The Ghosts' Lodge

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It had been burning for several days now but nobody dared to go near the cabin.

And for good reason.

It all started with a man named good ol’ Bill. He was called that because of his kind and giving manner. He built a cabin in the woods as a summer home for himself whenever he wanted to get away from society and its noisy little hands.

Now you would think that building a cabin wasn’t so bad and start to wonder what possible harm could come out of it. It wasn’t until good ol’ Bill finished building the log home and spent the weekend in his new summer lodging that it happened.

What was meant to be a three-day vacation turned into seven. His friends went up to check on him, thinking that he might’ve wanted to stay a little longer. But those guesses were tossed out the window when they found his burnt corpse hanging from the ceiling fan. The police said it was suicide, but the locals knew otherwise, especially those who were close to good ol’ Bill.

Some of the townsfolk say that good ol’ Bill might’ve accidentally built his cabin right on top of a hidden graveyard. Because of this, the ghosts of the people buried now haunt the cabin as punishment for disturbing their eternal slumber.

Some say it was the ghost of a young woman back in the 1700’s. Her name was unknown, but legend has it that she was framed for being a witch after someone supposedly witnessed her conversing with the devil himself. It adds that she was running into the same forest where she was shot from behind on the very spot where the summer home now stands. No one knows what happened to her body, whether it was buried or cremated, either way it didn’t stop the woman’s soul from tormenting poor ol’ Bill.

There were plenty of stories of what happened to good ol’ Bill, but the hidden graveyard and the framed witch theories never left the curious mind alone.

Many years later, a small family of three moved in that same cabin for the same reason good ol’ Bill built it for; a summer vacation. Despite the warnings of the townsfolk, the family seemed to be doing quite well. Until it happened.

Screams were heard across the forest and a farmer who lived nearby went in to investigate. What he found were the bodies of the children strangled to death by their own bed sheets while the parents somehow thought it was a good idea to each use a kitchen knife to carve each other like they were baked chickens.

It was then that the evidence was clear after further investigation that some kind of supernatural force now resides in the cabin and tortured its victims by having them kill themselves; such as good ol’ Bill with burning himself alive before hanging himself and the parents choking their children with their own blankets before slicing each other up. Whether it was the ghosts of the town’s rumors, a cruel prank or something even more sinister, the entire town decided to keep the cabin off limits to everyone, both local and foreign, lest they wish to share the same fate of its past victims.

But that didn’t stop Mark, Jack and Ethan from going.

These three young high schoolers who were obsessed with the supernatural thought it was a great idea to check the place out, especially after hearing Farmer Joe telling everyone about the lit candle inside the log house despite seeing no movement in the lodge.

They all rode their bikes to the woods around a quarter till midnight, which according to the some people, is the time where the murders were committed. By the time everyone came, they pressed on to the fog-covered forest.

“Are we there yet?” Jack asked, feeling his legs slowly turn to jelly. “Feels like we’ve been riding forever.”

“It’s only been ten minutes,” replied Ethan. “We might’ve gotten there sooner if you actually took the time to build up your strength.”

“So you’re calling me fat?”

Mark turned around and said, “Well, you’re what Simon Pegg called himself in ‘Run Fatboy Run.’ You’re not fat, you’re unfit. You just need to get fit if you know what I mean.”

Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle while Jack just gave him and Mark a glare. “I love you, too, guys. I love you so freaking much.”

“We know,” Mark grinned as he turned around. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. “What?” Ethan queried as he went up beside him alongside Jack. “What’s wrong?” Mark pointed straight ahead at where the dirt-filled cabin stood. But what got the boys attention was the glowing candle standing alongside the windowsill for all to see.

“Oh, my god,” Mark exclaimed, excitement choking his throat. “Farmer Joe was right!” Ethan gave him a confused stare. “You didn’t think he was telling the truth?”

“I did,” protested Mark. “But you know those thoughts at the back of your head that tell

you that maybe they’re wrong? For some reason I was starting to believe them.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Mark, you should know that Farmer Joe is not capable of lying.

That guy could probably run for priesthood if he wanted to.”

Suddenly, a shadow flew across the window. The boys became statues and stared at the

far away glass. After a minute, several crashes were heard inside the cabin alongside pain-agonizing screams. Someone was definitely in the house!

