Johnny had spent years in the woods. He knew every trail, every hiding spot, and every clearing like the back of his hand. Yet, on one fateful day, his deep understanding of the forest would be shattered by an eerie discovery—something so bizarre and unexplainable that it would haunt him for years to come.

It all began with a deer.

A Hunt Like No Other

Johnny had been tracking a deer for hours, determined not to let this prize escape after two long days without a decent target. But the deer led him deep into unfamiliar territory, a part of the forest he had never explored before.

Finally, Johnny found the perfect shot. He steadied his rifle, took aim, and placed his finger on the trigger. Just as he was about to fire, a chilling scream echoed through the trees.

The unexpected noise startled him, and he missed his shot. The deer, spooked by the loud gunshot, bolted away, disappearing through something completely unnatural—a perfectly circular hole in the dense tree line.

Johnny froze.

The hole was too perfect to be natural. It was large enough for a grown man to jump through with his arms raised. Rubbing his eyes, he struggled to believe what he was seeing. Could something like this really exist? If not natural, was it man-made? And if so, who had made it?

His curiosity got the better of him. He needed to investigate.

The Mysterious Hole

Johnny cautiously approached the hole, scanning its edges for any sign that the trees had been cut. He expected to see broken branches or sawdust, but there was nothing. It was as if the trees had grown into this formation on their own. The branches at the edges grew thinner as they reached the opening, forming a perfect natural frame.

And then, there was that scream.

It had come from beyond the hole. It had sounded almost human.

Had someone else been here before him? Were they in trouble?

Johnny’s heart pounded as he took a step forward. He hesitated. His instincts screamed at him to turn back—this was not normal. But he had never walked away from something just because it scared him.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped through.

A Path Through the Unknown

The moment he crossed the threshold, Johnny felt an unnatural stillness. The deeper he ventured, the darker it seemed to get. The trees around him thickened, blocking out the sunlight. A chilling sensation crawled up his spine—he was completely alone.

After several minutes of navigating the unfamiliar terrain, Johnny stumbled upon something even more bizarre.

A house.

Not just any house, but a massive, worn-down mansion—standing in the middle of nowhere.

The Mansion in the Woods
The house was something out of a horror movie. It loomed over the forest, its windows dark and lifeless. Vines crept up the cracked walls, and the front door hung slightly ajar, as if inviting him inside.

Johnny called out.

Silence.

Logic told him to turn back, but curiosity was stronger. He cautiously stepped inside.

Dust coated every surface, yet something felt… off. The place, while abandoned, wasn’t as decayed as it should have been. Someone had been here recently.

The kitchen was his first stop. If someone had been living here, there would be signs—food, water, supplies. But every drawer and cabinet was empty. No canned food. No dishes. No personal belongings.

It was a ghost house.

Or so he thought.

The Candlelit Office

As Johnny moved deeper into the mansion, something caught his eye—a flicker of light from beneath a door.

His heart pounded. There were no windows in this part of the house.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.

Inside, candles were burning.

Dozens of them, scattered across the room, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on the walls. Someone had been here recently—maybe minutes ago.

Then Johnny noticed something else.

An old newspaper lay open on the desk. Its front page displayed a black-and-white image of the very mansion he was standing in, though in pristine condition. The date on the paper? More than 30 years old.

His eyes darted to the headline.

The mansion had been built in the 1950s by a reclusive millionaire who had allegedly lost his mind. He had moved deep into the forest to escape society, but a decade later, authorities discovered the horrifying truth—he had been using the mansion to indulge in unspeakable horrors.

His crimes only came to light when a young man escaped from the house and reported everything to the police. The millionaire was arrested, and the house was abandoned.

Johnny’s stomach turned. He needed to leave.

Now.

The Hatch Opens

As he turned to leave, a loud creaking came from above.

Johnny barely had time to react before something came crashing down—a ladder, falling from a hatch in the ceiling.

His breath caught in his throat.

Someone was up there.

And they had just opened the hatch.

His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. He slowly looked up.

A shadowy figure loomed above.

The Man on the Balcony

Johnny forced himself to move, climbing up the ladder onto the mansion’s balcony.

There, a man sat covered in a blanket, staring into the forest. He didn’t react to Johnny’s presence. Not at first.

Johnny cautiously approached and spoke.

“Who are you?”

The man finally turned. He was older—mid-50s, at least. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, his eyes hollow and weary.

And then, he spoke a name.

“Matthew.”

The name immediately rang a bell.

Matthew was the name of the boy who had escaped this house 40 years ago—the one who had exposed the millionaire’s crimes.

Matthew’s Confession

Matthew nodded, confirming Johnny’s realization.

After escaping, he had spent years trying to forget the horrors of this place. But something had always drawn him back. He didn’t know why. He just… had to be here.

He had kept the mansion’s entrance hidden, only revealing it to those curious enough to enter.

“I needed someone to find me,” he whispered.

Johnny felt his stomach drop.

Matthew had planned this.

And he wasn’t going to let Johnny leave.

Escape or Die

Johnny stepped back—and his foot caught on something.

A rope trap.

Panic surged through him.

Matthew lunged.

Johnny jumped.

Diving over the balcony railing, he landed hard on the mansion’s roof, rolling painfully down the sloped tiles. His hands burned as he slid, barely managing to break his fall before hitting the ground.

Ignoring the pain, he ran.

Branches tore at his clothes as he sprinted through the forest. He had no idea if Matthew was following, but he didn’t stop to check.

Finally, he reached a clearing—his phone had signal.

He dialed the police, breathless, his heart pounding in his ears.

They assured him they would investigate.

But to this day, Johnny doesn’t know if they ever did.

He never went back to that part of the forest. He stopped hunting for months, too shaken by what had happened.

And every time he sees a homeless man on the street, his heart stops.

Because he fears—it might be Matthew.