Echoes in the Missouri Woods

      The dense forest of northern Missouri enveloped Jim Caldwell as he trudged deeper into the unknown. The moon hung low, casting an eerie glow which filtered through the tangled branches above. Each step he took sent a shiver up his spine, the rustling leaves whispering secrets in the night. His breath came in shallow gasps, the weight of his encounter heavy on his mind. It was a story no one would believe, but he had to try.

     "There's no need for us to be afraid of each other," Jim called out, his voice trembling. "We can live in peace. I don't want to hurt you."

     His words hung in the air, met with the silence of the forest. He waited, the tension in his body coiling tighter with each passing second. The trees around him closed in, their shadows stretching. Then, it hit him.

     The infrasound slammed into Jim with an invisible force, making his entire body convulse. He staggered, his knees buckling under the weight of the unseen blow. It wasn't a sound he could hear, but a vibration that resonated through his bones, shaking him to his core. His mind raced, a torrent of emotions flooding through him—anger, fear, hatred, and a crushing sense of doom.

     "What the hell?" Jim gasped, clutching his head. The sensation was overwhelming, a physical manifestation of the creature's intent. He had heard tales of Bigfoot using infrasound, but to experience it firsthand was something entirely different. The forest around him darkened, the once familiar landscape alien and threatening.

     His thoughts were a jumbled mess, the telepathic component he suspected adding to his confusion. Could this creature truly communicate in such a way? The idea seemed absurd, yet the feelings coursing through him were unmistakable. It was as if the creature's very essence had invaded his being, leaving him reeling in its wake.

     Jim's eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the creature. The forest, so alive with its nocturnal symphony, felt as a stage set for a nightmare. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline surging through his veins. He needed to get out, to escape the oppressive presence which loomed unseen.

     Jim forced himself to stand, his legs shaking. He took a step, then another, each one a monumental effort. The infrasound reverberated through him, a haunting reminder of the creature's power. As he stumbled through the underbrush, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, the eyes of the forest upon him.

     The memory of the encounter would haunt him, a story too wild for most to believe. But Jim knew what he had experienced, the terror had gripped him in the dark of the Missouri forest. He had faced something beyond the ordinary, a glimpse into the unknown that left him forever changed. The shadows of the trees whispered his name as he made his way back to the safety of his home, a place which felt worlds away from the nightmare he had escaped.