“What now?” inquired Ethan. “Should we go in for a closer look?”

“Absolutely!” Mark answered with enthusiasm. “But proceed with caution. We don’t know what we’re dealing with so keep quiet.”

The boys got off their bikes and walked over to the cabin, trying their best to sound like mice. Once they got to the porch, Mark signaled everyone at the window where the candle stood so they could get a better view.

After crouching down to avoid being seen, the teens’ eyes pierced through the darkness beyond the cabin’s window, hoping to see anything that could make their night worthwhile. A few minutes passed by and they saw nothing. Not even the light of the candle showed them any sign of life.

“I can’t see shit,” Jack mumbled as he turned left to right multiple times only to get the same result as before.

“You think someone could’ve left by the back door?” suggested Ethan, trying his best not to sound disappointed as Jack.

Mark glared at him. “Don’t you think we would’ve heard the door slam, dumbass?” Ethan shrugged. “Maybe they just closed the door quietly. I don’t know!”

Before anybody could say another word, a loud thud was heard somewhere in the living

room near the window. The boys turned to stone as their eyes peered around the room, looking for what caused the noise. A couple minutes passed when an unknown, large object came flying from across the room straight for the window where the teens were spying on. They screamed and ran for cover as the object crashed through the wall and onto the yard, sending the pieces of glass and wood flying through the air.

Unknown to them all, the candle landed on the porch, unharmed and rolled off to the side of the cabin, where its flames slowly started to catch the wood of the lodge.

Shaking off the glass and splinters, the boys walked over to what appears to be a body; or at least what’s left of it due to having lost some of its fingers and completely covered with blood, scars, and bruises. They could tell it was a man due to his large muscular features, bald head and unshaved face. Despite being covered with blood, the man wore orange pants and a white top, soaked with his spilt vital fluid.

Jack leaned closer to the man’s face and immediately recognized him. “I know him! That’s Tom McCradle! The guy that raped and killed five women from downtown!”

“Isn’t this also the same guy who broke that cop’s back by just punching it?” Mark added, starting to see the resemblance.

While Jack confirmed this, Ethan began to wonder why McCradle was doing here of all places.

“Ethan, think about it,” Mark said. “You’re running from the cops and need a place to stay until you plan your next move. What better place to hide than that one house where nobody will even THINK about looking for you.”

Just then, a loud moan was heard from the escaped prisoner. The boys glared down at the lifeless body. Not even a minute passes and the man groaned again, louder this time and tried to move. All the high schoolers could do was watch as Mr. McCradle tried to pull himself up.

Mark, however, was able to break free of his fear and walked over to face the rapist. All his friends could do was watch with concern, still petrified to move. As Mark got down in front of the criminal, he asked him if he was okay. Tom slowly raised his blood-splattered head and with heavy, red eyes, he muttered, “Run.”

“What did he say?” asked Ethan, who didn’t hear due to him speaking so quietly. As he and Jack joined Mark, Tom repeated his words.

“Run. Before-”

Without any kind of warning, an unknown force grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him back into the cabin, with its prisoner screaming at the top of his lungs.

Yelling with shock at what just happened, the boys leaned in to see what pulled Tom but could see nothing. None of them dared to enter the log house thanks to their terror taking their legs prisoner.

Suddenly, the sounds of bones snapping emerged from the shadows which got the boys curious of what’s happening. It wasn’t until the figure stepped out of the darkness that they saw what it was.

It was Tom McCradle, except something was wrong. The way he moved was as if he broke his leg but walked as if he didn’t feel the pain. His arms dangled around his body as he stumbled toward the boys. He had an unsettling grin that almost covered his whole face. He cocked his head as he tried to smile bigger as did his piercing black eyes. The worst of all, he started to chuckle that sent shivers down their spins.

He suddenly stopped and just stared at the young men who didn’t know what to do now that they stood before a possessed man. It was then that the escaped prisoner made an unearthly shrill that caused the boys to flee in terror. Tom stood for a minute before he gave chase, making his unholy laughter as he went. As he went after the youngsters, the fire caused by the candle started to grow along the side of the lodge.

Mark told everyone to grab their bikes and head for the road. “Hopefully, someone will pass by and turn the son of a bitch into a pancake!”

