Not my story, it comes from an /x/ thread but I wanted to share it on here. Included are the original posts from the OP and added photos to help with the immersion.
Hello /x/. After a lot of thinking, and a couple of drinks - I have finally decided to share some of my experiences. English is not my native language, so forgive me if my grammar isn't perfect.
>be me
>late 1990's
>work in a very rural area of Russia, as a sort of ranger/wildlife preservasionist
>in Russia we don't have the same regulations and strict protocol as some of you might
>we more or less just drive around on ATV's and berate poachers, while we ensure the safety of the deer population and shit like that
>I worked in a rural area, surrounded by forest and harsh wilderness
>only had one colleague - who we'll call Pietr (it's short and easy to remember)
>Pietr was your typical backwash crazy russian dude, who brewed his own vodka and smoked like a chimney
>He was my best friend for several years, and always had my back no matter what we faced out there in the woods
>The job had shit pay, but it came with loads of perks that made it worth it
>we had no boss, and could basically just go camping, get wasted and call it 'an excursion'
>i will admit that we once or twice hustled some innocent hunters from their money, by claiming that they were poaching
>we were corrupt as fuck, but still managed to make some decent arrests and put some real poachers behind bars
>but sometimes we got calls that required us to do some actual hard work
>if people spotted sick animals, it fell upon us to go out there and make sure it didn't spread
>if an animal showed aggressive behavior that might endanger the locals - we had to ensure that the animal got put down
>we had friends at the local vet who would run blood samples if we suspected rabies or something else
>one day Pietr and I got a call from some pretty spooked locals
>they told us that some boys had gone hunting a couple days ago, but none of them had returned
>they all believed that they had been killed by bears or wolves
>great... now we have to venture into the wilderness for some potentially aggressive carnivores
>they point us in a general direction, and we take off on our ATV's
>we drive around the area for about three hours, when we find an abandoned campsite
>it was evident that the camp had been trashed by something - probably a bear
>by the looks of it, the boys had left camp in a hurry - not even bringing their rifles
>from then on we went on foot, with our guns drawn - just in case
>we found the first corpse a few metres away from their camp
>he was lying on his stomach, with several deep wounds to his back
>what struck us as weird, was that it was deep puncture wounds - which we had never before seen in a bear or wolf attack
>there was a clear path, which indicated where the other boys had fled
>we found two boys in the same small area - both of them lying dead with similar wounds
>one of them had practically been gutted
>Pietr was visibly shaken by this scene, and just kept shaking his head in disbelief
>according to the locals, there was supposed to be four boys out here - so we were still missing one
>we both tactically shat our pants, when we heard something rustling through the brush towards us
>we aimed at the commotion and waited for it to reveal itself before we shot
>I almost dropped my rifle when it emerged from the dense bushes
>it was a red stag, with the mangled remains of the fourth boy stuck in its antlers
>it had trouble holding its balance under the weight of the boy, but still bellowed aggressively, as if it was about to charge us
>Pietr was the first to snap out of the shock, and started lighting the fucking thing up
>upon further inspection we noticed that its antlers were worn down and broken
>it had put an excessive amount of force behind each of its charges - breaking its antlers on the poor boys
>the reason the fourth boy was stuck in the antlers, was because the damn thing had practically torn through his rib cage
>we couldn't seperate the boy from the antlers, so we had to bring the head with us
>it was one of the most fucked up rides home, with the cargo of several corpses tied to the back of our ATV's
>the local authorities were pretty angry at us, seeing as we had moved bodies from a potential crime scene - but let us off easy, seeing as the killer was literally embedded into one of the victims
>seeing the heartbroken parents of these boys still haunts me
>that night i hung out with Pietr - mostly because i was still pretty spooked
>"that shit wasn't natural" he said at one point
>"Deer can be aggressive and defend against predators, yes. but this fucker hunted down those boys and killed them all. they don't do that shit"
That was the first time i caught a glimpse of the spooky shit that goes on out there. in the following years i saw some deeply insane shit, that only Pietr and i know about. i will share the stories with you, and hopefully you will believe me and understand why i am scared shitless every time i see a deer
>about once or twice a month, we had to go on excursions into the wilderness to look for signs of poachers, sick animals and other stuff like that
>one time we decided to drive out to a fairly secluded area, because there were rumors of some potential poaching
>it was a very long drive, so we had always put it off, praying that the poachers would just get mauled by bears, so that we didn't have to make the long journey
>we had to drive for about 15 hours, before the terrain became too difficult for the ATV's to handle
>we had to walk the rest of the way - which meant we had to camp out
>I was pretty uneasy when night came
>camping out is a norm for us, but we were further away from civilization than we had been before, and the previous incident still haunted my mind
>Pietr offered me a bottle to ease my worries, but i didn't want to be intoxicated in case we were attacked by some demonic deer
>the night went by without an incident, but i still didn't get a lot of sleep
>we continued on our trek toward the supposed poacher hot spot
>we arrived, looked around but found nothing
>there didn't seem to be any sign of human activity anywhere in the area
>"fucking rumors" Pietr mumbled to himself as he shook his head in frustration
>normally we should be happy to find nothing - but this time we were just exhausted and cranky
>we were then startled by a loud bellowing echoing through the forest
>"what the fuck was that?" Pietr pulled out his rifle and aimed in the direction of the noise
>though it went against our instincts, we had to go investigate it
>we reached a small ridge, that overlooked a clearing
>in the middle of the clearing a group of five stags were huddled together
>their heads were bowed down, as if they were grazing
>we noticed they all seemed to make sudden, violent jerking motions - like they were trying to gore the ground with their antlers
>Pietr fired a shot into the air, trying to make them scatter
>they didn't fucking move
>If you have any basic knowledge on wildlife you know that sudden loud noises makes just about any animal take off running
>we fired a couple more shots into the air, but they still didn't react
>in a small moment of madness, we decided to calmly approach them, to get a better look at what the fuck they were doing
>as we approached them, we were met with the nasty stench of rot and shit
>"Is that a fucking bear?"
>Pietr gestured to the ground in front of the stags
>to our collective bewilderment, there was a large, adult brown bear
>It was in a stage of decomposition, which meant it had been dead for at least four or five days
>the stags were panting and groaning as they continuesly gored the carcass over and over again
>they looked seriously malnourished, and exhausted
>The bear's body was completely ripped apart, except for the head - which they for some reason had left completely unscathed
>we stood frozen to the ground, as we watched this horrible scene unfold
>"how did they take down a bear? How the actual fuck is that possible?" i asked Pietr
>he shook his head in disbelief, as he raised his rifle and shot one of the stags (he later explained that he wanted a blood sample)
>as soon as the stag fell to the ground, the others stopped what they were doing, and just turned to look at us
>they were covered in rotting blood and chunks of meat
>they didn't charge or show any aggressive behavior
>They just stared at us, unflinching and unblinking
>Pietr had changed his mind about the blood sample at this point, and just slowly started backing away
>I followed suit, and raised my rifle - just in case
>when we reached the ridge, they resumed their mauling, once again not paying any attention to us
>we were fucking done at this point
>we didn't set up camp that night, and just kept hiking at a brisk pace until we reached our ATV's
>none of us spoke a word the entire ride home, except for the occasional "fuck..."
>That incident really fucked something up in Pietr
>it took him a couple of weeks before he went with me into the forest again
>he was completely convinced that the stags were being manipulated by a witch or something - which i'm not really sure of
>I don't really believe in witches and all that - i just believe that nature is a lot more fucked than we believe
>we have been away from real, raw nature for so long because we chose to live in cities - that we have likely forgotten how scary and unpredictable it can be
>still, there was something off about those stags
>still don't have an explanation
>one day we got a call from the local authorities
>apparently some old man that lived by himself in a remote cabin had not been seen in a while
>they wanted us to take them to the cabin, since they weren't used to terrain other than paved streets
>we drove them out to the cabin, and parked a few metres from the front door
>it was already pretty clear that something had happened
>The door was completely knocked off its hinges
>cabin was empty
>the officers asked us to assist them in their search - and we agreed
>the initial theory was that he had been taken away by a bear, which seemed pretty plausible considering the fucked door
>we spread out and followed whatever trails we could find
>it took about half an hour, before one of the officers called something in
>he sounded a little shaken, but gave us detailed directions to where he was
>he didn't tell us what he had found, but instead said "you'll wanna see this yourselves"
>when we reached him, it wasn't clear what he had found, since nothing looked out of place
>no broken branches, no trail, no nothing
>he just pointed up into a large tree in front of him
>slung over one of the higher branches, was a fresh deer carcass
>this was certainly odd, but we still didn't get what this had to do with the case
>then we noticed something even stranger
>further up the tree, there was a bear carcass
>something had killed a bear, and then placed it in the tree
>I knew that leopards and other big cats did this for later consumption
>but there are no leopards or tigers where this took place
>the officers looked uneasy, and took nervous glances over their shoulders
>we stayed as a group after that, and looked around for another couple of hours before we called it
>on our way back, we once again passed the tree
>the deer was gone, only leavng some bloody branches behind
>we picked up the pace and made our way out of there without looking back
>There was a winter where we had a pretty horrible incident
>as you would probably expect, the winters can be pretty rough, with a shit ton of snow and minus 40 degrees celsius
>if someone goes missing, they are immediately presumed dead, because it's impossible to maintain your core temperature for long durations, without being properly equipped
>and when someone's child goes missing, it's just the worst
>The police once again requested our assistance, because a mother had reported her 6 year old daughter missing
>the thought of spending hours in the biting cold was not welcoming, but we couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to a missing child
>the mother had let her children play outside, when one of them had simply started running towards the treeline
>they had been out there for some time, calling out her name, but they just couldn't find her
>that's when they called the police, who then called us
>by the time we arrived at the search area, she had been missing for about two hours
>we followed a trail that we suspected were hers
>it went on for way longer than what a child that age should be able to run
>then it just stopped
>there was no sidestepping, scuffling or any sign of... well... anything
>it was like she had just vanished on the spot
>we examined the tracks, to see if she had backtracked or something, but there was no clear sign of any double prints
>Pietr was visibly upset, and frustrated
>we asked the other kids why she had started running into the forest
>they had no clear answer, but claimed that she just started running without any warning
>the kids were shaking and crying, so we asked the mother to return to their home while we kept looking
>an officer followed them back to their house, so that they felt safer
>about fifteen minutes later, one of the other officers got a call on their walkie-talkie
>we could hear the distinct sound of the mother wailing in the background
>they had found the girl
>they had found her just sitting on the step to their back door
>she was dead, and almost frozen solid
>she had only worn a regular jacket and pants, considering that she was just supposed to play outside for a little while
>the mother had locked the doors before they left, because she didn't want their house to get robbed while they were away
>to this day i tear up when i think about it
>but i still have some unanswered questions as to what had happened
>the obvious solution is that she had returned home, and frozen to death when she couldn't get in
>but i still think there's more to it
>if she had run back, how did none of her siblings or her mother notice her?
