To wander is the joy of many; to see new things, think new things, feel new things. But to wander near is often just as foreign and insightful.

A simple, peaceful sound of Earth’s breath, 

ruffling the gigantic oakwood trees. 

Monkey Brush

es and Cocoa trees getting stuck between the clouds. 

Various unknowns you encounter. 

The beautiful assortment of trees and pathways, 

sends you deeper into Mother Earth’s Home.

The green pictures that can be painted for travelers and outsiders. 

Glistening stars form when the rays of sunlight collide with the water, 

the perfect moment.

Catching picture-perfect moments and can't miss opportunities. 

Your eyes turn smokey gray, 

staring at the heavenly scene before you. 

Lungs of the planet some may call it, 

I like to think it's because it can take your breath away. 

Escaping socialization to find peace. 

Voyage the untold and find yourself lost, 

in the deep depths of the Land Before Time. 

The hot sun creates tan lines on our legs,

We run around the track talking and giggling.

Our conversations continue as we get ready 

Hair up, jewelry out, ready to start

Ready for fall.

The first game,

Flyers soaring through the air

The crowd roaring like animals 

As the score goes up, so do the fans

like ripples of a wave

Friday nights, the stadium lights shine as the ball flies

The student section jumps

When everyone gets together 

To cheer on their team, play after play

Leftover pieces of poms lay on the track

The band beats on the drums, the stadium dances

As the team heads into the locker room

We all pack into cars like sardines 

And go to that same small pizza shop 

Ready to celebrate our victory

Once upon a bone-chilling night, in a forgotten village nestled deep within the misty woods, a young girl named Emily dared to venture into the realm of darkness. Legends whispered of an ancient plague that cursed the village, and Emily's curiosity got the better of her. With a flickering lantern in hand, she stepped into the eerie forest, its twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. 

As Emily wandered deeper into the woods, the air grew colder, and an unsettling silence settled around her. The moon cast an eerie glow through the dense canopy, casting large shadows all around that danced at the corners of her vision. The forest seemed alive, whispering secrets she could not hear.

A soft rustling startled Emily, causing her heart to race. She turned but there was nothing there. She thought it was a figment of her imagination and continued her journey, the sound of her footsteps echoing through the stillness. Suddenly a distant howl pierced through the night, causing Emily's blood to run cold.

As she continued, the trees grew gnarled and twisted, growing in weird shapes that seemed to watch over her every move. The path beneath her feet became overgrown and dangerous. Emily's hand trembled as she clutched the lantern, its flickering flame provided her only hope.

In the distance she spotted an old run-down mansion, its once grand presence now overgrown with roots and trees. A shiver ran down Emily's spine as she approached the decaying structure. The windows were shattered, and the wind moaned through the lost souls trapped within.

Against her better judgment, Emily pushed open the creaking front door. The air inside was heavy, stuffed with a musty odor that refused to dissipate. She stepped cautiously into the darkness, her lantern casting eerie shadows on the peeling wallpaper.

As she explored the mansion, whispers seemed to surround her, growing louder with every step. The voices spoke of forgotten tragedies and unspeakable horrors. Emily's heart pounded in her chest as fear tore at her stomach. Emily's heart now pounding in her chest told her to turn back. her mind played tricks on her, creating images of ghostly creatures lurking in the corners of her vision.

Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through the house, extinguishing the lantern flame. Emily plunged into darkness, her only guide was the pale light of the moon shimmering through the broken windows. Panic gripped her, and she stumbled blindly, desperately seeking an exit.

Just as her hope began to dissipate, Emily’s hand brushed against a doorknob. With trembling fingers, she turned it and stepped into a moonlit garden overrun with weeds. Relief washed over her as she left the haunted mansion behind, but a haunting whisper followed her, a reminder of the darkness she had witnessed.

As Emily hurried back through the sinister forest, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Shadows danced around her, taunting her with their elusive forms. She quickened her pace, her heart pounding in her ears until she burst out of the woods and into the safety of the village.

Breathless and shaken, Emily glanced back at the forest, vowing never to travel into the depths again. The curse of the village remained an ever-present reminder of the darkness she had witnessed. As the mist rolled in, swallowing the village in its ethereal embrace, Emily knew that some secrets were better left undisturbed in the realm.

“Clear!” the soldier shouted, turning to his commanding officer. “No signs of life.”

“What about the basement?” the officer replied.

“Unsure.”

