Don't Be So Paranoid

We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cosy A-frame cabin. We were excited, happy. The journey had been fun, and we’d been giddy with anticipation. We’d chatted and giggled like two teenagers on their first road trip. We’d sung along to our favourite tunes, munched snacks and slurped drinks, and then waddled quickly, skidding slightly on the ice, to service station bathrooms. But now, we were quiet and still, speechless at the beauty of the cabin and its surroundings.

It was our first trip away in years. The pandemic had been tough on us, as it had on everyone. We were used to travelling, visiting friends and taking road trips, squeezing every last drop out of life. Stuck in one place away from everyone we knew, our lives reduced to one small space and with nothing else to do but work had been so hard. And of course, Ben had been so stressed. His work had gone bonkers. Global shutdowns will do that to a business.

We grabbed our bags from the back of the car, got the key from the lockbox and let ourselves in. It was gorgeous, picture-perfect. We investigated every corner of the cute little cabin and came to rest in front of the huge glass window, our arms wrapped around each other as we appreciated the view.

Suddenly, a sharp, shrill sound pierced the calm atmosphere. That dreaded sound, the one I hated, the one we both hated. The sound that made my blood run cold - or boil, depending on the day.

“Ben, no…”

“Ben speaking,” he announced loudly and I knew the trip was over. He was already in work mode, phone voice and everything. Tears started to well up in my eyes, and I threw myself onto the sofa, sulking in anticipation of what was to come. Ben listened intently, nodding and throwing in a few affirmatives here and there. Ending the conversation quickly, he turned to find me glaring at him.

“This is our week, Ben,” I said coldly. “We’ve been waiting for this for two and a half years.”

“I know,” he sighed, pulling a face. “But this is urgent.”

“It’s always bloody urgent! If everything’s urgent, then nothing is!”

“This is a real emergency. That was the CEO himself. I have to go in.”

He tried to put his arms around me, but I shrugged him off, too angry to be placated with hugs.

“Do you want to come back with me? Or stay here? I’ll take care of this as fast as I can, and be back in a couple of days or so.”

“I’m staying. Why should I leave just because your company can’t run itself properly?”

Regret was etched across his face, but I was too upset to acknowledge that his week was also ruined. He glanced around the cabin.

“Will you be okay for a few days? Won’t you need a car?”

“I’ll be fine.” I waved my phone at him. “I can order whatever I need.”

I refused to hug him before he left, and stared stony-faced from the front door as he mouthed I love you while backing out the driveway.

I slammed the door and shuffled slowly into the lounge. I shook my head, brushing away the tears that had started to form again.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” I said out loud, roughly.

Determined to enjoy myself, I made my way to the luxurious marble bathroom and started to run a bath. A good soak and a long read and I’d be right as rain.

….

After an hour in the bath, and wrinkled like a raisin, I wrapped a towel around myself and padded back into the living room. I pottered around, pulling things out of bags and unpacking groceries. I made some tea, always a source of pure joy. Blowing on the mug, preparing to take my first sip, I glanced out of the window.

There was a man standing outside, staring in. I gasped and almost dropped my mug in shock. He waved nonchalantly, seeming not to notice my fright, and then strolled off. I clutched the towel tighter around me. How long had he been there? Had he been watching me? Where had he come from?

“Pervert,” I mumbled as he disappeared between the trees. It hadn’t occurred to me before to even check the locks, so I rushed over to the front door and bolted it for good measure. I wasn’t a nervous person, and I never normally worried about being alone, but for the first time it hit me that I was a lone woman, by myself in an isolated place. But apparently, it wasn't so isolated after all.

Shaking off the feeling and chiding myself for being so silly, I decided to get dressed and explore the area. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and the fresh air was calling me. I put on my boots and, making sure the door was locked this time, I set off to the forest. A bulletin board and trail map marked the start of the route. It looked like there was some interesting paths to follow, and I decided to take the one that was a couple of hours round-trip.

I loved walking. A city-dweller now, I was a country girl by heart and adored being out in nature. It was my happy place. But after about an hour, an eerie feeling came over me. I had the visceral sensation of being watched.

Looking round surreptitiously, I jumped when I saw a man a few yards back. He nodded in greeting. I smiled uneasily and quickened my pace a little. I branched off the main path onto a smaller one, but heard his footsteps behind me. I couldn't decide if he was he following me or just going the same way on a pre-planned route.

I sped up, trying to shake him off. It didn’t seem like he was going any quicker, but the distance between us didn’t seem to be getting any bigger either. Then I wondered if I'd rather get away from him, or if I'd rather know exactly where he was... I bit my lip, wrestling with the question, unsure which was the better option.

“Excuse me!” he called out, and my blood started to pound. My heart was in my mouth, and my body tensed as a thousand thoughts raced through my brain, my instincts struggling with each other over whether to fight or flee.

