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The Creepy Shadow In The Cabin

I'm The Only One Who Lives To Tell The Tale.

By Carol TownendPublished 2 years ago 7 min read
5
The Creepy Shadow In The Cabin
Photo by Hendrik Morkel on Unsplash

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window, and I am the only one who lives to tell the tale.

It was a warm summer's night. The sky was clear and you could see the stars. The environment was peaceful and relaxing, with only an Owl hooting in the distance, and a few bats fluttering here and there. I decided that this would be a good night to camp outside my tent. I set up my stove and my camp bed, being certain not to forget my radio so that I could blast some chill music while I relaxed.

I knew very well not to go near the abandoned cabin which had stood empty for over thirty years. Rumour had it that terrible things happened in that cabin.

Thirty years ago, there was an old man who lived there. He was no ordinary man. He had large fingers with six-inch talons as sharp as knives, a long forked tongue, and the body of a snake. This snake-man only ever lived in the cabin by candlelight, and often you could see his giant creepy figure pass the window, causing the light from the candle to be hidden by his giant shadow.

One night, two boys decided to camp here in these woods. They noticed a candle burning in the window, and they saw the horrific shadow. The boys were fifteen and sixteen years old and like many teenagers, they were looking for a thrill that could turn their camping trip into a big adventure. I tried to talk to them, but they were too excited.

They were gone before I could speak.

I thought these woods were safe, as I had camped here before so I left them to explore. After all, teenagers like fun, so they got their fun and I got some peace.

I didn't think anything of the creepy shadows that often came from that window, nor did I think of the candle that was burning in the window. After all, the snake-man was only a myth that run around these woods like hot water. I put the kettle on to boil and turned on my radio, then I jumped onto my comfortable camping bed in order to relax when I was disturbed by screams that were enough to make a man's blood boil coming from the cabin.

I jumped off my camping bed at the speed of light and looked around my surroundings. I looked in the direction of the cabin as I was sure the screams were coming from there. I couldn't see the candle in the window, but I could see a giant shadow that looked like a snake-man thrashing his talons wildly and cutting into what looked like a human boy. I was horrified, though I needed to reassure myself that these were not the boys who were camping along with me in these woods.

I decided to take a risk, and head to the cabin, even though I had heard terrible things happen in there.

Breathing heavily, I pushed open the cabin door. I could not see what was inside very well, as the candlelight was still covered by a shadow. I felt a squelch and a crack below my shoes. There was something sticky covering my soles which made it difficult to walk in them. Despite this, I took a deep breath and walked further into the cabin. I heard more cracking and squelching beneath my shoes.

There was a slight rustle which sounded like a giant scaled tale from the far corner by the window of the cabin. I bit my lip hard in order to stop myself from screaming out. I heard the buzzing of what sounded like thousands of flies flying around me, and the cabin stunk of rotting chicken and blood. I covered my nose in an attempt to stop myself from vomiting and shaking, I went even further into the cabin. The feeling of squelching and cracking beneath my shoes felt like I was treading over a million bodies.

I managed to get to the middle of the cabin, and suddenly there was rustling all around me. I looked out of the window and saw thousands of climbers wrapping themselves around the cabin. I ran to the door, but something large tripped me to the floor before I could get there. I felt a large hand pull me across the floor, then the pulling stopped and the hand pushed me into a heap against the back wall. I sat silently, daring not to move, even for a second.

A loud screech which sounded like a million sharp scissors stabbing somebody in the throat filled the room. I could not see where the noise was coming from, nor did I want to.

Two more young boys entered the cabin. They had cut through the climbers in order to get through the door. However, the climbers had managed to reattach themselves, tightly barricading the door again. The boys panicked and whatever was in this room must have picked up on it, because I saw the shadow of talons knock one of the boys to the floor, and then I heard the slapping of large lips and the biting of teeth as the boy let out chilling screams.

Then silence.

I felt my eyes open wide with terror, and my cheeks felt hotter than coal mines.

The snake-man was eating humans!

I had to try and get out of here or I would be next!

The snake-man had moved away from the candle, allowing a flicker of light in the room. It had a long, horrific scaly face, and a huge body. It wasn't looking, so slowly and quietly I shimmied to the window where the candle was placed, and I picked it up. I knew I had to throw it and burn the place down in order to get out alive. However, fear held me back for a few minutes. Snake-man started pounding over to me. It had huge feet and an extremely heavy chest.

I did not want to end up like the others.

I froze for two minutes in silence and observed what the snake-man was doing. I could make out two horrible glowing blood-red eyes. They were filled with malice and evil as they darted side-to-side wildly, watching my every move.

I was horrified and petrified. I had never seen anything quite like this beast.

The snake-man pounded over to me and crushed my foot with one of its heavy feet. The impact sent an ice-cold trickle of blood straight to my toes, and it stung like a million wasps had been inside my shoe. I realized that I had a mini pocket knife in my pocket, so I fumbled to get it out. I flicked it open fast and without thinking about it, I slashed the snake-mans foot. The snake-man let out a thundering scream, and I attempted to make for the door. I just managed to reach the door when the snake-man dragged me across the room with its sharp talons. I landed by a big brick, which I threw at the snake-mans head knocking it straight off. To my horror a gallon of thick green blood mixed with mucus spurted out of its remains, and then a thick black mucus was vomited from its mouth. Suddenly a silence fell, as the horrible creature fell to the ground. I waited to be sure it couldn't move.

Once I knew I was safe, I made my way to the door and gauged it open with my pocket knife. I had to cut through thousands of climbers before I could make my escape.

Once outside, I looked around in horror at the millions of pieces of flesh and bone, once bodies surrounded me. I ran all the way back to my tent. I didn't even pack my things; I just got into my van and drove far away.

As I was driving away, I heard a huge scream in the distance.

This nightmare has not ended yet; it has only just begun...

fiction
5

About the Creator

Carol Townend

Fiction, Horror, Sex, Love, Mental Health, Children's fiction and more. You'll find many stories in my profile. I don't believe in sticking with one Niche! I write, but I also read a lot too.

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

Top insights

  1. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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Comments (3)

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  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarran2 years ago

    I love body horror thus I immensely enjoyed your story

  • Jonathan Townend2 years ago

    This is the second of your campfire stories I've read (tell me not to read them before trying to sleep)...and remind me never to go camping with you ever too! Talk about having a vivid and gross imagination😱!

  • Great story! I loved your take on it!

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