Case 3 - The Hidebehind

Leo awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing.

He opened one eye.

The room was still dark.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling, trying to remember where he was.

Then the phone buzzed again.

Leo reached across the bed, grabbed it and squinted at the screen.

Unknown number.

He answered.

“Hello?”

"Mr Winterhold?”

Leo stretched, his voice still heavy with sleep.

“Who’s asking?”

“Sorry to be calling this early in the morning.”

Leo glanced at the clock.

Six thirty-seven.

“Early is one word for it.”

There was a nervous laugh on the other end.

“My name is Thomas. I was given your number by the man you bought your building from.”

That woke Leo up slightly.

“The owner?”

“Yes.”

“I hope you haven’t called to tell me the plumbing is broken again.”

“No.”

Thomas hesitated.

“It’s something much worse.”

Leo sat up.

“Go on.”

“I look after one of the forest parks outside Seattle.”

Leo swung his legs out of bed.

“And?”

“We’ve had people disappearing.”

Leo stopped.

“How many?”

“Seven.”

That got his full attention.

“Over what period?”

“Six weeks.”

Leo stood.

“Any bodies?”

“No.”

“Evidence?”

“Nothing.”

Leo walked towards the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Seattle was beginning to wake beneath a grey morning sky.

“Then why haven’t the police found anything?”

“They’ve looked.”

Thomas sighed.

“They’ve searched the woods. Dogs. Helicopters. Search teams. They’ve found absolutely nothing.”

“Any witnesses?”

“People who were nearby heard things. That’s about it.”

“What things?”

“That’s the problem.”

Thomas lowered his voice.

“People keep saying they felt like something was watching them.”

Leo stared out at the city.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

There was a long silence.

“Two days ago, another person disappeared.”

Leo waited.

“Since then, the council has started talking about shutting the park.”

“Because people are going missing.”

“Because they think something is happening here that we can’t explain.”

Thomas paused.

“I was sceptical about you at first. I thought the owner was sending me to some eccentric private investigator.”

“Most people do.”

“But after what happened to the missing woman...”

Leo smiled faintly.

“Word travels quickly.”

“I don’t know what else to do.”

Leo looked at the time.

“Send me the location.”

The park was enormous.

Miles of dense woodland stretched across the landscape, broken only by hiking trails, streams and occasional clearings.

Leo stepped from his car and looked around.

The air felt different.

Cooler.

Quieter.

He had spent enough time around supernatural creatures to recognise when something was wrong.

And something was wrong here.

A man in his late fifties approached him.

He was tall and lean, with weathered skin, grey hair and a thick beard. His green jacket was covered in mud, and his boots looked as though they’d spent more time in the forest than on pavement.

"Mr Winterhold?”

“Leo.”

The man nodded.

“Thomas.”

They shook hands.

“I appreciate you coming.”

Leo looked towards the trees.

“Show me where the latest person disappeared.”

Thomas pointed towards a trail.

“Campground three.”

They started walking.

“The missing man’s name is Daniel Harper. Twenty-one.”

“Occupation?”

“College student.”

“Friends?”

“Three of them were camping with him.”

“Did they see anything?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

Thomas looked uncomfortable.

“Daniel got up during the night.”

“Why?”

“Bathroom.”

“And?”

“He never came back.”

Leo frowned.

“How long before his friends realised?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes?”

“They thought he’d wandered off.”

“Then?”

“They started looking.”

“And found nothing.”

Thomas shook his head.

“Not even footprints.”

Leo looked around.

That was unusual.

Very unusual.

The campsite was almost untouched.

A tent stood beside a small fire pit.

Several empty camping chairs surrounded it.

A few discarded food wrappers were scattered around the ground.

Leo crouched.

He examined the earth.

There were footprints.

Several sets.

But none belonged to Daniel.

A woman’s voice came from behind him.

“You’re looking for my brother.”

Leo turned.

She was young.

Twenty-two, perhaps.

She had long brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and dark blue eyes. She was slim but athletic, dressed in hiking trousers, a green jacket and worn boots.

