Scarecrow

My phone buzzed on my nightstand, filling the bedroom with a weak light.

2:30 PM

Dylan: Hey, I just parked my car, heading to the trail now.

Me: You’re crazy man, how cold is it?

Dylan: Not bad actually. 30s. You gotta come out here soon! It’s beautiful.

Me: Ha! We’ll see in Spring when it warms up. Have fun man, and be careful. 

Dylan: You know I’ll be fine :) 

My old college roommate, Dylan, lives just outside of Denver. Like most Colorado natives, he loves to camp. The crazy kind of camper who does it all year, even in December.

Whenever he goes to the mountains alone, I have him check in with me just in case.

I was surprised when he texted me again. He usually just sends me a text or two when he arrives, and when one when he leaves. Just so I know he is okay. 

7:44 AM

Dylan: Dude... r u up?

Me: Yes sir, you okay?

Dylan: This is so weird. I woke up this morning, and there’s someone else out here?

Me: On the mountain? Looks like you’re not the only Winter camper. 

Dylan: No… Not a camper. I can see them on the horizon, but they haven’t moved. Like at all.

Me: What?

Dylan: I don’t know it definitely looks like a person but, they haven’t moved. They’re probably 300 yards away—standing completely still.

Me: That’s super creepy, Dylan. Keep me updated.

9:19 AM

Dylan: They still haven’t moved. I made breakfast over the fire and acted like I didn’t notice anything. I’m going check it out.

Me: Okay… lemme know. Maybe it’s a stump or something?

9:33AM

Dylan: Dude...

Dylan: It’s a fucking scarecrow.

Me: What? Like a farmers scarecrow?

Dylan: Ya man, what other kind of scarecrows are there? Its clothes are weird though.

Me: Weird?

Dylan: The clothes are modern. Its wearing a nice black jacket and bluejeans. It’s face is kind of scary looking. Burlap sack with black eyes and a stitched-on mouth. Why is this thing out here? I’m tempted to steal its jacket…

Dylan: I posted a picture of it on my snap-story if you want to see what it looks like.

Me: Dylan, I’d leave it alone. Maybe it’s some sort of conservation study or something? Like to see if bears will attack it? You might be on camera. And I know you have drugs on you...

Dylan: Ha! Good point. It’s probably nothing. Speaking of drugs, its about that time.

Me: Have fun! Haha.

I checked Dylan’s picture of the scarecrow. He wasn’t lying. It was terrifying. The hollow, black eyes and stitched frown gave it a sinister look. The clothes fit surprisingly well on the stuffed burlap body. The scarecrow stood about 7 feet tall, supported by a large wooden cross staked in ground. It was strange, but I didn’t think too much of it. Eventually, I went about the rest of my day without thinking too much of it. 

The chiming of my phone woke me up. Adjusting my eyes to the bright screen, I opened my phone to discover another text from Dylan. 

3:33 AM

Dylan: Someone is outside my tent.

Me: Oh I’m sure. Come on man it’s like 3 am here, you woke me up. 

Dylan: Please this is serious! I can see their shadow.

Me: Call the police Dylan!

Dylan: No! I don’t want to make any noise. They probably think I’m asleep. I have my knife. I’m texting inside my sleeping bag so they can’t see my phone light.

Dylan: I thought I heard a noise and I woke up. I guess I didn’t zip up my tent all the way, and I assumed it was the wind. But then I saw the silhouette.

Me: Should I call the police for you!? Where are you? Send me your latitude and longitude now!

Me: Dylan!!!!??? Please respond and drop a pin on my phone so I know where you are.

My heart was pounding. I paced around my room in the darkness in an attempt to come up with a plan. If I contacted Denver PD, I would have no idea what to tell them. My friend is camping somewhere outside of Denver and he thinks he’s in trouble? If he was in actual danger, I didn’t want to call his phone if he was pretending to be asleep. Maybe someone was just rummaging through his cooler, or maybe it was a bear?

The hours waiting to hear from him felt like days. Then, he finally called me. 

6:56 AM

Me: Dylan! Are you okay!?

Dylan: I'm alright.

