "I really don't want to go any further tonight." You say. "I'm going to rest here until morning. That way we can at least see better." Taylor apprehensively lays down next to you. It's true, the pair of you are really screwed. Maybe it would have been better to stay at the farm house. You put your head on a soft piece of grass and try to fall asleep. (text-colour:orange)[The End] ---

--- You and Taylor apprehensively approach him with your hands up. The man is wearing a red flanel with overalls and a worn baseball cap. Definately redneck if you've ever seen it. Is that a cut on his neck? It's too dark to see any blood. "We're sorry sir," Taylor says. "Our car broke down on the highway. We were just looking for a phone to use." The man lowers the shotgun. "Well, you won't find a phone out in my garden," he chuckles. "Come on inside and you can call the tow company." You look back. A garden? you definately didn't see any vegetables growing. [[Head inside]] ---

--- The inside of the house is definately better than the outside. The lights turn on with a cozy (text-colour:orange)[golden] hue. The wooden floors are polished and everything looks very neat and orderly. The velvet couch in the main room looks very inviting, expecially since you're so tired. This old guy's definately a hunter. Animal heads line the walls and deer antlers provide much of the decoration on any window sills or tables. The old man enters after you and Taylor and shuts the door. Taylor gives you a quick glance of nervousness. The old man slings his shotgun on the seat next to him as he sits down. "You two look tired," the man says. "I have plenty of space for y'all to spend the night. Plenty of food for a morning's breakfast, it's no problem at all." You can barely keep your eyes open after nearly nine hours on the road. A good nights rest and some food sounds pretty good, even from a creepy old man. Taylor however, winces as this suggestion. Maybe it's best just to find the phone. [[Stay the night]] [[Ask for the phone]] ---

--- "Sure," you say. "That's very kind of you. It would be great to spend the night." Taylor looks over at you, in shock. The old man grins widely. "Great!" he says. "Make yourselves at home. I'll go down to the cellar and grab some blankets for you all." The old man wanders off into the house. You can hear some doors creak open and footsteps going down to the basement. Taylor turns to you, in a fury. "Why the hell are we staying here for the night? You're not getting some major serial killer vibes from this guy?" "Yeah, its kind of creepy." you say. "but I'm seriously tired. I'm not moving until the morning." Taylor reluctantly sits down on the velvet couch. You both look over to where the old man left his shotgun leaning against the wall. You can see Taylor eyeing the gun. Maybe it is a good idea to get out of this house. [[Grab the shotgun]] [[Run out of the house]] [[Try to get some sleep]] ---

--- You surpess the tired feelings as best you can. No way you two are staying in this creepy old house with this creepy old man. "Thanks," you say weakly. "We really appreciate the offer but we have somewhere to be tomorrow morning. We'll just call the tow company." The old man looks dissapointed but quickly forms a smile. "No worries," he says. "None of my visitors ever stay long. Now lets get you that phone." He dials a number and hands you the end of a landline. Putting it to your ear, a man asks you where your car is. "Directly out from the Oakly Farm" you say. There's a pause on the other end. "Hey listen," the tow man says. "There's some crazy rumours about that place. Do me a favor and stay away from it. I can be out by you in about an hour." Your eyes go wide and you quietly warn the towman that you're in the Oakly farmhouse. He promises to call the sherriff and tells you to run. You put the phone down. Taylor, who was standing directly next to you, hears the whole thing. You both look over to the old man who's sitting in a leather chair trimming the the edges of his boots with a long hunting knife. You and Taylor exchange a quick glance. [[Run out the back door]] [[Ask the old man how to get back to the road]] ---

--- The two of you run out the back door as fast as you can. "Hey!" the old man yells. You and Taylor don't look back and sprint across the yard and over the fence. It's hard to tell which way is which. (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG!**] A round goes off somewhere behind you. Filled by pure adrenaline, you crash through bushes and tress until the house is far behind you. Taylor catches up a few seconds later, panting. The two of you may be out of shape college kids, but there's no way that old guy's ever catching up to you now. Still, better not stop now. [[Keep going]] ---

--- "How do we get back to the main road?" you ask. Taylor's on your right, clearly uncomfortable. "Why would you want to go back there?" The old man says. "I already told you, you're more than welcome to stay here. In fact, it's probably best that you did." "Look," Taylor says. "It's really nice that you've let us use the phone but we really need to get going." The old man stands up and raises his shotgun to Taylor. "No, you really don't need to go anywhere" he says finally. [[Jump to your left]] [[Jump to your right]] ---

