What Was That Sound?
The path at Maria’s feet fades as it leads further into the darkness of the woods. She could feel panic building like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of her stomach but she had to find out the truth. She had to know what that sound was that she heard a mere two minutes before; a piercing scream echoing throughout these dark and empty woods.
Fear sits on Maria like a pillow over her mouth and nose. Her body wants to either run far away from the woods, or call 911, but instead, she stays where she is. Then suddenly, she sees something deep inside in a ditch. And a terrible feeling hits the pit of her stomach.
She Loved To Walk In The Woods
For Maria Brooks, she loved nothing more than spending her free time by going for a walk in her local woods. Armed with her earphones, favorite podcast, and a bottle of water, Maria often spent hours and hours exploring and getting down with nature.
But then one day, everything changed for Maria. And nothing was ever the same again.
Sunday Afternoon
One warm Sunday afternoon, Maria finished her Sunday lunch and decided to take her dog for a walk in the woods.
As she put the lead onto her dog's collar, she noticed something on the TV. It was on the news channel. And what Maria saw left a shiver up her spine.
A Missing Person
In a nearby town, a woman had been reported missing. She had been gone for three days and her family, understandably, were worried sick. As Maria watched the missing woman’s family give a statement on the TV, her heart sunk. She felt for the family. She couldn’t even imagine the horror they must be feeling.
She clicked the lead onto her dog and left for her walk. Not knowing her world was about to be turned upside down.
Leaving The House
She clicked the lead onto her dog who jumped around excited for his walk. “Good boy,” she said as he sat waiting for the front door to be opened.
Maria left her house and made her way to the woods. But little did Maria know, her whole world was about to get turned upside down.
Walking Through The Woods
Maria makes her way through the woods. Her dog bouncing around like a hyperactive child in a sweet shop. Maria breathed in the nature. There was something about these woods that just made Maria feel peaceful.
But little did Maria know, this peaceful feeling would soon disappear and be replaced with fear, confusion, and horror.
At One With Nature
As Maria stepped over twigs, breathing in all that nature has to offer, she let out a sigh of relief. This was just what she needed. A quick break from the harsh realities of life.
But then suddenly, a terrible smell lingered in the air. It was a smell that left a sickening feeling in Maria’s stomach.
A Terrible Smell
Maria started to retch as the smell crept up her nostrils. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried to hold back her disgust.
Her eyes scanned all around the woods, trying to see where this smell was coming from. Unfortunately for her, the smell was getting even more repulsive. Sometimes people left their trash bags in the woods, but Maria knew this was something far more than just trash.
She Had To Get Away
Maria could taste it now and with each breath, she took she felt sick. Like she was riding a colossal high roller coaster after eating a ton of pizza.
She called out her dog and they walked further away from the smell. She had no idea what it was but she didn’t care. Little did she know things were about to get even more strange.
Strange Object
There was a strange object sitting in the long grass – in a clearing just off the path. As soon as her dog caught wind of it, he let out a low growl and refused to move. Maria wanted to investigate and tugged on the lead, but he refused to let her move forward.
She looked down, startled to see that her dog’s hackles were bristling. Something was very off about the whole situation.
The Crate
With a strong tug, Maria forced her dog to follow her and slowly approached the mysterious object that was becoming clearer with each step. At first, it looked like a big gray plastic box.
As she drew nearer, a terrible smell hit her – along with a strange revelation. It was no box, it was an animal crate. What was it doing out here? Maria cautiously peered inside and a chill raced up her spine.
Something Had Been Here
Inside was a filthy blanket and a heavy chain, but the door of the crate was open. Someone had chained something inside this box. Whatever it was, it had gotten out. Maria inspected the crate a little more closely and noticed a gigantic bite mark on one side.
Maria had heard stories of the illegal exotic animal trade in the area and decided to go in the opposite direction. Shaking off the creeped-out feeling, she continued her walk. But she was in for another surprise.
Walking Away
The smell started getting fainter and fainter until finally, she couldn’t smell it anymore. She unscrewed the top of her water bottle and took a sip. She saw a stick on the path and decided to throw it for her dog.
He zoomed down the path looking for the stick she’d thrown, she smiled as he jumped off the path, excited to look for it. But then she noticed something down the path past her dog. She had a bad feeling about this.
What Was He Doing?
There was a man in the middle of the woods. He was pacing back and forth with a sheepish expression plastered on his face; like he was running away - or hiding - from something.
Who was this man? And what was his problem? Maria could feel her heartbeat in her throat. She had no idea what was coming.
Hiding
Maria’s dog growled, and she held him in close, trying to reassure him that everything would be fine. She didn’t want the man to know she was here, crouching behind a tree, watching him.
