GAME OVER

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The soft glow reflected off the dirty glass and was easy to pick out in the dark. Shadows hugged the cabin and only a sliver of moon showed in the starless sky peaking through the canopy of trees.

Hart had been coming up to this secluded part of the woods for months now and had never come across anybody else, so the sight of the candle made the college freshman ease his foot on the brake.

The beat up Ford Galaxy came to a rolling stop, the high grass of the overgrown road leading up to the cabin brushing the dented front bumper. The engine thumped and wined. It was an old car and Hart was proud it had made it this far without issue.

The others in the car spoke up immediately. "Why are we stopping?" This came from Amber, sitting in the passenger seat beside him. She'd been fiddling with her phone, searching for a non existent signal, and shot an annoyed glance his way. "We're not there yet."

'There' was the customary parking spot next to the swaybacked buildings porch. It was an easy walk to unload the Ford's spacious trunk onto the porch itself, while somebody else carried the supplies inside. Those supplies mostly consisted of booze, snacks, and prophylactics. Though, this trip, Hart had also packed an ice chest full of meat and a fancy crossbow.

From the back seat, Scotty said, "Yeah, are we stuck or something? Because, man, I doubt we'll be able to get it unstuck without a tow truck. And there aren't any tows coming this far out. Especially this late."

Beside him, his girlfriend, Cindie, chimed in. She said, "I gotta pee."

Hart shushed them all and gestured with his chin. "See that? There's somebody out here already."

That shut them up. This inside of the car was hushed as they all stared at the flicker of sickly yellow light in the cabin's window. That lonesome flame was the only movement coming from the dilapidated old building, but that was all they needed. They recognized the significance of the candle and the sudden shift from tired excitement to exhausted disappointment made them all slump in their seats.

Hart threw the car into park and put his hand on his door to open it. Amber stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and said, "What are you doing? We gotta get out of here. We're trespassing. What if they call the cops?"

"Yeah." Cindie sounded terrified at the prospect of police involvement. Hart didn't blame her. Her dad was a sherrif's deputy and probably wouldn't appreciate his daughter getting busted for trespassing with a couple of college guys he'd never met, much less knew about. She said, "Let's just get out of here."

Scotty gave her an incredulous look. He said, "We've been on the road for an hour already, babe. I say we check it out. It's probably just a homeless guy or some kids. We'll run 'em off." The fact that they were only kids themselves didn't seem to register to him as he said it.

Hart listened to them and quickly made up his mind. "I'm going to check it out. Stay with the girl's, Scotty." Before they could argue, he said, "Give me the crossbow."

With a sudden grin, Scotty picked up the crossbow from where it lay on the seat between Cindie and himself. It really should've been in the trunk with the rest of their gear, but Scotty hadn't been able to resist keeping it in the car. He'd been toying with it during the drive, desperate to take a shot at something.

Hart took the crossbow from his friend, annoyed to find there was already a bolt loaded, and climbed out of the car. He double checked the weapon, thankful Scotty hadn't broken it, then leaned down to look at his friends. He said, "I'll be quick. If it's just kids or a bum, it shouldn't be hard to run them off."

"What if it's the owner?" Amber asked. She chewed her lower lip as she said it. It wasn't like her to be this nervous, but it was late and dark. And this was a very spooky situation. She'd seen enough horror movies to know that stuff like this could go sideways really fast.

Hart shrugged and made a face. He said, "I don't think this place has had an owner for a long time. Like decades. But, if it looks like that's who this is, I'll just say we got lost and apologize for trespassing."

That sounded like a pretty good plan and the others all nodded and watched as Hart closed the car door and started walking up the overgrown driveway.

Hart only looked back once as he moved toward the cabin. Maybe twice. His friend's faces were visible in the white glow from the cell phone flashlights, staring at him through the Ford's windshield like a trio of specters. A chill ran across his neck and he turned back as he reached the steps leading up into the cabin's porch.

Treading as lightly as he could, the warped boards still groaned under Hart's boots as he climbed the steps and found himself standing in front of the front door. It was a surprisingly sturdy door made of slats of nailed together plywood and his knuckles stung when he knocked.

There was no response from inside the cabin. Only the sound of the wind, rattling the wooden shingles.

Hart swallowed and tried the door's handle. It was just a latch and when he lifted it, the door swung inward a couple of inches, showing only darkness from inside the cabin. The candle's glow didn't reach this far, it seemed.

Hart pushed the door open with his foot, calling out as he did it, "Hello? Is anybody there?" He didn't like how small his voice sounded. Like a little kid's. The crossbow should've been a comfort but it felt wholly inadequate as he stepped across the cabin's threshold.

The main room was empty except for a set of cabinets and counters against the left hand wall and a mismatched couch and loveseat in what could be called the living room. Some other trespassing kids had hauled them in from somewhere. Probably a dump, from the state of the worn fabric and cracked vinyl, but they were usable.

On the floor and in the corners were drifts of trash and discarded beer cans, from earlier visitors. Broken glass littered the floor and graffiti decorated the walls.

All of this was visible in the glow from the candle in the window. The fat stub of wax was about three inches tall, but had begun much taller, judging from the melted remains surrounding it and running down the wall. That the cabin hadn't burned down was a small miracle.

Hart glanced around the room and called out, once more, "Is there anybody here?"

No answer.

This is stupid, he decided. Shouldering the crossbow, Hart went back outside and waved his phone overhead to get the others attention.

Scotty popped his head out and called out, "Yo, what's up? Did you find anything?"

"I didn't find shit." Hart shouted. "Bring the car up and let's get this place cleaned up."

