"Deepest Darkest Scotland" by Kevin J. Kennedy

Deepest Darkest Scotland

by Kevin J. Kennedy

I had always lived in Scotland, albeit central Scotland. I grew up just outside of Glasgow, Scotland’s real capitol. Parts of Scotland were beautiful. I knew that even as a kid as I would on occasion be taken away by my gran on caravan holidays. Nothing lavish. She always had tiny caravans that my uncle would drive up to a different site each year and she would stay there for the summer. When I was lucky, I got to go for a few days. It let me see that not everywhere was like the concrete jungle that I knew. 

The small town I loved in was best described as a shithole. Even as a kid I got attacked regularly. Grown men would rob you for your lunch money so they could go and get a can of cider or strong lager. There were junkies everywhere. People stabbed each other over trivial shit like who supported the best football team. Even as a child I knew it was mental. 

As soon as I was eighteen I left. I had managed to find a job working for a small factory near the highlands. They had struggled to get staff so helped me find a small place to rent. I was happy to be somewhere scenic where I wasn’t at risk of being attacked any waking minute.

On the coach up to my new aboad, the further I got from my old home, the more rural it became. The roadside eventually stopped having buildings or wearhouses, and the motorway became winding backroads through the hills. The greenery seemed so majecstic compared to the grey concrete that I was used to. The hills were often covered in different wildlife, and the sky seemed clearer. 

When I departed the bus I had a twenty minute walk from the small village to the little but and ben I was renting. I had been sent pictures of it, so wasn’t surprised to see how small and run down it was, but it was mine. It stood completely on it’s own, surrounded by fields, and backing on to a massive set of woods. The trees dwarfed it. I found them so enchanting. As a kid, I was always exploring, trying to stay away from the masses and I had never lost the passion. 

I dumped my bag inside on a kitchen table, left back out the same door came in, and was straight into those woods for a look around. There were smells of pine and birch. The ground was soft beneath my feet. I had worn my good walking boots when I had left me old home so was well prepared. I reasoned I wouldn’t go too far in for fear of getting lost. Looking back where I had come from, my abode was already out of site. A little further I thought and kept going. 

I knew I had a few hours until dark but had planned to head back soon anyway. I wanted to look around inside my lodgings and get comfortable. I thought I would just go a little further when I heard rustling in the trees above me. I looked up and could see the leaves shaking. Whatever it was seemed to be jumping from branch to branch but my view was obscured. I found it strange non-the-less, considering there are no wild monkeys in Scotland, and I wasn’t quite sure what else it could be. From what I could see, it seemed to be a fair size. Just then it dropped from the trees maybe twenty feet from where I was standing. While it was light out, it was shadowy under the canopy of trees. It crouched on all fours. As my eyes adjusted, I could see it was at least the same size as me. It had long hair but it wasn’t covered in fur the way an ape would be. It was dirty but I could see that it’s skin was covered in blue markings. They looked like tattoos. It raised its head and looked right at me. It snarled and that broke into a howl. I was sprinting back the way I came before it moved but I could hear it chasing me. I was worried I would trip so I kept my eyes on the ground. As I ran, I could hear the branches above me going wild. There was more than one of them. I was being chased on the ground and in the trees. 

I came running out of the tree line moving faster than I have ever moved before. I went straight around the side of the building, knowing I had left the front door unlocked. I shouldered through it, and slammed it behind me, quickly locking it. Seconds after I did, the thing outside smashed into the door. It hamered on it and I could hear it clawing at it. I searched around quickly as more howls came from outside. All I could find was a pot and a wooden rolling pin. I had one in each hand waiting for the door to break down but it was solid and seemed to be holding. 

After a while I risked a look outside. There are four of them that I have seen. They walk on all fours but they men, or they were men. I’m not quite sure because they are definitely animal like in their actions. They are extremely muscular and the blue designs that cover their dirty bodies are beautifully intricate. They are clearly communicating and I am beginning to feal like they are toying with me. I am sure they could come straight through the windows if they chose to. Maybe they are waiting for nightfall. I do not know. I write this note in the hope that someone will find it and at least know there are monsters in the woods. If I don’t make it, I’m at least glad I died somewhere beautiful.