>why didn't she respond to their calls?
>how did she run back without leaving any tracks?
>how was she almost frozen solid, even though she had only been missing for about four hours?
>none of the neighbours had seen anything unusual, so there was nothing to investigate
>the mother blamed herself, and became an alcoholic
>I still think about that incident every day
>for some reason it hit harder than the four boys who had been mauled
Here are a few shorter incidents that can't be made into very detailed stories
>I once saw a deer mother bite one of her fawns by the head, and start shaking it violently until its neck snapped
>she then dropped it to the ground, and nudged it a couple of times - as if it didn't quite understand what she had done
>didn't stay to observe, because I was a bit freaked out
>found a dead deer lying next to a tree
>markings on the tree, coupled up with markings on the deers head suggested that it had rammed its head into the tree's trunk until it died
>took a blood sample
>completely healthy
>stumbled upon a fresh kill in the winter
>a deer with half of it's face/neck missing
>a large hole in its abdomen, with guts hanging out
>as i poke the wound, in order to check the temperature, the fucking thing lets out a yelp, and rises to its feet
>in complete disbelief, as this bloody mess turns its head to look at me, and starts walking away calmly
>collapses after about ten metres, and doesn't get back up
This will be the last from me for now. I am pretty tired, and it's exhausting to relive all these horrible memories. I may post more tomorrow, but for now i will leave you with this
>I had been seeing a girl for a couple of weeks
>for some reason she found my job hot, and thought i was some sort of macho dude
>went along with it, because she was hot
>she also hooked Pietr up with one of her friends
>she lived in one of the fancier houses in town, with a nice view of the forest from their living room
>we decided to have a double date at her house, where we would watch a movie and eat dinner
>of course it didn't take long before Pietr went to the guest room with his girl
>i decided not to waste time either, and started sexy time as well
>at this point i admit i had neglected my duties a bit
>Pietr and i hadn't even been to the forest that month, and hadn't responded to any calls regarding sick animals or poachers
>we had gotten caught up in our own personal lives
>it honestly felt nice to get a break from the work - seeing as we weren't exactly ever off duty
>we fell asleep on the couch, in the living room
>at some point during the night i woke up
>It was a beautiful, starry night
>walked up to the glass door, leading to the terrace, in order to get a better view of the sky
>after a few minutes, i spot something in the distance
>the faint glow of eyeshine, from something staring intensely at me
>i froze in place, and observed this unknown creature, as it slowly started walking towards me
>when it got within the light emanating from the house, it revealed itself to be a medium sized red stag
>it just kept walking towards me, never blinking or taking it's eyes off me
>it walked directly into the glass, which seemed to puzzle it
>it started nudging the glass, which turned into violent pushing
>at this point i started backing away, still in complete disbelief at what was transpiring in front of me
>girlfriend wakes up, due to the loud banging on the glass
>"wtf is going on, anon?" she asks, still half asleep
>before i can answer her, the stag starts letting out these guttural screams, as it intensifies its ramming
>it breaks through the glass
>girlfriend screams, and Pietr comes running down the stairs, to see what's going on
>the stag just calmly walks up to me, like it hasn't just broken through a glass door
>keeps letting out those horrible noises as it just approaches me
>i tried backing up, but stepped in some glass and fell over on my ass
>the stag just observed me with unflinching eyes, as it kept bellowing
>girlfriend was still screaming
>i'm suddenly deafened by the sound of Pietr unloading his small sidearm
>hit the stag multiple times, but mainly missed - leading to a lot of property damage
>the stag falls to the floor with a wet thud
>to this day i am still grateful to Pietr for bringing his gun
>girlfriend broke up the next day
>she said that I was either cursed or unlucky - either way she didn't want anything to do with me
>i still always sleep with my blinds on. I never want to see another window into the night - especially when i know what might be on the other side of that glass
>i may have ignored the forest, but it certainly didn't ignore me
I have returned
I will share a couple more stories with you
>I once found myself lost with Pietr in a snow storm
>we were basically as fucked as we could ever be - with no shelter or any way to start a fire
>snow was falling so densely that we couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us
>wind was so cold that my lips started bleeding
>we drove around for what felt like an eternity, until we came upon an old, decrepit hunting cabin
>we had difficulty dismounting our ATV's, because our clothes were frozen solid
>I still remember how Pietr was shaking, and clacking his teeth
>the cabin was completely empty, but had a simple fireplace and some semi-dry wood
>as we sat there, slowly warming up by the fire, we had a moment of absolute dread, when we realized that we might actually fucking die
>we had no idea how long the storm would last, and there wasn't a whole lot of wood for us to burn
>Pietr then rose to his feet and muttered "fuck it. Wait here anon"
>he went outside, and returned a few minutes later with an axe
>for a brief second i legitimately wondered if he was gonna put me out of my misery
>to my relief he started beating the everloving shit out of the floor boards
>"use this as firewood. it should keep the fire going for a while longer"
>bless you, Pietr - and your demented brain
>in the end we probably burned about half of the cabin's floor, which revealed more and more of the cold dirt underneath
>and of fucking course there happened to be the remains of a couple of people down there
>we were waiting out the storm, stuck in a fucking murder cabin
>The remains looked very old, fortunately - just dusty skeletal remains
>seriously debated whether we should leave or stay
>decided to stay, because we'd have a better chance of survival against a psycho russian killer than the storm
>at one point i swear we heard someone approaching the cabin, only to run away into the wilderness
>makes no sense, because only a mentally deranged mongoloid would have the balls to wander around out there
>then again, we were in a cabin with corpses under the floorboards
>we sat with our rifles ready, just in case
>after a long while, the storm started winding down
>we emerged from the cabin, dug our ATV's out of the snow and made our way back to town
>navigating was a lot easier, now that we could see where we were going
>immediately went to the police station
>they were surprised to see us, since they had already reported us missing/dead
>we told them about the cabin, and agreed to show them the way the next day
>i slept for about fourteen hours, after soaking in a tub of hot water - best sleep i've ever had
>we met up with the officers, and led them through the forest to the cabin
>it was fucking gone
>There was no trace to be found of it whatsoever
>the trails left behind from our ATV's were still very clear, and even the spot where we dug them out
>but the cabin was just not there
>there was a clear area, where it had been - but there was nothing but a fresh layer of snow
>the officers looked irritated, and said that we were wasting their time
>they said that we must have been hallucinating, or that we drank too much of Pietr's homebrew
>It still makes no sense to me
>never found an explanation
>Pietr and I had been on one of our excursions in early autumn, when we came across a panicked hunter
>he begged us to help his friend, who had been attacked by a bear further up the trail
>he drove with us up to where the incident had occurred, but it was already too late
>his friend was fucked up beyond belief - face ripped off, gutted and limbs bending in unnatural positions
>almost threw up at the sight
>we decided that this bear was too dangerous to be left alive - since it was roaming fairly close to town
>we started looking for tracks, to get an idea of where is was headed
>the hunter was just sitting up against a tree - too shocked to react to what was going on
>he kept describing the creature as a bear, when we asked him
>the thing is - we only found deer tracks at the scene
>against our better judgment, we started tracking the fucker
>i swear there was a constant stream of cold sweat running down my back, while we hunted this nasty motherfucker
>would honestly rather have been tracking a bear at this point
>we reached a clearing at some point, where we found a piece of the guy's face hanging from a thorny bush
>we were shitting enough bricks to build a new Berlin wall at this point - but we trekked on
>we finally caught sight of the fucker
>it wandered aimlessly around in circles, almost like it's internal compass was fucking up
>this time, i was the one who shot it
>couldn't let Pietr have all the fun
>hit it in the head
>instant death
>chunks of flesh were still hanging from its antlers
>we had to collect the individual pieces, and put them in a plastic bag, so that we could deliver it to the morgue with the rest of the body
>we gagged, as we did it - it was so fucking horrible
>ended driving the shocked hunter back with us, so that he could deliver his testimony
>"Why did you tell us it was a bear?" Pietr asked him
>"you would never have believed me" he answered
>if only you knew
>Pietr and i were hanging out in his apartment one night, sharing stories and drinking
>sat out on his small balcony, and smoked when we got a call from the police station
>there had been strange sightings of a large animal (presumably a bear) roaming the area
>some locals were pretty spooked, and had reported it to the police
>of course it fell under our jurisdiction
>we decided that we would check it out in the morning
>we didn't feel like chasing some large unidentified creature, while we were half-drunk and the sun had gone down
>sit for a few more minutes, just chatting when a deafening screech echoed out from beyond the treeline
>We were silent for a couple of minutes
