I. wooden crosses mark the place // red ribbons adorn // where a 707 came down in the dark oak woods // no survivors except for the stories // of how the crash didn’t kill everyone // the mutilated bodies half-buried in the soil // victims of the creature lurking in the shadows // hidden in the spaces between the trees // only caught in a dark flash out of the corner of your eye

II.  a thing wearing the face of Linda Carlisle of seat 15 walks into a drug store // it buys two packs of licorice // and some Marlboro reds // from the teenage cashier // as the owner calls the police from the back // by the time the cops arrive // the creature is gone // and the deep footprints in the mud lead back into the woods // the teenage cashier says // the prints look like hooves

III. the wooden cross bearing Linda’s name becomes a tourist attraction // her red ribbon keeps being stolen // the townspeople cannot tell if the screams they hear // echoing from the woods at night // are the tourists or the beast // but they know the missing persons reports // are piling up

IV. along the quiet stretch of highway // on the edge of the dark oak woods // three cars crash in fiery fury // no survivors except for the stories // of how their torn off faces // must have been from the fire // not from the creature // that four people saw watching from the trees // while they visited the memorial // the town does not bother leaving red ribbons this time

V. a truck driver stops one night on that stretch of highway // no one knows why // leaving the safety of his vehicle // to walk into the middle of the road // where his mutilated body is found in the morning // the teenage cashier starts a blog about the murders of the dark oak woods 

VI. a hunter tells the local news // that while having his morning coffee in his cabin  // he saw a creature wearing the face of Brandon Sawyer of the fiery car crash // and it called to him from behind a dark oak tree // he closed the curtains as the creature wailed // he said it asked for a red ribbon 

VII. the teenage cashier posts on their blog // that this creature must have lured the truck driver into the road // and maybe giving into its demands // would make the killings stop // so they venture into the woods // camera rolling // to decorate the crosses along the highway

VIII. the police find the body the next day // flowers strewn around the mutilated face // the white ribbons the teenager tied around the crosses // dyed red with their blood

IX. the camera is never found // and the townspeople do not know // whether to put up a cross to display their grief // or stay quiet // and let the dead be at peace