This is chapter 2 of an ongoing story. Follow the link to read chapter 1

As Tim drove away from the woods, his heart was pounding in his chest. Every sound made him jump, and every shadow seemed to hold the shape of the creature. He kept checking his rearview mirror, half-expecting to see sirens staring back at him. But as time passed, Tim’s fear began to subside. He checked and rechecked every inch of his truck, but there was no signs that anything was wrong It was then that he started to doubt himself. Maybe it was all in his head, a result of his exhaustion and the stress of the job, maybe even the PTSD creeping back up inside himself. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the road ahead.

The rain started to fall harder, the windshield wipers struggling to keep up. Tim looked down at his GPS and saw that a storm was coming. Despite the rain and the gloom, Tim felt a sense of relief as he left the woods behind. He knew he hadn’t done his job, but he was just happy to be alive. He felt a sudden sense of gratitude for the little things in life, like the warmth of the truck’s heater and the sound of the rain hitting the roof. He looked down at his GPS again and saw that the storm would last a while.

“Great,” he muttered. “Just what I need.”

As he continued driving, the rain seemed to calm him down. Maybe it was the white noise of the raindrops, or maybe he was just glad to be out of the woods. The crack of thunder jolted him out of his reverie, and he looked down at his GPS again. The weather satellite tab showed that the storm was evolving and moving in, Tim knew he needed to find shelter soon.

He drove on, the rain getting heavier and heavier, until water started to drip onto his dash. It was then that he noticed something strange about the water. It seemed to be discolored, almost like it was contaminated. Tim stuck his finger in it, and immediately regretted it. The water was hot, and it burned him with no physical mark. He pulled his hand back, staring at it in disbelief.

“What the hell?”

Tim’s mind was racing as he pulled into the ranger station driveway. He needed to get help, and fast, talking would do more good than anything, and he knew exactly who to talk to. He stopped the truck, parked it, and swung the door open into the rain. He looked around his truck and his eyes fell onto a briefcase he had laying in the back of the truck. He picked it up and got ready to run through the rain with the briefcase over his head to keep him from the rain. He took his first step and to his surprise, the rain was back to normal temperature. He then moved the briefcase to his side and laid his hand out, wondering. Maybe the rain was always normal, or maybe he was still recovering, but that was a weird thing to hallucinate about, if it was a hallucination. Tim shook his head, trying to clear it, and looked up to the porch  and Tony was standing in front of the still swinging front door.

“This rain is quite nice, ain’t it? I saw it on the radar with you being practically being chased by it!” Tony laughed.

“Chased by what? Did you see it too?” Tim said, “That… thing?”

“Whoa, you ok there Tim? I was talking about the storm and your GPS, the storm was chasing you. What thing are you talking about?” Tony asked. He had a hint of concern in his voice.

“I’ll talk about it inside.” Tim started walking towards the steps of the porch stairs and slipped but caught himself. He held onto the railing and walked up to Tony.

“Did you at least find any of the missing people?”

“It was…eventful to say the least, but no,” he said, trying to downplay his experience.

“I can tell it was eventful,” Tony said, walking behind Tim and closing the door behind them.

“Your machine attacked me,” Tim gasped, exhausted from his ordeal.

Tony’s face flashed even more concern, but a moment later a small smile spread on his lips.

“What do you mean, attacked?” He asked.

“It had teeth, and it tried to eat me,” Tim said, walking through the doorway.

Tony’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s impossible. My invention doesn’t have teeth.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it was like a nightmare, with a body like a tree trunk and legs that moved,” Tim said, still trying to catch his breath.

Tony shook his head. “I don’t understand. It’s not even out yet.”

“I was taking a break, and I think I fell asleep. In my dream, I woke up, and this Siren Head thing was looking right at me. And when I woke up for real, the trees moved, or at least I thought they did.”

Tony furrowed his brow.

“Trees don’t have legs. You must have been hallucinating.”

“But it felt so real,” Tim insisted, setting his belt with his holstered gun on the table.

As if on cue, a siren sounded through the park.

“See, just like that,” Tim said, a hint of triumph in his voice.

Tony walked over to the window and peered outside.

“Hmm, it’s already time to leave? Well, see ya Tim!” He said, grabbing his coat and walking out the door.

Tim checked the clock on the wall, and to his surprise, it was already 8:30 PM.

“How long was my story?” He wondered audibly.

Looking out the window, he saw Tony’s invention. Tony got into his car and started pulling out of the driveway when Tim saw the trees rustling, moving violently and a hand came out of the forest and hit the back end of Tony’s truck. Tim heard tire screeching, followed by a loud crash. Running to the porch, he saw Tony’s ranger truck stuck in a ditch across from the station. Despite the pouring rain, Tim didn’t hesitate to rush to Tony’s aid.

