The Cackling Cabin

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

A park ranger named Rachel was walking by the cabin and stops on her patrol, when she noticed the light in the window of the cabin. Rachel decides to phone in the suspicious light from the cabin to dispatch: “Hey Fred, do you know of anyone that would be in the cabin over on Cackle Hollow Road? There’s a candle burning by a window on the second floor.” Fred replies in a flat tone, “Uh negative Rachel; no one should be in that cabin... it’s been empty for over a decade. I’ll reach out to Trish Peterson though, she’s the owner and a longtime family friend. Stand by.”

Rachel nods and radios back, “Roger that Fred. I’m here waiting outside the cabin, for your update.” Some moments pass on the empty street where just Rachel and the cabin are the only ones around for 6 miles. As Rachel’s patience begins to thin waiting for Fred’s update, Rachel gets on her smart phone and begins going through her news feed. Suddenly, a loud noise and scream are heard from the Peterson’s deserted cabin. It sounds like a woman is shrieking from the window. Rachel looks up from her phone at the cabin, startled by the loud noise she hears. Rachel sees the silhouette of a dark figure standing by the burning candle in the window.

Rachel radios over to Fred, “Any update from the Peterson’s on their cabin, Fred?” The radio is as silent as the dark night where Rachel is with the cabin. Rachel tries placing a call on her phone to Fred. Rachel is unable to place a call as she suddenly has no signal. Tired of waiting, Rachel puts her radio and phone in her pocket and decides to check the cabin out herself. At that very moment, Rachel receives a text message from Fred stating in all caps, “DON’T GO INSIDE THE CABIN!” Rachel’s phone is on silent, tucked in her pocket, so she misses the text and is oblivious to the warning she just received.

Rachel knocks on the cabin door to see if anyone is home. “Hello! Anybody in there?” Rachel knocks again. The cabin whispers in Rachel’s ear, “Come inside.” Startled and mystified by the odd presence, Rachel feels compelled to walk inside the front door of the cabin, which slowly creaks open for her. Rachel turns on her flashlight, attached to her uniform and looks around the inside of the cabin in utter horror. The cabin interior is filled with old furniture and 6 dolls placed on the fireplace mantle. As Rachel walks over to the dolls, she notices that the eyes, noses, and ears of the dolls are all missing. Rachel says to herself, “What the hell?” The cabin’s second floor begins to creak as if someone is up there. Remembering that the burning candle light Rachel saw from outside, was on the second floor of the cabin, Rachel turns to walk up the stairs to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, Rachel sees a bed and the same candle from the window burning its last bit of fire.

At the same moment, Trish Peterson is frantically driving down the road to her cabin. Trish has Fred on the phone. “Listen to me carefully Fred,” says Trish in a horrified state, “you need to warn your park ranger and anyone in the vicinity to get the hell away from my cabin.”

Rachel’s radio faintly echoes, “Rachel can you hear me?” asks Fred. “Do not go inside the cabin. I repeat do not go inside the cabin.” Rachel pulls her radio out and states, “Fred? I decided to check out the cabin. It’s all clear. Probably some homeless person broke inside and lit a candle. I’m leaving now.” Rachel’s radio begins crackling and only distorted noises are heard. Rachel shrugs it off and walks over to the candle to put it out before she leaves. With her back to the cabin’s second floor room, Rachel stares out the window for a brief second and then blows out the candle. Rachel turns around and screams in horror. An old woman in an all-white dress, with all black hair covering her face is now sitting in a rocking chair at the top of the stairs; the old woman is maybe 20 feet away from Rachel. The old woman has her head down and begins cackling and rocking in her chair.

Terrified for her life, Rachels screams at the old lady, “Who are you? What do you want?” The old woman looks up; with a deformed face, and rotting teeth, she says, “You.” The old woman leaps from her chair and charges at Rachel. Trish and Fred arrive to the cabin at the same time; as they get out of Trish’s truck, they hear Rachel screaming. Trish and Fred run inside the cabin to the second floor. They see Rachel on the ground, completely terrified for her life. Fred screams, “Rachel are you OK?”

Rachel looks at Fred in shock and begins sharing what happened, “I was putting out this candle, when I noticed an old lady by the stairs in a rocking chair. She.. she lunged at me and then I passed out. It was like the feeling of the worst nightmare I have ever had.” Rachel looks at Trish and begins to compose herself. “Are you Trish?” asks Rachel.

“Yes, I am. And I’m afraid what you saw Rachel was no nightmare,” says Trish. Fred begins to get frustrated and protective of his friend Rachel. “Alright, what the hell is going on here Trish?” Rachel pulls out her phone and decides to dial 911. Rachel still has no signal. “This cabin is haunted by an evil presence,” says Trish in an eerie tone, “No one has been inside for over ten years.” Trish walks over to Rachel and says, “What you saw has only been seen by six other people. They’re all dead now.”

“I’m getting the hell out of here,” says Rachel. Fred proceeds to walk with Rachel down the stairs and out the cabin. “Wait! If you try to leave, it will only make things worse,” screams Trish from the top of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Rachel and Fred ignore Trish’s warning. As they walk by the fireplace, they watch the door to the outside slam shut in front of them, the door automatically locks them inside. The old lady appears by the front door again in her rocking chair; she starts to cackle as she stares at Fred and Rachel. Trish runs down the stairs and sees Rachel and Fred frozen in fear. The old lady notices Trish and sees where Trish is looking. Trish runs to the fireplace mantle and throws all the dolls into the fireplace. As Trish frantically searches her pockets for a lighter, the old lady starts laughing maniacally. Rachel and Fred inch their way to Trish, in hopes that whatever she is doing will save them all. Trish lights an old newspaper from the dining table and throws it into the fireplace. The dolls begin to burn, as does the wood in the fireplace. Trish then takes off her jacket and puts a portion of it in the fire to start a bigger flame. With her jacket now on fire, Trish takes the burning jacket and throws it outside the fireplace onto the ground of the first floor of the cabin. The fire starts to spread, as does the laughter of the old lady. An old TV turns on abruptly on its own to a static channel. A rotary phone begins ringing in the cabin simultaneously. Trish looks at Rachel and Fred. “Come on, help me bust this window open!” screams Trish. Rachel, Fred, and Trish use all their energy to break open the window on the first floor of the cabin. The three jump out the window and make a run for Trish’s car. Trish starts her car as Rachel and Fred hop inside. They flee the cabin as it burns behind them.

A few miles away from the cabin, the three are silent as Trish drives as fast as she can from the cabin. Trish looks in her rear mirror and mumbles in a terrified voice, “Oh my god.” Rachel and Fred look at Trish, see that she is looking at her rear mirror and turn around. In the distance, running towards the truck is the old lady in all red now cackling with an evil smile.

Fades to black