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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/No-Yam7901 on 2024-10-23 04:14:41+00:00.

My group of friends has always liked the outdoors. The four of us have always enjoyed a weekend of camping and fishing. I would’ve never guessed it was going to turn out like this. I always hear stories of crazy things happening out in the woods but I never thought it would happen to us.

Last weekend wasn’t out of the ordinary to begin with. We packed up and headed out to do some back-country camping. We heard of a new place near a lake where my a distant friend had been once or twice. We were told that this area was quiet and had great fishing.

Our group consists of four guys who have loved camping in the wilderness for our whole lives. Todd is maybe the roughest of the four. He stands at 6 foot 3 and is up for almost anything. Ryan is definitely the smart one in the group. He usually doesn’t let Todd do the dumbass things he wants to. I honestly think Todd might’ve been sent to the hospital a dozen times if it weren’t for Ryan. To be honest, I don’t add much to the group. I’m just there for the good time and really follow what everyone else is doing.

Liam is a little bit different. Before last weekend, I would’ve called him the skittish one. Never really wanting to do any of the dumbass shit we’re getting ourselves into. Not to make fun of the guy, but he just usually doesn’t get into trouble. It’s for that reason, that I have such a hard time trying to stomach the things that I saw this weekend.

We hiked for about two hours to find the perfect place to set up camp. God, it was beautiful out there. A nice open place right beside the lake. The water looked almost like glass with the reflection of the hot sun shining up to shore. Who knew a place so beautiful could be filled with so much horror.

We decided to take two tents instead of four this weekend to conserve some weight. I got bunked with Ryan and Todd was set up with Liam. Before we had even finished getting camp set up, Todd had started to blow up his inflatable kayak. Liam was trying to get Todd to help finish setting up their tent, but Todd didn’t really care. I’m lucky a got set up with Ryan because he has a serious “work before play” mentality.

Todd was already on the water by the time we had finished setting up. I was ready to join him as we only had a few hours of daylight left. Ryan and Liam weren’t too keen about going fishing right away and suggested going on a hike to check out the area. I’m not one for hiking, and Todd isn’t either so me and Todd set out on the water while Liam and Ryan went out to the woods.

After about two and a half hours of no luck on the water we paddled back into camp. It was getting close dark and we were hungry. Back at camp, Ryan and Liam were sitting by a newly lit fire. Before I even stepped a foot on that campsite I knew something was wrong. A tightness in my chest that felt like a hand squeezing from the inside. As we walked up to camp, I got my first look at the source of the bad feeling.

“Look what I found!” Liam yelled with a smile

The volume of his voice startled me and I took a small step back. In his hand there was a small wooden doll. When I laid my eyes on it my heart skipped a beat. I was frozen in place for a moment, unable to move. Hesitant, I walked up to get a closer look. It looked like one of those creatures from the movie “Trolls” only slightly chunkier and without the crazy hair. It fit in the palm of his hand and had an eerie feeling to it.

Suddenly I had the urge to take it. It felt as if an unknown force had thrusted my arm outward to grab this trinket from the hands of my friend. Almost with the same force, Liam instantly pulled back his hand. His eyes filled with rage. Not just a joking rage you use when you yell at your friends about something stupid, a real pure rage.

“NO.” He said firmly with a voice that echoed across the lake

As quickly as the urge came to take the doll, it was gone. My lungs felt empty and my heart just the same. I took a deep breath and looked at Liam, hoping his rage had left him too. It hadn’t. He looked at me with the same rage in his eyes, staring.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me” I muttered with a neutral tone

I had never seen Liam like this before, he was usually so kind. I looked at both Todd and Ryan, they looked both as confused as me. Eventually Liam’s rage disappeared and he went back to normal. Well, not normal there was something off with him. I knew it was because of that damn doll.

We roasted some hot dogs and talked around the fire as the sun set. Liam was oddly quiet during our conversation. He didn’t say a single word and ate in silence. He only perked up when we mentioned the doll.

