My Encounter: The Beast of Bray Road

First off, I know many of you have seen me around the forums--this thread is one of the major reasons that I decided to join ATS. I'd been putting it off because honestly it's pretty freaky to remember, but thanks to some prompts from other curious members I've decided to finally share.

I was lucky enough not to be alone during this encounter--I was accompanied by my now-fiance and a guy who was a close friend at the time (& also the son of a prominent local Mason). Because I wasn't alone I decided to reach out a couple of years ago when I posted this encounter in a blog about cryptids. I have since deleted that post because I didn't want to have my name too-attached to this. Especially since I ended up going on T.V. about it. But that was a great experience--thank you again, Linda Godfrey, for giving me the chance to be on Haunted Highway. It was really quite fun, but I'm still sad I didn't meet Jack

You all can see the episode for free if you click here . But be forewarned--there are some popups you'll have to click through in order to view the episode.

I encourage reading my account first, though, since my account on the episode is understandably edited.

The Setting

It was winter--late December or early January 4 years ago. It was right after the biggest snowfall of the season--I live in southeastern Wisconsin, by the way. About a foot and a half of snow was on the ground.

The night in question was a clear night, the moon was high in the sky--lol and no, it wasn't a full moon--but, it was pretty close. Definitely waxing--so there was really good visibility. There was minimum light snowfall--the puffy kind. And it was around midnight at the time of the encounter.

The place mentioned in Haunted Highway isn't where the sighting was. It was close, but at the behest of Linda Godfrey the location is being hidden. I agree--I too don't want thrill-seekers or hunters messing around in the forests or with whatever these things are that live around here.

But I can tell you that it was on the rustic roads, very near to Holy Hill, right off of St. Augustine Road.


The Encounter

The three of us were out taking a scenic nighttime drive, just hanging out and chatting. We decide to pull in to the park (we were in a fairly large four-door vehicle--I think it was a LeSabre) and sit and talk awhile before heading back off to our respective homes.

So, we're sitting there for about five minutes, and everything was normal. I'm in the back seat--my fiance's in the passenger's seat--our friend is in the driver's seat.

When all of a sudden we hear this crazy loud gutteral growl-roar-scream coming from not too far off on our right, followed by footsteps like thud-thud thud-thud (like on two legs) but then it became thudthud-thudthud (as if dropping onto four legs). Kinda sounded like a huge horse without shoes. The car shook slightly with its approach. It slams into the back of the car at a full run, pushing us 10 inches forward into the unplowed snow that's in front of us, and it doesn't even slow down as it continues forward.

Then silence.

The three of us are sitting there, shaking and stunned and dealing with the whip-lash we'd received. My fiance's an Eagle Scout and the other boy was definitely not a fraidy-cat either. We realize that we're stuck in the snow and we have a quick discussion about this. Then my fiance gets out of the car, even though I'm begging him to stay inside--I knew that whatever it was was still out there and I was apprehensive. But he gets out anyway. And then I make our friend get out and help him as well. They tell me to get into the driver's seat so that I can put it into neutral and help them back this car up and out of the snow.

While they're pushing, I hear a rumble again, this time to my left. And I look up.

About three yards from me stood this thing. It was about 9 feet tall (but I'm short so I may have overshot the height. I don't think so, though), emaciated-looking with extremely prominent large bones pushing through its thin grey ashen skin. Heavily-muscled despite it's apparent skinniness. Very lanky. Back-bent legs. It was covered in matted, tangled reddish brown hair that looked disgusting. I'll never forget that face. The face was straight out of a nightmare. Two reddish orange glowing--yes, emitting their own light and not refracting anything-- orbs for eyes--no pupil. Like looking into an inferno. Slits for the nose, a somewhat stubby snout, and the biggest and most-terrifying mouth imaginable. Double-rowed sharp teeth. All incisors. All of them looked WAY too big. Way too many and way too big. It was horrifying. The ears were huge points--just like Anubis, the Egyptian god.

The mouth is lolling open, wet sluggish tongue and all. And it's staring me down. I lock eyes with it and I become frozen with fear. All of a sudden this smell like cloying death permeates the car and me--I've never smelled death before but I immediately knew it was the smell of death when I smelled it. No car door was going to save me. That thing could have ripped the door off and killed me in a single motion--of that I have little doubt. I was terrified. I knew that my friends and I were no match--and I thought for a moment that we were all dead just like that.

As I was freaking out in my head, thinking, oh my God oh my God I'm going to die like this I can't believe I'm going to die like this I-- I get this snippet of the song 'Jesus Loves Me' in my head and I'm able to break eye contact. I start singing it in my head and I start begging God to save me, apologizing for being so bad and for being so stupid. I lock eyes with the thing again and I hear myself whisper, "In the name of my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, go back where Jesus sends you".

