Page 2 of Terrible Desires

Within the tree line I notice a distinct absence of light. A plethora of shadows stretch over the undergrowth as the sun tries in vain to piece the thick canopy on an already overcast autumn afternoon. But there’s still more than enough ambient light by which to see, plus, I have my phone with me if I catchmyself out after dark. The flashlight on my cell never ceases to come in handy, whether I’m looking for my keys or stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it’s a lifesaver.

With the light slowly fading and my spirits high, I start down an earthen trail that leads into the forest.This is the Halloween I’m talking about!Peace, nature, fresh air, and a warm bed to return home to. Snapping photos as I go, I admire the play of light on the foliage, the adorable and unique fungi, and how the whole forest seems like a world of its own. It’s a green kingdom sheltered from the modern world—from humanity’s filth and pollution.

The landscape seems so virginal and untouched. Here, beneath the ancient pines, the ferns become trees, soon towering above me as I follow the trail. Lost in the enchanting beauty of the forest, I come to realize I’m no longer on the well-trodden path. My brows furrow and I spin in a hesitant circle, turning on the light on my cell, holding it before me to cast it’s luminescence ahead. The forest seems strangely silent and menacingly dark. I take a deep, steadying breath as I close my eyes and listen. My heart skips with uncertainty as fear permeates my consciousness, infiltrating my mind like a worm burrowing into a rotted apple.

I can’t hear the river at all.How far could I have walked?Chewing on my lower lip, I check the time and my stomach lurches and I almost stumble over my own feet. “How is that possible?” It’s after midnight.How did I lose eight hours?It’s only then that I notice the blood on my hands, the scratches… Allowing my gaze to drop further, I swallow hard as I take in the sight of my shredded jeans. My mind reels and I don’t understand. What I’m seeing doesn’t make any sense. My heart fills with dread and starts to race as ice slithers up my spine.

What the fuck!

Chapter Three

“Why am I wet?” I shine the light down on my feet, only to discover my shoes missing and my socks are hanging on by threads. What remains of my jeans are sodden up to my knees, and they’re covered unmistakably in mud stains. Continuing to take stock of my physical condition, I realize I’m also missing my beanie and scarf.How could I have lost them?How could any of this have happened without my noticing? I feel like I’m losing my mind.

“I don’t understand,” I mutter to myself. Turning in slow circles, I try my best not to hyperventilate, but it’s an exercise in futility. This is too weird. It’s almost like I’ve been runningfromsomething. I’m scratched up, wet, covered in dirt, and missing clothes, not to mention I’ve lost time.Literal hours’ worth!I desperately want to put it down to my phone glitching out on me, but one look at the impermeable darkness tells me many hours have indeed passed, and I’ve simply somehow failed to notice.

Wracking my mind, I wander a few steps toward a dead log and sink to my ass, utterly perplexed and increasingly frightened.Is this how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole?A sudden, intrusive thought twinging in the back of my mind has me hesitantly reaching up to brush at my mouth. When I pull my fingers away there are illuminated crumbs there, or fragments of something I don’t recognize.But how is that possible? I didn’t bring any food with me.I certainly don’t remember eating anything at all. My eyes prick with hot tears of frustration.

Then as I play with the strange, soft crumbs, rolling and squashing them between my fingers, I realize it’s not the light from my phone that’s making them glow … they’re actually glowing on their own! They’re freaking bioluminescent!I didn’t… no, I couldn’t have. Horror overwhelms me and my stomach lurches for the second time in as many minutes.Fuck.I’ve eaten some kind of poisoned mushroom…

Something catches my eye in the distant shadows, and I squint, turning off my flashlight to focus better in the darkness. There, not several feet away from me is a toadstool—a green, glowing mushroom. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s bioluminescence is eerily beautiful and strangely alluring. Tilting my head like an inquisitive cat, I rise to my poor, bare feet, and approach the odd specimen. Squatting down, I pluck it from the loamy earth and bring it closer to my face. It smells like a strange and impossible mixture of damp moss and … my nose scrunches up and my lips turn down.Cum?

I shake my head at the absurdity of it. What an insane notion! Of all things. How can my mind be in the gutter at a time like this? Tossing away the toadstool, I wipe my mouth again and force myself to be sick, sticking my fingers down my throat in the hope of getting some of the bizarre fungus out of my system. As I purge my stomach and litter the ground with glowing bile and grotesque chunks, I recognize my mistake. Another surge of nausea slams into me, dumping me like a wave during a storm.

