Phalse Phantom

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window once more. Kasey stared at her feet, “do we have to light that right now?” she asked with a slight whine.

“Duh!” Matthew exclaimed. “This is what our audience is dying to see!” He paused as he noticed Kasey fumbling with her hands, her back facing the open flame. “You’re not scared, are you?”

“No! I just think the shot would be better if you lit the candle while we’re recording. That’s all.” Matthew gently caressed Kasey’s face and kissed her forehead.

“Hey, don’t worry. We play along with the ghost rumors, prove it’s a fluke and go home, just like every other time.” Matthew softly said and for a second, Kasey relaxed. Then her eyes darted back to her feet.

“But not every time,” she whispers. Matthew dropped his hands from her face.

“Are we going to do this again?”

“I know what I saw. What I heard, that screaming-”

“There was no one there, Kasey!” As Kasey flinched at his words, Matthew felt a twinge of guilt. He let out a breath. “You know what? I think you’re right. It would be better to light this on camera,” he said before heading to the window to blow out the candle.

Kasey only offered a small smile as a thank you, as she continued setting up the tripod. Kasey set up the lights and prepped Matthew’s mic, as he gargled saltwater that he had made at home and hummed in different octaves. Kasey found the pre-show ritual a little ridiculous but since she always hid behind the camera, she never felt comfortable telling Matthew that. She looked through the camera lens to adjust the settings as needed and noticed Matthew had moved the candle to the foldout table in the middle of the room.

The candle, although unlit, still made Kasey uneasy. She turned away from it and instead took in the once beautiful cabin. From the faded blue paint chipping in the small kitchenette to the hand-carved rotting stairs, it was almost heartbreaking to see it in such a pitiful state. Kasey trailed her fingers lightly along the wall towards the stairs, wiping dust off the old wallpaper revealing flowers with the same blue as the kitchenette. Near the stairs, she swore she heard sniffling. Like someone had been crying. At first, she thought it was the wind sneaking in through the cracks of the cabin’s dry, splintered wood. But as she got closer, it got louder. She stopped at the base of the steps; the sniffles had now turned to light sobs. She looked at the steps, some caved in slightly. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands to avoid splinters from the railing, using one foot to test the strength of them, she began to slowly follow the cries upstairs.

“You ready?” Matthew asked. Kasey nearly jumped out her skin and snapped her head back at him.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m ready.” She came back down the stairs and slid on her headphones as Matthew put on his mic and dramatically sat down in front of the candle.

Kasey counted him down and hit record. Matthew’s face brightened. “Welcome back to ‘Phalse Phantoms’, where we debunk the spookiest hauntings and ghost stories you guys send to us. Today we’re in the deep backwoods of Vermont checking out ‘Doomed Lovers’ Cabin’, once part of a couple’s retreat, every couple that has entered the cabin has mysteriously disappeared. The last couple reported missing were David and Marie Moorehouse, who disappeared without a trace in 1987. Since then, there have been numerous reports of crying coming from the cabin.”

Kasey stiffened; she didn’t know that part. She glanced back at the stairs. “The cabin now comes with a warning: ‘If you look into the flame, someone will have to die’. So, for this very special episode my beautiful girlfriend, Kasey, will be joining us.” Kasey froze as Matthew gestured for Kasey to step in front of the camera. She aggressively shook her head no and paused the recording.

“We never discussed me getting on camera,” Kasey said.

“Come on,” Matthew whined. “Fans would love to see you!”

“But why would you spring it on me?”

“Because otherwise you’d never do it!”

“That’s unfair. You don’t know that, plus you look great. My hair’s a mess, I have no makeup, and I’m in my sweats.”

“Please Kase?” Matthew began to pout. “Doomed Lovers’ Cabin could be our biggest episode yet but not without the ‘doomed lovers’.” Kasey took a moment; their online show was finally taking off and had helped put a huge dent in her student loans. She cursed to herself.

“Fine. Just… ask next time? Or at least pack me something nice to wear?” Matthew fist pumped the air and Kasey giggled a little.

“Yes! Of course! Anything you want baby.” Kasey hit record again and dragged a second chair into the shot. Matthew kissed her, whether it was for her or the camera, she couldn’t tell. “Okay! Kasey and I are going to light this candle, stare at it for a bit and then leave it burning for the rest of the night. Ready?” Matthew looked at Kasey who only nodded. Matthew returned the nod and pulled out his lighter. Kasey looked at her hands in her lap.

