"Walt, what is that?" I just stare at the huge twisted metal arch in front of me. Roger takes a step forward, "Walter, don't just stand there, let's check it out." Roger takes his backpack off and runs forward. He lovingly presses his hand against the twisted steel. Of course Roger would love something like this, he is a sci-fi super fan. This definitely looks like something that jumped right off the pages of his sci-fi book.
I take a step back. "Roger, I don't have a good feeling about this. We should just leave it alone and go back to the trail." I turn to leave, but Roger laughs.
"Oh come on Walt, don't be a chicken. Look at this, it's got some writing on it and I think it's coded." I frown at him; Roger knows good and well that I am obsessed with decoding messages. I walk over to him and press my hands against the abnormally cold metal.
"What do you think it is Walt? What could it possibly be?" I ignore Roger and rub my fingers along the mysterious code along one piece of metal. The code looks familiar, but I don't know how to approach it. I shrug and rub my fingers along the three words on the metal beam.
"Come on Roger we need to go back to the trail and go home. Let's just let this lie and go raid the fridge. This isn't our business." I quickly take out a piece of paper and trace each individual icon. Roger sadly picks up his bag. "Now we should go."
Something jumps over my head and slams unto the ground behind us. The black clad figure just keeps running as Roger and I decide to move before we meet the figure. We bypass the hiking trail that we were exploring and run rampant through the woods. We are gasping for breath by the time we reach my cabin in the woods. We run inside and quickly lock the door.
"Walt, I have never felt so alive! Let's do it again." Roger sighs and looks at the paper I still clutch in my hands. "You have to figure this out tonight and tell me what you find. I've got to go home, my parents are going to kill me. Are your parents working the night shift today?"
I nod and lay my stuff on the table. "Okay see you later Roger, I will tell you tomorrow what I find out about the code." Roger quickly leaves as I relax and forget about our incident with the metal archway.
It's 9:32 when I remember the coded paper lying abandoned on the table. I abandon the nightly news and grab my laptop. I begin to decode the message.
The first word is DON'T. It's so cold in here, so abnormally cold. I rub my shivering arms and continue to type on the laptop.
The second word is LOOK. I reach over and pick up my phone, I quickly dial Roger's number. The phone rings twice and goes straight to voice mail. I nervously talk into the phone. "I think I'm being a hypochondriac, but I am scared. Whatever that arch we saw was for, I think it's it's very bad. Hey if you get this call, please call me back. I'm alone here and I feel creeped out."
I hang up as the phone rings again. It's Roger, but when I answer all I hear is static. "Sorry Roger, your going to have to call me back. I'm getting bad reception." I hang up on the static sound and go back to decoding the message.
Suddenly, my television looses power and goes black. Roger hasn't called me back yet. What is going on? The TV flickers back on and the reporter goes back to talking about the weather. Hmm, that is weird, but I guess we're having some sort of power surge tonight. I shake it off and continue to search for the third word.
The reporter's voice suddenly turns into static and then into nonhuman screeches. I begin to panic and keep trying to find the word. The lights flicker off and the temperature begins to drop again. The television sparks and turns off, the only thing that produces light is my dim laptop. I keep staring in horror and typing as fast as possible to find the third and last word. A warm wind blows on my neck and the floorboards creak behind me. Where is Roger when I need him? Why hasn't he called me back?
I stop typing and stare in fear at the word in front of me. BACK is the third word. I whisper the words, the three chilling words. "DON'T LOOK BACK." My blood turns cold as my dimming laptop sparks like the TV and dies; leaving me in complete darkness.
I listen as the floorboards begin to creak louder. A voice begins to whisper my name with an unhuman like quality. "Walt. Walt, what does it say? Tell me what it says."
"Leave me alone! Go away, I don't believe in monsters! You're just my imagination!" I believe in monsters now, I do believe in them! I scream in fear, but no one will hear my screams. My heart beats so fast that it might explode like a thrown grenade.
I slowly, ever so slowly turn my head behind me, just as the message warned against doing. The message repeats in my mind like a broken record. "DON'T LOOK BACK." It seems like an eternity before I finally turn around.
I stare into gold eyes and canines sharper than sabers and dripping red. The creature lunges forward and mercilessly attacks me.
DON'T LOOK BACK.