Seeking solace in the woods

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. A couple of backpackers stumbled upon the eerie cabin in their quest to find shelter from an unexpected blizzard that had rolled in. Jessie had known about a cabin in these woods and though he had heard several scary stories about this cabin, he assumed it was all small-town folklore to keep young kids out.

“Oh, thank god, we found it,” Jessie exclaimed.

Ashley’s teeth chattered as she pointed to the candle and asked, “I thought you said this cabin would be abandoned?”

They both stared at the sinister flame. A foreboding sense made Ashley question if they should keep walking and try to make it back to the car. But, their gear was no match for the snow. Ashley could barely feel her legs anymore.

“Maybe other backpackers found it first. I am sure there is plenty of room for us all to hunker down for the night”.

Jessie and Ashley made their way to the front door. Jessie knocked loudly and began saying “Hello, is anyone in there, my girlfriend and I got trapped in this storm and we were hoping to stay here until it passes.”

There was no answer. Suddenly, the front door swung open making Ashley scream out. Jessie looked at her and laughed, “wow, it was probably just the storm, let’s get inside.”

They made their way through the door and were hit with a choking stench and colder air.

“Jess, what is that god-awful smell?”

“Probably just a dead raccoon or something. Look they’ve got a fireplace and some logs! Our fate is beginning to turn!”

Ashley was miserable. She had started dating Jessie a month ago and was doing her best to be the cool adventurous girl. When Jessie invited her on this backpacking trip in the middle of November, she wanted to suggest a nice log cabin with a hot tub but knew he was outdoorsy and wanted to match his enthusiasm. After dropping thousands of dollars on gear to survive the cold nights he promised, she was kicking herself for saying yes. He had assured her that he was well prepared. But she was losing faith quickly as they nearly froze in their small tent. Now, on top of being cold, she was petrified. There was something about the air in this cabin. It was pungent and suffocating. She wasn’t sure what to do other than scan the room. This cabin did not look abandoned. The living room had the candle lit, there were fresh-cut logs by the fireplace and the furniture didn’t appear that old. As Jessie got the fire going, Ashley walked over to warm up. She could tell he was proud of himself for finding shelter and providing heat. She mustered up a smile and hugged him, thanking him for being her hero.

After warming up, Jessie decided to search the rest of the cabin. He made his way up the stairs, creaking with each step. As he took the last stair, the bedroom door at the top slammed shut. Once again, causing Ashley to shriek. He looked down and reassured her, “probably just an open window.”

As Jessie tried to open the door, he noticed that the doorknob was not cooperating. It seemed like it was locked but he couldn’t imagine how that might happen. He started to use force knocking on the door with his shoulder. The door finally gave; his force caused him to lose balance and fall onto the floorboards. As he began bracing himself to get up, he felt wetness. Suddenly he felt a liquid consuming his entire body. He began to panic and lunged himself into an upright position, his heart was hammering. He backed up and searched for a light switch on the wall. His hand ran over something sharp, slicing his open palm, causing him to swear. Ashley called up, “Is everything okay up there?”. He asked her to bring their lantern up. As she approached the room with the lantern her knees were quivering, the first thing she saw was Jessie covered in blood. She was transfixed, her eyes widening as they took in the blood, splattered all over the walls. Jessie ran towards her. As soon as he cleared the door, it felt like something pulled Ashley into the room. The door slammed shut behind her. The lantern fell to the floor and went out.

As Jessie pounded on the door and shouted at Ashley to help him open it, she could hear guttural cries swarming her. Horror-struck, she curled up onto the floor, holding her knees in front of her, shaking back and forth. There was a putrid odor that surrounded her. The hair on the back of her neck raised and she begin shivering from the frigid air. An intimidating voice whispered, “mine.”

She could feel strong hands ripping at her arms, dismantling their clutch. She was being pinned down; her body jolted trying to get away. She felt a heavy weight upon her, she managed to screech. Her layers were being ripped as she twisted and turned shouting, “no”, “help”. She could not see her attacker but felt a keen sense of danger. Her body flailing about as she fought to keep herself from being violated or killed. Her breath grew short, she began hyperventilating making it difficult to scream or shout. Her muscles tightened as she felt her body being lifted and banged against the floor. Her head knocked hard into the wood paneling and she felt dizzy.

The lights in the room flickered on. Furniture started moving like someone was lifting it and banging it against the floor. Frightful screams echoed around the room. The ripping of her clothing stopped, and she could feel the weight shifting. The terror of the feelings and sounds she experienced without seeing anything was insufferable.

In an instant, the weight was gone, and the screams had concluded. The light remained on and there was no more blood splatter. Jessie was finally able to get the door open. He ran to Ashley, checking her for injuries and noting her ripped clothing. She was mortified; in tears. They wobbled down the stairs, he covered her with a blanket and gave her some water from their Nalgene.

Ashley gazed into the fire—she could see flashes, hallucinations. Women being pillaged and stabbed repeatedly. She gasped for breath as she felt them take their last. She could feel the pain they endured. Her body began to convulse. Her hallucinations felt real—she was being attacked again. Fighting for her life. Jessie saw the commotion and went over placing one hand on her shoulder; the other on her upper thigh. In a survival instinct, Ashley grabbed their camping knife from the coffee table and pushed the knife into Jessie’s abdomen. He staggered back, crashing onto the floor. The screams echoed once again throughout the entire cabin. Ashley still entranced, walked over to Jessie writhing on the ground. She began plunging the knife into him repeatedly. She let out a growling scream. The candle at the window went out. She stayed kneeling over Jessie’s body. Blood dripped from her face as she tried to catch her breath.

As the entrancement lifted from Ashley’s psyche, a blood-curdling scream escaped her mouth. Traumatized by the lifeless body of Jessie Hayes. She waited out the storm and made it back to the car. She drove straight to the sheriff’s office. “My name is Ashley Sommers. My boyfriend and I were attacked.” Her erratic recount of what occurred made the Sherriff’s face turn white.

About ten years ago the Sherriff went to question Mr. Casper Wallace. Some remains were discovered by some hikers near Casper’s cabin in the woods. He was found hanging in the upstairs bedroom covered in his victim’s blood.

As the Sherriff drove out to the cabin with this partner he shared the grim evidence they discovered. It appeared Mr. Wallace would abduct women and take them back to his cabin. He would rape them for days and then stab them in a fury of rage. The remains of the women were scattered throughout the forest. Their bodies decaying or being eaten by wildlife. The coroner ruled it a suicide. Some men on the police force still believe it was the spirits of his victims that hanged him.