Slipping on the slick porch steps, he tumbled down and landed hard on the ground.

Tim lay there for a moment, dazed from the fall. He tried to get up but found that his ankle was throbbing with pain. He must have twisted it during the fall. Groaning, he tried to stand, but the pain was too sharp. He sat back down, cursing under his breath.

He looked across the way to where Tony’s truck was stuck. Tony was standing next to it, looking frustrated. Tim tried to call out to him, but his voice was barely audible over the rain and thunder. He saw Tony looking around, probably trying to figure out how to get the truck out of the ditch.

Tim knew he had to do something. He couldn’t just stay there, helpless. He tried to stand again, this time supporting his weight on his good leg. He managed to make it to the porch, leaning against the railing for support once again.

He looked around for something that could help Tony. His eyes fell on a tow rope that was stored near the door. Maybe he could use that to help pull the truck out. But how? He couldn’t exactly go over there in his condition.

He saw Tony walking towards the station, probably to get some help or tools. Tim called out to him as loudly as he could, but the rain drowned out his voice. Tony didn’t seem to hear him.

Tim tried again, this time waving his arms to get Tony’s attention. Tony looked over, saw Tim on the porch, and started walking over.

“Tim, are you okay?” Tony called out, his voice barely audible.

Tim tried to respond but the pain in his ankle made it hard to speak. He gestured to his ankle, indicating that it was injured.

Tony reached the porch and helped Tim sit down more comfortably.

“Let me look at that,” Tony said, crouching down next to Tim.

Tim winced as Tony examined his ankle.

“It’s probably just a sprain, but I don’t want to make it worse. Can you stand?”

Tim tried to stand, but the pain was too much. He shook his head.

“Okay, we need to get you inside and elevate that ankle. And we need to get my truck out of that ditch.”

Tim nodded in agreement.

“Maybe I can help with the truck,” Tim suggested.

Tony thought for a moment.

“I have an idea. There’s a winch attached to the front of the truck. If we can get the tow rope connected, maybe we can pull it out.”

Tim nodded, understanding the plan.

“But I can’t walk over there,” Tim said, gesturing to his ankle.

Tony considered another moment.

“Maybe I can rig something up. If I attach the tow rope to the winch and then to the truck, maybe I can pull it out that way.”

Tim thought that might work, but all he could do is watch.

“Let me try,” Tony said, starting to head back towards his truck.

Tim watched as Tony made his way to the truck, rain pouring down on him. He saw Tony attaching the tow rope to the winch and then to the truck’s front bumper.

Tony climbed into the truck and started it up. He cautiously applied some power to the winch, and slowly, the truck began to move out of the ditch.

Tim breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the truck free itself. Tony honked the horn in triumph and waved to Tim.

Tim managed a weak smile in response.

“I really misjudged the road. But it looks like I’m not getting home with you in that condition,” Tony said, shifting out of the truck and landing on the ground, now walking towards Tim.

Tim shook his head.

“Accidents happen.”

Tony helped Tim inside the station, where Tim could at least get off his injured ankle.

Once inside, Tim limped over to a chair and sat down, wincing with each step.

Tony fetched some ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a cloth for Tim’s ankle.

“Here, put this on. It should help with the swelling.”

Tim thanked him and applied the ice to his ankle.

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Tony shrugged.

“No problem. Now, about that story you were telling earlier… in full this time.”

Tim sighed, remembering the bizarre events in the woods.

“I don’t know what to think anymore. Maybe I did hallucinate the whole thing.”

Tony sat down across from Tim.

“Listen, I believe you saw something strange. But maybe it was just a wild animal or something. You were pretty shaken up.”

Tim nodded, not entirely convinced.

“But the way it moved, the way it looked…it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Tony leaned back in his chair.

“Maybe it was a combination of things. The stress, the exhaustion, and then perhaps some external factor triggered something in your mind.”

Tim considered this.

“Maybe. But what about the boiling rain? And the fact that it didn’t hurt me when I stepped outside?”

Tony furrowed his brow.

“That is odd. I didn’t notice anything around that time.”

Tim massaged his temples, trying to make sense of it all.

“Maybe it’s best if I just get some rest. This day has been too much for me.”

Tony nodded.

“Sounds like a plan. You need to take care of that ankle anyway.”

Tim looked around the station.

“Is there a place where I can lie down?”

Tony pointed to a door.

“There’s a small bedroom in the back. You can use that.”

Tim nodded and, with some difficulty, made his way to the bedroom, Tony assisting him.

Once settled in the bed, Tim felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

“Maybe some sleep will help clear my head,” he thought to himself.

Before drifting off, he glanced out the window, watching the rain continue to pound against it. He wondered what secrets the forest held, and whether he would ever find the missing people.

As he fell asleep, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him, even from the safety of the ranger station.