Burning Down

The porch lights on the cabin twinkled in the darkness as the group of friends approached it on that frigid wither night. The front door creaked open as they neared, and out came an old woman. Her skin had wrinkled to the point of hiding any outstanding features she may have once shown. She welcomed them in and warned them that there were animals in the cabin. This became clear to them as they heard the pitter-patter of feet running towards them and were greeted by a loudly oinking pig. The pig was followed by her piglet, both of which the woman shooed away before showing the group to their room.

The room was surprisingly spacious for how little the cabin appeared outside. There were four twin-sized beds spread throughout the room, one for each of them, as well as a vanity and a walk-in closet. Each girl chose a bed and plopped their suitcase on it. The old woman wished them a good night and retired to her bedroom for the night.

The girls sat on their beds talking for much of the night about how nice it was to escape their hectic lives in the city and get away for a few days. As they spoke, one girl grew hungry and decided to go in search of the kitchen. She found it easily as there were few rooms in the abode. As she rooted around the fridge for a snack, she heard shuffling footsteps coming towards the room. Figuring it was one of her friends, she closed the fridge and nearly screamed as the old woman stood in the doorway. The woman explained she could also use a midnight snack. The girl's fear subsided as she began to reopen the fridge, but the old woman slammed it shut and grabbed the girl by the shoulders.

"There's only one issue, dear. My snack is you."

The girl screamed and kneed the old woman in the gut before darting back to where her friends were still chatting away. She locked the door and tried to explain to them what happened, but they just laughed. She ignored them and started taking her clothes from the walk-in closet and repacking them into her suitcase frantically. It wasn't long before the smell of smoke filled her nose and flames poked under the door. Realizing the old woman planned to cook them alive in the cabin, she began throwing her friends' clothes at them and yelling for them to pack. The girl threw her suitcase out the window, then remembered the pig and piglet that lived in the cabin. As her friends stuffed their items in their suitcases, she threw open the door and ran to the living room where she first saw the animals. There she found them, squealing in terror. With the piglet in her arm, the girl was able to usher the pig out the front door where it and the piglet ran off into the night.

The girl ran around the cabin to the guest bedroom window and helped her friends climb out with their suitcases before escaping back to their car and never looking back.