The Upward Waterfall

The Whispering Pines forest held a secret, a dark legend passed down through generations: The Upward Waterfall. Unlike any natural formation, this waterfall defied the laws of nature, its waters flowing upward into the sky. But it wasn’t the waterfall itself that made the locals tremble. No, it was the thing within it, the entity that lurked in its depths, pulling in anyone foolish enough to venture too close. Many who sought the waterfall never returned—swallowed by the shadows, their screams said to echo endlessly through the woods.

Jake, always the skeptic, waved off the warnings of the locals. He had come to the small, backwoods town with his friends—Maya, Carlos, and Erin—on a hunt for adventure. Ghost stories, urban legends, they were all just myths to him. He laughed at the old man at the bar who tried to warn him, "The forest don’t care if you believe or not. It takes what it wants."

But that night, standing on the edge of the forest, Jake couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The sky darkened quickly as the four of them pressed deeper into the woods, led only by the sound of rushing water that seemed to grow louder with each step.

At last, they came upon it: the infamous waterfall. It was every bit as eerie as the stories had said. The water shimmered unnaturally in the moonlight, rising upward as though defying gravity. A constant, unearthly roar filled the air, reverberating in their bones.

“Holy shit,” Erin whispered, stepping closer, transfixed by the sight.

But something was off. The air around them felt wrong—thick, suffocating. Maya shivered. “Guys… something doesn’t feel right. We should go.”

Jake shrugged. “It’s just water. Let’s get closer.”

But as they approached the waterfall, the roaring sound intensified, a deep, guttural growl mingling with the water’s noise. Then, from beneath the surface, a piercing scream rang out. It wasn’t human—at least, not anymore. It was a tortured, shrill sound that sent chills crawling up their spines. Jake froze. The scream came again, louder this time, echoing off the trees.

“What the hell was that?” Carlos asked, his voice shaking.

Erin leaned closer to the water’s edge, squinting into the depths. “Did you see that?” she whispered. Her breath fogged in the suddenly frigid air. “Something… something’s moving down there.”

The water churned violently, and in an instant, a face broke the surface—twisted, gray-skinned, its eyes wide and hollow, mouth open in a scream that echoed into the night. A woman’s face, but distorted, warped into something grotesque.

“HELP ME!” the figure shrieked, its voice scraping at their sanity.

Erin stumbled back, horrified. The others stood frozen in place as the water swirled more violently, the face vanishing beneath the surface only to reappear moments later, closer now.

“We need to go,” Maya said, her voice breaking. She tugged at Jake’s arm, but he stood rooted in place, eyes fixed on the shifting waters.

“We’re not leaving until we know what the hell that is,” he muttered.

The air seemed to grow heavier, the roar of the waterfall deafening now. Whispers began to fill the air—low, rasping voices that seemed to come from every direction.

“Join us… come closer… feel the peace…”

Jake’s heart pounded in his chest as the voice called to him, hypnotic and sweet, promising release from every worry, every fear. The water churned again, and the woman’s face resurfaced, this time with dozens of others—twisted, decayed, their mouths frozen in silent screams.

“They’re… they’re trapped,” Erin breathed, her face white with terror.

Suddenly, a wave surged from the pool, knocking them all off their feet. Cold, slimy water soaked through their clothes, and the shadows seemed to close in tighter. The whispering grew louder, more insistent.

“You cannot escape. You belong to us now.”

The ground shook violently, and from the swirling waters, a massive shape began to rise. Dark and formless, it towered over them, the outline of human-like figures twisted and merged into the monstrous form. Its eyes glowed red with fury, and a deep, guttural voice boomed, shaking the very ground beneath them.

“YOU CANNOT LEAVE!”

Jake scrambled to his feet, pulling Maya up with him. “Run!” he shouted, panic overtaking him as the entity surged forward, the tendrils of shadow reaching out to ensnare them. They sprinted toward the trees, but the air thickened, making every step feel like they were running through quicksand.

Carlos tripped, screaming as one of the shadowy tendrils wrapped around his ankle, dragging him back toward the water. “Help! Please!” he screamed, clawing at the ground, but his cries were swallowed by the roar of the waterfall as the shadow enveloped him, pulling him into the dark abyss.

Maya’s scream echoed through the forest, but Jake yanked her forward, heart pounding in his chest. They couldn’t help Carlos. They had to get away, or they’d all be taken.

The trees around them seemed to warp and twist as they ran, branches clawing at their skin, cutting deep into their arms and legs. The air was thick with decay, and the shadows seemed to move, alive with a malevolent presence. The whispers followed them, growing louder, promising escape from the pain if they only gave in.

Just as they thought they had made it to safety, the ground split open beneath them, a wave of water and shadow surging forward, swallowing them in darkness. The entity loomed above them, its glowing eyes piercing through the thick fog.

“You can’t escape,” it hissed. “You woke me, and now you will never leave.”

Jake could feel the pull of the abyss beneath him, the inky blackness dragging at his limbs. He fought to hold on to Maya’s hand, but the force was too strong. Her fingers slipped through his grasp as the shadows took her, her scream cut off abruptly as she was pulled under.

“No!” Jake screamed, lunging forward, but there was nothing to grasp—only darkness.

Alone now, Jake felt the tendrils wrapping around him, pulling him closer to the edge. He fought with every ounce of strength he had left, but the whispers grew louder, filling his mind with promises of peace, of freedom from the terror.

“Come to us… It will all be over soon…”

The water surged again, and Jake screamed as he was dragged toward the pool, the faces of the lost souls surrounding him, their hollow eyes fixed on him, mouths open in silent agony.

And then, everything went black.

Jake’s body was never found. The Whispering Pines grew quiet again, the legend of the Upward Waterfall whispered only in the darkest corners of town, passed down as a warning to those who might think of venturing into the woods.

But every once in a while, if you listen closely enough, you can hear the faint sound of screams carried on the wind, as if the forest itself remembers.