She always had an unrealistic fear of ghosts, it was part of the reason her and Matthew started the show. So far, they had been able to confirm each ‘haunting’ as hoaxes, well except last time.

“Shit,” Matthew grunted, pulling Kasey out of her thoughts. He struggled to get the candle to light.

Stop. Kasey jumped. She glanced around the room; she swore she heard someone whisper in her ear. When she turned back to the candle, she had to blink twice. There was a woman, dressed in torn lingerie, with short black hair. It looked like she was blowing out the lighter in Matthew’s hand before it touched the wick. The woman looked at Kasey, and her blood went cold. The woman had no mouth, only a scar in its place. Tell him to stop. Kasey couldn’t tell if the voice was a whisper or her thoughts, but she decided to listen.

“Hey Matt, maybe this is a sign we shouldn’t do this one,” Kasey muttered, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you kidding? This is our most anticipated location yet,” he argued.

“Yes but-”

“No offense Kase, but if we bailed every time you got the heebie-jeebies, we wouldn’t have a show.” Matthew pulled his shoulder from Kasey’s hand and tried lighting the candle again. This time, he lit it easily. “We can edit out the part where the candle wouldn’t light right?” Kasey nodded and stared at the table next to the table, hoping to trick Matthew and the camera. Matthew looked at the candle and counted back from 10 before pulling away and looking at the camera again. “And now we wait,” he said with a smile. Kasey got up and sat on the stairs, out of frame. She wiped a singular tear from her face. After a few minutes, Matthew sat next to her. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

“Just leave me alone,” Kasey refused to look at him. Matthew ran his hands through his hair.

“We don’t have to do this episode,” he offered after a few minutes of silence.

“Really?”

“If you really don’t want to, we don’t have to. We can go to that motel we saw on the way here for the night.”

“I would love that,” Kasey said with a smile. Matthew smiled back and kissed her softly.

“I’ll pack everything up.” Kasey exhaled as Matthew started packing the cameras and lighting equipment, leaving only the candle’s glow.

It’s too late. Kasey jumped. Matthew went to blow out the candle, but the flame wouldn’t budge. It’s coming. Kasey shook her head, trying to force the voice out but when she stopped, she saw the woman again. This time she was covering the flame, blocking all of Matthew’s attempts to blow it out. She looked at Kasey with sad eyes.

“Who’s coming?” Kasey whispered, looking the woman in her eyes. She had no pupils; you could only see the whites of her red-rimmed eyes. 

He had it wrong. The whispers were louder now.

“Who’s coming?” Kasey repeats.

If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind.

“Did we buy a trick candle?” Matthew asks frustrated. “I’m just going to start loading the car.” He grabbed a few bags and started towards the door. He pulled, but it refused to budge. “What the hell?” The bags hit the floor as Matthew used both hands to yank at the door. But something was leaning against it, keeping it closed. Kasey was glued to the steps.

It was shaped like a human, but the arms, fingers and neck were just slightly too long. Its entire body was an unsettling yellow, like a healing bruise. But the part that made Kasey freeze was that it had no face, just a small pair of feminine lips, gently smiling in her direction. The mysterious woman went and stood next to it. If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind. This time the words came from the creature’s mouth. Blood is the key to freedom.

“Damn it!” Matthew slammed his hands on the door. “Why won’t this door budge? I’m going to call Robin.”

“Robin? Why would you call Robin?” Kasey’s eyes shot from the two figures at the door to Matthew as he put his phone to his ear.

“She’s at the motel. She can come let us out,” Matthew said passively as his phone rang.

“So that was her car I saw.” Kasey noticed almost every muscle in Matthew’s body tense up. “You said I was being paranoid,” she slowly stood up as she spoke. “You let me think I was crazy but that was her fucking car!” Matthew hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. He rocked on his heels a bit.

“Okay, yes that was her car but only as a backup plan. I didn’t want you to freak out.”

“You brought your ex as a backup plan? Is that what’s happening now? You drop me off and you two come back and finish the episode?” Matthew bit his tongue. Kasey began pacing. “Oh my god, were you going to introduce her as your girlfriend?” Matthew avoided Kasey’s eyes.

