They figured it meant to be extra cautious in those areas, maybe bears or mountain lions were well known to that particular trail and less-than friendly to hikers. Whenever they encountered one of the lit-up signs they'd make sure to stop and browse their surroundings, not that they ever saw anything or thought that anything saw them.
When they reached the gate however, the air began to feel strange and they felt far more exposed out in the field than they had at any point in the woods. As they turned back they caught sight of something impossibly large sliding between the trees and knew no snake in the world could be that size.
It felt like they'd been holding their breath and crouching by the gate for hours by the time it finished passing by and they felt brave enough to rush back to civilisation. Every sign they passed was lit up bright red, flashing at them as they ran without caring to stop until they were back at the main nature centre, collapsing in front of a concerned employee whose pocket radio was going haywire.
After explaining what they saw they were dragged into the building and told to hide in the cupboards beneath the exhibitions while the shutters were locked and the door quietly closed. They heard other people climbing into cupboards and more doors closing and then... not quite silence.
Not quite silence in a wood context should mean faint birdsong, wind through the trees and maybe a river nearby but instead they heard a slow, deliberate, dragging movement like a sack full of gravel over rocks and dirt that was trying to be quieter than it was capable of.
The door was pushed open and the unbearably intense scent of wet earth and bone marrow filled the room. The image of a bright green eye intruded in their minds, darting left and right as memories of their childhood were pulled and pushed until there wasn't a corner of their minds it hadn't seen.
As suddenly as it came it left, taking priceless memories with it and leaving them feeling a little emptier.
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