Me: Thanks for finally responding!!! I almost had a heart attack. Barely slept. I was going to 

call the police or ranger station but I still don’t where you are.

Dylan: There’s something weird though...the scarecrow is right outside my tent. Someone put it there last night while I was asleep. That’s the shadow I saw. I don’t like this at all.

Me: Go home Dylan, seriously. That’s messed up even if it’s a joke.

Dylan: I’m about 4 miles from my car. I’ll text you when I get back to it.

Dylan: Also, I forgot to mention something.

Me: What?

Dylan: My hat was on top of the scarecrow this morning... someone must have gotten into my tent last night while I was asleep, and put my hat on its head…

Me: You need to get out of there. 

Dylan: I agree. I’ll text you when I get back. 

I was sitting down to breakfast when my phone chimed. 

9:13 AM

Dylan: Oh shit....Someone slashed my tires.

Me: Please tell me you’re calling the police.

Dylan: Hang on, I’m going to see how bad of shape the car is in, and yes I’m calling them.

Me: Alright let me know ASAP!

Me: What’s going on?

Dylan: Will text later. Not safe.

Me: Dylan! Please let me know what’s going on!

A few hours later, my phone rang:

Dylan: Alright, I have a second to catch you up, but I have to keep my voice low. This is so messed up dude. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be here. Also my iPhone is dying and I’m going to have to switch over to the shitty flip phone I use for work.

Me: Dylan, what do you mean by not safe?

Dylan: So I went to try and start my car, to get a quick charge on my iPhone, and see how bad the tires were. The engine wouldn’t even turn over. I called the police and told them about the car, and that I was stuck. They transferred me to the ranger station to explain where I was for assistance. That’s when it got weird.

Me: What do you mean?

Dylan: The ranger seemed pretty lax about it at first, saying things like “Where are you? Stay calm, we’ll send help, just stay where you are, etc.” Monotone voice like he’s used to it. But then I mentioned the scarecrow… and the ranger was different…

Me: Different?

Dylan: He became really serious and panicked.

He proceeded to act out the conversation. 

Ranger: “Did you say scarecrow?”

Dylan: “Yes sir”

Ranger: “I need you to listen to me carefully.” 

Dylan: “Okay”

Ranger: “I have some bad news. I’m in my truck now, and I was headed your way. The old bridge leading into your trail is partially collapsed and impassible. We’re not sure how it happened, but we have emergency crews working on it now. I need you to start moving this instant. Right now you are at the north side of the mountain, and I need you to go to the south face. That’s where we’ll meet.” “Do you have a compass and map?”

Dylan: "Yes sir."

Ranger: "Good. Alright here is the exact point to meet." (He explained where to go.)

Ranger: That’s the exact point where I will meet you. DO NOT STAY WHERE YOU ARE! Get away from your car. Most importantly DO NOT hang around any of those scarecrows. Do you understand me? If you see any more, I want you to run as fast as you can away from it. Clear?

Dylan: Scarecrows? So there’s multiple? How many are there?

Ranger: “I need you to keep moving.”

Dylan: “Whats going on? Am I in danger? What does the scarecrow have to do with anything?”

Ranger: "Listen, just keep moving while the sun is up, and make as little noise as possible. Are 

you wearing bright clothing?"

Dylan: “Uhhh no I’m not. I have a dark brown coat and grey pants.”

Ranger: “Good. Try and stay out of plain sight as much as possible. Move quickly, and call me if you see or hear anything unnatural.”

Dylan: “Unnatural?”

Ranger: “You’ll know. But only make phone calls if absolutely necessary. When night falls, stay warm and hidden. NO FIRES. If you hear anything in the night, DO NOT RUN. Stay as still and quiet as possible. “

Dylan: “Wait-, will you tell me what I should be looking for?”

Ranger: “Get moving south, NOW!”

Dylan: “Wait…I…”

Dylan: Then he just hung up.

Me: Where are you now?

Dylan: Moving south. There’s creepy stuff going on.

Me: What do you mean?

Dylan: I walked by the spot where my campsite was last night. The scarecrow… it wasn’t there.

Me: Just gone?

Dylan: Yes. Nothing at all.

Me: I… I’m so sorry you’re going through this. My eyes are watering just reading your texts.