>"fuck me, that was loud" Pietr said
>no shit, jackass
>we decide to check it out
>operation half-drunk russians packing heat commenced
>we wandered around aimlessly, randomly pointing our flashlights and rifles around in the dark
>"you've got to be FUCKING kidding me" Pietr shouted out
>he had found large cloven footprints
>"don't tell me this is another fucking deer i swear to god"
>he sounded both angry and scared shitless
>*rustling behind us*
>we both instantly turn, and aim at the sound
>two glowing eyes reflect our flashlights
>it lets out a loud fucking squeel, and charges at us
>we both light it the fuck up, while we shit our pants
>it's a boar
>a fucking boar
>but it was so fucking big, that we initially thought it was a bear
>pic related is eerily similar to the bastard we shot
>"at least it wasn't a fucking deer" i said
>Pietr let out a nervous laugh, and shook his head in awe of the fucking beast lying before us
>honestly didn't know what to do with it
>we hadn't brought our ATV's, and the thing was way too heavy to carry
>decided to just leave it, for the wolves to scavenge
>police actually believed us this time
>"some of the hogs out there can grow to enormous sizes - you're lucky it didn't get you"
>another thing to worry about - fucking great
>most people don't know this, but there are loads of unmapped/unexplored cave systems all around Russia
>this is also the case for where i lived
>it wasn't uncommon for Pietr and I to stumble upon a cave or two, while we were on our excursions
>lots of local legends surround the caves, like an underground city of subterranean people, covens of witches, prehistoric animals and so on
>whatever the case, I've always found cave systems fascinating
>it's like entering a new world, where the same rules don't apply
>so when the police mounted a rescue team, to help a teenager who had gotten trapped in one of our caves - i didn't hesitate to volunteer
>at this point, Pietr and I were respected and well liked with the police - they trusted us, and included us in some of their work
>Pietr didn't come along this time, because he was too hung over
>As the case stood - two teenage boys had tried to explore a local cave system that had some very steep drop-offs
>one of the boys had lost his footing, and tumbled down into the darkness
>he was still alive, but had broken his ankle, and couldn't get out
>rather than getting stuck himself, his friend had chosen to send for help
>We made our way through the cave, making sure to watch our steps
>the cave floor was damp, and covered with algae - so it wasn't a surprise that the boy had slipped
>when we came to the dropoff, we shone our lights down at him
>he waved, and smiled - knowing he was saved
>i started descending the steep rock wall, with a rope tied at my waist
>when i reached the bottom, i secured the boy to the rope, and gave the officers the signal to start pulling him up
>"he went that way" the boy said to me, and pointed to a narrow passageway at the back of the cave
>"excuse me?" i asked, wondering if he had hit his head on his way down
>"my friend. he came back for me, and told me he had found an exit that way"
>I was confused, but told him: "Your friend is up there, with the others"
>his face went completely pale on the spot
>"but he was down here with me! he went that way"
>an uneasy feeling hit me, which i tried to ignore
>now i was stuck at the bottom of this small chasm, until they threw down the rope again
>and this kid claims that someone was down here with him - even though his friend had gone straight to the police
>I felt very exposed, and kept focusing on the narrow passage at the back of the cave
>I point my flashlight to the ground, and find fucking footprints leading into the passage
>fucking bare feet
>fuckfuckfuckfuck
>just as i am unloading a metric fuckton of bricks, they throw the end of the rope down, and hit me right on my shoulder
>I let out a shriek of terror, that those bastards never let me live down
>as they pulled me up, I refused to look back down
>got the fuck out of there as fast as possible
>fuck whatever was down there
>one of our biggest problems with poachers, was that they would sometimes leave behind these heavy duty, rusty bear traps
>pic related for reference
>sometimes they never came back for them, which meant that some parts of the forest could potentially be a minefield of broken ankles
>sometimes we would find rotting carcasses, that had become trapped in one and left to die
>I once almost stepped in one, but Pietr noticed the chain in time to stop me
>thanks again, buddy
>one time we came across one of these traps, which had been sprung
>left in the trap was a boot, with the foot still attached
>the rest of the body was gone
>large pool of blood left behind, along with bloody pieces of fabric
>from what we could see, it looked like someone had gotten stuck, and then had his foot amputated
>we followed the blood trail, but found no body
>he must have been with a friend, who drove him out of there
>the ironic part is, that bear traps are fairly easy to break out of, if you know which pin to pull
>poor guy lost his foot, because of some dumbass poacher
>took the foot with us, and asked around in the police station
>they hadn't had any reports of people getting fucked by bear traps
>this guy didn't even go to a hospital
>This meant he had either been a poacher himself, or just one tough son of a bitch
>never found him, or heard about him since then
>still... finding a severed foot is never nice - especially when you know the type of shit that's out there
>Pietr once showed me an abandoned settlement he had found back in the day
>Though we were roughly the same age, i was more of a city boy, than him
>he had always lived out in the less populated areas, and spent a lot of his childhood and teenage years on exploring the forest
>he rarely talked about his childhood, mainly because of his alcoholic father who beat him and his mother
>but he trusted me, and sometimes opened up, after a bottle or two
>to him, exploring the wilderness was a way to escape from his dysfunctional home, which is why he had a pretty good internal map of the place
>we drove for a couple of hours, until we arrived at the settlement
>it looked rotten, and old as hell
>most of the buildings were made of wood, that was ready to collapse at any second
>some were made of your typical soviet concrete, and looked about as stable as our economy
>still, we chose to explore for a bit - just in case
>after all, this place would have made an amazing base for poachers
>the houses were empty, except for some damp furniture and a couple of stoves
>the concrete structures, on the other hand, still had some interesting stuff lying around
>we found some wet boxes of old dynamite, which led us to believe that it was an old mining town
>sure enough, there was a large quarry a few kilometres away, which we found later
>a lot of the stuff we found were too rusted to make out what it had once been - everything else was just in a state of decay, that made it seem pretty unsafe for us to fool around with it too much
>it's not uncommon to find old abandoned mining towns, that were never put on a map - so we didn't really take a second to wonder why it had been abandoned
>that is, until we spotted the fucking deer
>Pietr anxiously nudged my shoulder, and gestured to the right of us
>there was a large stag watching us from behind one of the houses
>the more we looked around, the more deer we noticed
>there were maybe ten or twelve of them, just observing us
>they didn't seem threatened by us, but rather like they were making sure we were on our way out of there
>we slowly approached our ATV's as these fuckers just followed us silently, never blinking or making a sound
>when we got to our ATV's, we debated whether or not we should light them up - but we decided against it, because we didn't want a herd of bloodthirsty demon deer charging us
>we just started driving away, counting ourselves as lucky, seeing as they hadn't decided to fuck us up
>i remember looking back, once we were 100 metres or so away, and seeing well over twenty deer standing there, motionless
>"FUCK THAT!" Pietr shouted, as we raced out of the area, and back to town
>we never went back, but often talked about it
>he firmly believed that the deer had something to do with the settlement being abandoned
>i'm not so sure, but i definitely don't think it's out of the question
>fuck deer and their mysterious fucking ways
>At this point, the police knew of our various encounters
>they didn't really believe us, but still respected us enough to not mock us
>after all, we had retrieved quite a few bodies for them, that had been fucked to high hell by deer
>that all changed when one of the officers - one of my friends - had gone missing
>he had responded to a call, about some kids that had claimed to have been stalked by a strange old man while they played in the forest
>for some reason, he had gone out there alone to investigate
>that was 16 hours ago - and nobody had heard from him since
>Pietr and I helped with the search, since we both knew him quite well
>hours of searching yielded nothing
>then, someone found his handgun lying on the ground
>it had been fired twice, but we couldn't find the bullet casings
>one of the officers had brought a search dog
>it took a few whiffs of the gun, and started darting off into the woods, obviously tracing something
>we followed as best as we could, but the damn thing was fast as fuck
>suddenly the woods were filled with the sound of aggressive barking, and whining
>we arrived at the spot where the dog had gone, and found - big surprise - a fucking deer
>from one of its antlers hanged the lifeless body of the officer
>It had impaled him through his throat and out the mouth
>it was so fucking grotesque, that i still get a lump in my throat when i think about it
>he was my friend, and that fucking deer had killed him
>it stood completely still, it's head weighed down by the officer
>the dog whimpered and snarled at it, but didn't move an inch closer to it
>one of the police officers shot at it, which caused us all to just light it the fuck up
>retrieving his body still stands clear in my mind as one of the hardest things i'd ever done
>after that incident, the officers always took our claims seriously
>they even offered backup, when we went on our excursions
>I still wonder about that old man, though
>did the kids just imagine him?
