Obviously, as I am telling you this story, it’s clear I survived, that however does not make it any less terrifying. If you’re easily scared please stop reading. Last Mid August, a warm summers night, I decided to take Ralph, my Cavapoo, out for an evening stroll. We arrived at Red Treck woods a few miles from my house. I shut the car engine off and walked round to the passenger side to fetch Ralph. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and I spun round. To my surprise it was a middle aged man with a curly beard and long shaggy hair.
“Good evening love, could you spare a pound or so, I came out empty handed and need to pay my parking fee.” I gave the man an astounded look and handed him one-fifty.
“There you go it’s all I can spare.” He twisted his ginger moustache then nodded smiling from ear to ear.
“Thanks dear you’re too kind.” As he walked over to his van I couldn’t help feeling a little strange. I’m not a stereotyping kind of person but this guy was bizarre. A crazed look in his eye and outgoing attitude with a stranger at the woods, plus the fact he had no dog and was hanging round here at quarter to nine on a Sunday evening was odd. He exited the car park as I fastened Ralph’s harness.
“Quick walk then we’re done for the night I said to him. The woods was quiet and it was practically dark. The moon shone down and provided just enough light to illuminate the forest so that reassured me that we wouldn’t get lost, as the woods was quite dense.
The birds chirped and we encounter the odd fox as well as seeing a badger. As I was walking something threw me off balance.
“Ralph stop” I clutched his lead and bent down to look at a bracelet on the ground. I picked it up and placed on a rock thinking someone must have lost it earlier in the day. This should have been a red flag but it didn’t properly register with me and we moved on. Around ten minutes later further into the wood I again stopped as I could see something on the forest floor a few feet away. As we approached closer I realised it was a black shirt. A females vest to be specific. We really should have turned back. I didn’t touch it thinking someone probably just dumped it. I looked around the area my eyes darting left to right and I gasped when I realised there was more clothing scattered around the area. Jeans, socks and a white jacket. I picked up the jacket and quickly dropped it to my horror it had patchy red marks on it the looked like blood. As I gathered myself I realised Ralph was sniffing a trainer across the trail. When I looked forward I noticed the other trainer up ahead. We moved forward gingerly. Ralph began to cry and, to my horror, as I picked it up I got the shock of a lifetime. Inside was a severed foot, blood dripping from the bone where it had been cut. Time to go I thought. We turned round and bolted back to the car park. Thoughts of serial killers and back woods maniacs plagued my mind as we ran back. I practically threw Ralph in the car and shot out of there. A chill ran down my spine as i looked in the rearview mirror and saw the strange man’s car. Then, horrified, I realised he was leaning against the side of it, waving and smiling as we exited the woods. I floored home without stopping, glancing in the rear, anticipating the man’s car following mine. When i got home I called the police, stating there had been a murder. They searched the whole forest and found no clothes, no foot, no blood, nothing! This has scarred me for life and i can say with conviction i haven’t been back to Red Trek wood since and never will again.
Time is a healer! As the weeks passed by and turned into months I gradually forgot and the bizarre, alarming night at the woods was expelled from my memory. However, to my horror, I was once again reminded of the unsettling occurrence that night and the man who I think had been up to something sinister. Six months later I was drinking wine with my boyfriend and watching trash on the TV. To our surprise, with it being around 11PM, the front doorbell rang. My fella got up I said “sit and finish your wine” as I thought it would just be my friend who had joined us earlier in the evening. My assumption was that she must have forgotten something. Maybe she had left alcohol in the fridge. I proceeded to the front door then opened it expecting a familiar face. Instead there was a small beige box. Strange, I thought. The box was heavy, I picked it up looked left then right. I tore the tape, opened it then peered inside. I gasped and froze in absolute shock. The box dropped from my hands. In the box was my best friends head blood speckled on her complexion and matted in her dark hair. Her mouth was open contorted into a frozen agonising scream. I dropped to my knees my thoughts scattered and came to a realisation. The weirdo from Red Treck Woods was toying with me, knew where I lived and had sent me a sick depraved calling card.