(suspenseful music)
- [Adam] My football career was over
before it even started.
It was the championship game.
I was about halfway to the field when I realized
I left my cleats in the bedroom.
I rushed back home and took a shortcut through the woods
to try and recoup for the lost time.
But I wasn't alone.
(suspenseful music)
I was being followed.
Two men with masks covering their faces
tackled me to the ground and threatened me
with long butcher knives.
"If you make this difficult,
"we'll kill you." one of the men said
as he pressed the knife harder against my throat.
I nodded with little hesitation.
They lifted me up and bound me to a tree with rope.
Luckily they didn't tie a very good knot.
The two men stood idly by and watched me for a moment.
"Who are you?" I shouted.
The two men remained silent.
I could almost visualize their sinister smiles
underneath those masks.
Behind them was a dark, wooden door,
draped in dead vines and rusted chains
that led to an oversized padlock.
There were strange symbols
etched into the surface of the wood.
One symbol in particular caught my attention.
Something that looked like a T-shaped key
with a circle around it.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
The two men looked at each other and nodded.
They lifted up their masks at the same time
and turned to face me.
It was the head coach and quarterback
from the opposing team.
Coach Phillips and Steve Miller.
(Steve laughs) Suddenly, something began
violently banging against the door from the inside.
The hairs on the back of my neck shot up
as my heart raced with fear.
I couldn't imagine what could be behind the door.
"Hey Adam, no hard feelings all right?" Steve said
with a smile.
"This was unavoidable." Coach Phillips added.
He continued, "We wouldn't give you the chance
"to spoil the state championship."
Coach Phillips and Steve put their masks back on.
Then Steve reached inside his coat pocket
and pulled out a key. (keys jangling)
He motioned towards the padlock and put the key inside,
twisting it in every direction.
Finally unlocked, the padlock fell to the floor.
Steve removed the chains and kept his hand on the knob.
He looked at Coach Phillips who nodded to proceed.
"Can we talk this through?" I pleaded.
"I just won't play, but please."
"Sorry son, ain't nothing we can do for you."
Coach Phillips interrupted.
He continued, "This is a monthly sacrificial tradition
"of the Sonny family, don't take it too personal.
"It just happens to be you this time."
Coach Phillips climbed the nearest tree,
and pulled himself up onto one of the taller branches.
Steve followed shortly after,
sprinting as far as he could from the door.
I watched Steve climb up the tree
and prop himself up next to Coach Phillips.
They waved at me and smiled.
"Good luck." Steve shouted from above.
The door began to slowly creak open.
(door creaking)
My fingers worked double time to get through the knot.
I just needed another minute or so to get free.
A long, winded growl erupted
from the darkness of the doorway.
I instantly froze, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Whatever this thing was, it was neither human nor animal.
When the creature finally appeared
my jaw dropped, (dramatic music)
horrified by the sight of it.
It was built like a linebacker, tall and husky,
with a reptile-like surface.
It's eyes were hidden beyond the thin strands of skin
that connected the upper and lower parts of the eye sockets.
(creature growling)
Rotted flesh dangled between its sharp, blood-stained teeth.
It had a strange symbol branded onto its forehead.
The same one on the wooden door.
The creature roared ferociously,
like an angry lion hungry for its next meal.
It walked towards me and sniffed around the area.
It could smell my fear.
At this rate, I knew I wouldn't get through
the knot in time.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself
for the brutal attack.
(limb cracking) Then I heard a loud snap.
I looked up as Steve came crashing down
with a broken tree branch,
landing right between me and this terrifying monster.
Steve broke both his legs upon impact
and screamed in agony.
(bones cracking) (Steve screaming)
Coach Phillips clinched onto the trunk of the tree,
holding on for dear life.
Steve pulled himself towards me
with all the strength he had.
The creature walked closely behind him,
seemingly amused by his suffering.
"Help me, Coach." Steve shouted.
The creature then kicked Steve over so he could face him.
Steve continued to beg,
but that didn't stop this monster
from ripping through Steve's chest
with his bare hands. (Steve screaming)
Steve screamed bloody murder as his insides
were torn out from his body and swallowed whole.
Coach Phillips knew this would be his only chance to attack.
He hopped down from the tree
and landed on the creature's back,
stabbing him repeatedly with his knife.
The creature tried to shake him off,
but Coach Phillips kept a tight grip around its neck.
The creature then chomped down on Coach Phillips' arm
and pulled away, ripping it off entirely.
Coach Phillips fell to the ground,
using his right hand to stop the blood from pouring out.
Within seconds, the creature pounced on Phillips
and tore him to shreds.
Phillips didn't stand a chance.
By this time, I finally managed to break through the knot.
I unraveled the rope
and tiptoed around the man-eating creature.
I was almost in the clear, but somehow it noticed.
It grabbed me by the foot, and clamped his jaw on it.
I tried to pull myself away
but the creature's bite was too tight.
And then grabbed Coach Phillips' knife from the ground,
and stabbed the creature in the head.
It immediately released its jaw from my foot,
which now seemed severed by the bone,
only attached by a few strands of cartilage.
I hobbled away towards the door on one foot,
hoping that maybe I could scare the creature back inside.
When I arrived to the door, I clinched onto the frame,
struggling to stay up.
I was losing blood fast,
and it would take every bit of strength
to lock the creature away.
As I'm turning around to face it,
the creature snarled viciously
and charged at me like a raging bull.
I stood my ground and waited for it to get close.
With only a few feet away, he lunged at me
and I ducked for cover.
When it dove over me,
it disappeared into the darkness of the doorway.
I then slammed the door shut,
and grabbed the padlock from the ground, locking it inside.
The creature banged against the door for a while,
but eventually gave up.
I took a moment to collect myself,
and proceeded to exit the woods.
By some miracle I made it out alive.
I went to the first hospital I could find,
and tried to tell them what happened when I arrived.
But no one believed me.
They assumed I was merely attacked by some wild animal.
To be honest, I don't even care what they believed.
I just wanted to play football again.
Unfortunately, that could never happen.
The foot became too infected to save
and needed to be amputated.
My life could never be the same.
Following the surgery, I haven't been able
to stop thinking about what happened that day.
Part of me wants to pay the door in the woods a visit,
get revenge for what the creature has done to me.
After all, there has to be a way to kill it, right?
(dramatic music)
(logo whirring)