Rumor has it that there was a part of the woods where a lone werewolf hid. Some men who believed the tale were brave enough to venture into the woods to try and hunt down the creature. Each one hoped to be the one to bring home the werewolf's corpse as a trophy. Instead, they all came out of the forest empty handed and disappointed with huge gaps in their memory.

A few women- probably after reading way too many unrealistic romance novels- grew infatuated with the fantasy that they would be the protagonist in a supernatural story. So, in hopes of seducing the mysterious beast, they too journeyed into the woods. None of the women were ever heard from again, so nobody really knows if their plan worked or not.

Still, that didn't stop curious tourists from flocking to the part of the woods where the werewolf allegedly resided in. They all clamored to lay their eyes on him or capture him in a photograph, but the only souvenir they brought home after spending the night in the woods were broken cameras and ripped tents. Over time, people grew wary of the creature. They were careful not to set foot in his area of the forest. But as more and more time went by, less people lived to remember or tell the cautionary tale.

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It was winter break once again, and my closest friends from college were now enjoying their annual trip to the woods. They always ended the hike with a week long vacation in their big cozy cabin. For years now, I've consistently declined their invitation to come along. Given the fact that I'm a college student, it seemed reasonable for me always pick up extra shifts when I can in order to earn and save as much money as I could for the holidays. After all, businesses get busier during the holiday season, and I wouldn't wanna pass up the opportunity for extra cash.

However, because my friend pulled the "It's my senior year, which means this is the last chance I have to go on this trip with the whole group before I hop on the plane to my dream job" card, they successfully persuaded me to come this year. I won't ever say this to them or else I'll never hear the end of it, but I did end up actually having fun on the trip! However, after three days of staying with my friends within the same four walls of the cottage, I itched to get back on the grind again, so I decided to leave the trip early.

I might be the workaholic friend, but I'm also quite known for my spontaneity among our group. Exciting to me usually meant reckless for others. I was going along with everyone else's plans throughout the whole trip that I never got to do some exploring of my own. It might be my first time being out here in the woods (and most likely the last. I mean, it was fun but not that fun), so why not take a good look around while I'm at it? With a map and a compass, I doubt it'd be that hard for me to find my way back to the park where I left my car.

The first several minutes of the hike were quite enjoyable. I found many interesting plants I had never seen before. I was also impressed by the vast greenery and the scenic view around me. After about an hour went by, though, I began to realize that the current route I was taking didn't exactly match up with what was shown on the map. But there's no need to panic because it only makes sense that retracing my steps would be my best option. I calmly walked back and attempted to follow the map again. As time went by, I begrudgingly accepted that I haven't made much progress at all. My legs ached badly from the long hike, and my backpack felt much heavier and only weighed me down.

If there was one other thing people knew me for aside from being a little too hungry for money, it was my optimism. There have not been any wild animals around as far as I can tell, so I guess I should still be relatively safe. However, as the sky grew darker by the minute, I began to miss my friends and the boring four walls of their little monochromatic cabin. I really, really didn't wanna admit it to myself, but I kinda regret leaving. If I had just stayed with them and taken the entire week off like I told my boss I would, I probably wouldn't even be in this situation. And that was it! I finally came to terms with the amount of trouble I was truly in.

First of all, I didn't have any food or much water with me because, for some stupid reason, I assumed that my hike would only last for 3 hours at most. Second, it was getting colder by the minute, and I happen to lack a warm roof over my head. Lastly, I was literally all alone in a part of the woods I was entirely unfamiliar with without any signal to contact help. Needless to say, I was really screwed. If I died, nobody would find my body because they didn't even know where I was to begin with.

So, the only thing left for me to do was to stay put somewhere, let the evening pass, and hopefully live long enough to at least be able to resume my journey the next morning. I guess my luck still hasn't completely run out because I found a thick fallen log I could rest on. I sat quietly and hoped that no wild animal would decide to show up now after all these hours of deciding not to and attack me in the dark. I also prayed to anybody who might be listening to spare me from insects because if this day would be my last, I would appreciate not having to spend my time fighting off little skinny legs crawling all over me.

When the urge to sleep finally fell upon me, I heard a twig snap off to my right. I immediately stood