“You dropped this.” He handed me a glove, then took a fork in the road that led in the opposite direction to my planned route. I laughed, giddy with relief, and after a minute’s rest to let my heart go back to normal, I continued on my way.

The sun was starting to set when I reached the cabin again. It had been a gorgeous walk, and I was feeling tired yet refreshed. I let myself in and went to make another cup of tea. As the kettle was boiling, I heard a knock at the door. I froze. Who now?! I thought to myself. Who can be knocking at the door of a bloody holiday cabin in the middle of bloody nowhere?

Approaching cautiously, I slid the chain across and opened the door.

“Hi!” A man’s face appeared in the crack. “I’m James, the owner of the cabin.”

“Oh, hi,” I said, slightly confused. I guess he looked familiar from the listing?

“Are you enjoying it so far?”

“Yeah, it’s lovely, thanks,” I replied, wondering what he could possibly want.

“Just you here?” he enquired, his expression unreadable.

He appeared nice enough, although a bit of an oddball. My eyes travelled over his shock of messy red hair and to the jacket with stuffing falling out of the rip in the left pocket. It seemed like he was just making polite conversation, but he was hard to read. I still couldn’t figure out why he was here.

“My husband just popped out to get something from the shop,” I told him. “He’ll be back any minute.”

“Oh. I saw him leave around lunchtime. Which shop did he go to?” he asked, rather sarcastically.

“He also had to go back to the city for something important, but I'm expecting him back any time now.”

“Don’t worry, it’s safe round here. No need to be scared about staying the night alone.” I think he meant his smile to be reassuring, but it came off as creepy. It's also never really that comforting when someone tells you that you don't have to be scared of something you never mentioned being scared of. And he had yet to get to the point of why he was here.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Right, yeah. I think I left my phone here earlier while I was setting up the fire.”

“I’ve not seen a phone anywhere,” I said quickly.

“Do you mind if I come in and have a look? I’m pretty sure I know where I would've left it.”

Again, my brain started to race. What could I say? This was his cabin. He owned it, and he thought his phone was here. People are lost without their phones! And yet… I didn’t want this strange man to come in while I was here on my own. It just didn’t feel safe. But it was his place, and I didn't want to be rude.

I removed the chain and he shuffled in. I grimaced and shrank back against the wall as he brushed past me in the narrow hallway. He wandered over to the fireplace and bent down to the woodstore next to it.

“Yep, here it is.” He held it up triumphantly. “Look at that, no messages!” He laughed and lumbered out again. “Good night.”

I locked and bolted the door again. Are there no other women in this part of the world? I joked to myself. I was just being paranoid. It was the argument with Ben that had unsettled me. It had made me jumpy. I set a roaring fire, closed all the curtains, and settled in for an evening of films, pasta and red wine on the sofa. I even had another bath before bed, as an extra relaxation method.

A banging on the door woke me with a start the next morning.

“Jade, it’s me! Wake up you lazy sod! Let me in!”

I rushed to the door and flung it wide open.

“You’re back already!” I said in shock.

“I stayed up all night to get it done and drove straight here,” Ben replied, wrapping me in a warm hug.

I was so happy to see him, I could barely speak.

“Are you okay?” He looked at me tenderly, a worried expression on his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I led the way into the kitchen and started to boil the kettle. “Just had a few strange encounters with weird guys yesterday that creeped me out a bit. It was kind of scary being here alone.”

“What happened?” Ben asked, looking concerned.

“First, there was this guy outside the cabin. I’d just got out of the bath and then I just saw him standing outside the kitchen window. When I caught his eye he waved and walked off. Later, I went for a hike and there with this man behind me and I couldn’t tell if he was following me or not, but luckily he disappeared after a while. And THEN, in the evening, the cabin owner came by and was talking and talking and wouldn’t go away and he wanted to come in and get his phone…”

I tailed off as Ben started to smirk.

“What?”

“Oh no, we'd better call the cops!" He laughed.

“Huh?”

“Come on. Don’t you think you're overreacting a bit? Men walking outside the cabin, chatting to you. Paranoid much?”

“I’m not explaining it properly. You don’t know what it's like to be here alone. Sometimes you just get this feeling...”

“Sure,” he said, unconcerned now, and ruffled my hair. “Let’s go for a walk. We can try one of the longer trails today.”

“Okay,” I replied quietly, a bit miffed that he’d dismissed my feelings like that. “Give me a minute to get changed.”

We left the cabin hand in hand and meandered towards the trailhead. I turned to look back, and noticed boot prints in the snow that certainly hadn’t been there yesterday. They came through the forest and ended at the bedroom window. My jaw dropped, and I thought about pointing them out, but Ben was busy looking at the trail map. Instead, I perused the bulletin board next to it. A poster caught my eye: a missing person, a young woman, smiling brightly at me. Last seen around here, two weeks ago.