>Pietr still insisted that something supernatural was manipulating the deer - making them aggressive and batshit insane
>I still leaned more towards the theory that deer are just - by their very nature - batshit insane
>at one point we were checking out a potential poaching camp
>when we arrived, we were greeted by two older men, who immediately started questioning us
>we explained the situation to them, and asked them to step aside, so we could inspect their camp
>it was a pretty standard camp, with some fresh kills and pelts
>but the men seemed very nervous anyway - like they were hiding something
>we started questioning them, until they cracked
>they admitted that they had shot and killed about seven or eight deer the previous night
>but they hadn't retrieved a single of their carcasses, and had simply fled the area
>"what kind of hunter kills animals, just to let them rot, huh? Why the fuck did you do it?" Pietr asked them, with a sense of urgency in his voice
>they explained that they had been sitting in a deer blind, waiting to take a decent shot at some unlucky deer
>They then spotted one, that walked straight at them
>when they aimed at it, they saw its eyes through their scopes
>it was looking directly at them, but still just walked calmly towards them
>that's when they heard a twig snap, and realized their blind was being surrounded
>all of them had the same lifeless look in their eyes
>none of them made a noise, or any sudden movements
>when they had completely surrounded the blind, they started pulling some aggressive expressions, and began bellowing at the hunters
>their blind was raised about three metres off the ground, and supported by four wooden pillars
>the deer started ramming the supports, while they kept bellowing
>the hunters were scared shitless, and just started shooting the deer one by one
>they ran back to their camp after that, and hadn't been out hunting since
>they showed us the way to their blind, and sure enough - there were several deer carcasses lying at the base of it
>there were visible markings on the supports, that backed up their claim
>they then asked us if they were gonna get in trouble for what they had done
>we told them no - as long as they didn't do anything with the carcasses, we wouldn't press charges
>normally we would have made them pay a 'fee', but seeing as they had been through an encounter with the psycho deer, we sympathized with them
>in fact, we thanked them for taking care of them for us - since they were a threat to the locals
>we told them that if they ever encountered aggressive deer, they should put them down immediately
>they looked a bit puzzled, as we drove away
>never saw them again
>Pietr and I were once out on one of our excursions, when we ended up getting hunted by a pack of wolves
>normally, wolves tend to stay away from humans and avoid us at all costs
>but this time they were literally chasing us, on our ATV's
>i didn't really get a good look at their numbers, but i estimate that there were about 8 or 10 of them
>they chased us for about a kilometre or so, when i accidentally ran directly into a tree, and got hurled through the air
>i blacked out from the impact, but when i awoke, Pietr was sitting beside me, having a smoke
>it took me a moment or two, before i remembered what had happened
>but when i looked around, there were no wolves to be seen
>"Where did they go? Did you scare them off?" i asked Pietr
>he shook his head
>"I tried to scare them off, but they weren't even interested in you or me"
>he pointed towards my ATV
>it was damn near ripped apart
>"they attacked it, and kept clawing, biting and ripping until they started bleeding out of their mouthes"
>several teeth were embedded in various places of the ATV
>it didn't turn on
>they had completely fucked the engine
>Pietr's ATV was completely unharmed
>what the fuck man
>had to leave the ATV behind and bum a ride off Pietr
>at this point, i was pretty sure nature just hated me
>it became a sort of joke between Pietr and me, that i had chosen the one job that required me to stay in nature for long durations at a time - only for nature to completely reject me
This is going to be the last of my posts
It's gonna be a long one, but it will describe the incident that eventually led me to move to Europe.
I thank all of you in advance for reading my ramblings. And i especially thank those of you who believe me
>It all started when Pietr got a terrible idea
>he suggested that we found a central point in the forest - perhaps near a lake, or anywhere deer were known to frequent
>then we would set up a blind, in one of the biggest trees there, and camp out for a week or so - shooting any deer that seemed off
>at first i called him a dumbass, seeing as our job was to preserve the wildlife rather than mow it down
>to be honest, i was also terrified at the thought of spending an entire week in the middle of nowhere
>he called me a pussy, and gave me an ultimatum: "Either you go with me, or i go out alone"
>I wasn't about to let my best friend go out there all by himself for a week
>he probably knew that, and used it as bait
>we drove to the local hardware store, and picked up the necessary equipment for our little project (screws, wooden planks, rope etc. etc.)
>then we went shopping for other supplies, such as canned food and water
>we loaded our ATV's with all our gear, and set off into the wilderness
>i wondered why Pietr suddenly wanted us to do something so rash and stupid - but figured he had just had enough
>I didn't blame him
>the weird thing was, though, we had actually not experienced anything unnatural for almost half a year up until that point
>part me wondered if he actually wanted to seek it out, for some reason
>he never told me why he decided to lead this retarded crusade against the deer - but i still went with him so that i could watch his back
>we eventually found a pretty large lake, surrounded by big, beautiful trees
>it was early August, so we weren't in any danger of freezing to death, while we slept
>by the time we were finished, the sun was setting
>we had seen no sign of wildlife while we built our blind, but fingured it was due to the amount of noise we made
>our plan had one huge flaw, that we had failed to realize
>fucking mosquitoes
>we had no cover, and were placed right next to the goddamn mosquito capital of fucking Russia
>we caught no sight of anything strange the first night, except for each other's swollen faces
>at dawn the next day, we awoke to the sound of something splashing around in the water
>we peeked over the edge of our blind, and saw a doe, along with two fawns
>we observed them for about fifteen minutes, before we determined that they were pretty normal
>Similar incidents happened every once in a while the first couple of days - nothing out of the ordinary
>i felt relieved, and wondered if they had migrated to some new place - planning on terrorizing some new rangers
>but for some reason, Pietr seemed exremely tense, and would curse under his breath
>"hey, Pietr... wtf is going on, man?"
>he looked at me with a hollow expression, and sat up beside me
>he explained that he had been having nightmares about the deer
>he felt that if he killed some of them, he could prove to himself that he had nothing to fear
>the poor guy hadn't had a decent night's sleep in well over a month at that point
>he almost started crying, while he told me these things - which really showed me how close this guy was to the edge
>I had to help him, so i stayed with him and kept a lookout while he took a nap
>I hadn't told him anything, but i had actually been looking into how much it would cost to move away from Russia
>I hadn't said anything, because i wasn't really planning anything - besides, i didn't feel like i could just leave him behind
>out of the treeline stepped a lone stag
>I waited a bit, to see if it would behave strangely before i woke Pietr up
>it bowed its head, and motioned as if it had started drinking from the lake - even though it wasn't anywhere near the lake's shore
>that was more than enough proof for me, and i slowly shook Pietr until he woke up
>he instantly crawled over to the edge, and looked at the deer - grinning with some sort of sadistic satisfaction
>he aimed at it with his rifle, and fired
>a direct hit, straight to chest
>He let out a sigh of relief and started laughing
>we heard the sound of several animals walking around within the treeline - but never saw one of them
>it almost seemed like that lone stag had been bait, to see how we would react
>this only fueled Pietr's paranoia
>he was practically trembling with fear every time we heard something wander around in the treeline
>sometimes a deer would appear on the far side of the lake - but no matter how many times Pietr and I shot at it, we never hit it
>at night, our main source of light was a lantern, that ran on petroleum
>part of me always suspected that it was a horrible idea, to use that in a blind made of dry wood
>the fifth night into our crusade, shit hit the fan
>we kept spotting the eyeshine of several animals, but every time we looked through our scopes there was nothing
>it felt like they were toying with us
>Pietr started firing shots into the air, trying to deter the creepy fuckers from whatever they were doing
>but of course it didn't work
>i picked up the lantern, and raised it higher, in order to illuminate the ground better
>when i stand up, i get lightheaded, and fall over
>i drop the lantern, which in turn starts a goddamn inferno
>we abandon everything, and just descent down our rope
>my rifle was up there, along with most of my favorite gear
>as we stood there, in the night, the blazing blind illuminated a lot more than the lantern had
>i still shudder at the thought
>the largest flock of deer i had ever seen, were standing in the treeline - all of their eyes were lit up from the flames, giving them a hellish appearance
>Pietr is practically hyperventilating at this point, and makes a dash towards our ATV's
>we hit the ignition, and get the fuck out of there
>we never looked back, to see if they followed or anything the entire ride back
>we just kept driving, and letting out cries of adrenaline mixed with actual terror
>when we got back, Pietr just went home without saying a word
>i went to my apartment and completely shut myself off from the rest of the world
>locked my door, closed the blinds and turned off my shitty phone
>i stayed that way for a couple of days
>then i got the sudden urge to get a drink
>i had already consumed every bottle of alcohol in my apartment, so i went to a bar that was located on my street
>when i entered, i was met with worried looks, from the people who knew me
>"how are you doing?" the bartender asked me with a sympathetic tone
>this surprised me, because none of them should have known about the shit Pietr and I went through that past week
>"could've been better. Why?" i asked
>"well, after Pietr's accident you just kind of dissapeared for a little while"
>Pietr's accident?
>what the fuck had happened while i was in my apartment?
>my expression made the situation pretty clear
>"oh shit man, i thought you knew!"
>then he filled me in
>Pietr had packed his bags, and rented some rundown car - with the intention of skipping town
>He had taken off in a heavily intoxicated state, and had hit a tree at 120 km/h
>the car was totalled, and Pietr had died on the spot
>After a few minutes of silence, i remember standing up, and just walking out of there
>i walked around aimlessly for hours, trying to make sense of what had happened
>eventually i found myself back at my apartment complex
>i noticed a piece of paper hanging out of my mailbox
>i began tearing up, when i read it
>"my dear friend, i have decided to leave this place. I can no longer bear the shadow that looms over us - and i hope you will come visit me some day. You helped me through some shitty times - but this time you can't help me.
If you decide to come over, you can find me at XXXXXX" (not exactly written like this, but you get the general idea)
>I cried for so long, that it seemed like an eternity
>still tear up, as i'm typing this
>After about a month or so, I decided to move out of Russia and get a fresh start
>i know i can never escape my past, or the nightmares that keep resurfacing - but i can put great distance between then and now
>i still miss that crazy bastard every day, and will never forget what an amazing friend he was
>I now live safely in the heart of a big city, far away from any forest
>I sometimes go on drives through some of the more scenic woods - but it still feels so... fake
>European forests don't have the same raw feeling as the Russian forests
>I sometimes miss my old home
>I just wish there wasn't an abundance of terrifying animals roaming the woods
>I haven't experienced anything unnatural since i moved, and i have finally learned to sleep properly at night
>I regularly speak to a psychiatrist about some of my experiences, and feel more in control of my fears now
well... that's my story. Believe it, if you will - either way it is very real to me.
