A Burning Cabin

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The five of them gathered around its soft glow and called out to the unknown. In theory they thought this somehow made them brave, but in truth, they were nothing more than foolish. Maverick had set up a camera in every room and together they had come up with ways to make people believe they experienced true horror that night, interacted with the deceased, and then at daylight made it out alive. None of them were expecting to actually live through an entire night of hell. So, completely unaware of what might lurk in the shadows, they joined hands and in perfect harmony let out the chant.

“Come out, come out, and roam about.

We welcome your spirit and do not fear it.

While the candle burns, you’re protected by its light.

If you behave, we’ll let you stay.

If you can’t act right, we’ll blow out the candle, and you’ll have to say goodnight.”

On the fifth time around, Miranda let out a giggle, causing them to have to start over. With a chant so childish though, maybe that’s why they hadn’t taken it more seriously. Besides, a lot of people don’t buy into ghost stories, regardless of what rhymes or chants go with them. People were fairly divided in whether or not they bought into the story of Beatrice.

Beatrice was a real woman, that they can all be sure of, and she did live in that cabin 25 years ago. She also died there when one night a drunken man, who had gotten lost in the woods, stumbled through her door. He startled Beatrice and she retrieved her gun from her nightstand, but the intruder had his own gun, and managed to fire it first. Now as the story goes, Beatrice’s spirit still resides in that cabin and tries to protect it from any further intruders. The catch though, is that Beatrice can supposedly only roam freely when a candle is lit in her windowsill.

According to the story, you have to repeat the chant until Beatrice gives you a sign she is there, or her presence becomes so strong, everyone in the room can feel it. So, the crew decided 12 times seemed to be a decent number. Of course it would have to be an uninterrupted 12, so they desperately needed Miranda to withhold any further laughter. Another important factor would be for all five of them to manage to keep count, which may be a slight issue for Olivia. Not because she can't count, she's 19 years old, she can count to 12. The problem is, she's forgetful, so if she were to get wrapped up in the moment, she could lose track of what number she was on or not remember what number they agreed to stop at. Soon they would realize, they had only wasted their time trying to be so exact with their chanting.

The room they had gathered in to perform their ritual was Beatrice’s bedroom. It wasn't hard to distinguish which was hers as the cabin is small and only hosts one bedroom. As the story goes, this is where Beatrice’s spirit is trapped until the candle is lit and she is freed. At which point, she would possess enough power to interact with her latest set of intruders. The small twin bed where Beatrice bled out still resides inside the room. The bed linens were removed, but the mattress still remained. There was also a small nightstand at the headboard with a small lantern, and her closet was still filled with her clothing. The dresser still sat at the opposite end of the room, all of her belongings still inside. The bedroom was the only carpeted one room in the cabin. One small section had been cut out, most likely for evidence during the investigation. Dry blood splatter still showed on the walls next to the bed.

As the group finished up the last line of the chant on their sixth time around, the lantern fell from the nightstand and shattered next to Anderson's foot. Tiny pieces of glass scattered around the room and the entire group froze. Maverick quickly pulls out his cellphone and types a message on it before passing it around the room.

'It was probably the wind or something, but it was perfect! Everyone just act scared.'

Once the phone made it back to Maverick's hand, he approached the camera placed in the bedroom. "It looks like she's here guys. Let's get the party started", he says into the lens and then lets out a small chuckle. Most of his friends are standing around him, awaiting their turn to say something to the camera. Not Nicole though, she’s busy trying to find a place where wind could have crept its way in enough to knock something over. There was a window cracked in the living room, but a gush of wind from that window wouldn't have been able to knock something down in the bedroom. The bathroom window was cracked as well, but the door was closed so she ruled that out as well.

“Nicole, get over here. Tell them how you’re feeling right now”, said Maverick, pointing to the camera.

“Scared”, she responded, then pushed the camera away from her face, and whispered into Olivia’s ear, “Really, I’m scared.”