--- Yep, there's no way he's finding you now. Looking around though, you're completely lost. "What the hell do we do now?" Taylor asks, panicked. "We keep going," you say. "Maybe we can find the car, or the road, or something....." The two of you continue to jog through the forest, looking for anything. You escaped the creepy farm but will you ever find your way back? Maybe someone will notice you're missing and send rescue teams to find you in the morning. (text-colour:orange)[The End] ---

--- Sure enough, a little off the road, you find a gathering of rasberry bushes. The look ripe and absolutely delicious. As you and Taylor go to reach for some, there's a rustling of bushes to your left. Before you can properly react, an adult black bear rumbles out of the bush. It sniffs the air and looks at the two of you. It's maybe fourty yards away at the most. Not clearly seeing you, it begins to open its jaws and growl in your general direction.Its definately picked up your scent. You can hear Taylor gasp next to you. Surely the bear only wants the berries and not two college kids. Still, This things is getting pretty close. [[Stay calm and stand your ground]] [[Turn and sprint back towards the road]] ---

--- Startled, the bear is immediately upon you. There was no way you could've ever outrun this thing. You can hear Taylor screaming behind you. With a gaint (text-style:"shudder")[**ROAR**] the bear takes a clawed swing at you. Hopefully Taylor can make it out alive. (text-colour:red)[The End] ---

--- Remembering your common sense, you stay calm and make your presence known. Waving your hands above you calmly tell Taylor to do the same. Seeing the two of you, the black bear slowly backs off. It gallops into the forest, looking over its shoulder at the two of you. Sure enough, just like all those national parks articles, the bear didn't really want to attack you. "Holy shit" Taylor says. "Lets grab some berries and get back to the road." The two of you grab as many rasberries are you can carry and head back. The encounter with the bear has shaken both of you up. At least it'll be a fun story when you get home. The berries are a lot more sour than they appear. Still, It's some much needed food in your stomach. You think you remember reading somewhere that forest berries are good for you. [[Back to the road!]] ---

--- The two of you continue walking up the road. By this time, the moon has fully risen. Somewhere in the distance, a loon calls. There must be a lake in those woods. This sucks, it feels like you've been walking forever. The moon certainly looks pretty from between the trees. Looking at the moon, something catches your eye. From the road, you can see a small path leading into the forest. It looks more like a man-made trail than anything. Probably a utility trail the rangers use. You know it's a dumb idea to get off course, but you can't help but feel a little curious as to where it leads. Taylor catches your eye. "You really want to go in there?" Taylor asks. "We should probably keep going. It's dark out." [[Check out the trail]] [[Stay focused on finding the town]] ---

(goto:"Keep going up the road")

(goto:"Keep walking")

--- Taylor's right. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. The two of you keep making your way down the road. The grueling march feels like hours There still hasn't been any cars passing you. It's probably really late, however. This has certainly been an adventure. There's something to be said about using common sense and staying out of trouble. When you're about to collapse, Taylor shouts out. "Hey look! I can see the town!" Taylor exclaims. Sure enough, just over the next bend, you can see the faint (text-style:"sway")[(text-colour:orange)[glow]] of lights in a town. [[To the town!]] ---

--- The two of you rush to the small town as fast as you can. Once there, it's fairly easy to find a repairman who can head out first thing in the morning. A friendly motel owner puts you up at no cost for the night. Hospitality seems like the rule of law in this small town. As you check in, you recount the nights events to the motel owner. "Good thing you didn't head over to that old Oakly Farm in the woods" he says. "Lots of strange rumours about that place. A couple hikers never came out of there a few months back but the sherriff couldn't prove anything." You and Taylor settle in for the night, happy to be safe and sound in civilization. This certainly hasn't been the most exciting adventure. Reflecting, maybe you and Taylor should've had some fun and poked around the woods for a bit. Who knows, what really matters is that you're alive and safe. (text-colour:green)[The End] ---

(goto:"Try to find your way back")

(goto:"Head inside")

--- (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG**] The shot rings out. Taylor crumples to the floor. Not even thinking, you turn to sprint out of the door. If you stayed a second longer, you'd be dead too. (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG**] A second shot shatters the door frame next to you as you sprint out of the back door. Filled with pure fear and adrenaline, you run into the forest. Surely yhe old man is in pursuit. [[Keep Running!]] ---