Before the officer could reply, a staticky voice called in from the radio.

“Sir! Come quick! We’ve got a live one!”

Rushing down the stairs with haste, the rustle of fabric and the clanking of firearms and belts reverberated through the damp hallways, drowning out the sounds of dripping water. Mold spotted the walls, and rust ate away at the metal beams. The hall was lined with spacious rooms blocked by thick glass.

Bulletproof glass.

“Whatever was down here is something these people don’t want getting out,” the officer noted, spotting nothing inside the rooms but dark sludge and amorphous blobs of black goo. Some bubbled, but none moved. A few soldiers stood by one of the rooms, their rifles pointed at something.

“What is it?” the officer asked, glancing at the window.

It was broken.  Shattered.

That same black sludge dripped down from the sharp fragments, holding a consistency similar to jelly, and plopping to the ground in disgusting clumps.

Gazing past the broken glass, inside the room looked to be a man nearing his late twenties, early thirties, with soldiers surrounding him, gagging and pointing firearms at him.

He had black hair and skin that looked to be a mixture of gray and purple, a similar condition to being afflicted with heavy blood loss or suffocation.

When the officer stepped into the room, he was assaulted by the horrific smell of rotting flesh, blood, and formaldehyde.

The wall behind the man was splattered with that same black substance, similar to how blood would when someone was shot in the face. It was still; not dripping; not moving.

The man, who many soldiers referred to as ‘it’, had a jaw so badly dislocated and unhinged, it was practically falling off his face if it weren’t for the solidified black goop holding it to his upper lip and cheeks. It flowed down his neck and stained the white shirt he was wearing, which was torn open to reveal a gruesome sight.

His chest had been cut open, revealing every rib and intestine, with black liquid coursing through the open wound in replace of blood.

And he was still breathing…

The officer swallowed his lunch that had risen up his throat and crouched down in front of the man, nudging his head with a gloved hand.  To everyone’s surprise, the man moved to look at the officer. His left eye was a deep brown, and his right….

It was gouged out. A pinkish mass of flesh was lodged in the socket instead, pulsing and twitching.

The officer turned to yell back at his soldiers. “Get me a medic team stat!”

Nodding, two of the soldiers ran back up the stairs, their combat boots banging on the concrete floor.

When he turned back to look at the man, the spray of goo on the wall started to pulsate and contort, returning back to his body in slow movements, absolutely mesmerizing (and grossing out) everyone else in the room.

With a snap and a click, the man’s jaw had moved back into place, the skin of his chest stretching and mending back together, the tissue knitting itself into place.

Sucking in a deep breath, the man gasped and coughed.

Rushing to his side, the officer gently lifted the man, helping him stand.

“Who are you?” he rasped to the officer.

“I could be asking you the same question,” the officer responded, his eyes raking up and down the man’s form.

Silence filled the room as the other soldiers lifted the man’s arms around their shoulders. With soldiers on both sides, they walked the man down the hall.

“Andrew,” he wheezed out. “My name is Andrew.”

“Alright Andrew,” one soldier replied. “You’re safe now.”

The group walked down the hallway slowly, as to not re-open any of Andrew’s wounds.

High pitched static erupted from the speakers on the walls before blaring sirens. The lights on the ceiling flashed bright red, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

Andrew started to twitch and contort, his fingers merging together into three appendages with thick claws that jutted out of the tips. Teeth comparable to a shark’s pushed through his gums, causing the bones in their way to fall to the ground with a clatter.

His one good eye rolled into the back of his head as the fleshy mass in his other socket began to pulse and vibrate. Openings began to emerge in different areas on his face as pitch black eyes pushed themselves through his pores. A thin whip tail lashed its way out of his lower back, like a flexible needle.

With every beep of the alarm, the thick goo stretched and spike out, sometimes as far as reaching the wall, striking it with enough force to leave cracks. A low growl escaped his throat as he speared the two soldiers on either side of him. His ribs jutting out of his back and piercing the flesh of his shoulder, forcing him to stand upright and the skin of his face thinned and sunk in.

Shouting in confusion and fear, the soldiers began to empty their bullets into Andrew’s body as it grew to a height well beyond six feet, the skin stretching as he grew well beyond the height he should have been.

The thin tail lashed out slashing at his assailants as more and more of the goo speared the walls with every step he took. With a low growl and a deep rumble in its stomach, the monster ran forward head on into the crowd.

Thirty-five soldiers. All were missing in action.