There were dark circles beneath her eyes.

She looked exhausted.

But determined.

“You’re Daniel’s sister.”

She nodded.

“Sarah.”

“Leo.”

“I know.”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Everyone around here has.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

But Leo let it go.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Sarah frowned.

“Neither should you.”

“Fair point.”

She looked towards the forest.

“I’m not leaving until I find him.”

Leo studied her.

“When did you arrive?”

“Yesterday.”

“Have you found anything?”

“No.”

“Then what makes you think you’ll find him now?”

“Because he’s my brother.”

Leo nodded.

Fair enough.

“What have the police told you?”

“That they think he got lost.”

“And you don’t?”

Sarah shook her head.

“Daniel doesn’t drink.”

Leo looked at her.

“That seems strangely specific.”

“Because everyone keeps assuming he wandered off because he’d been drinking.”

She folded her arms.

“He doesn’t drink. Never has.”

Leo glanced towards the campsite.

“Was he afraid of the woods?”

“No.”

“Superstitious?”

Sarah hesitated.

“Not really.”

Leo looked back at the trees.

Something moved.

He turned.

Nothing.

His eyes narrowed.

He looked again.

Still nothing.

But he had seen something.

A shape.

Just for a moment.

At the edge of the trees.

By sunset, Leo had found nothing.

He had followed the trail Daniel should have taken.

Checked the campsite.

Examined the surrounding woodland.

Found nothing.

No blood.

No torn clothing.

No footprints.

Nothing.

But as darkness settled across the forest, Leo began to feel something.

He was being watched.

He stopped walking.

The forest became silent.

Leo slowly turned.

Nothing.

He continued.

A few minutes later, movement appeared in the corner of his eye.

He spun.

Nothing.

Again.

A shape between the trees.

Gone.

Leo smiled.

“You’re not very subtle.”

Silence.

He kept walking.

Another glimpse.

Something tall.

Something hunched.

It moved behind him.

Always behind him.

Never in front.

Leo stopped.

That was the important part.

Whatever was following him didn’t want to be seen.

And it was very good at avoiding his gaze.

Sarah found him near the campsite.

“You’ve seen it too.”

Leo looked at her.

“Seen what?”

“The thing in the woods.”

Leo studied her face.

“You’ve seen something?”

“Not properly.”

She swallowed.

“But I’ve felt it.”

Leo nodded slowly.

“How long?”

“Since I arrived.”

“Does it only happen when you’re alone?”

Sarah’s expression changed.

“I think so.”

Leo’s mind began working.

“Your brother was alone when he disappeared.”

“Yes.”

“Was anyone else missing while they were drinking?”

“What?”

“Think.”

Sarah frowned.

“The other people who disappeared.”

Leo continued.

“Were they alone?”

“Most of them.”

“And the ones who weren’t?”

Sarah stared at him.

“I don’t know.”

Leo looked towards the forest.

He did.

Or at least he had an idea.

He just needed to confirm it.

They found the cave shortly after midnight.

It was hidden behind a wall of thick vegetation, deep beyond the marked trails.

Sarah almost walked past it.

Leo didn’t.

There was something about the place.

A smell.

Rot.

Damp earth.

And something else.

He moved the branches aside.

Sarah’s breath caught.

“Daniel.”

A body lay inside.

Alive.

Barely conscious.

His clothes were torn.

His face was pale.

Leo rushed forward.

Daniel opened his eyes.

“Sarah?”

She dropped beside him.

“Oh God.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve been missing for three days!”

Daniel looked confused.

“It wasn’t three days.”

Leo looked at him.

“What happened?”

Daniel swallowed.

“I went to the bathroom.”

“And?”

“I heard something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.”

His eyes moved towards the darkness.

“It kept moving behind me.”

Leo’s expression hardened.

“Did you see it?”

Daniel shook his head.

“No.”

“You didn’t see anything?”

“I saw its shadow.”

Leo nodded.

That confirmed it.