--- (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG**] You jump in front of Taylor just as the shot rings out. A searing pain rips through your stomach. Your front has been ripped open and (text-colour:red)[blood] is pouring everywhere. You can hear Taylor scream and retreat through the backdoor. (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG**] Another shot is fired just above you, towards the door. You can see the old man hurry out the door after Taylor. You lie on the polished wooden floors dying. you're soaked in (text-colour:red)[red blood]. As you take your final breaths, you wonder if Taylor has gotten away. Your sacrifice has certainly saved your best friend's life. Hopefully, the serial killer is caught and your death will not be in vain. (text-colour:orange)[The End] ---

--- Stumbling through the forest, you hear shouts to your left. Who would be in the forest this late at night? With all your remaining strength, you drag yourself through the forest, looking for anyone to help. As the adrenaline wears off, you see the your left sleeve has been torn to shreds. There's a gaping wound on your shoulder that stings immensely. The second round must've just grazed you. (text-colour:red)[Blood] drips from the wound, soaking the rest of your shirt. If the shot were a few inches over, you'd be dead right now. [[Head towards the voices]] ---

--- You stumble onto a small clearing where (text-colour:navy)+(text-style:"fade-in-out")[Police] (text-colour:red)+(text-style:"fade-in-out")[Sirens] are wailing all around you. You can spot a squad car parked in the clearing. (text-style:"blur")+(text-colour:yellow)[Bright Lights] illuminate the forest. Police officers surround you with shouts and drawn weapons. You tell them everything. How you broke down on the road, how you stumbled upon the house, and how the old man shot Taylor. An officer assissts you into the police car while another group sets off towards the house. Back in town, you're given medical attention and some clean clothes. You sit down with a detective and tell him everything again. You've survived but at what cost? Taylor is dead, but at least the old man was arrested. You've helped to bring down a serial killer, but was it all worth it? (text-colour:orange)[The End] ---

--- You catch Taylor's eye and grab the shotgun. It was dumb of the old man to leave the weapon upstairs. He must've thought you'd go to bed straight away. The gun is heavy in your hands, You've never shot one before but it seems to be fairly straightforward. You can hear the old man coming back up the stairs. You turn to Taylor. "Yo, he hasn't done anything to us yet." you say. "Should we really be grabbing his gun?" Before Taylor can respond, the basement door swings open. The old man is wearing a leather apron and brandishing a large machete. He turns to you, clearly startled that you're still awake. There's no doubt in your mind about his intentions. "Shit!" Taylor yells. "Fucking shoot him!" [[Pull the trigger]] ---

(goto:"Keep going")

--- Ignoring your best friend's apprehension, you lie down on the velvet couch and place your head on the end pillow. Taylor sits in a reclining chair opposite to you and also lies back. As if on que, the (text-style:"fade-in-out")+(text-colour:"orange")[lights] of the house slowly begin to dim. You can hear someone walking downstairs but you shut your eyes and try to get some sleep. You're looking forward to a nice breakfast in the morning. [[Fall asleep]] ---

--- (text-style:"shudder")[**BANG**] The shotgun goes off. The old man stumbled back and crumples to the floor. (text-colour:"red")[Blood] smears his apron and seeps onto the wooden floors beneath him. He twitches for a few seconds and then becomes rigid. You've just shot a serial killer. Taylor turns from you and throws up on the carpet. Instinctively, you run to the phone and call the police. Both you and Taylor are shaken over what you've just done. All you feel is numbness radiating through your body. You become dizzy and feel a bit sick yourself. After what seems like hours, (text-colour:navy)+(text-style:"fade-in-out")[Police] (text-colour:red)+(text-style:"fade-in-out")[Sirens] appear from outside the windows. Officers quickly storm the house and medical attention is called for the deceased old man. You and Taylor and transported back to the town where you're given food and warm clothes. After an extensive interview with detectives, You're both released without charge. Months later, you're contacted by a news channel who wants to do an interview. Who knows, maybe if you embellish the story enough, they'll make it into a movie. (text-colour:green)[The End] ---

--- Sometime in the middle of the night, the basement door creaks open. You can hear someone moving around the house quietly. As you turn yourself over and try to close your eyes, someone immediately pounces on top of you. You try and let out a scream but a giant hand covers your mouth. As you stuggle, the edge of a large machete buries itself in your chest. (text-colour:"red"[blood] rushes from the wound and you can feel yourself become (text-style:"blur")[dizzy]. The machete finds your stomach on the second stroke and you can feel the life draining from you. What little you can see begins to fade out.....(text-style:"blur")[and out....](text-style:"blurrier")[and out....] (text-colour:red)[The End]