And next time you get the chance - please raise a glass to Pietr.
Honor his memory, and the man he was
Hello /x/. After a lot of thinking, and a couple of drinks - I have finally decided to share some of my experiences. English is not my native language, so forgive me if my grammar isn't perfect.
>be me
>late 1990's
>work in a very rural area of Russia, as a sort of ranger/wildlife preservasionist
>in Russia we don't have the same regulations and strict protocol as some of you might
>we more or less just drive around on ATV's and berate poachers, while we ensure the safety of the deer population and shit like that
>I worked in a rural area, surrounded by forest and harsh wilderness
>only had one colleague - who we'll call Pietr (it's short and easy to remember)
>Pietr was your typical backwash crazy russian dude, who brewed his own vodka and smoked like a chimney
>He was my best friend for several years, and always had my back no matter what we faced out there in the woods
>The job had shit pay, but it came with loads of perks that made it worth it
>we had no boss, and could basically just go camping, get wasted and call it 'an excursion'
>i will admit that we once or twice hustled some innocent hunters from their money, by claiming that they were poaching
>we were corrupt as fuck, but still managed to make some decent arrests and put some real poachers behind bars
>but sometimes we got calls that required us to do some actual hard work
>if people spotted sick animals, it fell upon us to go out there and make sure it didn't spread
>if an animal showed aggressive behavior that might endanger the locals - we had to ensure that the animal got put down
>we had friends at the local vet who would run blood samples if we suspected rabies or something else
>one day Pietr and I got a call from some pretty spooked locals
>they told us that some boys had gone hunting a couple days ago, but none of them had returned
>they all believed that they had been killed by bears or wolves
>great... now we have to venture into the wilderness for some potentially aggressive carnivores
>they point us in a general direction, and we take off on our ATV's
>we drive around the area for about three hours, when we find an abandoned campsite
>it was evident that the camp had been trashed by something - probably a bear
>by the looks of it, the boys had left camp in a hurry - not even bringing their rifles
>from then on we went on foot, with our guns drawn - just in case
>we found the first corpse a few metres away from their camp
>he was lying on his stomach, with several deep wounds to his back
>what struck us as weird, was that it was deep puncture wounds - which we had never before seen in a bear or wolf attack
>there was a clear path, which indicated where the other boys had fled
>we found two boys in the same small area - both of them lying dead with similar wounds
>one of them had practically been gutted
>Pietr was visibly shaken by this scene, and just kept shaking his head in disbelief
>according to the locals, there was supposed to be four boys out here - so we were still missing one
>we both tactically shat our pants, when we heard something rustling through the brush towards us
>we aimed at the commotion and waited for it to reveal itself before we shot
>I almost dropped my rifle when it emerged from the dense bushes
>it was a red stag, with the mangled remains of the fourth boy stuck in its antlers
>it had trouble holding its balance under the weight of the boy, but still bellowed aggressively, as if it was about to charge us
>Pietr was the first to snap out of the shock, and started lighting the fucking thing up
>upon further inspection we noticed that its antlers were worn down and broken
>it had put an excessive amount of force behind each of its charges - breaking its antlers on the poor boys
>the reason the fourth boy was stuck in the antlers, was because the damn thing had practically torn through his rib cage
>we couldn't seperate the boy from the antlers, so we had to bring the head with us
>it was one of the most fucked up rides home, with the cargo of several corpses tied to the back of our ATV's
>the local authorities were pretty angry at us, seeing as we had moved bodies from a potential crime scene - but let us off easy, seeing as the killer was literally embedded into one of the victims
>seeing the heartbroken parents of these boys still haunts me
>that night i hung out with Pietr - mostly because i was still pretty spooked
>"that shit wasn't natural" he said at one point
>"Deer can be aggressive and defend against predators, yes. but this fucker hunted down those boys and killed them all. they don't do that shit"
That was the first time i caught a glimpse of the spooky shit that goes on out there. in the following years i saw some deeply insane shit, that only Pietr and i know about. i will share the stories with you, and hopefully you will believe me and understand why i am scared shitless every time i see a deer
>about once or twice a month, we had to go on excursions into the wilderness to look for signs of poachers, sick animals and other stuff like that
>one time we decided to drive out to a fairly secluded area, because there were rumors of some potential poaching
>it was a very long drive, so we had always put it off, praying that the poachers would just get mauled by bears, so that we didn't have to make the long journey
>we had to drive for about 15 hours, before the terrain became too difficult for the ATV's to handle
>we had to walk the rest of the way - which meant we had to camp out
>I was pretty uneasy when night came
>camping out is a norm for us, but we were further away from civilization than we had been before, and the previous incident still haunted my mind
>Pietr offered me a bottle to ease my worries, but i didn't want to be intoxicated in case we were attacked by some demonic deer
>the night went by without an incident, but i still didn't get a lot of sleep
>we continued on our trek toward the supposed poacher hot spot
>we arrived, looked around but found nothing
>there didn't seem to be any sign of human activity anywhere in the area
>"fucking rumors" Pietr mumbled to himself as he shook his head in frustration
>normally we should be happy to find nothing - but this time we were just exhausted and cranky
>we were then startled by a loud bellowing echoing through the forest
>"what the fuck was that?" Pietr pulled out his rifle and aimed in the direction of the noise
>though it went against our instincts, we had to go investigate it
>we reached a small ridge, that overlooked a clearing
>in the middle of the clearing a group of five stags were huddled together
>their heads were bowed down, as if they were grazing
>we noticed they all seemed to make sudden, violent jerking motions - like they were trying to gore the ground with their antlers
>Pietr fired a shot into the air, trying to make them scatter
>they didn't fucking move
>If you have any basic knowledge on wildlife you know that sudden loud noises makes just about any animal take off running
>we fired a couple more shots into the air, but they still didn't react
>in a small moment of madness, we decided to calmly approach them, to get a better look at what the fuck they were doing
>as we approached them, we were met with the nasty stench of rot and shit
>"Is that a fucking bear?"
>Pietr gestured to the ground in front of the stags
>to our collective bewilderment, there was a large, adult brown bear
>It was in a stage of decomposition, which meant it had been dead for at least four or five days
>the stags were panting and groaning as they continuesly gored the carcass over and over again
>they looked seriously malnourished, and exhausted
>The bear's body was completely ripped apart, except for the head - which they for some reason had left completely unscathed
>we stood frozen to the ground, as we watched this horrible scene unfold
>"how did they take down a bear? How the actual fuck is that possible?" i asked Pietr
>he shook his head in disbelief, as he raised his rifle and shot one of the stags (he later explained that he wanted a blood sample)
>as soon as the stag fell to the ground, the others stopped what they were doing, and just turned to look at us
>they were covered in rotting blood and chunks of meat
>they didn't charge or show any aggressive behavior
>They just stared at us, unflinching and unblinking
>Pietr had changed his mind about the blood sample at this point, and just slowly started backing away
>I followed suit, and raised my rifle - just in case
>when we reached the ridge, they resumed their mauling, once again not paying any attention to us
>we were fucking done at this point
>we didn't set up camp that night, and just kept hiking at a brisk pace until we reached our ATV's
>none of us spoke a word the entire ride home, except for the occasional "fuck..."
>That incident really fucked something up in Pietr
>it took him a couple of weeks before he went with me into the forest again
>he was completely convinced that the stags were being manipulated by a witch or something - which i'm not really sure of
>I don't really believe in witches and all that - i just believe that nature is a lot more fucked than we believe
>we have been away from real, raw nature for so long because we chose to live in cities - that we have likely forgotten how scary and unpredictable it can be
>still, there was something off about those stags
>still don't have an explanation
>one day we got a call from the local authorities
>apparently some old man that lived by himself in a remote cabin had not been seen in a while
>they wanted us to take them to the cabin, since they weren't used to terrain other than paved streets
>we drove them out to the cabin, and parked a few metres from the front door
>it was already pretty clear that something had happened
>The door was completely knocked off its hinges
>cabin was empty
>the officers asked us to assist them in their search - and we agreed
>the initial theory was that he had been taken away by a bear, which seemed pretty plausible considering the fucked door
>we spread out and followed whatever trails we could find
>it took about half an hour, before one of the officers called something in
>he sounded a little shaken, but gave us detailed directions to where he was
>he didn't tell us what he had found, but instead said "you'll wanna see this yourselves"
>when we reached him, it wasn't clear what he had found, since nothing looked out of place
>no broken branches, no trail, no nothing
>he just pointed up into a large tree in front of him
>slung over one of the higher branches, was a fresh deer carcass
>this was certainly odd, but we still didn't get what this had to do with the case
>then we noticed something even stranger
>further up the tree, there was a bear carcass
>something had killed a bear, and then placed it in the tree
>I knew that leopards and other big cats did this for later consumption
>but there are no leopards or tigers where this took place
>the officers looked uneasy, and took nervous glances over their shoulders
>we stayed as a group after that, and looked around for another couple of hours before we called it
>on our way back, we once again passed the tree
>the deer was gone, only leavng some bloody branches behind
>we picked up the pace and made our way out of there without looking back
>There was a winter where we had a pretty horrible incident
>as you would probably expect, the winters can be pretty rough, with a shit ton of snow and minus 40 degrees celsius
>if someone goes missing, they are immediately presumed dead, because it's impossible to maintain your core temperature for long durations, without being properly equipped
>and when someone's child goes missing, it's just the worst
>The police once again requested our assistance, because a mother had reported her 6 year old daughter missing
>the thought of spending hours in the biting cold was not welcoming, but we couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to a missing child
>the mother had let her children play outside, when one of them had simply started running towards the treeline
>they had been out there for some time, calling out her name, but they just couldn't find her
>that's when they called the police, who then called us
>by the time we arrived at the search area, she had been missing for about two hours
>we followed a trail that we suspected were hers
>it went on for way longer than what a child that age should be able to run
>then it just stopped
>there was no sidestepping, scuffling or any sign of... well... anything
>it was like she had just vanished on the spot
>we examined the tracks, to see if she had backtracked or something, but there was no clear sign of any double prints
>Pietr was visibly upset, and frustrated
>we asked the other kids why she had started running into the forest
>they had no clear answer, but claimed that she just started running without any warning
>the kids were shaking and crying, so we asked the mother to return to their home while we kept looking
>an officer followed them back to their house, so that they felt safer
>about fifteen minutes later, one of the other officers got a call on their walkie-talkie
>we could hear the distinct sound of the mother wailing in the background
>they had found the girl
>they had found her just sitting on the step to their back door
>she was dead, and almost frozen solid
>she had only worn a regular jacket and pants, considering that she was just supposed to play outside for a little while
>the mother had locked the doors before they left, because she didn't want their house to get robbed while they were away
>to this day i tear up when i think about it
>but i still have some unanswered questions as to what had happened
>the obvious solution is that she had returned home, and frozen to death when she couldn't get in
>but i still think there's more to it
>if she had run back, how did none of her siblings or her mother notice her?