After a few minutes, the man sprinted off, disappearing into the blackness of the woods. She thought it was over. But she was so wrong.
More Strange Things Await
Maria tried to dismiss what she had just seen and carried on with her walk. She let her dog off the lead and he sprinted around the trees, his tongue wagging and tail raised high in the air.
But just as Maria let out a laugh at her silly dog, she heard something. And it was a sound that left a chill up her spine.
What Was That Sound?
It sounded like a muffled scream. Maria stopped in her tracks at the sound and her heart started to race like an Olympian going for gold.
Where was this coming from? And more importantly what was making this noise? Hundreds of questions ran through her mind. But instinct told her to follow the noise.
Following The Noise
Maria followed the noise and it eventually led her to a ditch covered in leaves and dirt. It looked just like any ditch, to be honest, so she was confused as to why the sound led her there.
She took a deep breath before crouching down and looking into a hole. And what she saw left a terrible feeling in her stomach.
At The Bottom Of The Hole
With a wet thrash, something large was moving. It was a brown mound at the bottom of the hole, and it was clearly struggling.
Maria’s curiosity got the better of her as she rushed to see what it was, then she realized that it was an animal trapped in the mud. Maria didn’t hesitate. The poor creature was stuck in a mud trap at the bottom of the hole, unable to free itself.
She Had To Be Quick
Deep in the hole, Maria could make out fur in the darkness. She could hear it crying and whimpering.
Although she couldn’t figure out what it was, Maria’s heart broke at the thought of this poor animal being trapped and confused. She knew she had to act fast. She had to be quick. Time was running out.
Ringing For Help
Maria got up off the ground and instantly whipped out her phone to call the fire service. After a few rings, she was finally put through and they said they would be there in as little as 30 minutes.
While she waited to get put through to someone, Maria seriously hoped she hadn’t been too late.
The Firemen Arrive
Around 30 minutes later, the fire service arrived and a hoard of people came to the ditch to try and rescue the dog.
It was trapped five feet underground in a maze of muddy rabbit holes. Two firemen climbed down and began the painstaking work of digging it out, but time was not on their side. When they realized what the animal was, Maria’s heart fell.
A Shaking Dog
As one of the men wiped the mud away from the animal’s face, he stared in disbelief. There, underneath all the caked mud and dirt, was a quivering sheepdog.
The firemen tried to dig around the dog, but because it was half-submerged in water, their efforts proved to be useless. They needed to devise a plan to somehow get underneath the animal and hoist it out.
A Makeshift Pulley System
The team above ground went to their truck to get a rope, and they tossed one end down so the other men could tie it around the dog’s torso. They had hoped that this makeshift pulley system would work.
But as the other men pulled from above, they quickly realized that there was an enormous flaw in their stratgy.
Moving A Little
The large dog refused to budge and was well and truly stuck in the mud, no matter how hard the team pulled.
Finally, after struggling for what seemed like days, they felt the animal start to move a little. Spurred on by the encouraging sign, they pulled with all their might in one last massive heave.
Rescued
It had taken two hours of careful digging and pulling, but eventually, the rescuers pulled the dog out. Maria felt overjoyed that the pup was safe.
But what was it doing here in the first place? And did the man she had seen acting suspiciously have anything to do with it? She knew she needed to find out the truth.
The Truth
Maria spoke to the firemen and they told her that they didn’t know how long the poor dog had been down there for.
She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she remembered the crate and hoped it had just been an unfortunate accident. Her heart broke at the thought of the poor dog being abandoned in the woods.
Calling The Humane Society
The firemen called the closest humane society immediately, and they quickly took the dog into their care. But the dog was incredibly wary of people, and this presented a problem.
The rescue organization would have to work long and hard to get him to trust humans again. They named the dog Semi due to his big and cuddly appearance. But the local vet had some bad news.
Vet Visit
The vet advised that the dog was suffering from a huge weight issue – the poor pup was diagnosed with morbid obesity. This was probably what had caused him to get stuck and unable to free himself from the muddy hole.
Semi’s weight was also putting immense strain on his joints, and he was not able to move easily. Additionally, the vet had a suspicion that he had been stuck in the hole for days, which caused him to have a mild case of PTSD. Nevertheless, there was hope yet.
A Happy Ending
Semi disliked most people, but there was one special woman whom he had allowed to come close to him. Maria visited him daily for two weeks, and she had clearly made a lasting impression on him.
Then, one day, he even allowed Maria to cuddle him without putting up a fuss. That’s when it was settled – Maria decided to adopt Semi and give him the forever home he deserved.