Dylan: I hate this, I just want to go home.

Me: You have to do what the ranger said, and we'll get you out of there. Do you have data on your work phone?

Dylan: No, just talk and text.

Me: Of course you don’t. Plenty of battery?

Dylan: Yes, thank God.

I felt hopeless at this point. I wanted to help my friend, I just didn’t know what else I could do besides wait for him to contact me.

3:03 PM 

Dylan: I’m exhausted and scared as hell. Still making my way to the other trail on the south side to meet the ranger.

Me: Keep moving.

3:44 PM 

Dylan: I see the scarecrow! The one from my camp. It’s up in a tree. Wayyy up in a tree. Dude, fuck how did it get so high up there?

Me: Send me a picture!

Dylan: I can’t get a good shot. It’s so high up and this camera sucks. Its just hanging there, it looks like it’s staring at me. I’m so freaked out and tired. Something is dripping off of it.

Me: Get away from it Dylan!

4:17 PM 

Dylan: The sun’s about to set. I’m going to find a place to sleep.

Me: Okay, please keep me updated!

Hours went by. I still hadn’t heard from him. I decided it couldn’t hurt to send a text. 

11:07 PM

Me: Dylan? Are you okay? Text me back when you can. I don’t want to waste your battery.

Dylan: It’s getting closer.

Me: What is?

Dylan: Fuck…it’s right next to me. I’m going to make a run for it. It’s..it’s too close.

Me: Please tell me you’re okay! What is it!?

Me: Dylan? I’m going to call the police! What happened!?

Me: I called the police. They are looking for you at the south face. Where the ranger said he would meet you. Please, please, please tell me you made it.

Me: Dylan???

I spoke with the police, and they informed me they had a search party looking for Dylan’s. I couldn’t take it. I wanted to be there for my friend. I assumed the worse. Then, around 3 am, my phone chimed. I had a voicemail from his phone. What I heard sent a chill down my spine.

The sound of rustling wind and crunching of leaves burst through my phone’s speaker for at least a minute. Then I heard what I feared the most, the ear-piercing screams of Dylan begging for his life. Then…silence. 

That was the last I heard from him.

I immediately called the Denver authorities. In a state of shock, I was eventually able to explain all that I knew. I was transferred to the ranger’s station, and they arranged for me to come to the station. I was on the next flight out. 

After I got my luggage, I rented a small truck and drove to the ranger station. As soon as I arrived, I was escorted to a back room. I assumed the man was the same ranger that had talked to Dylan. He was a lanky, disheveled man with shaggy, black hair and pale white skin. He reeked of smoke and looked like he hadn’t slept in years. I sat down across from him. He placed his hat on the table, lit a cigarette, and spoke.

“We called you down here because, at first, we needed your phone as part of the investigation, but I’m afraid that is no longer necessary.” His raspy voice was tattered and broken. His clothes shared the same features.

“What happened?” I asked quietly. 

He took a drag from his cigarette and spoke.

 “I’m sorry, but—I cannot discuss any details at the moment. You need to leave this to the professionals. We will do everything we can to find your friend.”

Anger pulsed through my body.

“That’s bullshit!” I said with tears welling in my eyes. I started to stand, only to have the ranger grab my wrist and motion for me to sit back down. He looked me in the eyes and spoke.

“I’m so sorry, but we cannot have civilians interfering. We need you to stay safe and out of the way.”

I interrupted “I got text messages from his phone right after I landed! Something happened to him!”

The ranger raised his voice. 

“I know this is hard. We are searching all possibilities, but we do not believe there was any foul play. Teenagers in the area have been known to play pranks on lone campers. You are more than welcome to help us with reports. I know how hard it is to lose a friend...”

My anger started to peak. “Oh and these teenagers slash tires, and attack people!?”

He took another long drag from his cigarette before he responded. “I promise we are working night and day. I think the best thing to do is stay off the trails and be there for his family and—”

I couldn’t even let him finish his sentence. I was too upset. I stormed out, and he didn’t attempt to stop me. I knew that was all bullshit. What was he trying to keep from me? I had evidence that Dylan was being followed by someone or something. I went to the only place I was familiar with in the area…Dylan's apartment. I still remembered his door code from the last time I had visited.The world seemed quiet as I drove. I had never felt so alone. 