“So where’d you find that thing anyway” Todd asked with his mouth half-full of hot dog

Ryan looked at Liam to answer, but he just sat there silently, staring.

Ryan answered “It was inside of a tree, maybe a squirrel hole or something I’m not sure. I went to grab it but Liam-“

“It’s mine”

A chill trickled down my spine. After an hour of not speaking, the only words he says: “it’s mine”. Two simple words. Two words that chilled me to the core. he stared at the three of us with a deadly look in his eyes and didn’t move a muscle.

“What’s going on with your eyes man?” Ryan asks

He was right, something was off. Liam’s eyes were always bright blue. But now, they seemed darker, a kind of gross yellow. Almost what I’d imagine a wolf to have.

Liam didn’t respond. Just sat there, clutching this doll so tightly in his hands that his knuckles were turning white. Something was terribly off with him. That doll was affecting him in some way none of us could comprehend.

We took a second to grab our bearings and continued to talk. Somehow we shrugged off the odd things that were happening to Liam. I know now that we should have taken that fucking doll away from him. If he had I’d still see Liam as the nice guy I know he truly is.

Once we went to bed is when the real terror started. Me and Ryan shut out the lights not long after we got in our tent. It was hard to sleep with the sound from the other tent. Todd and Liam were arguing about something and it sounded pretty heated. I never asked Todd what the argument was about but I assume it was about that doll.

The argument went on for about a half hour until it suddenly stopped. All I could hear was the sound of the frogs croaking and the odd chirp from a bird. Then I heard footsteps going out into the woods from our campsite. Slowly growing more distant and eventually, out of earshot altogether.

I assumed that Todd had gotten pissed off at Liam and went to take a piss or something. The only problem, I saw no flashlight go out into the woods. I looked over at Ryan but he seemed to be asleep. I played there and thought for a few minutes. I figured I’d better check in on the other tent to see what was going on.

I slowly climbed over top of Ryan to get out of the tent. I grabbed my flashlight and walked over. I zipped open the other tent and I saw Todd sitting there in his underwear. Alone.

“Where the hell is Liam” I asked quietly

“I don’t know he just got up and left.” Todd said without a care in the world, ”His dumbass didn’t even take a flashlight.”

It only struck me then how out of character this was. Liam wouldn’t even go out in the woods alone WITH a flashlight. Never mind in the dark without one. He must be really pissed or something is terribly wrong

“Don’t you think we should go find him?” I asked with a hint of frustration.

“Liam does not want to talk to me right now” I could tell that Todd was afraid by the way he muttered his next words. “Something is wrong with him man, I don’t think anyone should be around him right now”

I left without saying another word to Todd. Once he makes a decision he’s set in his ways. I knew he wasn’t stepping a foot out into those woods. I thought he was just being dramatic, making an excuse to stay safe in that tent. Todd could not have been more right. I wish I had known.

I shook Ryan awake and told him Liam was alone in the woods without a flashlight.

“That god damn idiot” Ryan spat out as he threw some pants on.

It’s not often that good Christian Ryan uses the lords name in vain. I guess he just wasn’t too happy about being woken up in the middle of the night.

We flicked on our flashlights and pointed them in the woods. Even with the beams shining full blast the woods were as dark as ever. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something awful would happen in those woods.

Every minute in those woods felt like they dragged on for hours. I could feel my heart pounding on my chest like an animal trying to break free. The horrible feeling I had when I saw that doll had come back. It had never felt more real. The only thing keeping me sane was the sounds of the forest. I’m usually not comforted by buzzing bugs or screaming crows, but something about the noise calmed me.

It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes when we found Liam. The noises of the surrounding forest cut out instantly. Like someone had just pressed pause on their phone. Me and Ryan stopped and froze, as if we had turned to stone on the spot.

I had never felt so vulnerable. I had the feeling I was being watched. I could see Liam’s yellowed eyes in the back of my head, piercing my mind. I knew that he was looking at me. I just couldn’t find out where. I snapped out of my petrified stance and started to look around, Ryan quickly followed suit.

I couldn’t see a thing. Even…

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