It was supposed to be a relaxing camping trip, a calm one. It was the complete opposite. As I arrived at my campsite, I felt that something was off. It was a very secluded spot, but was usually filled with sounds of life. But on this evening, it seemed quieter than normal. No birds singing, no rustling leaves under the feet of mice and squirrels. It was almost completely, and utterly – silent. It was really creepy, but I wasn’t gonna turn back after just getting here. It was a 7 hour drive after all. So I set up my tent, and my portable camping stove, and I set up a little campfire. I put my folding chair right next to it, and dozed off. I must’ve been asleep for at least 2 hours, because when I woke up it was dark. I stood up and stretched, then went into the woods to take a piss. As I was doing my business, I heard a very strange noise from behind me. It was a sort of half growl, half laugh. I froze. I tried to calm myself. “It’s just a weird bird. Or a coyote”. Ah shit, who was I kidding. I was absolutely terrified. I quickly zipped up my pants and stumbled through the dark to my camp site. I put out my fire and unzipped my tent. It was a small 2-person tent, but it suited me just fine. It was really dark so I opened up my phone and turned on the flashlight.

I nearly had a heart attack.

Inside my tent, crouched down as if preparing to pounce, was a hairy little humanoid creature. It was shaped like a human, but covered in a coarse, matted , dirty fur. It smiled at me, it’s teeth yellow and sharp. I was too scared to scream and I stumbled out of the tent, sprinting back toward my truck. I got in and turned the key in the ignition. I backed out my parking spot and sped off down the road. I was scared out of my mind, but at least I was leaving that accursed place. I had only been driving for a couple of minutes when I heard something in the back seat of my truck… It was that same half-growl, half-laugh. I didn’t even turn around. I slammed on the brakes, opened the door, jumped out and ran. I ran and ran and ran until I was far, far away. I stopped to catch my breath. I turned around and, thankfully, there was nothing behind me. I caught a ride back to my house and the rest of the night passed without incident. State Troopers called me the next day and said they found my truck on the side of the road. They asked if it had been stolen, but I didn’t know what to tell them. I still think about that night today, and I have not been camping since.