The apartment was eerily quiet. I was overcome with feelings of fear and sadness. As soon as I saw a picture of Dylan in the kitchen, I couldn't help it. I had to cry. Eventually I collected myself, opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. I downed it in a few gulps. I needed to sit and think. As I got up to throw the empty beer away, I saw something in Dylan’s kitchen. His Colorado map. I had forgotten all about it. Dylan used this large topographical map to keep track of all the places he trekked. The map was riddled with black thumbtacks and a few white ones. Dylan's method was simple. Black thumbtacks for the areas he had already explored, and white for his upcoming adventures. I wrote the coordinates of the white markers. I searched through Dylan’s apartment, and collected the remaining camping gear. I grabbed a wooden baseball bat from his closet as well.

I knew where to go.

I loaded the truck, tossing the supplies in the truck bed, and headed to the mountain. It was a long drive. I passed the old bridge on the way, and didn’t notice any sign of recent construction. 

Ten minutes later, I pulled up next to Dylan’s car. It was eery to see the yellow police tape wrapped tightly around the body of his white sedan. It made the situation all too real. As soon as I parked the pickup, I dropped a pin on my phone.

After what seemed like an eternity of hiking, I reached the point on the map where Dylan had marked, and I got to work setting up camp. Night began to fall. I constructed my tent and placed a sleeping bag inside. As soon the sun had set, I lit a large fire and quietly snuck away from camp. I took cover in the trees about 100 yards away, cracked open an energy drink, and kept my eyes glued on the tent.

Just as I started to nod off, I heard rustling in the leaves, but I chalked it up to the wildlife. I was exhausted, cold, and trying to stay awake. I downed my last bit of caffeine. Around 3 AM I saw something. Walking towards the tent. It was man. With a flashlight he started looking around my decoy camp site. He noticed no one was in the tent and illuminated the surrounding woods with his flashlight. The light flashed rapidly around the trees. Luckily he didn’t see me. About 20 minutes later the man left and headed South. I followed. I took off my in an attempt to walk as quietly as possible. I threw on a couple more pairs of wool socks, and kept my distance. I continued to follow him, taking countless turns in the dark. The man appeared to be wandering, illuminating the ground in front of him as he walked.

He finally stopped near a pile of leaves— tripping on something beneath. The man started brushing away the leaves. 

Then I saw his face…it was the park ranger. I almost called out to him, but covered my mouth at the last moment.

I saw what he had uncovered. There were doors under the pile—huge, metal, cellar doors. A chain was fastened around the handles, and the doors led straight into the ground. He stopped to smoke a cigarette, pulled a notepad from his coat pocket, and scribbled something down. After he finished writing he started looking through a flip phone.

My head started to spin. There was no way...

I sent a text to Dylan’s phone.

4:19 AM

Me: “Where is Dylan?”

The phone in the ranger’s hand chimed a few seconds later. 

THIS PIECE OF SHIT HAD DYLAN’S PHONE. 

He read the text and whispered to himself,“I told you to leave it to the professionals,” and put it back in his pocket. I wanted to kill him. Blinded by rage. He’s started undoing the chains, making a lot of noise. I couldn’t let him disappear from my sight. I was running out of time.

I gripped the cold, taped handle of the baseball bat, and quietly crept towards the unsuspecting park ranger. I felt like my body was moving without my control. Then… I did it. I clubbed him in the skull with the bat. Right before he opened the doors, I swung as hard as I could. He fell to the ground and didn’t move. The chain rested next to his bleeding temple.

He never heard me coming. I’ll never forget the sound of the bat connecting. That dull thud and crack of solid wood smashing into bone. Sweat and blood misted in the air as he fell. 

I caught my breath and made my way to the cellar doors— I wished I hadn’t. It was the smell—a putrid stench of rotting of flesh—that hit me first. As soon as I saw the first human limb sticking out of the massive mound of corpses, I had to look away. My head was spinning, and my stomach turned over as I expelled what little food I had eaten that day.

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, fueled by fear.

Hours later I got back to Dylan’s apartment. 