>why didn't she respond to their calls?
>how did she run back without leaving any tracks?
>how was she almost frozen solid, even though she had only been missing for about four hours?
>none of the neighbours had seen anything unusual, so there was nothing to investigate
>the mother blamed herself, and became an alcoholic
>I still think about that incident every day
>for some reason it hit harder than the four boys who had been mauled
Here are a few shorter incidents that can't be made into very detailed stories
>I once saw a deer mother bite one of her fawns by the head, and start shaking it violently until its neck snapped
>she then dropped it to the ground, and nudged it a couple of times - as if it didn't quite understand what she had done
>didn't stay to observe, because I was a bit freaked out
>found a dead deer lying next to a tree
>markings on the tree, coupled up with markings on the deers head suggested that it had rammed its head into the tree's trunk until it died
>took a blood sample
>completely healthy
>stumbled upon a fresh kill in the winter
>a deer with half of it's face/neck missing
>a large hole in its abdomen, with guts hanging out
>as i poke the wound, in order to check the temperature, the fucking thing lets out a yelp, and rises to its feet
>in complete disbelief, as this bloody mess turns its head to look at me, and starts walking away calmly
>collapses after about ten metres, and doesn't get back up
This will be the last from me for now. I am pretty tired, and it's exhausting to relive all these horrible memories. I may post more tomorrow, but for now i will leave you with this
>I had been seeing a girl for a couple of weeks
>for some reason she found my job hot, and thought i was some sort of macho dude
>went along with it, because she was hot
>she also hooked Pietr up with one of her friends
>she lived in one of the fancier houses in town, with a nice view of the forest from their living room
>we decided to have a double date at her house, where we would watch a movie and eat dinner
>of course it didn't take long before Pietr went to the guest room with his girl
>i decided not to waste time either, and started sexy time as well
>at this point i admit i had neglected my duties a bit
>Pietr and i hadn't even been to the forest that month, and hadn't responded to any calls regarding sick animals or poachers
>we had gotten caught up in our own personal lives
>it honestly felt nice to get a break from the work - seeing as we weren't exactly ever off duty
>we fell asleep on the couch, in the living room
>at some point during the night i woke up
>It was a beautiful, starry night
>walked up to the glass door, leading to the terrace, in order to get a better view of the sky
>after a few minutes, i spot something in the distance
>the faint glow of eyeshine, from something staring intensely at me
>i froze in place, and observed this unknown creature, as it slowly started walking towards me
>when it got within the light emanating from the house, it revealed itself to be a medium sized red stag
>it just kept walking towards me, never blinking or taking it's eyes off me
>it walked directly into the glass, which seemed to puzzle it
>it started nudging the glass, which turned into violent pushing
>at this point i started backing away, still in complete disbelief at what was transpiring in front of me
>girlfriend wakes up, due to the loud banging on the glass
>"wtf is going on, anon?" she asks, still half asleep
>before i can answer her, the stag starts letting out these guttural screams, as it intensifies its ramming
>it breaks through the glass
>girlfriend screams, and Pietr comes running down the stairs, to see what's going on
>the stag just calmly walks up to me, like it hasn't just broken through a glass door
>keeps letting out those horrible noises as it just approaches me
>i tried backing up, but stepped in some glass and fell over on my ass
>the stag just observed me with unflinching eyes, as it kept bellowing
>girlfriend was still screaming
>i'm suddenly deafened by the sound of Pietr unloading his small sidearm
>hit the stag multiple times, but mainly missed - leading to a lot of property damage
>the stag falls to the floor with a wet thud
>to this day i am still grateful to Pietr for bringing his gun
>girlfriend broke up the next day
>she said that I was either cursed or unlucky - either way she didn't want anything to do with me
>i still always sleep with my blinds on. I never want to see another window into the night - especially when i know what might be on the other side of that glass
>i may have ignored the forest, but it certainly didn't ignore me
I have returned
I will share a couple more stories with you
>I once found myself lost with Pietr in a snow storm
>we were basically as fucked as we could ever be - with no shelter or any way to start a fire
>snow was falling so densely that we couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us
>wind was so cold that my lips started bleeding
>we drove around for what felt like an eternity, until we came upon an old, decrepit hunting cabin
>we had difficulty dismounting our ATV's, because our clothes were frozen solid
>I still remember how Pietr was shaking, and clacking his teeth
>the cabin was completely empty, but had a simple fireplace and some semi-dry wood
>as we sat there, slowly warming up by the fire, we had a moment of absolute dread, when we realized that we might actually fucking die
>we had no idea how long the storm would last, and there wasn't a whole lot of wood for us to burn
>Pietr then rose to his feet and muttered "fuck it. Wait here anon"
>he went outside, and returned a few minutes later with an axe
>for a brief second i legitimately wondered if he was gonna put me out of my misery
>to my relief he started beating the everloving shit out of the floor boards
>"use this as firewood. it should keep the fire going for a while longer"
>bless you, Pietr - and your demented brain
>in the end we probably burned about half of the cabin's floor, which revealed more and more of the cold dirt underneath
>and of fucking course there happened to be the remains of a couple of people down there
>we were waiting out the storm, stuck in a fucking murder cabin
>The remains looked very old, fortunately - just dusty skeletal remains
>seriously debated whether we should leave or stay
>decided to stay, because we'd have a better chance of survival against a psycho russian killer than the storm
>at one point i swear we heard someone approaching the cabin, only to run away into the wilderness
>makes no sense, because only a mentally deranged mongoloid would have the balls to wander around out there
>then again, we were in a cabin with corpses under the floorboards
>we sat with our rifles ready, just in case
>after a long while, the storm started winding down
>we emerged from the cabin, dug our ATV's out of the snow and made our way back to town
>navigating was a lot easier, now that we could see where we were going
>immediately went to the police station
>they were surprised to see us, since they had already reported us missing/dead
>we told them about the cabin, and agreed to show them the way the next day
>i slept for about fourteen hours, after soaking in a tub of hot water - best sleep i've ever had
>we met up with the officers, and led them through the forest to the cabin
>it was fucking gone
>There was no trace to be found of it whatsoever
>the trails left behind from our ATV's were still very clear, and even the spot where we dug them out
>but the cabin was just not there
>there was a clear area, where it had been - but there was nothing but a fresh layer of snow
>the officers looked irritated, and said that we were wasting their time
>they said that we must have been hallucinating, or that we drank too much of Pietr's homebrew
>It still makes no sense to me
>never found an explanation
>Pietr and I had been on one of our excursions in early autumn, when we came across a panicked hunter
>he begged us to help his friend, who had been attacked by a bear further up the trail
>he drove with us up to where the incident had occurred, but it was already too late
>his friend was fucked up beyond belief - face ripped off, gutted and limbs bending in unnatural positions
>almost threw up at the sight
>we decided that this bear was too dangerous to be left alive - since it was roaming fairly close to town
>we started looking for tracks, to get an idea of where is was headed
>the hunter was just sitting up against a tree - too shocked to react to what was going on
>he kept describing the creature as a bear, when we asked him
>the thing is - we only found deer tracks at the scene
>against our better judgment, we started tracking the fucker
>i swear there was a constant stream of cold sweat running down my back, while we hunted this nasty motherfucker
>would honestly rather have been tracking a bear at this point
>we reached a clearing at some point, where we found a piece of the guy's face hanging from a thorny bush
>we were shitting enough bricks to build a new Berlin wall at this point - but we trekked on
>we finally caught sight of the fucker
>it wandered aimlessly around in circles, almost like it's internal compass was fucking up
>this time, i was the one who shot it
>couldn't let Pietr have all the fun
>hit it in the head
>instant death
>chunks of flesh were still hanging from its antlers
>we had to collect the individual pieces, and put them in a plastic bag, so that we could deliver it to the morgue with the rest of the body
>we gagged, as we did it - it was so fucking horrible
>ended driving the shocked hunter back with us, so that he could deliver his testimony
>"Why did you tell us it was a bear?" Pietr asked him
>"you would never have believed me" he answered
>if only you knew
>Pietr and i were hanging out in his apartment one night, sharing stories and drinking
>sat out on his small balcony, and smoked when we got a call from the police station
>there had been strange sightings of a large animal (presumably a bear) roaming the area
>some locals were pretty spooked, and had reported it to the police
>of course it fell under our jurisdiction
>we decided that we would check it out in the morning
>we didn't feel like chasing some large unidentified creature, while we were half-drunk and the sun had gone down
>sit for a few more minutes, just chatting when a deafening screech echoed out from beyond the treeline
>We were silent for a couple of minutes