If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind. If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind. If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind. The whispers had become yells. Kasey covered her ears, clenched her eyes. But then it was silent.

Kasey opened her eyes slightly. She had walked up the stairs. She peeked over the moldy banister. Matthew was downstairs talking on the phone in a hushed voice, she already knew who was on the other end. Blood is the key to freedom. Kasey turned around. The mouthless woman sat on a dusty, mildewed king size bed. Kasey opened her mouth to yell at her too before she was hit by a smell that almost knocked her over. She grabbed the banister to hold herself up. The wood was soft, and slightly sticky. When she looked at her hands, they were wet and red. Blood is the key to freedom. She looked back at the woman.

“Are you Marie?” Kasey whispered. The woman nodded. “What happened to David?” Marie pointed to Kasey’s feet. When she followed her finger, she saw a man in a growing pool of blood. Although the blood looked fresh, the body was decomposed, and Kasey knew where that gut-wrenching smell came from. Blood is the key to freedom. Kasey’s eyes shot back up.

Marie held a knife in the palms of her hands. It looked new and sharpened, probably the newest thing to enter the house in years.

“I can’t,” Kasey whispered. “He’s an ass but I can’t.”

“Hey Kase?” Matthew called up the stairs. Kasey turned her attention back downstairs. The creature still leaned on the door, a wisp of a smile in Kasey’s direction. “Robin is on her way. When we get back to the motel, I think we should all sit down as a group and talk through this mess.”

Kasey pressed her lips together in anger but turned around to head down the stairs. Marie blocked her, and gently placed the knife in her hands. Blood is the key to freedom. Kasey slid the knife into her hoodie pocket and continued down. Matthew awkwardly shuffled on his feet, hands in his pockets.

“She was only here as a precaution,” Matthew muttered. Kasey let out a scoff. “It was even her idea to get you on camera.”

“You talked to her about me being in an episode, but you didn’t even ask if I wanted to?” Kasey inched closer.

“Well, we had a backup plan for if you didn’t, so it didn’t seem necessary.” Kasey narrowed her eyes.

“In hindsight, that was obviously not the way to go about this. Look,” Matthew nervously ran a hand through his hair. “I messed up. I’m an idiot, I should’ve never talked to Robin about our show. Those are conversations I should be having with you and after we’re out of here, I promise I’ll never speak to her again. I’ll block her and we can pretend like she never existed.” Kasey softened a bit,

“Do you promise?” Matthew closed the space between them and wrapped Kasey in his arms.

“I promise,” Matthew said and kissed Kasey on her head.

“Like you promised last time?” Kasey could feel Matthew stiffen against her, “Can I ask you something?” Kasey said, slowly sliding her hand into her hoodie. “Was ‘Doomed Lovers’ Cabin’ Robin’s idea?” Matthew began to pull away from their embrace, and Kasey quickly thrust the knife into his stomach.

The confusion and hurt in his eyes almost made Kasey feel guilty, but she noticed the creature was no longer leaning on the door, just standing in front of it. So, she stabbed Matthew again and again until he finally slumped onto the floor. She watched his breathing slow to a stop before reaching into his pocket for the car keys.

She ran to the door, but the creature and the woman still stood in front of it. “I did it,” Kasey said, tears forming in her eyes. “I did it, now move.” Kasey watched as only the creature’s shoulders moved as if it were laughing and although no sound came out of it, she watched as the shape and color of its mouth changed. She looked into Maries dusty blue eyes. Kasey watched as the scar on her face stretched open and a pair of small, thin lips hatched out of it. She dropped her keys in shock and Marie calmly picked them up.

“I’m sorry. I tried to help,” her voice came out mousy and dry. “He should’ve listened. I’m so sorry.” The creature stepped to the side and the woman scrambled to get outside. Kasey tried to follow but the handle slipped through her hands. She began to cry as she tried to pull at the door, but the knob suddenly seemed holographic.

“Help!” she tried to yell but her lips don’t move. She brought her hand to her face to feel a singular ridge where her mouth once was. Kasey slammed her fists aggressively into the door until she felt a slight tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see the creature with its new pair of lips, her lips. It leaned down to her ear.

If you look into the flame, one may leave, and someone will have to be left behind. Blood is the key to freedom.