He knew what they were dealing with.

The Hidebehind.

A creature from old American folklore.

And one of the more irritating creatures Leo had ever encountered.

It was tall.

Far too tall.

Its limbs were unnaturally long, its body thin and skeletal beneath a layer of dark, matted fur.

Its arms were almost long enough to reach the ground.

Its face was narrow, with a mouth filled with small, jagged teeth.

But the most disturbing thing about it was its eyes.

There were none.

The creature didn’t need them.

It existed in the space behind you.

Always behind.

Always hidden.

No matter how quickly you turned, it would move.

Behind a tree.

Behind a rock.

Behind you.

It was almost impossible to see.

Almost impossible to catch.

And it had one particular habit.

It didn’t attack people in groups.

It waited.

It waited until someone was alone.

Then it followed.

Then it took them.

Leo had encountered references to the creature before.

Most accounts were dismissed as folklore.

But folklore had a habit of being less fictional than people believed.

He looked towards the darkness outside the cave.

“I know what took you.”

Daniel stared at him.

“What?”

“A Hidebehind.”

Sarah looked confused.

“What’s a Hidebehind?”

“Something you don’t want following you.”

Leo stood.

“We need to leave.”

Getting Daniel out was easier than getting him in.

The creature didn’t attack while the three of them remained together.

That was the rule.

Leo had figured that much out.

They reached the edge of the forest shortly before dawn.

Paramedics took Daniel.

Sarah refused to leave his side.

Leo watched them for a moment.

Then turned back towards the trees.

Thomas approached him.

“What are you doing?”

“Finishing the job.”

“You found the creature?”

Leo nodded.

“And you’re going back in there?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Leo smiled.

“Because if I leave it here, someone else will disappear.”

Leo returned to the cave alone.

He walked slowly.

No torch.

No weapon.

Nothing.

He wanted the creature to think he was vulnerable.

The forest was silent.

Then came the sound.

A branch snapping behind him.

Leo stopped.

Another.

Closer.

He smiled.

“Come on.”

Nothing.

Leo kept walking.

Another sound.

Then something breathed against the back of his neck.

Leo didn’t turn.

Instead, he reached into his coat.

The Hidebehind appeared behind him.

For once, it didn’t move.

Because Leo wasn’t looking.

That was exactly what he wanted.

He threw a small bottle behind him.

It smashed against a rock.

Alcohol splashed across the ground.

The creature moved.

Leo spun.

" Glacia Trapa.”

Ice exploded from beneath the creature.

Its feet froze to the ground.

The Hidebehind screamed.

It tried to pull itself free.

Leo stepped backwards.

The creature’s long arms clawed towards him.

Leo threw another bottle.

This one struck its chest.

Alcohol soaked into its fur.

Leo flicked his lighter.

The creature recoiled.

“Goodbye.”

He threw the flame.

Fire erupted.

The Hidebehind screamed.

Its body twisted violently.

The flames consumed it.

But there was no burning flesh.

No bones.

No blood.

The creature simply began to fade.

Its body became translucent.

Its long limbs dissolved into smoke.

Its mouth opened one final time.

Then it disappeared.

The forest fell silent.

Leo stood alone.

He extinguished the small remaining flames.

Then looked around.

“Much better.”

By the time Leo returned to the campsite, the sun was beginning to rise.

Thomas was waiting.

“Is it gone?”

Leo nodded.

“Completely.”

Thomas looked towards the forest.

“You really expect me to believe there was some kind of monster living in there?”

Leo smiled.

“No.”

Thomas frowned.

“Then why tell me?”

“Because you asked.”

Thomas shook his head.

“You know, I was starting to think the stories about you were exaggerated.”

“They probably are.”

Leo walked towards his car.

“Most of them.”

He stopped.

Then looked back at the forest.

Seattle had been interesting so far.

A kappa.

A kidnapping.

And now a creature from American folklore.

He was beginning to wonder what else the city had been hiding.

For the first time since arriving, Leo found himself genuinely looking forward to finding out.