>"fuck me, that was loud" Pietr said
>no shit, jackass
>we decide to check it out
>operation half-drunk russians packing heat commenced
>we wandered around aimlessly, randomly pointing our flashlights and rifles around in the dark
>"you've got to be FUCKING kidding me" Pietr shouted out
>he had found large cloven footprints
>"don't tell me this is another fucking deer i swear to god"
>he sounded both angry and scared shitless
>*rustling behind us*
>we both instantly turn, and aim at the sound
>two glowing eyes reflect our flashlights
>it lets out a loud fucking squeel, and charges at us
>we both light it the fuck up, while we shit our pants
>it's a boar
>a fucking boar
>but it was so fucking big, that we initially thought it was a bear
>pic related is eerily similar to the bastard we shot
>"at least it wasn't a fucking deer" i said
>Pietr let out a nervous laugh, and shook his head in awe of the fucking beast lying before us
>honestly didn't know what to do with it
>we hadn't brought our ATV's, and the thing was way too heavy to carry
>decided to just leave it, for the wolves to scavenge
>police actually believed us this time
>"some of the hogs out there can grow to enormous sizes - you're lucky it didn't get you"
>another thing to worry about - fucking great
>most people don't know this, but there are loads of unmapped/unexplored cave systems all around Russia
>this is also the case for where i lived
>it wasn't uncommon for Pietr and I to stumble upon a cave or two, while we were on our excursions
>lots of local legends surround the caves, like an underground city of subterranean people, covens of witches, prehistoric animals and so on
>whatever the case, I've always found cave systems fascinating
>it's like entering a new world, where the same rules don't apply
>so when the police mounted a rescue team, to help a teenager who had gotten trapped in one of our caves - i didn't hesitate to volunteer
>at this point, Pietr and I were respected and well liked with the police - they trusted us, and included us in some of their work
>Pietr didn't come along this time, because he was too hung over
>As the case stood - two teenage boys had tried to explore a local cave system that had some very steep drop-offs
>one of the boys had lost his footing, and tumbled down into the darkness
>he was still alive, but had broken his ankle, and couldn't get out
>rather than getting stuck himself, his friend had chosen to send for help
>We made our way through the cave, making sure to watch our steps
>the cave floor was damp, and covered with algae - so it wasn't a surprise that the boy had slipped
>when we came to the dropoff, we shone our lights down at him
>he waved, and smiled - knowing he was saved
>i started descending the steep rock wall, with a rope tied at my waist
>when i reached the bottom, i secured the boy to the rope, and gave the officers the signal to start pulling him up
>"he went that way" the boy said to me, and pointed to a narrow passageway at the back of the cave
>"excuse me?" i asked, wondering if he had hit his head on his way down
>"my friend. he came back for me, and told me he had found an exit that way"
>I was confused, but told him: "Your friend is up there, with the others"
>his face went completely pale on the spot
>"but he was down here with me! he went that way"
>an uneasy feeling hit me, which i tried to ignore
>now i was stuck at the bottom of this small chasm, until they threw down the rope again
>and this kid claims that someone was down here with him - even though his friend had gone straight to the police
>I felt very exposed, and kept focusing on the narrow passage at the back of the cave
>I point my flashlight to the ground, and find fucking footprints leading into the passage
>fucking bare feet
>fuckfuckfuckfuck
>just as i am unloading a metric fuckton of bricks, they throw the end of the rope down, and hit me right on my shoulder
>I let out a shriek of terror, that those bastards never let me live down
>as they pulled me up, I refused to look back down
>got the fuck out of there as fast as possible
>fuck whatever was down there
>one of our biggest problems with poachers, was that they would sometimes leave behind these heavy duty, rusty bear traps
>pic related for reference
>sometimes they never came back for them, which meant that some parts of the forest could potentially be a minefield of broken ankles
>sometimes we would find rotting carcasses, that had become trapped in one and left to die
>I once almost stepped in one, but Pietr noticed the chain in time to stop me
>thanks again, buddy
>one time we came across one of these traps, which had been sprung
>left in the trap was a boot, with the foot still attached
>the rest of the body was gone
>large pool of blood left behind, along with bloody pieces of fabric
>from what we could see, it looked like someone had gotten stuck, and then had his foot amputated
>we followed the blood trail, but found no body
>he must have been with a friend, who drove him out of there
>the ironic part is, that bear traps are fairly easy to break out of, if you know which pin to pull
>poor guy lost his foot, because of some dumbass poacher
>took the foot with us, and asked around in the police station
>they hadn't had any reports of people getting fucked by bear traps
>this guy didn't even go to a hospital
>This meant he had either been a poacher himself, or just one tough son of a bitch
>never found him, or heard about him since then
>still... finding a severed foot is never nice - especially when you know the type of shit that's out there
>Pietr once showed me an abandoned settlement he had found back in the day
>Though we were roughly the same age, i was more of a city boy, than him
>he had always lived out in the less populated areas, and spent a lot of his childhood and teenage years on exploring the forest
>he rarely talked about his childhood, mainly because of his alcoholic father who beat him and his mother
>but he trusted me, and sometimes opened up, after a bottle or two
>to him, exploring the wilderness was a way to escape from his dysfunctional home, which is why he had a pretty good internal map of the place
>we drove for a couple of hours, until we arrived at the settlement
>it looked rotten, and old as hell
>most of the buildings were made of wood, that was ready to collapse at any second
>some were made of your typical soviet concrete, and looked about as stable as our economy
>still, we chose to explore for a bit - just in case
>after all, this place would have made an amazing base for poachers
>the houses were empty, except for some damp furniture and a couple of stoves
>the concrete structures, on the other hand, still had some interesting stuff lying around
>we found some wet boxes of old dynamite, which led us to believe that it was an old mining town
>sure enough, there was a large quarry a few kilometres away, which we found later
>a lot of the stuff we found were too rusted to make out what it had once been - everything else was just in a state of decay, that made it seem pretty unsafe for us to fool around with it too much
>it's not uncommon to find old abandoned mining towns, that were never put on a map - so we didn't really take a second to wonder why it had been abandoned
>that is, until we spotted the fucking deer
>Pietr anxiously nudged my shoulder, and gestured to the right of us
>there was a large stag watching us from behind one of the houses
>the more we looked around, the more deer we noticed
>there were maybe ten or twelve of them, just observing us
>they didn't seem threatened by us, but rather like they were making sure we were on our way out of there
>we slowly approached our ATV's as these fuckers just followed us silently, never blinking or making a sound
>when we got to our ATV's, we debated whether or not we should light them up - but we decided against it, because we didn't want a herd of bloodthirsty demon deer charging us
>we just started driving away, counting ourselves as lucky, seeing as they hadn't decided to fuck us up
>i remember looking back, once we were 100 metres or so away, and seeing well over twenty deer standing there, motionless
>"FUCK THAT!" Pietr shouted, as we raced out of the area, and back to town
>we never went back, but often talked about it
>he firmly believed that the deer had something to do with the settlement being abandoned
>i'm not so sure, but i definitely don't think it's out of the question
>fuck deer and their mysterious fucking ways
>At this point, the police knew of our various encounters
>they didn't really believe us, but still respected us enough to not mock us
>after all, we had retrieved quite a few bodies for them, that had been fucked to high hell by deer
>that all changed when one of the officers - one of my friends - had gone missing
>he had responded to a call, about some kids that had claimed to have been stalked by a strange old man while they played in the forest
>for some reason, he had gone out there alone to investigate
>that was 16 hours ago - and nobody had heard from him since
>Pietr and I helped with the search, since we both knew him quite well
>hours of searching yielded nothing
>then, someone found his handgun lying on the ground
>it had been fired twice, but we couldn't find the bullet casings
>one of the officers had brought a search dog
>it took a few whiffs of the gun, and started darting off into the woods, obviously tracing something
>we followed as best as we could, but the damn thing was fast as fuck
>suddenly the woods were filled with the sound of aggressive barking, and whining
>we arrived at the spot where the dog had gone, and found - big surprise - a fucking deer
>from one of its antlers hanged the lifeless body of the officer
>It had impaled him through his throat and out the mouth
>it was so fucking grotesque, that i still get a lump in my throat when i think about it
>he was my friend, and that fucking deer had killed him
>it stood completely still, it's head weighed down by the officer
>the dog whimpered and snarled at it, but didn't move an inch closer to it
>one of the police officers shot at it, which caused us all to just light it the fuck up
>retrieving his body still stands clear in my mind as one of the hardest things i'd ever done
>after that incident, the officers always took our claims seriously
>they even offered backup, when we went on our excursions
>I still wonder about that old man, though
>did the kids just imagine him?
