DEMON HOUND

by Jason

I was born and raised in South Eastern Minnesota. The entire area is mostly rural. Fields, rolling hills and forests cover much of it. There are also quite a few parks in the area. A good friend lived near one of these parks. This particular park is many miles away from any real town. Lying less then 15 minutes from the Iowa border, one must travel down an old, lonely, narrow road to reach it. As the aged two-lane curves, winds, and flows from hill to hill one gets the feeling that they are stepping into a land that time forgot. The forests are dark and deep, the trees like old sentinels quietly watching all who enter. A magical place by day, very creepy at night.

As I mentioned, my good friend lived near this park. His worn house could be found by travelling a few miles down an old, dead-end, dirt road. One summer night when we were in high school he invited me to go camping with him and his brother. We were between the ages of 16-18 at the time. Our plan was to take his jeep out to a camper that sat in the woods behind his house. This woods lies just outside the border of the park and it took us about 15 minutes, cross country and over an old trail, to get there. We were all looking forward to having a great time.

When we got to the camper we were pretty deep in the woods. Arriving early in the evening, it was already plenty dark amongst the trees. We unpacked our gear and took it inside the broken down camper. Everyone was in great spirits and we spent a few minutes inside before we planned on going out to start a campfire.

My friend was the first to hear it. Mentioning the sound gives me chills to this day. He told us all to be quiet. Then we all heard it. Something was coming through the woods. Whatever it was, it was big/strong enough that one could hear the forest break in its path. The moans and the impendng crack the wood made when it snapped continued to get louder. It sounded like trees were literally being snapped in half and we could hear it clearly from inside the camper.

Our initial curiosity was quickly becoming fear. No one had the courage to move. We all just sat there as this thing, that devastated the forest in its path, get nearer and nearer. Quickly, it was near the camper. Us three young men, usually full of bravado, were all holding our breath afraid to make a noise. Than we heard it breath. It was right outside the camper. Its breath was ragged and almost sounded like a snort. Unexpectedly, something crashed into the side of the camper with enough force that it rocked it hard and made us scramble to keep our balance. Before we could do anything, the creature smashed into the camper again.

My friend yelled "Go!!!" and his brother was the first one to the door. Thankfully, the door was on the oppoisite side on the camper the beast was on and the jeep was only a few yards from the door. As we all ran out and jumped into the jeep the creature bore into the camper again, rocking it very hard. My friend's brother started the jeep quickly and made a wild U-turn that nearly smashed us into a tree. Soon we were flying back down the path toward their home and back out of the woods. I was in the back of the jeep and looked back to see the thing that was creating all this havoc.

I'll never forget what I saw. It was no longer smashing the trailer now, but running very quickly down that path after us. It looked like a dog at first glance. Only much bigger. It looked like a mix between a razorback boar and a shaggy dog. Its back was slighly arched like that of a razorback. The highest point of its back reached at least five and a half feet tall. Its legs were long and narrow. It had thick, long hair that was mostly black but with hints of brown like some dogs have. The beast had a shaggy tail like a dog as well. The most terrifying aspect was it's face. It had a snout like a boar, its nose was slightly upturned. Its eyes were dark and focused intently on us. It was very fast as well and took long strides, unlike a pig.

My friend and I were yelling at his brother to go faster. Thankfully, we lost it along the path. We were still very frightened and could not understand what we saw. As we exited the woods and came to the grassy field that sat between the forest and my friend's house we breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived. Somehow the creature had gotten ahead of us and was off to our left, standing in the weeds about 50 yards away. I can't understand to this day how it managed to get ahead of us. My friend's brother slammed on the gas and we went up over a hill. The creature began to race towards the jeep again. We went up and over the hill and his house was now in sight. We didn't slow at all, but as I looked back the creature never came over the rise.

We arrived back at the house and their mother wasn't there. We all knew we were part of something we could not explain. We didn't go back to the woods that night. We actually left for town almost immediately. Both the boys ended up staying overnight at my house, instead of going back home. It wasn't until three or four days later that they gathered up enough courage to go back out there and get our gear we left behind. I never went back.

That wasn't the last I saw of the "Demon Hound" though. Less than a year later I met a girl who happened to live less than a mile from my friend's house. Many late nights I drove the lonely stretch of road from her house, near the park, back to my home in town. About three years later I was driving the stretch with my girlfriend one night. It was snowing lightly but warm enough to melt right away. As we came over a rise in the road we both saw the same exact creature I described. It was standing on the edge of the road, facing it, it's long flank towards us. My first instinct told me a horse, based on it's size and shape. But I got a glimpse of its face, and it's snout. I didn't know if my girlfriend saw it or not as we kept going down the road because it had stood perfectly still and it was snowing lightly and dark out. She said she did and described exactly the same thing to me.

That was the last I ever saw of the creature. Her family and my friend both since moved so I have little reason to go back down that old road anymore. I'm glad for it too. My friend and I have discussed that day in the woods a few times and it still scares the hell out of both of us. This is only one of many things that have happened to me and the people I know who live in that area that we cannot explain, but this was the worst for me. I felt I was in physical danger. I wish this story wasn't true and that it never happened.It still scares the heck out of me to this day and it happened 10 years ago. But it is all fact. I have never been able to explain what the creature is but I don't doubt it's still there.