The Devil's Den

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The only light to ever live in these woods, unknown to all, shining like a lonely star in deep space.

A thick blanket of darkness encompasses this forest. The shining stars and sunlight never reach past the roofs of the trees.

Light and sound seem to get trapped in, swallowed, and forever lost like a black hole. They say nothing lives in these woods. No one has ever even heard the sound of birds from these woods, but no one really knows the reality of the woods, because those who enter disappear forever. Whenever you get near the woods you feel a heavy weight of dread drop onto your mind and body, and it feels like the trees are watching you from every direction. The feeling of being watched strikes every part of your body. People say that if you look at the woods for too long you will lose your mind, because the trees will begin to speak to you and convince you to do evil.

The woods have been given the names "Earth's Black Hole" and "The Black Sea" or even "The Devils Den" by locals because of all these reasons. It is highly advised not to get near or enter these woods, not that the warning is needed because the intimidating nature of the woods is enough to keep people away. If you are caught near the woods, the word will spread like wildfire and everyone will distance themselves from you because of skepticism that the woods will drive you insane and make you evil.

Yet here's a man standing before the forest who's recently lost his wife. With nothing to no longer live for, he stares up at the trees that tower over him, and feels himself shrink as the trees seem to infinitely stretch to the sky blocking all the stars in the night sky. He squints his eyes shut and shakes his head to break from the hypnotizing tall trees, then begins to walk towards the woods with dread weighing down heavier and heavier on him for each step he takes towards the woods, but the man is unfazed because the dread is nothing compared to the dread he felt when he lost his wife. He keeps walking with no thought, keeping his mind as blank as possible. In a state of derealization and dissociation in order not to think of the bad memories, and even more not to remember the happy ones, because happy memories always hurt more when you know you'll never be able to experience them again. The yearning to go back to a time will eat you alive. Before he knows it he's now just a step away from entering the woods. He stops and peers into them, but it's too dark, the only thing he can make out is the trunks of trees. It's pitch quiet. Not even the chirping from crickets or the buzzing of mosquitoes are to be heard. If there's any life other than the nature in these woods it must be too frightened to make a sound. The only sound comes when the wind blows, making the trees whisper frantically and harshly. As well as making the leaves rustle and skip around. Sounds that would drive a paranoid mind to the edge.

A sudden feeling of being watched strikes the man in the back as he hesitates to step into the woods, making him jot his head to look behind like a startled animal; only to see nothing but a plain of grass. He slowly turns his head back forward but this time the feeling strikes him from the front startling him so much he jumps back. It feels as if something is standing directly in front of him, so close that it could see the reflection in his eyes, and watch his pupils dilate as he stares into the darkness ahead of him. Disregarding the feeling he forces himself to finally step into the woods. Instantly he feels goosebumps rise all over his body and regrets stepping into them. He turns around to go back but sees nothing but endless trees and darkness as if he has already walked miles deep into the woods. He turns in circles scanning around and sees nothing but the endless trees. He feels like he's just been caught in a trap like a helpless animal, and just like a helpless animal he panics in his cage, beginning to hyperventilate like a scared rabbit. His chest frantically moves inward and outward. As he turns in circles, it feels like he’s spinning in deep space because of the darkness that surrounds him. He looks down barely able to see his own feet, he looks up and sees nothing but blackness and a few tiny stars amidst it whose light must squeeze between the branches of trees; the light is practically nothing by the time it reaches the surface. The woods give him a feeling of spatial disorientation.

Petrified he doesn't make a step forward in any direction. When the surface you walk on is a sea of darkness you don't know what you're stepping into. You could be on a single platform surrounded by a bottomless pit unaware of it till you're falling in it or you might step on a fucking land mind. That seems more plausible than the endless pit.

Suddenly, breaking the eerie silence, a familiar voice calls his name striking him like lightning and vaporizing any fears he's had. It's his wife's voice. His heart beating against his chest, he spins in circles again but doesn't see her anywhere, and once again she calls his name but her voice echoes all around him. "Fuck it" he says and darts in the direction he believes he heard it most. She keeps calling. While running he constantly trips and falls, bruising and scratching his body, but every time he shoots back up and keeps running. He's getting closer, he can hear her voice getting louder. Dodging trees seconds before he hits them face first, with tears pouring down his face "LISA" he cries, using all the air he had left in him. His lungs burn, scratches on his body sting, a constant sharp pain stabs his side but he keeps running.

He ends up in an open space and once again his body freezes but the tears continue to run down his face like never before. The expression on his face is full of disbelief and rejoice all at once. All the pain in his body disappears. There she is, before his eyes just a few feet apart. She's glowing, the area around her is illuminated with a golden glow, making the dark forest look like a beautiful autumn morning. She says his name once again, but this time it isn't a call, she says it in a way that's just acknowledging he's right there; in her soft gentle voice. She looks at him with concern and as if everything is normal she asks "why are you crying love?"