It looks at me for a fraction of a second more before dropping onto four legs and loping off a few steps before turning back to stare at me once more (with what looked like a baleful glare) before finally running away into the pine trees.

My friends are able to dislodge the car a couple minutes later and we got the heck out of there.


Aftermath

What happened still kinda freaks me out. Worst part is, I'm pretty sure there's more than one--if you look into Linda Godfrey's blog you'll see that there has been a recent sighting--this past december. Of something that sounds exactly like what I saw but way smaller (like a freaking baby). Also, besides me (my two friends did not see the creature/have no recollection of seeing it but they remember hearing it and being pushed into the snow) 4 other people in the area (that I know personally) have seen this exact same creature.


Then, the spring after my encounter

My friend, (who on here has the screen name KingKelson but hasn't gotten 20 posts quite yet), Kelson, and I are out for a drive and chilling and I get him to stop at the place where I saw this thing on a whim.

Right near where I saw it we find (literally out in the open) about three deer carcasses torn to shreds with precision. The heads and eyes were untouched. The hoofs were untouched. But everything else was GONE. Picked clean. Down to the bone. Legs thrown that way, heads the other, rib cages (one totally intact) somewhere else. All around this weird outcropping of trees. It looked like maybe there was a tunnel in the brush--a big one.

Continued...

But our logic got the better of us and we haven't checked it out further. Even though I still want to and plan to--but with a larger group and with a tranquilizer or something. Or a big tazer. Even though i doubt that that would really help. (oh, and LMK if anyone's from s.e Wisconsin (or anyone else) who would be interested in checking this out with me and some friends. PM me and I can add you on facebook so we can chat more.)

My ultimate goal in this is checking out if there is a tunnel, and then covering it with a huge stone or something (we have quarries aplenty around here). I think there are other 'dens' around and I'd be interested in checking them out, too. I know the location of 2 other points where I think this thing frequents.

We took pictures of the bones, but that phone has since been tossed. Unfortunately.

I have a fairly good idea of what it was, and I can go into more detail about the research I've done after the fact if anyone is interested. But seeing as this is so long already, I'll wait and see what you guys have to say about all of this first, I think.

But maybe it's just better left alone lol. Though, I think it's responsible for the large quantity of missing dogs in the area. Oh, and whatever it is also chases the deer/follows deer paths. In our forest excursions, we've seen odd huge footprints that would match the size of this thing well.

It wasn't a bear. It wasn't a bear with mange. It wasn't a wolf. It wasn't a cat of any sort. It was something else. Resembled a wolf/cat/human thing. Definitely had a above-human level intelligence feel to it.

You don't have to believe me. I don't care if you think I'm nuts.

I'm just glad I wasn't alone. And I hope sharing this will help people who've seen things when they were alone. To help them know they're not alone. And they're not crazy.

Peace.

a reply to: rukia

Perhaps in the fuller account you allude to there is some information about what your companions saw or didn't see. In your account her, I find it unusual that you have not felt the need to include such info. It would greatly support your case since the two were outside and definitely, according to your details, within twenty feet of the roar, smell and sight of the critter. Yet we get nothing about what they experienced.

I believe fully in such creatures, however.

a reply to: Aliensun

I included those points.

(my two friends did not see the creature/have no recollection of seeing it but they remember hearing it and being pushed into the snow)

I was the only one who smelled the smell. Devin and Jaelle said that me being the one smelling it sounds like other things they'd heard. And they said that it sounded like I was being targeted as prey by the thing. They said this before we started filming when I gave them a run through of all of this. They asked questions and I answered when we were doing the actual filming.


Oh you're talking about the episode? Yeah a lot got edited out. That's why I said to read the full thing before the episode (preferably). Sorry again it's so long.

Neat.

I live about 20 miles east of there; I've never seen anything nor have I talked to friends who have.

That being said, maybe my friends don't want to talk about it even if they have seen something, so maybe I should actually just ask them.

I do have some friends that live relatively close -- Hartford -- who drive through that area all the time. So maybe they've seen something or know someone who has.

Thanks for your story.

a reply to: TommyD1966

Yeah, I encourage asking them. Can't hurt. And if they don't want to talk they wont, but I guess just be open and willing to listen if they do. Again, I know a lot of people around here and only four besides me have seen it (as far as I know). I used to drive on the rustic roads a lot before this happened and wasn't expecting this at all. Sure, you see deer sometimes. Maybe a fox, but definitely wasn't expecting anything like this.

