Demi & The Cabin

I wake up to sounds of bells jingling. I rub my eye to notice a black smear on my hand. realize I had makeup on from the night before. "What happened" I said to myself. Looking at the time on the back of my door, I see an iPad on the back door to the bedroom. 12:30pm it reads. "Holy Pumpkins!" I have to get ready! I rush to the bathroom to wipe the makeup on my face off "Oh! 'm like the crypt keeper!" said in a shocking & horror manor in the mirror holding my hands to the side of my face. rush to wash up & get ready. Indecisively, I pick a color to match out my outfit for the day. "There's a lot of Halloween clothes in my closet now. I have to resell them. At the least, replace them with turkey clothes." I said with an eager look on my face. I take my orange & blue bag from the hook on the wall next to the entrance of my apartment & head out.

M​y apartment isn't that big. A small room with a small bathroom & a small kitchen is what is presented to me. Now don't get me wrong, I love where I live because i have a place to sleep & express myself, but for a 6'2 dude, it can be a challenge to move around & live in. That aside, the last thing I remember from last night was a friend from college asked me to join him to this Halloween party that required a mask. There was a theme to this party, masks. Everyone had to use a mask as inspiration for their outfits. Since mask is mandatory nowadays, this would give us with some creativity to wow everyone at the party.

M​y college friend got the tickets from a girlfriend that worked at a club in the city. She has all the connections. was the girlfriend everyone loved. She was one of the girls who was 5'11 that we knew, or that she has dark brown hair that was always straight. Her hair was long though, it went down to her shoulders. At times her hair will somehow fall to her face but, she always curled it to the left. Like a swoop or in a way the emo kids had back in the day. She had brown eyes to match her dark brown hair, she's the one who like to be honest & blunt. She was strong willed & not afraid to defend the people she cared about. was someone you wanted to keep around.

D​ was someone who had your back. was always there to motivate & uplift those whom she felt deserved it. She was adamant with who she gave her time & energy to. You knew that you was someone she cared about when she starts looking out for you. I knew & I were good friends when last summer we all went to a cabin in the woods next to the Hollywood sign. I had never been to California, let alone San Francisco where the infamous sign was located. had taken days off from work for vacation & also, a mental break from the stress of people I had come in contact with. Pass the sign there was a mountain everyone had hiked & climbed in the mornings & behind that was trees & forest leading into wildlife. I had never been camping before, so I had to make sure I was extra prepared.

T​he cabin we were staying at for the week seemed too big from the outside. 2 stories with 5 bedrooms. 2 on the bottom floor & 3 on the top floor. 2 full bathrooms, one on top & one in the bottom so it accommodated everyone. The place looked those fancy houses you see on magazines or those television shows where they talk about the unique houses that's different from the rest. , my college friend and my brother Charley had the 2 bedrooms in the top because they were the ones who not got us a sick deal for the cabin but also coordinated & hosted this vacation for everyone. was new to the group at the time.

She was the new girlfriend my college friend had whom he met during a convention he went to with me & got lost in the crowd to find her in the midst of all the chaos wearing a cosplay. She was good at sewing & had the figure to look like to. It's love at first sight when Derek met , at least that's what he likes to think. didn't like him at first. He was staring a bit too much at her & she got annoyed. "You want a picture?" She said annoyingly. "I do but it won't do justice to how well you made the outfit & how gorgeous you look in it." Derek said. was shocked at first when he complimented her cosplay that she worked months on to complete rather than the look as a whole. "Thank you." said in a calm yet reserved voice. "So about that picture." She says.

He takes the picture & as nervous as he was to take a selfie with her, he didn't want the interaction to end. He wanted to get to know her. "I know you may get this allot but I would like to take you out to dinner." Derek says as he changes his posture & tone from fanboy Derek to serious Derek. He continues, "If you allow me the chance, I would like to take you out & show you a good time. A walk around the town away from the people. Take you to the vendors I know that hold some exclusive items they wouldn't sell to the public. I would also like to invite you to a candle lit dinner on a rooftop where the waiter looks like Light from Death Note & the chef is a JoJo's reference." becomes drawn in to the idea but slightly is hesitant due to her last relationship with a guy who was a creep. "Fine but don't expect anything special after! I am what I am & you get what I am!" She said with certainty in her voice. The rest was history.

