Bio-Engineered Beasts

I never thought a simple camping trip would lead me into the depths of terror. It was supposed to be a weekend of s'mores, ghost stories, and a little bit of fun—just me, my best friends, Tyler, Jenna, and Amir. We chose a remote spot in the woods, far away from the buzzing of cell phones and the noise of the world. Little did we know, we weren’t as alone as we thought.

The first day passed in laughter and reckless abandon. Tyler dared Jenna to jump into the lake, and we all cheered when she belly-flopped with a splash that soaked us. As twilight settled in, we gathered around the campfire, roasting marshmallows while shadows danced across the trees. That’s when we heard it: a low growl echoing through the woods.

“Probably just a bear,” Tyler shrugged, but the look on his face betrayed his bravado.

“Let’s explore,” Jenna suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement. I hesitated, feeling the chill in the air wrap around my spine. But peer pressure got the best of me, and soon we were trudging deeper into the woods, armed with nothing but flashlights and our growing apprehension.

We stumbled upon an old, decrepit building hidden behind thick brambles and twisted branches. The windows were shattered, and the door hung on its hinges, creaking ominously as Tyler pushed it open.

“Welcome to the lab of horrors!” he proclaimed, stepping inside with exaggerated bravado.

The smell hit us first—an acrid blend of decay and something else, something metallic. The air was thick, and the walls were covered in strange symbols and unsettling drawings. I shivered as I stepped in, the flashlight beam illuminating old cages, rusted and empty, as if they had held something that was never meant to be set free.

“Do you think they were experimenting on animals?” Amir whispered, his voice barely above a breath.

“Or people,” Jenna added, her eyes wide as she surveyed the remnants of what might have been a secret lab. My heart raced as I imagined the twisted experiments that had taken place here.

We explored room after room, each more unsettling than the last. In one chamber, we found vials filled with green liquid, some shattered on the floor. “This looks like some sort of biohazard,” I said, my voice trembling as I picked one up, noticing a label that read “DO NOT DISTURB.”

“Just throw it away,” Tyler said, brushing it off like it was nothing. But the moment I dropped it, a loud crash echoed through the building, and we all jumped, adrenaline surging through our veins.

“We should go,” I said, my instincts screaming at me to leave. But Jenna, ever the thrill-seeker, laughed and pulled me deeper into the building. “C’mon, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Famous last words.

The growling noise returned, louder this time, vibrating through the walls. Panic set in as we exchanged terrified glances. “Let’s get out of here!” Amir shouted, but as we turned to leave, the door slammed shut behind us. I pulled on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. We were trapped.

Suddenly, the growling stopped. A heavy silence settled in, broken only by our frantic breathing. I shone my flashlight around the room, and that’s when I saw it: a pair of glowing eyes watching us from the shadows, a hulking figure slowly emerging into the beam of light. It was massive, with limbs that twisted in unnatural ways, its skin glistening with a slick sheen. The creature let out a guttural roar that echoed through my bones.

We scrambled backward, terror coursing through us. In the frenzy, Jenna slipped and fell, her scream piercing the air as the creature lunged toward her. I grabbed Tyler and Amir, dragging them towards the back of the room where a window was half-open.

“Help me!” Jenna cried, but I was too afraid to look back. We squeezed through the window, just as the creature lunged again, its claws slicing through the air where we had just been.

We bolted into the woods, not daring to stop until we reached the safety of our campsite. Breathless, we huddled around the fire, too terrified to even talk about what had happened. The woods felt alive, shadows creeping closer, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.

The next morning, we packed our things in silence, the horror of the night before hanging over us like a storm cloud. As we made our way back to the car, I turned for one last look at the lab. I could have sworn I saw the creature standing in the doorway, its eyes gleaming with a strange intelligence.

“Did we just imagine it?” Amir asked as we piled into the car, looking at each other with wide eyes. I shook my head, the memory of those glowing eyes seared into my mind.

As we drove away, I couldn’t help but feel relief wash over me. We had escaped. We were safe. 

But then, just as we turned onto the main road, Tyler pulled out his phone. “What’s this?” he asked, his voice trembling. On the screen was a video, captured during our frantic escape. The last frame showed a close-up of my face… and behind me, the creature standing in the trees, watching.

I froze. It wasn’t just a nightmare—it was real. I felt a strange itch beneath my skin, and when I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of something… different. My eyes shimmered, a flicker of green shining through. 

And just like that, I realized we hadn’t escaped at all.