Scotty threw him a thumbs up, despite it being too dark to see, and moved to do just that. Within a few minutes, the guys were moving the supplies into the cabin while the girls swept up trash and got the main room of the cabin in order. They'd lit the interior with LED lanterns placed in various corners, putting off enough light to make up for the lack of electricity.

They left the half melted candle in the window. Amber looked at it for a moment, frowning slightly, before blowing it out. It occurred to her to wonder who'd lit it in the first place, but she let the thought fade. If Hart thought it was okay, then it should be alright.

Once the main room was livable, they searched the rest of the cabin. Hart led the way, carrying the crossbow in the crook of his right arm. Scotty followed close behind, holding another lantern up over his head to light the way. None of them wanted to be surprised by whoever lit that candle if they happened to hiding somewhere.

Amber and Cindie brought up the rear. Neither wanted to be left behind while the boy's went off exploring. This wasn't the first time they'd visited the cabin. They all knew the layout. The hallway off the main room had two closed doors on either side, each leading to identical bedrooms. The hall ended in a back room that once might have housed an old washing machine and the hot water tank. There was a back door, just as plain as the front, that opened directly onto the woods behind the house. There was no yard.

They checked the bedrooms, finding them to be slightly less trashed than the front room had been, then checked the back door. It was jammed shut and took both of them to wrench open. Everything was quiet outside.

After securing the back door, they cleaned up the bedrooms and got their bedding all laid out. Amber watched Hart unroll their air mattress and start up the little device that inflated it, liking the way his muscles moved under his tee shirt. She ran her hands over his shoulders and crouched beside him long enough to plant a kiss on the side of his neck.

Hart flinched, laughing, and pulled her down into his arms. "C'mere, you." She laughed and thrashed as he nuzzled her neck, tickling her with kisses and the tip of his nose.

The sound of shattering glass and Cindie's sharp scream of terror were the only warning they had before their own window exploded inward and a gray skinned ghoul clambered inside.

Amber's scream was remarkably similar to Cindie's. She clung hard to Hart's neck as he rolled them both out of the way of the monster's questing fingers.

It's flesh hung loose and was wet and moldy in places. The tips of its fingers were chewed away, revealing bone. The face twisted in a grimace, the mouth opening and closing as it gnashed its broken teeth. The eyes were slick black orbs, gleaming wetly in their sunken sockets.

Hart pulled Amber with him as they scrambled to their feet and fled the room, slamming the door behind them. The thing hit the door, rattling the old wood in its frame, and gave a low guttural growl.

They turned and started back toward the main room, but were stopped by the sudden appearence of Scotty. He was on his stomach, dragging himself along the floor by his arms. His face was masked in blood and distorted with agony. Both of his legs were missing below the knee. As he crawled, the stumps left a smeared trail of blood.

When he saw them, Scotty cried out, "RUN! Oh, God, run!"

Before he could say more, another of the ghouls shuffled into view behind him. In one hand, it held an old scythe. The rusted blade slick with blood and clinging bits of flesh. In its other, hung Cindie's severed head. It swung against the monster's leg, the tangled hair obscuring her screaming face. The creature was more decayed and terrifying than the first. It face was gone, the skin peeled away from the grinning skull beneath, and its jaw wagged loose.

Hart tried to back away, but Amber was pushing against him. The door to the bedroom wrenched open and the other ghoul lurched into the hallway. Before it could block the way, Hart threw himself at it. Grabbing it by its ruined right arm, he used the movement to twist and send it stumbling back up the hall.

The ghoul growled as it fell into its companion, sending them both sprawling. The other let go of Christie's severed head. It hit the floor with a thud and rolled away, leaving splatters of blood in its wake.

Scotty screamed as the ghouls tripped over him, stepping on his ruined legs as they crashed to the floor. They grabbed at him almost instinctively and dragged him into the thrashing mass, ripping and tearing at him in their rage.

Hart pushed Amber back into their bedroom and slammed the door behind them. The latch was broken. Hart didn't waste time trying to bar the door. Instead, he went for the crossbow. Amber stayed behind him, searching for a weapon of her own. There was nothing.

The door crashed back open and one of the ghouls lurched into the room. Hart aimed and fired off a bolt that caught the creature in the right eye. It fell back, its clutching hands grasping at the air as it fell.

Before Hart could do anything else, there was a loud tone blaring into his ears and a soft male voice said, "Attention! Attention! Session is stopping due to unforeseen circumstances. Please, remain logged in until an attendant arrives to disengage you. Thank you for playing Terror Cabin: Volume One."

The world flickered around Hart and he gasped as everything went dark. "What the f-"

Taking the VR helmet off, Hart blinked at the sudden change in light and said, "Holy shit, that was intense!"

He stood in an enclosed circle of light, the control suit's sensors glowing softly, and felt the adrenaline draining away. It left him feeling loose and twitchy. He was alone in the circle. The other characters were gone. AI controlled NPCs.

He waited for a long time, wondering what kind of emergency might've shut down his session, but no one ever came to check on him. Finally, he had enough of waiting and disengaged the sensors and exited the mobility ring. The door to his chamber opened out into a narrow hallway.

The first thing he noticed was the body lying on the floor. One of the attendants, a young man with a neat little goatee, lay on his back. His face was twisted in an expression of abject terror. Where his right eye should've been was the jagged end of a broken chair leg.

Hart felt the adrenaline suddenly surge back into his system. "What the f-"

There was a grunt from behind him and Hart turned and screamed in horror.

The ghoul stood over him, swaying as it bared it's horrible teeth in a gruesome smile. Its voice came, a low growl that grated like a rock against a metal roof. "Game over."