I was still sweating and breathing heavily as I bought a plane ticket for the next flight home. I decided the best plan was to call to the police when I landed. I just wanted to go home. My heart was pounding.

Everything felt surreal as adrenaline pulsed through my veins. 

To my horror. Red and blue lights flashed outside as a police car pulled up to Dylan’s door. I had to try and keep my cool.

I stepped outside and met the officer halfway. I felt like I was going to vomit again. 

He had seen me pull in, and stopped to investigate. As we were talking about Dylan’s disappearance, the officer’s radio receiver sounded. My heart pounded in my chest as I listened. 

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Some campers discovered a scarecrow—strung high in a tree, with a noose around its neck. The campers claimed dark liquid was seeping through its burlap skin, and it was wearing a park ranger’s hat.

My thoughts began to race. I’ve made a huge mistake. The ranger was just investigating a lead which led him to the cellar. He must have found Dylan’s phone after I got those weird texts. But how did he get a key to the cellar? I … I acted so quickly. I hit him with the bat and ran.

What had I done? I just left him to die. And most importantly… that cellar? What the fuck was that?"

My head was spinning. My hands were shaking so much I nearly dropped my phone as I handed it to the officer. I told him everything. I fell to my knees on the curb, waiting for him to handcuff me. 

Instead, the officer excused himself, and went to his unmarked car to make a call. I couldn’t help but notice a limp as he walked. He looked nervous as a small crowd of pedestrians had gathered, drawn in by the red and blue lights. A short while later, the officer got out of his car, and walked over to me. I was still on the curb when he spoke:

“I just talked with the chief. We believe that you may be at risk. We do not want you to panic, but we need you to be safe. I am going to hold on to your phone for now. Any texts you receive are considered part of this investigation. You are not from Colorado, correct?”

I was confused. Was he not going to take me in? I had just confessed to assault. 

“Uhh—no sir.” I stuttered. 

He spoke again.

“I need you to get in the car with me. You’re not under arrest at the moment but we need to get some statements from you down at the station.”

My heart pounded as I walked with him.

The ride was silent, I tried to talk but he cut me off. His tone changed drastically, taking me by surprise.

“Just stop talking. I was trying to keep this operation smooth and you just decided to fuck it all up.”

I noticed we were driving further away from the city.

“Your friend told you too much.”

“What?” I said in confusion. 

He snapped at me. “I told you to be quiet. But you were too curious—decided to do some of your own investigating, didn’t you? Jimmy, the ranger, told me what he could before he died. I could barely make out what he was telling me.”

My adrenaline returned. I looked to the door handles, but knew they wouldn’t open.

“You must have got him good. Was only conscious for a few minutes. Good riddance though, he was getting too soft. The rest of us were worried he might start talking. Said he didn't want to do this much longer.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“You killed Dylan didn’t you, and set up the scarecrows.”

He laughed, “Hahaha, well I didn’t kill your friend. I just help facilitate the deeds that must be done. We supply a food source to keep civilians safe.

“What the hell are you talking about!?” I demanded. 

“Well she has to eat something! You don't want her coming down from the mountain, do you? Can’t get rid of her either. Sacrifices must be made to ensure that the majority survive. You might call me a murderer, but I don’t see it that way.

I froze as he continued, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. 

“She’s been eating more than usual. That's why we have a nice pile of meat down in that cellar. Homeless people, mostly. But I can't help it if she wants to pick off some lone campers.

“You’re insane! What are you feeding people to?” I said. I reached towards my pocket, only to realize he still had my phone.

He laughed again.

]“I can't have you running around telling the media. Could you imagine the chaos this would bring? All the victim’s families wanting justice? Exposure and rock climbing accidents make much more sense.”

I listened in horror. 

We had been driving a while. I could tell we were getting close to the trail. A camper, walking a brown dog alongside the road, waved to us as we passed. I wished there was some way to tell him I was in danger. We continued the drive in silence. I was trying to comprehend the situation. When we got to the trail head, the officer parked the cruiser and got out. He drew his pistol, opened my door, and motioned for me to start walking.

 The walk up the mountain was slow as he limped behind me.