Nor have I seen it since (thank goodness).

a reply to: rukia

Hello Rukia - do you believe this was a demon of some sort? I used to believe in sasquatch but now believe they are demonic in nature. I don't know to what extent but this is my conclusion.

What a terrifying encounter. I used to wonder what these werewolf type looking things were before I understood what sasquatch was. There is a fellow called Mike, part of Ontario Sasquatch, and he is communicating with a sasquatch that now speaks to him in English (he has taped him) and there is a lot of supernatural stuff going on and he's getting deeper and deeper. The only reason I mention sasquatch so much is he said he has seen/or had indications of the same type of thing you saw but he didn't go into too much detail.

So I think it's all interconnected. The supernatural can come across into our world and look like anything they want. I'm glad you called on the name of Jesus. His name is above all others.

But I wouldn't go seeking them. It could open you to more encounters, demonic attacks.

Mmmmm..... Jaelle de Pardo.
She is quite the investigator.

Your experience sounds like a scene from a horror movie.

a reply to: ccseagull

Honestly, yeah I think it was a demon. I've seen a demon before--when I was about 2 or 3 years old (and also one more time after this encounter--about a year later and in a totally different setting). The eyes were the same. But the feeling of fear I got from this one is the most fear I've felt ever bar none.

That's the other reason I joined ATS. Gonna make a thread in Paranormal Studies about the other weird encounters that I mentioned sooner or later. Once my buddy KingKelson gets his darn 20 posts so he can help me tell what happened and answer PMs and such.

Yeah, demons seem to be interested in me for some reason. I don't know why. It kinda sucks. I really hope I never see anything again but I have a sinking feeling that I might. Not looking forward to it lol

Oh, and I should mention: I've also spoken to a psychologist about this encounter because I wanted to know if I'm just nucking futs or whatever. The psychologist (David Drajkowski) told me that I'm not mentally ill or hallucinating and that he believes that I saw what I saw--but he doesn't know what it was and the fact that I saw this kinda scares him (understandably) but he believes me. Which is a relief.

Yeah, I don't want to find it again. But I do want to seal it away if possible. I forget the show but I saw this one story about this town that was assailed by a flying bat monster with red eyes. To get rid of it they sealed its den. They had pictures. It was one of those shows on Travel Channel I think. American Monsters maybe.

a reply to: butcherguy

haha she was pretty nice! and very pretty, too. Devin was my favorite though--he was so kind and easy to talk to.

Yeah seriously--and I like horror movies. That's why I was so mind-blown and in disbelief when I thought it was curtains for me. I was like no way--seriously I'm gonna die like this? I'm glad I didn't. Though I still can't believe my friends and I survived that. Dying there would have been way too cliche >_< yay for morbid humor. lol

Sounds like a Windego?

I don't know if that's it but whatever it sounds a bit like what has been seen at Skinwalker Ranch and other such weird sites. If your story is true, it sounds terrifying.

Right now, it's a "grey area" story, as hard evidence is absent. If true, I don't know that I'd want to hunt it!!!

Peace,
AB

a reply to: rukia

Okay that makes sense. My take on your thinking was you considered it a demon. And then I was wondering why you would want to close off the tunnel. And so of course my next thought is if it's supernatural it will still find a way.

But the interesting thing is I was reading a book by Shannon Gilmour, Nonexistent Entities, and due to her own personal encounters she believes they are demonic but wonders if they are aware they are. They definitely respond to the name of Jesus and so that says it all right there. Could they be a nephilim of some sort, which would be demonic.

Personally as soon as I realized what they were it just answered my life's obsession with them and I didn't feel the need to chase them in any way any more because the supernatural can keep up the games and mystery and keep us chasing and chasing. And the fact is if it's demonic then it's against God and has nothing but evil in its heart and so I have no need to have anything to do with it.

I'm not saying this at you but explaining what my final thinking was on it. So no judgement at all towards you.

Until one has had such an encounter no one else can understand. I have been in situations of absolute fear but nothing like what you encountered. Have you dabbled in the occult in any way? Opened a door in any way? You might need to get rid of/or shut the door if that's the case. Other than that it could be trying to entice you deeper and deeper. OR you might be a real mover and shaker for God and evil wants to cut you off before that happens.

Pray for God's warrior angels to protect you when you're delving into this. I'll put you on my prayer list.

Your friends are trying to push the car out of the snow, you are in the car, this thing appears about three yards to your left. And yet there is only you that sees it? Isn't that kind of strange given that you say it was a clear moonlit night and this thing is around nine feet tall?

