Estrada - Heavens Peak

The crunchy sound of the leaves beneath his feet was satisfying. With each step, Rudy Everett jumped to avoid the pools of rain that had covered the forest the night before. The trees sobbed around him, thick drops falling on his head.

He liked to pretend he was an explorer, living countless adventures that would leave most of his favorite movie characters in shame.

A solemn breeze made its way through the trees that had already begun to take on the warm colors of autumn. The sound accompanying it was a spectral whisper that made Rudys mind manifest all sorts of situations: A giant hiding in the depths of the earth that had been awakened from his long sleep, or perhaps the voices of the forests spirits, whispering.

He reached into his pocket to pull out his walkie-talkie. His dad had bought the set for his birthday. He shared the other one with his best friend Junior, who lived next door, so they didnt have any problems using them unless the batteries ran out. With a grin from ear to ear, he pressed the power button.

He deepened his voice as much as he could and reported himself as private detective Rudy Everett, following the clue of a criminal nearby. His only response was white noise, which meant he was too far away to talk to Junior.

The cold air reddened his cheeks; he tried to contain a sneeze but failed. Rudy wiped his nose with his sweaters sleeve and looked up. Orange beams of sunlight peeked through the branches.

It was getting late. Hed better go home before his mom got too worried. If his mom got worried, his dad would get upset; if his dad got upset, his sisters would get mad; and when his sisters got mad, it was bad news. It wasnt worth the drama just because little Rudy had decided to play outside a little longer than usual. It was unfair, he wasnt a baby anymore. In a few months he would be eight years old, more than enough to decide how much time to spend outside. He laughed at the thought of saying that to his mom. She would never listen, but it was nice to have dreams.

Rudy turned, walking faithfully across the dirt road he had come from. Even though the trip was already familiar, he always found new things to be excited about. A tree he hadnt noticed was leaning, a colorful flower that wasnt there last summer, some scratches traced on the trunk of an oak tree

He stopped dead in his tracks. Those werent there before. Not last summer, not last week, not even an hour ago when he passed by. Rudy looked around him, trembling, waiting for a huge dark-haired bear to jump out from the bushes. It could not be possible; his dad had told him there were no bears in that area. If there were any, his family would never have allowed him to play outside in the first place. That thought reassured him a little. He took a deep breath before continuing on.

His walk turned into a trot with furtive glances over his shoulder, alert to any movement, any noise out of the ordinary. A tree appeared out of nowhere and Rudy had to raise his hands to avoid colliding into it. He stopped and looked up at the oak, which was becoming a shadow in the approaching night.

Rudy rubbed his head, confused. There shouldnt have been anything in his way. It took a moment for him to realize he was no longer walking on the dirt road, which meant that he had deviated from the path at some point. He looked down. His feet were covered in a dense blanket of darkness. His heart began to race, his lungs asking desperately for more air. He had to get out of there, fast. He raised his hands in the air and touched the branches around him to guide himself. His teeth shivered and his nose exhaled white smoke. He couldnt afford to spend the night in the middle of the woods, especially with wild animals lurking around and watching him with hungry eyes in the shadows. Rudy quickened his pace as fast as his feet allowed.

In the distance, he could see a tall figure among the trees, whose body seemed to blend in with the surroundings. The daylight had been almost completely extinguished, so he had to squint to distinguish it from the foliage. It looked like a person.

Rudy bolted toward the figure. Dodging rocks and skipping puddles, the little boy made his way until he reached the mysterious man.

As he approached, he realized the man was taller than hed thought, bigger than any adult Rudy had known in his short life. His arms stretched grotesquely to his knees, and he was covered by a long black coat. His face was hidden behind a black-eyed mask that seemed to be embedded in his skin, no, rather, it was as if the mask was part of his skin. A chill ran down the back of Rudys neck. He swallowed, gathered all the courage he could, and whispered in panting:

H-Hello uh Im Rudy, Im a bit lost and I need help getting home

The man in black just stared at him.

Why are you wearing that mask? Its not Halloween yet Rudy insisted, trying to force a smile. I also like to put on costumes. I live nearby and I think theres a bear or something, and its already getting dark so can you take me to my house?

The man remained silent. There was something in that masks empty gaze that disturbed him greatly. Rudy felt his heart throbbing in his throat, but he had to swallow his fear. If there was anything dangerous in the woods, that man could help him get back to his family safely.

The masked man stepped forward, breaking a branch on the ground with his heavy boots as he approached. Without realizing it, Rudy found himself taking a step back as the man came closer.

A stifling noise came from the boys jacket. With a jolt, he realized that it was his walkie-talkie making white noise. He looked down for fraction of a second and, when he looked up again, found the mask only a few inches away from his face. Rudy screamed with all the strength of his lungs and darted in the opposite way.

With no direction and in total darkness, he sprinted as far as he could, pushing branches out of his way. He could almost feel the mans breath on his neck as he stepped deeper into the forest.

Without paying attention to his surroundings, Rudy stumbled and fell on his face against the damp earth. He tried to get back up between sobs, with scratches on his arms and knees, covered in mud. Before he could do so, a pair of black boots appeared in front of him. He tried to resist the temptation to look up but failed. His gaze met those eyes, dark like night itself.

That creepy image was the last thing the boy saw. After that, complete darkness.