Wiping my hands on what’s left of my clothes, I stagger backward and reach out for the nearest tree, breathing hard against its cold bark as I wait for the terrible feeling to pass.It’s like a bad trip,I tell myself.I just have to ride it out, stay safe, find the path, and get back to the cabin.It sounds easier than it is. The heady, drugged-out sensation in my mind remains, lingering in force—haunting me like a ghost—long after the worst of it has subsided.

My logic floats around in my consciousness like an intangible anchor, something to grasp onto, but frustratingly just out of reach. I slap myself in the face in a desperate attemptto sober myself up. “Come on, Bri! Snap the fuck out of it. There’s like five hours until the sun rises. You’re going to be okay.” With an unsteady but determined resolve, an idea occurs to me.Perhaps I can follow the mushrooms?If, by some chance, I followed them deep into the forest, then it’s likely I can follow the trail back to where I first saw them, presumably somewhere just off the well-beaten trail.

“Yep. That’s what we’re doing,” I say aloud. “We’re finding the trail.”Just put one foot in front of the other.And so that’s what I do. Scanning the darkness with my eyes, I look for the glowing green pinpoints of light in the undergrowth, and slowly I make my way from one to another, following the horrid little bastards in the hope they’ll lead me back.

****

I follow the ethereal fungi dotted through the forest until there’s a break in the ancient pines and I find myself walking out onto the shore of a lake. With a clear canopy above, the moon shines down, reflecting on the dark water and illuminating the area. I blink twice and then again, staring across at the island at its center. On it is nothing but a lonely weeping willow, completely out of place in a pine forest, and beneath its swaying fronds…

My hand clutches at my heart, and I take a terrified step back. “No fucking way,” I breathe, my mind screeches like the test pattern of an old-fashioned TV set.

Sitting on the island, its feet in the water, is an immense troll. With long, dark hair, green flesh, glowing yellow eyes, and teeth-like tusks protruding from near its lower lip—it’s literally the shit of fantasy. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.Am I still drugged out on ‘shrooms?

The troll looks up and I’ll be fucked if it doesn’t smile at me. Rising to its full height, the monster stands about ten feettall, practically double my fucking size.

My wide eyes drink in the beast before me as I remain rooted to the spot, my gaze sickeningly lingering over his ripped chest, huge, muscular arms, and his…Holy fucking shit.His cock is as big as my arm!My insides cringe and quiver and despite the fear that holds me captive, I can’t tear my eyes from it. It twitches under my scrutiny, thickening and growing, until its fully erect and hard—as mortally terrifying as any sword.

The troll’s smile broadens, and he begins to approach, taking great, powerful strides through the obviously relatively shallow lake. It only comes up to his waist at its deepest point.

I want to run, to scream, to doanything, but my body flat-out refuses. Another violent wave of nausea smashes over me as he draws nearer, and I feel myself swoon on my feet … then everything goes dark.

Chapter Four

I’m jostled from the dark bliss of oblivion by steady, rhythmic movement. I try to open my eyes, but my lids feel heavy. Instinctively, I drag my tongue over my lips to wet them, to try and ease the dryness in my throat, but the taste of mossy cum settles across my taste buds and I blanche internally with cold, hard realization. There’s only one way any of my present predicament makes sense.He’s fed me his cum! The fucking troll has drugged me out with his glowing green spaff! He created a trail of glowing cum-shrooms and I followed it like the damned yellow brick road!

Despite my lethargic, dazed state, by sheer force of will I focus on what I’m feeling as I desperately force my eyelids to flutter open just a little. The vision that welcomes me, coupled with the sensations assaulting my body, throws my mind into absolute chaos. Through my slitted lids I see the troll’s massive hand moving between my legs, in and out, repeatedly. He’s finger-fucking me.Fucking Christ!

I try to will movement to my limbs, but whatever the hell is in this monster’s cum is more potent than any drug I’ve ever experimented with. It’s like fucking Rohypnol! I’m physically paralyzed, but I can still feel and am strangely, distantly aware of everything that’s happening to me. Mentally, it feels almost as though I’m in a dream or a nightmare. I have no control.

“Welcome back, little one,” says the troll, his deep, rumbling voice filling my ears. “You have been such a good girl. After that delicious chase, I thought you deserving of a reward.”

With every ounce of willpower, I force my eyes upward. Despite my fear, I must look this monstrous cryptid in the eyes. His face eventually swims into view and my heart almost stops in my chest. Up close, he is disturbingly grotesque and yet appealing in a way I lack the words to adequately describe.He reminds me of the fantastical orcs from modern movies and video games.

“How does that feel?” he asks, curling his massive fingers inside me and triggering my G-spot.

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