I know, me personally, would have been back out there trying to find it and show proof....but....it did let you live and did not attack you as prey. Maybe it was a mother protecting her young?....if you do go looking, bring a camera or go pro and film the whole thing.... I'm not sure I would close off that tunnel, could be babies in there . Could you live with the heart ache of knowing you sealed off babies to a slow death, after Mom let you live? Just a thought....and of course once you expose the creature it will be hunted, killed, stuffed, and put in a museum anyways....That's just par for the course. Cool story though....I saw something similar in the woods of of NH. Tall, gray, shaggy looking ....stood slightly behind a pine tree staring at me, and then it vanished. Same type of night, waxing of the moon, cold.....To this day I'm not sure if it was a creature or someone in a military gilli suit? I've been back looking but haven't seen it. ...good luck with whatever you do.

a reply to: Chemicalbrother

Yep. I know what you mean. I think so, too. I don't know if they blocked it out or just weren't looking up or what. My fiance's resolute that he didn't see it. I don't know so much about our friend, since he looked kinda haunted afterwards but he's keeping mum about it. So yeah, as far as I know only I actually saw it.

a reply to: Meldionne1

Thank you, I wish you luck as well in whatever you do.

I did go back and I got pictures of those bones, but this is in the days before I'd heard of ATS and so that phone has since been trashed. It was Kelson's phone and not mine. I am still mad that that phones gone lol

Although, really, pictures of bones doesn't prove too much either, so, yeah. The only proof is in that my friends were there to hear the thing and get pushed into the snow. And that Linda Godfrey believes me--since she's quite a legitimate journalist from what I've seen of her and she's somewhat of an expert in the field of 'dogman' and 'bigfoot' sightings. She herself has seen a sasquatch (she said she saw it during the day in the forest--not sure where or anything though it might be on her blog if you check back 2 or 3 years. She said she saw it in the summer).

Yeah I was in no state of mind to snap a pic of the thing when I saw it. And I don't think anyone would be. Regardless of how much you might want to. It was the last thing on my mind at the time. I was just worried about getting out of there as fast as possible.

a reply to: Chemicalbrother

That would go hand in hand with any such supernatural encounter. It was making itself known to her.

a reply to: ccseagull

Thank you--prayers are always very appreciated. I think you're right, too. I guess it's just me being young, brash, and foolish wanting to 'solve' whatever is going on around here. Because in a way I'd feel bad leaving it the way it is. But then again, you're right in that if it's supernatural that it would find a way regardless of anything I could do.

Unless someone would out of the blue fund the expedition to seal off entries (lol) I don't think I'll be searching for this thing. And if I ever am unfortunate enough to see it again, I won't be as afraid because I know what to do to make it run. Yeah, as kooky as it probably sounds to anyone who doesn't believe in Jesus or anything calling on Jesus for help really did make a world of difference in this encounter. I don't think I'd be here if I hadn't prayed. People can take that however they want and it's fine if they don't think God exists or whatever. I'm cool with that. It's what I believe, though. But hey, that thing might have run away anyway etc etc.

Although I'd love to keep my beliefs out of this situation because I don't want to alienate anyone (and because 2 of the 4 who I mentioned also having seen this thing in the area are atheist and are also alive and well--if traumatized in a way, same as me. But none of the four others have been physically attacked out of the blue like my friends and I were).


And as a reply to the thread as a whole:

In fact, one of the four actually saw this thing by his garage in broad daylight--and so did his neighbor and dad. The thing put out a fire that was in the leaves by his garage. I guess the fire had grown large. And the thing was swiping at the garage (I guess there were huge gouges from claws on the roof of the garage, even. Which have since been repaired). But I guess his dad got a better look and the neighbor just called it a large hairy man. So it could have been something else--maybe a bigfoot? No clue. But the thing wasn't bad and actually helped them out in this case so yeah I'm ok admitting I definitely don't know what's all going on here.

Another person just saw this thing running through a field near his house, and the other one had a more face-to face encounter. The other one, I don't know the details because he's afraid to talk about it but he did describe what he saw to me only after hearing that I'd seen it, too. All of these people who I'm talking about are around my age group. All of them happened without us knowing of one another. I hadn't heard much about the beast of bray road before my encounter and honestly thought it was B.S. Until it happened to me.

Seriously, if you go back investigating, wear a Go-Pro....you won't have to worry about getting a picture or remembering to...and you'll have full on video!

a reply to: Meldionne1

I have not heard of this go-pro thing. But that sounds like a great idea. Off to check it out on google.

a reply to: ccseagull
Really? Have you any examples?
Thanks in advance.