Something Was Following Them Through the Forest
They heard the footsteps shortly after sunset.
At first, they assumed it was one of the animals that lived in the forest.
Then they realized the footsteps were matching theirs.
Every time they stopped, whatever was behind them stopped too.
The Hike
There were three people in the group.
They had spent the afternoon hiking a remote trail in northern Maine.
The weather was clear.
The trail was familiar.
They planned to reach the trailhead before dark.
They didn't.
The First Sound
The footsteps began shortly after sunset.
Branches snapped behind them.
Then came the sound of something walking through leaves.
One of them turned around.
Nothing.
The others laughed.
They continued walking.
A few minutes later, the footsteps returned.
Closer this time.
The Pattern
They started testing it.
One person stopped.
The footsteps stopped.
They waited.
Nothing.
Then they began walking again.
The footsteps followed.
They stopped again.
So did whatever was behind them.
The pattern continued for nearly an hour.
The Flashlight
Eventually one of them turned his flashlight toward the trees.
The beam illuminated the trail.
Nothing was there.
He swept the light across the forest.
Nothing.
Then a branch moved approximately thirty feet away.
There was no wind.
They decided to leave.
Running
The group increased their pace.
The footsteps did the same.
They began running.
The sound behind them became faster.
Branches snapped.
Leaves moved.
Something was following them.
They never saw it.
But they could hear it.
The Clearing
They eventually reached a clearing.
The footsteps stopped.
The group stood together, breathing heavily.
Nobody spoke.
Then they heard something from the forest.
A single knock against a tree.
Then another.
Then another.
Three times.
They waited.
Nothing happened.
The Trailhead
They reached the trailhead approximately twenty minutes later.
Their car was still there.
Nothing appeared to have followed them out.
But when they looked back toward the forest, one of them noticed footprints in the dirt.
They weren't human.
They were too long.
And they began several feet inside the trees.
Years Later
The three friends rarely discuss the incident.
One refuses to return to the area.
Another insists there was a rational explanation.
The third won't say what he believes.
He only remembers one detail.
The footsteps never sounded like they were trying to catch them.
They sounded like they were making sure the group knew they were there.
Sometimes the most frightening thing in the forest isn't what you see.
It's what keeps pace behind you.