D​ became more of the mom who was also your best friend. She will make sure you're doing your tasks the right way but also be stern with you when you make a mistake. will get deep & specific when it comes to in depth conversations. When "adult" responsibilities like planning comes into play, she's a boss that knows how to take charge. She made that cosplay all on her own by the way. She bonded with everyone when it came to different topics. Each topic was a different connection to a person. Mine & Derek's was anime.

B​ at the cabin & Derek inspected the cabin for anything that didn't seem right. Something like cracks or electrical, so they know any potential issues that may occur. Derek is an electrician, so he knows the wires & physical applications when it comes to tech. & Derek was a great pair, 'DD' as we call them when we referred to both of them. "Dynamic Duo" if you will. "Don't forget to sanitize & wipe down every surface space!" facilitated to everyone. We wiped & sprayed down every spot & surface of the cabin. After the space was cleaned & everyone got settled in, we came together in the kitchen to decide on food arrangements. Since we were "camping" in the woods was taking a break from all the hustle of the city, work life & hustle.

We all had our phones on silent but excluded one contact in case something got serious. We all had brought a small briefcase of provisions we would need for the week. Juice, eggs, water filter. We were all responsible for bringing something that will help everyone. My job was drinks. No I wasn't about to be carrying tons of cans & bottles like a mad man trying to be superman with all that weight. I had rented a car for the week, so I can bring all the healthy nourishment that was needed. Everything from sparkling water to ginger ale & orange juice. Packs & packs of bottled water & even ginger shots to wake us up in the morning in case coffee & tea didn't do it for us. And of course that included the alcohol.

T​ the end of the summer when everyone was packing up & getting ready to leave back to our lives, , Derek & I stood behind to make sure everything is what was, before we came here. Everyone else had left, the three of us stayed. Once you entered the cabin, there's a hexagon centerpiece where each corner lead to a room of some sort. From bedrooms to bathrooms and kitchens. There was a spiraling staircase that lead into upstairs. The room here were bigger than the room I had back home so this was more than what I appreciated. Checking all the rooms for any leftovers someone may have left behind, there was a secret entrance we didn't notice until now.

"Ow! !" said abruptly. A small hinge that was in the bottom of the staircase was sticking out. I overhear from across the hall in the middle of the entrance & I steadily walked to see what was going on. Derek was on the second floor when he heard her. He ran to the staircase seeing her on the floor as if she fell down it. Derek had gotten to her around the same time that I had. "What happened?" Derek asked in worry. had been coming down from the stairs the staircase for any dust, making sure the staircase was tidy & clean. When she reached the floor, her back heel hit the edge of the staircase that triggered a mechanism which led to the hinge being revealed. "You're bleeding !" Derek said in a loud & scared tone. He runs to the kitchen to get the first aide kit as I stay behind to explain the hinge further & care for .

A​ the hinge on the floor, I take a sanitizing wipe that I was carrying because of the cleaning I was doing, and I wiped the leftover blood stain on the hinge. Wiping the blood stain on the hinge created a switch sound that had the floor (that we were on) open like two barn doors. Out of reflex, I reached out my hand to try to grab a ledge or a corner to hold me and . Through the trap door we couldn't see anything. Pitch black and unknown to the depth of the space I held on to a leg of a staircase. For five minutes I was scared but I shook my head & took a deep breath as I held us up for as long as I could. Surprised & confused, & I called out for Derek & before he could reach us to lend a hand out, I lose my grip & fall to the darkness. The doors closed & the hinge (handle) moved back into the edge of the bottom staircase waiting to be activated again leaving Derek alone with a first aid kit in his hand, while & I fall deeper to the cabin where we were never heard from again.