“THAT'S your plan??” yelled Jack. “Go for the main road and hope for a semi truck to come along and kill what’s already been killed?!”

“We can worry about the ghost later,” Ethan told him. “Let’s go!”

The pedals of all three bicycles went to work as their owners rode through the woods at top speed. Heavy pants were heard as the boys pedaled harder despite the hidden twigs, pinecones, and other obstacles that tried to slow them down. Sweat began to emerge from their skin, either from their bike workout or from the fear of a corpse possessed by a ghost chasing them.

Ethan took a quick peek behind him and saw that Mr. McCradle was gaining on them regardless of his broken body, snarling as he went with glee.

He reported to the others. “He’s catching up quick!”

“Keep pedaling!” Mark ordered through his parched throat. “We should be close!” The boys rode faster and prayed that they made it to the road before Tom caught up to them. Their hearts pumped faster and faster when they heard Tom’s unnatural panting. Suddenly, Jack saw a shining light up ahead that moved horizontal in an open area.

“There! I see it!”

Before they could reach for the paved path, they all crashed into a hidden tree trunk that sent them flying through the air, screaming as they went. Gravity soon pulled them down and they made a painful landing.

They all groaned as they tried to sit upright to rub their aching skulls.

“Is everyone okay?” Mark queried as he looked for his friends but quickly noticed they were right beside him.

“I think I sprained my ankle, but other than that, I’m good,” replied Jack, massaging both his crown and ankle with soft groans.

“Ethan, what about you?”

He looked at him and found him looking straight ahead with his eyes frozen in fear. Mark, alongside Jack, followed his gaze and shared the same expression as Mr. McCradle stood before them, his face like that of a Cheshire cat.

He didn’t say anything, only cocked his head side to side like that of a doll. Seeing that they were injured, Tom walked his way toward his prey, limping as he went with his throat full of giggles.

“Run!”

Mark ignored his pain as he and Ethan tried to lift Jack up and carry him to the road. They weren’t making much progress as they crashed pretty hard, making every muscle and bone painful to move. With their condition, they’ll never make it to the road.

They all turned and saw that Tom was just inches away from them now, arms now outstretched and ready to grab his prizes. But before either of them could make another move, McCradle suddenly stopped. What was once mad joy turned his face into pure horror. If that wasn’t enough, he began to scream and twist his body in every way that he could, even to the point of breaking more bones. The way he spun his body and flew around his arms was as if he was trying to swipe something off his body, only there was nothing there to take off aside from his bloody, dirt-covered clothes.

While the escaped murderer howled in pain, Mark, Ethan and Jack just stared at him with confusion. Unsure of what’s happening, their minds began to twirl at what could be the cause of Mr. McCradle’s suffering.

“You think we reached the limits of the ghost?” Jack suggested as he recalled some ghosts can’t venture very far from their haunted grounds.

His friends nodded at the guess but Mark couldn’t help but think that it could be something else.

“I think I know.”

Jack and Mark looked at Ethan who pointed at the sky. They turned to see a fiery glow in the distance with its dark flames rising out of the earth. All eyes turned to each other as they realized the same thing; the candle! They immediately recalled that they didn’t see where the candle rolled off but judging by the light that the fire gave, they had a good idea of what became of it.

They returned their gaze to Tom who was still shrilling at the top of his lungs at the pain of the fire within his phantom’s home. He continued to roll around in the dirt, hoping that it would save him until he moved no more.

Slowly, the youngsters crept up to the corpse to see if the ghost was gone. Not much was revealed except for the body twisted in unnatural ways, McCradle’s mouth wide open from his screaming, possibly leading to the fact that the jaw itself broke and his black eyes showed nothing but death. Mark lifted his foot and gently lifted the side of Tom’s body and let go, leading to no movement. Ethan sprinkled some holy salt he kept in his pocket on the body, ending with the same results.

It wasn’t long until sirens of a firetruck were heard and made its way to the burning lodge. Some of the firemen aided the boys with their injuries until a police escort took them home to their relieved families.

Some folk have said that the boys have freed the cabin of its poltergeist using the very fire from within. Others agreed along with the fact that the ghosts’ past victims have been freed as well. Everybody else was just happy that the cursed house was burnt for good and that no one would suffer at the hands of the supernatural. That is until everyone heard of the strange disappearances of the three heroes that took out the unknown force.