“I’ll tell you where to go. If you try anything, I’ll put a bullet in your head and throw you in that cellar with the others.”

I quietly obeyed. 

It was a long and silent walk up the trail. The cold air stung my face as we trekked along. Even in my panicked state, I knew we were in the same area as the cellar.

Finally, I spoke up. “What are you taking me to?”

“Her” he responded nonchalantly. 

“What’s her?” I asked.

“Not sure.” He said in an annoyed tone. 

I sighed. “If you’re going to kill me, at least tell me what we’re going to.”

“I can’t tell you, because I don't know what she is. Clawed her way here from Hell is my guess.“ The officer snapped. 

My legs grew weaker. I didn’t ask any more questions. The sun was starting to set. The only sounds were the crunching of leaves and snaps of twigs beneath our feet. We took countless turns. The trail had turned to dense woods and uneven ground. I was exhausted.

I felt the officers pistol press against my back as he spoke, “Getting close. I'm glad I didn't have to drag your corpse all the way up here, hahaha.”

I had already lost all track of time. What seemed like hours of hiking, finally ended. We stopped in front of a small pond, perfectly round. Something was wrong though. The water was black, and a thick layer of of fog clouded the surface. It should have been frozen in this cold. Peaking just above the haze, I could see the heads of a hundred scarecrows lining the pond’s perimeter. All were facing me—as though they had been waiting.

The officer began to speak again as he started building a fire.

“The routine started to wear on us. It was always the same: get the bodies, throw them in the cellar, write a bogus police report, contact the families. It got…stale. And she got tired of the easy meals. So we got a little more creative. Get the camper scared, get them moving in this direction. Let it hunt. It likes the trophies. (He pointed lazily to the scarecrows) When I saw your buddy’s phone, I took it upon myself to get you down here. I thought it would be more of a challenge, but you basically turned yourself in.”

I felt myself becoming more nauseous as I recalled the events that led me here. 

Night fell, and the black pond began to stir.

“Won’t she kill you too?” I asked. 

“Likes ‘em one at a time, whatever she can get to first.” He responded. 

I didn’t want to know just how many cops and rangers were a part of this. I considered making a break for it, but I knew I would be gunned down. The officer kept his distance, with his gun pointed at me. He motioned for me to move closer to the pond. I hesitantly crept forward.

“Stand there, that's where I put her food.”

The water began to churn as it surfaced. Black ripples formed small waves that splashed against the pond’s edge. It’s dark matted hair was the first feature to break the surface. I immediately smelled its damp, rotten flesh. I was frozen with fear as it moved in my direction and continued to ascend from the dark pool. I cannot fully describe what I saw. The hellish figure had risen from the inky depths and moved closer. It had a tall, thin, form with long hair descending from its skeletal head to the middle of its gaunt humanoid body.

In that moment I was sure of one thing— the creature did not belong on this Earth. As it moved closer, I found my body paralyzed with fear. I studied its face,  its hollow black eyes were a crude emulation of the scarecrow’s. 

I heard something behind me—the shuffling of leaves and a man’s voice yelling in the distance. I turned around, only to see a large brown dog dragging a broken leash behind it. The canine walked cautiously as it eyed the officer and I with curious skepticism. A beam of light flashed before us, and a man carrying the other end of the leash appeared. The same man I had seen earlier on the road.

The man spoke. “Sorry guys…I’ve been chasing my dog forever. He broke off and started following your scent. Is uhh—?”

He saw it.

“What the…Wha…?”

I took advantage of the moment.

My survival instincts kicked in. The officer was distracted for only a few seconds, and I started running fast as I could. Only to be outpaced by the frightened dog. I heard the first bullet fly by my ear. The second shot came soon after. I’ll never forget the camper’s scream as the bullet pierced his body. His agonizing voice echoed throughout the mountains. I never actually heard his screaming stop, they only grew quieter as I ran farther away from the pond.

I ran for hours, fueled by adrenaline and survival. I knew the officer couldn’t keep up with me, and he had to make sure his new witness could not escape. 

Eventually, I will attempt to work with the true authorities after I figure out how to tell them what I have seen without sounding insane. Right now I am trying to forget the sound of the man’s screams, and the snapping of his bones.