The Forest (story)

While walking in the foggy, lonesome forest just shortly before midnight, Rebecca and her fiance had gone to find dry firewood. As they continued to pick up firewood, the crickets chirped while the bullfrogs groaned down by the lake. As Rebecca bent over to grab a log from the ground, she was startled by a long lowly howl. Her fiance, Richard moved quickly forward towards Rebecca.
"What was that Richard?" she asks as she graps at his arm firmly. "I'm not sure honey; it may have just been a wolf." Suddenly, tree limbs began to pop and splinter. Almost as if it had been cued, they both exclaim, "I think we should head back to our campsite." With haste, they moed back to their campsite and made the flames of the fire grew tall as if they were fingers pawing into the darkness. Praying that whatever had bayed would be warded off into the night, they went into their tent and began to sleep uneasily.
Before dawn broke, the couple awoke to the scent of blood, and as their eyes began to open, they began to sense that something was out of place. Richard reached out for the zipper of the tent and with every tug of the chain; the tiny hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end. As he swayed open the tent door, he caught his first glimpse of the turmoil. All of the camping supplies had been ripped apart and there were mangled animal corpses lying all over the ground. Blood had been splattered against the trees, and paw prints led into the dark forest. Rebeccca began to slip her head out, and as soon as she had seen the carnage, she begant to feel sick to her stomach because the sight was almost too hard to bear.
In spite of how disgusting it was, Richard decided he wanted to find out what had caused all the suffering. Therefore, he gathered water, a flashlight, and food to last him a couple of days and asked Rebecca if she wanted to come with him. She said that she would not be able to make it, so she stayed back at camp. Richard left out on his quest to find the horrid beast that had ravaged those poor animals. He went into the forest and with every stop he became closer to his destiny. After what seemed like an eternity; he came upon a small cottage in the trees. It was a small quaint cottage with a small chimney that had smoke escaping its top. Pretty flowers were planted all around the house and through the small window; Richard saw that there was a small fire with a cooking pot in the firplace. He decided that it looked like a friendly place, and he was quite tired from walking all this way, so he went up and took the brass knocker and lightly knocked on the door.
A low grumble was heard and he began to sloly slink away from the door. Just as he was about to step down from the porch, the door was slung open and out stepped wolf, but this wolf was not normal. He stood upon his back legs and walked like a human being. Richard was scared out of his wits, as the creature started licking his chops and then asked Richard, "What do you want?" Obviously, Richard just wanted a place to sit and rest for a bit but he was unsure that this was the place to do it. "I don't want anything, I was just passing by and had wondered if I could sit down for a bit to rest my feet." The wolf exclaimed and began to laugh and told him, "Sure, you can rest here for a while." As the wolf explained to Richard that his name was Lucifer, he was slowly coaxing Richard into the house. Richard was reluctant, but the stranger had offered a warm place to lie down and a hot bowl of soup to eat. Richard decided he would go in but would leave as soon as he had rested. When Richard went into the house. Immediately he noticed the intense heat, and it smelled like wood that had burned for ages. He felt nervous and very uneasy about being in the house. Lucifer sat him down on the couch and served him a bowl of soup. Afterwards, Lucifer brought forth a proposition to Richard. "You have a fiance, don't you Richard?" This scared Richard because he had not told Lucifer his name. "Yes, but how did you know my name?" Richard asked. "I know everything, I know all your sins and all your transgressions as well." "Now back to my proposition, as you probably already know, I am the one that had bayed to you in the night and I am also the one that mangled those animals." Richard was stunned. Lucifer continued, "Well those were all signs because I wanted to see you face to face before I stole your soul." Richard jumped up and tried to run for the door, but was thrown back to the couch by a powerful force. "DO NOT TRY TO LEAVE!!!" Lucifer thundered. "I have already slaughtered your fiance, you did not come to me quick enough." Richard fell to his knees and cried. Lucifer screamed over Richard's wails, "I will bring life back into her body if you agree to my termsm first you must agree that I will have your sould on your 26th birthday." Richard exclaimed, "That only gives me five years!" "Richard, that is the agreement take it or leave it." Richard agreed and he headed for the door, but this time Lucifer let him. Richard ran all the way back to his campsite to find Rebecca who was slowly breathing. He didn't want to scare her, so he kept the proposition that he agree to, a secret. A year later, Rebecca and Richard joined hand in holy matrimony, but Lucifer always kept his eye on Richard. On Richard's 26th birthday, Lucifer came into the couple's home and paid a visit to Richard. Rebecca was frightened and Richard explained everything to her, and the exact minute that Richard turned 26, Lucifer, ripped Richard's soul from his body and no human has seen Lucifer since....