Speechless he stands there admiring her and holding a cry in his throat knowing if he opens his mouth he won't be able to stop it. Her glow shines in the semi transparent tears that slide down his cheeks, almost making them look like honey.

He sniffles and slowly opens his mouth trying his hardest to hold the cry in, and says in a broken voice- "because I missed you".

She smiles a kind smile of love and walks towards him. The glow following her like she's under a spotlight, just her and the small area around her is lit. The closer she gets the harder his heart beats, like a flustered kid being approached by his crush for the first time. Before he knows it they're eye to eye and he's within her spotlight as well. He's frozen, they’re staring into each other's eyes. Her eyes are vibrant and pretty. He never thought he'd see them alive again. He's feeling unworthy to see her so beautiful while he looks like total shit, some things never change. It felt like they were looking at each other for a millennium but it was only a few seconds before he couldn't help himself and pulled her into his arms. His head above her shoulder with his eyes closed. Quietly and peacefully cherishing this moment with every cell in his body, then she wrapped her arms around his body as well, and with that little gesture from her he broke down. He began sobbing, letting out the inevitable cry filled with a million emotions and pains, a cry you hope to never experience. He's wailing to the sky with her in his arms. He wants to squeeze her to death, but is afraid to hurt her. She feels so delicate and warm. He never thought he'd get to hold her like this again. He never wants to let go, he's scared he'll lose her again.

Thinking about how she probably doesn't wanna hear his ugly wailing and crying in her ear he gets himself to calm down. While hugging her -carefully yet firmly- he says again "I missed you", but in a whisper so his voice doesn't crack, with tears running down his face.

Unexpectedly, she asks "Do you wanna be with me forever?"

-"Yes", he replies in a whisper again

"I love you Lisa," he then says, but he gets no reply.

There's only silence, and in the silence he feels her arms drop from his back, and from over her shoulder he sees them swing back and forth slightly like dead weight then go still. She's become limp and he realizes he's no longer just hugging her, he's holding her body up.

"Lisa…" he says, praying to God she says something, but she never does. He realizes the area is dark again, there's no more light and her body is cold.

He's terrified but is trying not to acknowledge the fear he's feeling so he continues to hold her.

He man's up and bends down slowly, holding her body with a hand behind her back and a hand holding her head on his shoulder to keep her up right. As he gets onto his knees he gently adjusts her body and lays her body out across his arms still holding her head, like he just heroically caught a princess in his arms. If you were him though, that thought would never cross your mind, because as he looks down at her pretty face he sees her eyes still wide open. The vibrancy that was once in them is gone. Her lifeless eyes gaze at the trees above them. Looking down at her he makes no gesture or movement to express what he's feeling but the expression on his face speaks volumes. A face of horror and complete distraught, never blinking once the entire time he holds her lifeless body. Thinking nothing could get any worse, she begins to melt. In his arms his wife's body begins to melt; like candle wax. Starting with her eyes he watches as they leak from her sockets down the sides of her face. In complete terror and panic his eyes bulge like they're about to burst themselves and he loses control of his breathing, inhaling and exhaling from his mouth alone, letting out a panicked hum/wheeze with every exhale.

Slowly the rest of her body begins to melt, just like hot wax it burns his skin. The image of his wife's disfigured melting face will never leave his mind and it'll be the last sight of his wife's face he'll ever see. Soon there's no longer a body in his arms, but he holds them out still as if she's still there…intact. In horror he stares at his arms covered in her melted leftovers. He tries to get up but he can't. He's stuck, slowly peers -afraid to see what’s there- down at his body and sees that her once melted body had hardened around him and glued his body to the floor. Even his arms are stuck out in the holding position. Still though he can feel his body uncontrollably shaking, even his eyes are shaking. He's lost his mind and begins to scream, but the truth is he lost his mind a long time ago. He screams so hard that blood spurts out his mouth and leaks from his eyes and he doesn't stop screaming. He's trying to tune out his mind. Over and over he hears his wife's voice, "Do you wanna be with me forever?" Forever he screams till he finally cuts up his blood and loses his voice, till his eyes bleed so much he can no longer see. Bound together with his wife to rot away till he dies.

With their dead bodies bound together, vines grow from the ground and wrap around his body, thinner vines grow the main vines and go into his ears and wrap around his brain and come back out through his eyes popping them out from his skull. Not like they were being used anyway. Once he's completely wrapped the vines start pulling him into the ground. His entire body is buried in the dirt except his head. His blood stained face -with thin vines grown out his dark empty sockets that have wrapped around the rest of his face- sticks out the dirt alone with his mouth gapped open still from the screaming. It's horrifying yet artistic in its own odd way. From within his mouth big tree roots grow out and plant themselves around his head.

Somewhere deep in the woods a candle goes out.

This forest will have a new tree.