>Pietr still insisted that something supernatural was manipulating the deer - making them aggressive and batshit insane
>I still leaned more towards the theory that deer are just - by their very nature - batshit insane
>at one point we were checking out a potential poaching camp
>when we arrived, we were greeted by two older men, who immediately started questioning us
>we explained the situation to them, and asked them to step aside, so we could inspect their camp
>it was a pretty standard camp, with some fresh kills and pelts
>but the men seemed very nervous anyway - like they were hiding something
>we started questioning them, until they cracked
>they admitted that they had shot and killed about seven or eight deer the previous night
>but they hadn't retrieved a single of their carcasses, and had simply fled the area
>"what kind of hunter kills animals, just to let them rot, huh? Why the fuck did you do it?" Pietr asked them, with a sense of urgency in his voice
>they explained that they had been sitting in a deer blind, waiting to take a decent shot at some unlucky deer
>They then spotted one, that walked straight at them
>when they aimed at it, they saw its eyes through their scopes
>it was looking directly at them, but still just walked calmly towards them
>that's when they heard a twig snap, and realized their blind was being surrounded
>all of them had the same lifeless look in their eyes
>none of them made a noise, or any sudden movements
>when they had completely surrounded the blind, they started pulling some aggressive expressions, and began bellowing at the hunters
>their blind was raised about three metres off the ground, and supported by four wooden pillars
>the deer started ramming the supports, while they kept bellowing
>the hunters were scared shitless, and just started shooting the deer one by one
>they ran back to their camp after that, and hadn't been out hunting since
>they showed us the way to their blind, and sure enough - there were several deer carcasses lying at the base of it
>there were visible markings on the supports, that backed up their claim
>they then asked us if they were gonna get in trouble for what they had done
>we told them no - as long as they didn't do anything with the carcasses, we wouldn't press charges
>normally we would have made them pay a 'fee', but seeing as they had been through an encounter with the psycho deer, we sympathized with them
>in fact, we thanked them for taking care of them for us - since they were a threat to the locals
>we told them that if they ever encountered aggressive deer, they should put them down immediately
>they looked a bit puzzled, as we drove away
>never saw them again
>Pietr and I were once out on one of our excursions, when we ended up getting hunted by a pack of wolves
>normally, wolves tend to stay away from humans and avoid us at all costs
>but this time they were literally chasing us, on our ATV's
>i didn't really get a good look at their numbers, but i estimate that there were about 8 or 10 of them
>they chased us for about a kilometre or so, when i accidentally ran directly into a tree, and got hurled through the air
>i blacked out from the impact, but when i awoke, Pietr was sitting beside me, having a smoke
>it took me a moment or two, before i remembered what had happened
>but when i looked around, there were no wolves to be seen
>"Where did they go? Did you scare them off?" i asked Pietr
>he shook his head
>"I tried to scare them off, but they weren't even interested in you or me"
>he pointed towards my ATV
>it was damn near ripped apart
>"they attacked it, and kept clawing, biting and ripping until they started bleeding out of their mouthes"
>several teeth were embedded in various places of the ATV
>it didn't turn on
>they had completely fucked the engine
>Pietr's ATV was completely unharmed
>what the fuck man
>had to leave the ATV behind and bum a ride off Pietr
>at this point, i was pretty sure nature just hated me
>it became a sort of joke between Pietr and me, that i had chosen the one job that required me to stay in nature for long durations at a time - only for nature to completely reject me
This is going to be the last of my posts
It's gonna be a long one, but it will describe the incident that eventually led me to move to Europe.
I thank all of you in advance for reading my ramblings. And i especially thank those of you who believe me
>It all started when Pietr got a terrible idea
>he suggested that we found a central point in the forest - perhaps near a lake, or anywhere deer were known to frequent
>then we would set up a blind, in one of the biggest trees there, and camp out for a week or so - shooting any deer that seemed off
>at first i called him a dumbass, seeing as our job was to preserve the wildlife rather than mow it down
>to be honest, i was also terrified at the thought of spending an entire week in the middle of nowhere
>he called me a pussy, and gave me an ultimatum: "Either you go with me, or i go out alone"
>I wasn't about to let my best friend go out there all by himself for a week
>he probably knew that, and used it as bait
>we drove to the local hardware store, and picked up the necessary equipment for our little project (screws, wooden planks, rope etc. etc.)
>then we went shopping for other supplies, such as canned food and water
>we loaded our ATV's with all our gear, and set off into the wilderness
>i wondered why Pietr suddenly wanted us to do something so rash and stupid - but figured he had just had enough
>I didn't blame him
>the weird thing was, though, we had actually not experienced anything unnatural for almost half a year up until that point
>part me wondered if he actually wanted to seek it out, for some reason
>he never told me why he decided to lead this retarded crusade against the deer - but i still went with him so that i could watch his back
>we eventually found a pretty large lake, surrounded by big, beautiful trees
>it was early August, so we weren't in any danger of freezing to death, while we slept
>by the time we were finished, the sun was setting
>we had seen no sign of wildlife while we built our blind, but fingured it was due to the amount of noise we made
>our plan had one huge flaw, that we had failed to realize
>fucking mosquitoes
>we had no cover, and were placed right next to the goddamn mosquito capital of fucking Russia
>we caught no sight of anything strange the first night, except for each other's swollen faces
>at dawn the next day, we awoke to the sound of something splashing around in the water
>we peeked over the edge of our blind, and saw a doe, along with two fawns
>we observed them for about fifteen minutes, before we determined that they were pretty normal
>Similar incidents happened every once in a while the first couple of days - nothing out of the ordinary
>i felt relieved, and wondered if they had migrated to some new place - planning on terrorizing some new rangers
>but for some reason, Pietr seemed exremely tense, and would curse under his breath
>"hey, Pietr... wtf is going on, man?"
>he looked at me with a hollow expression, and sat up beside me
>he explained that he had been having nightmares about the deer
>he felt that if he killed some of them, he could prove to himself that he had nothing to fear
>the poor guy hadn't had a decent night's sleep in well over a month at that point
>he almost started crying, while he told me these things - which really showed me how close this guy was to the edge
>I had to help him, so i stayed with him and kept a lookout while he took a nap
>I hadn't told him anything, but i had actually been looking into how much it would cost to move away from Russia
>I hadn't said anything, because i wasn't really planning anything - besides, i didn't feel like i could just leave him behind
>out of the treeline stepped a lone stag
>I waited a bit, to see if it would behave strangely before i woke Pietr up
>it bowed its head, and motioned as if it had started drinking from the lake - even though it wasn't anywhere near the lake's shore
>that was more than enough proof for me, and i slowly shook Pietr until he woke up
>he instantly crawled over to the edge, and looked at the deer - grinning with some sort of sadistic satisfaction
>he aimed at it with his rifle, and fired
>a direct hit, straight to chest
>He let out a sigh of relief and started laughing
>we heard the sound of several animals walking around within the treeline - but never saw one of them
>it almost seemed like that lone stag had been bait, to see how we would react
>this only fueled Pietr's paranoia
>he was practically trembling with fear every time we heard something wander around in the treeline
>sometimes a deer would appear on the far side of the lake - but no matter how many times Pietr and I shot at it, we never hit it
>at night, our main source of light was a lantern, that ran on petroleum
>part of me always suspected that it was a horrible idea, to use that in a blind made of dry wood
>the fifth night into our crusade, shit hit the fan
>we kept spotting the eyeshine of several animals, but every time we looked through our scopes there was nothing
>it felt like they were toying with us
>Pietr started firing shots into the air, trying to deter the creepy fuckers from whatever they were doing
>but of course it didn't work
>i picked up the lantern, and raised it higher, in order to illuminate the ground better
>when i stand up, i get lightheaded, and fall over
>i drop the lantern, which in turn starts a goddamn inferno
>we abandon everything, and just descent down our rope
>my rifle was up there, along with most of my favorite gear
>as we stood there, in the night, the blazing blind illuminated a lot more than the lantern had
>i still shudder at the thought
>the largest flock of deer i had ever seen, were standing in the treeline - all of their eyes were lit up from the flames, giving them a hellish appearance
>Pietr is practically hyperventilating at this point, and makes a dash towards our ATV's
>we hit the ignition, and get the fuck out of there
>we never looked back, to see if they followed or anything the entire ride back
>we just kept driving, and letting out cries of adrenaline mixed with actual terror
>when we got back, Pietr just went home without saying a word
>i went to my apartment and completely shut myself off from the rest of the world
>locked my door, closed the blinds and turned off my shitty phone
>i stayed that way for a couple of days
>then i got the sudden urge to get a drink
>i had already consumed every bottle of alcohol in my apartment, so i went to a bar that was located on my street
>when i entered, i was met with worried looks, from the people who knew me
>"how are you doing?" the bartender asked me with a sympathetic tone
>this surprised me, because none of them should have known about the shit Pietr and I went through that past week
>"could've been better. Why?" i asked
>"well, after Pietr's accident you just kind of dissapeared for a little while"
>Pietr's accident?
>what the fuck had happened while i was in my apartment?
>my expression made the situation pretty clear
>"oh shit man, i thought you knew!"
>then he filled me in
>Pietr had packed his bags, and rented some rundown car - with the intention of skipping town
>He had taken off in a heavily intoxicated state, and had hit a tree at 120 km/h
>the car was totalled, and Pietr had died on the spot
>After a few minutes of silence, i remember standing up, and just walking out of there
>i walked around aimlessly for hours, trying to make sense of what had happened
>eventually i found myself back at my apartment complex
>i noticed a piece of paper hanging out of my mailbox
>i began tearing up, when i read it
>"my dear friend, i have decided to leave this place. I can no longer bear the shadow that looms over us - and i hope you will come visit me some day. You helped me through some shitty times - but this time you can't help me.
If you decide to come over, you can find me at XXXXXX" (not exactly written like this, but you get the general idea)
>I cried for so long, that it seemed like an eternity
>still tear up, as i'm typing this
>After about a month or so, I decided to move out of Russia and get a fresh start
>i know i can never escape my past, or the nightmares that keep resurfacing - but i can put great distance between then and now
>i still miss that crazy bastard every day, and will never forget what an amazing friend he was
>I now live safely in the heart of a big city, far away from any forest
>I sometimes go on drives through some of the more scenic woods - but it still feels so... fake
>European forests don't have the same raw feeling as the Russian forests
>I sometimes miss my old home
>I just wish there wasn't an abundance of terrifying animals roaming the woods
>I haven't experienced anything unnatural since i moved, and i have finally learned to sleep properly at night
>I regularly speak to a psychiatrist about some of my experiences, and feel more in control of my fears now
well... that's my story. Believe it, if you will - either way it is very real to me.
And next time you get the chance - please raise a glass to Pietr.
Honor his memory, and the man he was
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