Do you know Shrieking Susan?

 I nudged my friend Jake in the ribs as we made our way up the winding forest trail. "Hey, did I ever tell you about Shrieking Susan?"

He groaned. "Is this another one of your dumb ghost stories?"

I grinned. "No. Well… yeah. But this one’s actually true."

Jake rolled his eyes as we hiked up the steep incline. "Well? You gonna tell me, or do I have a choice?"

"Nope. You're hearing it."

We passed a couple of hikers on their way down, moving quickly before darkness fully settled in. "So the story goes that she was a beautiful young woman who lived just outside this forest—"

An older woman with hiking poles interrupted me. "Boys, it's getting dark, and the trails ahead can be tricky. You should probably—" She stopped, squinting at us. "Wait… are you two twins?"

Jake and I exchanged a look. Not this again. He smirked at her. "Nope, just two strangers who look exactly alike, wearing the same clothes, in the exact same place. Wild coincidence, huh?"

The lady muttered something under her breath and hurried off.

I picked up a rock and tossed it into the brush, sending a few birds fluttering into the sky. "Anyway," I continued, "Susan was walking home one night when she realized someone was following her. She started running along this exact trail. She made it all the way to the top of the hill where—"

"Let me guess," Jake cut in. "She gets to the top, her stalker catches her, bashes her skull in or strangles her, and now she haunts the woods every night looking for revenge? That about right?"

I sighed. "Well… yeah. But damn, man, you could’ve let me build it up a little."

We finally reached the top of the hill, where I threw down my backpack and pulled out a Halloween mask. I slipped it on.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "That’d be scarier if I hadn’t just watched you put it on."

I chuckled. "Oh, this isn’t for you. It’s so Susan won’t recognize me."

The forest was pitch-black now. Silence settled over the trees—until a twig snapped somewhere behind us.

Jake spun around. "Dude… there’s something there."

"Of course there is," I said. "It’s Susan. And she’s finally about to get her revenge."

Jake laughed nervously, but I could see his hands tightening into fists. "Alright, you got me. Creepy story, weird noises, total setup. Very funny."

I didn’t laugh. I just looked past him, into the trees. A shadowy figure was moving between them.

"See, Jake… there’s a reason I know this story so well."

A long, piercing shriek echoed through the trees. Jake’s breath hitched.

"It’s because I was her attacker."

His eyes widened. "Dude. That’s not funny."

Another shriek rang out, closer this time. Then—out of the darkness—a figure stepped onto the path. Bone-white skin. Sunken black eyes. Twisted, gaping mouth.

Jake stumbled backward, his foot catching on an exposed root. He hit the ground hard, scrambling to push himself away.

"Wait!" he gasped, pointing at me. "It’s him! He’s the one who—"

Before he could finish, Susan lunged.

Her claw-like fingers closed around his throat.