Not giving Olivia time to respond Maverick called a meeting in the hallway, the one place they chose not to place a camera so that they could carry out discussions without ruining their footage. He’s come up with this idea that they would use Anderson’s handheld camera to show Miranda going into the restroom, with the bucket of water they had brought to fill the toilet so that it would flush, and then show Anderson returning to the bedroom. Miranda would follow but be sure to stay out of the way of the camera and sneak into the closet. From inside there, she would throw out a few pieces of clothing, and when they pretended to run out of there spooked, she could exit the closet and meet them in the living room.

So, they set their plan in motion. Only, they don’t need to wait on Anderson and Miranda to return for something crazy to happen because as soon as they exit the bedroom, the door slams shut. Now Nicole is not alone in her fear, but Maverick convinces them all to stay anyway. He claims the only thing cooler than convincing people weird things happened, is to actually experience weird things happening. He closes his argument by saying, “Even if we really have released some kind of spirit, all she can do is try to scare us. Ghost can’t actually hurt people in real life.”

It wasn’t even a good speech, but apparently it was enough to convince them. That or they all shared the same feeling of not wanting to be the first to chicken out.

They did, however, all agree to leave the bedroom. The group headed for the kitchen and sat at the table which hosted just enough chairs for the five of them. The camera Maverick had placed there earlier sat on the counter, angled at them. They placed their own lantern in the middle of the table and Anderson pulled out a deck of cards.

+The kitchen was the second biggest room in the cabin. The stove and refrigerator were still present, along with dusty dishes and silverware.

"We're playing go fish. It's simple, easy, and everyone knows how to play. It's enough to be a distraction, and we won't have to spend an hour trying to explain anything," Anderson said as he passed out the cards.

Noone disagreed, they just needed somewhere to put their attention while they tried not to fear what may happen next. A child's card game seemed like a good enough way to keep their minds busy.

For a moment they got caught up in conversation and laughter. They forgot about the broken lantern and slamming door. They were just five good friends on a Friday night enjoying their time together. Until the remaining deck of cards flew off the table in different directions. Then the old timey record player began to play from the living room. Nicole and Anderson used their flashlights to try to gather all of the cards back up. Olivia, Miranda, and Maverick went into the living room to figure out how to stop the record player. Finally, the cabin was quiet again and Maverick placed his cards back into his bag. Olivia grabbed a drink from the cooler they had brought and they spent the next several minutes not speaking, barely moving, just standing next to a pile of old records staring at each other with blank expressions.

Finally, Miranda broke the silence, “I think we should just go home.”

Maverick and Anderson both disagreed, promising to get everyone out safely if things began to get out of control.

Not wanting to separate and leave anyone behind, they all agreed to stay, at least a bit longer. The time was then 12:35 A.M. If they were going to make it till daylight, Beatrice would have to slow down on her tricks.

Eventually, an hour passed with nothing and everyone had begun to settle back down. Olivia and Nicole had started whining about being tired. The boys promised to watch over them if they laid down to nap. So, they pulled out their sleeping bags and laid them next to the ugly, cloth green couch. As surprising as it may be, they were able to fall asleep. Leaving the other three to quickly become bored and in need of some way to entertain themselves. Slightly afraid to try another card game, they decide to go with a round of truth or dare. Starting out with all the normal, typical dares you'd expect from a group of 18 to 20 year olds. Then, Maverick dares Miranda to go back to the bedroom, alone. Despite every internal instinct she has demanding she doesn't, she wants to impress Anderson, so she stands up and heads for the room where it all started.

The door slams again, this time locking her out. The door won't budge, even a little. The candle still burns inside it, the only way for them to stop what they started has been ripped out of their reach.

Anderson and Maverick immediately start throwing all of their weight on the door, but it's as if it's made out of steel. The noise wakes Olivia and Nicole, who try getting through the door as well, but also fail. While four of them remain trying to bust through the door, Maverick heads outside in hopes of finding something to knock it down with. In theory, it was a good idea, but shortly after he finds himself stuck out there, alone, calling for someone to let him back in. Just as the bedroom door, the front door has been sealed. No way for Maverick to get back in, but even worse no way for the rest of them to get out.

Hours pass with Maverick outside, trying to find a way back in to help his friends. He can hear their screams, ranging from scared to the sort of scream someone lets out when in immense pain. Within an hour of being out there, his flashlight dies. Eventually he is forced to accept that there is nothing he can do, except sit and wait while listening to whatever horrible events are unfolding in that cabin.

