It was supposed to be such a simple task. I was supposed to go fetch a ball from a lake for my kids. Admittedly, most parents wouldn’t have even thought of letting their kids play under a bridge, but I figured that as long as I was, nothing could go wrong. My son was with a few friends of his. I could find them a bit annoying, but they cared for him well enough.

They were playing a game of fetch. Meanwhile, I was rolled back on a blanket, having half of my vision on my boy and half on a mystery thriller novel I had in my hand. While my son pretended to be a superhero, I pretended to be a retired detective. Unfortunately, all that would quickly come to an end.

While I imagined myself in a darkened alley, my son started to yell.

“Honey,” I cried, lifting myself up as I feared the worst. “Are you okay?!”

“I lost my ball,” my son started to cry. “It disappeared over there.”

I took a massive sigh of relief as I pressed my hand onto my chest.

“Thank heavens,” I muttered to myself, with all the worst ideas about what could have happened to my son fading in my head. “Do you want me to get it back? Where is it now?”

My son pointed straight in the direction that the ball went to.

“Timmy threw it there,” he cried out.

“No I didn’t,” Timmy cried out.

“Boys boys,” I commanded. “Quit your squabbling. I need you all to stay exactly here while I go get the ball. I should only be gone for about five minutes.

“I repeat, stay here and immediately call me if there’s anything troubling.”

For one last time, I pointed right at my son and his friends. They nodded in complete agreement, which would have been reassuring. For me, however, the greatest struggle wasn’t heading forward at the dark forest. It was resisting the urge to turn back to my child.

Despite that, I went head first into the woods. In that moment, I felt nothing but regret. Despite not being too far from the river and the bridge to civilization, it was still extremely dark. The woods were nothing but coldness, with the leaves on the trees still having droplets on them. My heart was pacing in my chest as I tried to breathe in the thick atmosphere.

“It’s just your imagination,” I told myself. “Just get the ball and leave.”

If you saw me at first, you would assume that I was just being dramatic. It wasn’t a difficult path to go down. Additionally, I had caught sight of the ball rather quickly.

Unfortunately, one small thing set me off. It was nothing but a twig snap. I shouldn’t have paid any attention to it. Unfortunately, that alone was enough for my heart to be racing. As soon as I heard, I spun around and jointed away.

Running through the woods I noticed how much longer it was. It was almost twice the amount of time I took entering the forest. What really got me was a pair of eyes that glowed in the corner of my eyes. They were nothing but pure white. That was enough for my entire body to ache.

Too many thoughts were filling my head, with my head heavy from nothing but fear. But there was one thought that dominated my mind. My precious boy, who I had left to fend himself. As soon as I could see sunlight, I screamed for him.

“Are you okay?!” I called out.

“Mom,” my son cried out.

His voice was a bit muffled in my mind, but that didn’t matter too much. All I could care about was seeing him safe, which he was. My son was cuddled with his friends, with only a mildly concerned look on his face.

“Oh thank heavens,” I cried out, rushing in to hug my son. “Quickly, let’s get out of here.”

“But mom,” my son complained as I dragged him by the wrist. “The ball is still in the woods.”

“That’s none of our concern. Boys, come!”

My son’s friends rushed behind us.

I did hear a few groans as we walked up a steep hill, but I could care less. As soon as we got to my car, I ushered the boys inside the old red thing. My car was a complete mess, almost buried in dust. As soon as I got in the passenger’s seat, I slammed the door and hit the breaks. My mind was still rushing with thoughts about what I had seen.

As I drove through the woods, my mind began to finally calm down. The sun shined as brightly as it could over the green leaves, coloring the world. If only it wasn’t the eye of the storm. I decided to look at my son and his friends through the rear view mirror. They were talking about what they usually talk about.

How lame everything was, how summer was, etc. That was when one of my son’s mentioned something that made my heart drop.

“Did you see that weird shadow?” He said to his friends. “Looked like a weird wolf.”

“Yeah,” one of his friends responded.

“For a moment I thought it was mom.”

“Excuse me,” I said as I looked at the rear view window to see my son.

“I didn’t notice,” he responded. “The thing came around the time you left.”

“It didn’t go close to you.

“Please tell me it didn’t get close to you.”

“It didn’t. Just hid in the bushes.”

By the time we got home, my head was pounding. What was that thing?

Eventually, I welcomed my son and his friends inside my house. It was the same cold cottage place as it had always been. As expected, one of my close childhood friends was there. She was practically my sister, and I had already made plans to be with her.

“Welcome back,” I called out.

She must have seen the grief in my face, given that her eyebrows winced.

“It’s been a long day,” I continued.

“Come and have a seat,” she replied. “Boys, can you keep it down.”

“Thanks for being here. You wouldn’t believe what happened to me. I was with the boys while they were playing, and they accidentally lost a ball in the woods. I figured I could go fetch it myself. Unfortunately, something strange happened.

“I got spooked by a twig snap.”

“Really?” My friend laughed.

I did join along with her, realizing how dumb that sounded.

“Unfortunately, when I ran out of the woods and got the kids back, my son mentioned a figure that was standing in the woods.”

“Wait,” my friend said, her entire body going completely stiff.

“You’re talking about a mysterious figure from the St. Woods Forest? It wasn’t a wolf, was it? Please tell me it wasn’t a wolf.”

“It was a wolf. Know anything about it?”

“Yes, but not for the right reasons. My grandmother would always warn of these wolves that come to a land and promise death. Her grandmother also told her this story.”

“Really, then what are they called? Sounds a little like skinwalkers.”

“Quiet!” My friend exclaimed.

“You are NOT allowed to call them by their true names!”

“Why? Will the wolves come for us?”

“Moreso than they already are. These wolves are vengeful spirits, using witchcraft to stay on this earth well past their mortal passing.

“However, they cannot truly be a part of this earth. The wolves get around this by tracking down a group of humans wandering in the woods. They love children the most. Unfortunately for you, the wolves have decided that you are their new target. Specifically, you and your family.”

“Really? How do I get rid of it?”

“That’s the problem. Very few survive. However, there is a high reward to those who defeat the wolves.

“Forever protection is given. If not, your entire bloodline will be eliminated by the wolves.”

“You’re not answering my question,” I stated. “How the hell do I keep these wolves away from my family?”

“Simple,” my friend stated.

“You must bring with you a broken piece of your most treasured item,” she continued.

“Like what?” I asked. “I got an old teddy bear. Wouldn’t be ideal to loose though.”

“Don’t worry,” my friend reassured.

“It’s a protection item. Then, go to the forest where you meet the wolves. And I mean the exact spot, all by yourself.”

“How do I survive?” I asked.

“There’s no clear way,” my friend ominously replied.

“However, the wolves will aim for your fears,” she continued. “They will show your visions of the deaths of your loved ones. However, you must know it’s not real. If you try to save the illusions the wolves create for you, you’ll die, or worse.”

“Can you give me a minute?” I meekly asked.

My friend nodded her head. I couldn’t believe it. Something was really hunting me down. No, hunting my family down. Did I even have the strength to fight it off?

“How many people have survived an attack by these wolves?” I asked again.

“Well,” my friend sheepishly said. “My grandmother did. She vowed to never tell a soul outside of her family, but I believe you need guidance.”

“Thanks for all the help.

“I think I’ll get all my stuff.”

“You really think you are prepared for this? You’re an accountant for heaven’s sake.”

“I could care less. I will do anything to keep my boy safe.”

“Alright then.

“Be careful out there.”