Those events would go on for hours. The table where they had played cards had flown through the air all the way into the living room, just missing Olivia. All of the dishes had gone flying as well, shattering all throughout the cabin. Miranda had been hit by one of the plates and suffered a large gash across her forehead. The previously cracked windows had slammed shut, and like the doors, had somehow turned to steel. Their lantern had fallen and shattered like the one in the bedroom and they were down to one flashlight. The amount of paranormal activity was far beyond anything they had ever seen in a horror movie, but luckily, it seemed Beatrice wasn’t quite strong enough to actually touch them. Beatrice got stronger with every passing hour though and just an hour before daylight, the group’s luck ran out.

Miranda fell to the floor as if someone had pulled her feet out from under her and then went flying across the room, banging her head on the wall. It was enough to knock her unconscious.

Olivia’s body became consumed by claw marks, one after another, and she felt them all. Letting out an agonizing scream each time a new one appeared. It was the type of claw marks you’d expect from an animal attack. Anderson was in shock watching as they continued to pop up out of nowhere.

Nicole’s fear had become too much and she had moved into a corner with her knees up to her chest, tears pouring from her eyes as she rocked back and forth. Even if, by some miracle, they made it out of here alive, they’d never be the same again. Maverick wouldn’t either, though he didn’t have to suffer in the way his friends had, he’d never forget their screams. Even worse, he’d never forget when the screams stopped.

Anderson tried all that he could to ease Olivia’s pain, while also comforting Nicole. Then his turn came. Anderson’s body began to float, turning to a lying down position, all the way up to the ceiling. His body remained there for some time, as he yelped out in fear, before finally he fell, crashing into the ground. The impact from the fall was hard on his body and the pain sent him into shock. After several minutes of crying out in pain, he passed out. With two of them unconscious and one outside, only Olivia and Nicole were left.

They both remained at opposite ends of the room with Olivia in too much pain to move and Nicole in too much fear. Then the biting started. First teeth prints left on Nicole’s right cheek, then on her arm. The next on her left shoulder, this one deep enough to bleed. She cried out louder. From outside, Maverick could hear her pleading for it stop. While Nicole took on the torment of this devil-like thing they had released, Olivia slowly made her way back to the bedroom door determined to get inside and blow out the candle before it was too late.

As she reaches the door, her head is thrown against with major force. Her hair, face, and clothes all quickly becoming drenched in her own blood. She falls to the floor.

The biting Nicole was experiencing had come to a stop. For the next few minutes, it was quiet. No random objects were being flung through the cabin. Her friends were in bad shape, unable to speak or move, but alive. She knew she had to get herself together and get out of there, get them all out of there. It took all of her strength to simply get on her feet. She tried the front door again first. Maverick listened to the rattling of the knob; he hoped it would open. It didn't.

On her way to the bedroom, she felt something grab hold of her hair. She jerked away and a chunk of blonde locks fell to the floor. Another bite is placed upon her neck and she wants to fight back, but how can you fight what you cannot see? Her fear has turned to anger, outrage over what has happened to her friends, and desperation to save them. She reaches for the knob, the door opens! She quickly heads for the candle when she is grabbed by the arm, which bruises in the perfect handprint almost immediately. The bed flips over and all the clothes from the closet come flying at her. A wire hanger cuts through the skin on her eyelid and the cabin is filled with yet another agonizing, ear-pinching scream. A dress lands on the burning candle and sets ablaze.

The smoke fills the room quickly, and Nicole passes out like her other friends. One by one, their bodies dragged and piled in the hall. Maverick watches as the cabin burns, all of the darkness now lit up in flames. He accepts that it's over and climbs into the driver seat of his black F150, turns the key, and drives back through the same rough trail that lead them here. Once he got home and charged his phone, he called 911, made a report of a cabin fire, chose not to mention the paranormal parts of the story, and mourned the loss of his friends. A week later, an officer stopped by and left him with the only thing retrieved from the rubbish. The camera in the kitchen, slightly melted, but still working.