Weekend Getaway

“Ava! Are you sure this is okay?” the girl whispered, her voice barely louder than the wind brushing through the trees.

Caitlyn stood at the edge of the forest, her fingers tightening around the straps of her duffle bag. The air smelled damp and earthy, like moss and something older—something untouched. A faint chill crept up her arms despite the warm summer evening.

This was her first summer with Ava in years. Apparently, though, this had become a tradition. Every summer since Ava turned sixteen, she and her friends would sneak up to their grandparents’ cabin for a weekend. It wasn’t even much of a secret—more like an unspoken rule everyone chose to ignore.

Their grandfather had made it very clear in his will: no one was to step foot on the property.

He used to talk about it constantly toward the end—how he saw figures in the woods at night. Shapes that moved between the trees but never came close enough to fully see. Caitlyn used to laugh it off as a kid, but standing here now, staring into the thick wall of green, those stories didn’t feel so harmless anymore.

“Caitlyn, will you just grow up already?” Ava sighed, slamming the trunk shut with more force than necessary. “We’ve done this every year and nothing has ever happened. Grandpa was just senile in his old age.”

She didn’t even look at Caitlyn as she spoke, already hoisting her duffle bag over her shoulder. There was something dismissive in her tone—like this conversation had already been had too many times.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Ava added, brushing a strand of hair from her face, “my boyfriend and his brother are meeting us there.”

That didn’t make Caitlyn feel better.

“Grab your bags. It’s a short hike,” Ava said, already heading toward the tree line.

Caitlyn glanced down at her luggage—two overstuffed duffle bags—and let out a quiet groan before picking them up.

“I wish someone had told me to pack light,” she muttered, adjusting her grip as the weight pulled at her shoulders.

She looked up again, really taking in the forest this time. Everything was overwhelmingly green—layers upon layers of leaves, branches, and undergrowth. The trees weren’t packed tightly together, but somehow that made it worse. You could see deeper into the woods… but not clearly. Shadows filled the gaps, blurring shapes into something unrecognizable.

Ava had already reached the narrow dirt trail cutting through the trees. It looked less like a path and more like something that had been worn down over time—uneven, winding, and just wide enough for one person at a time.

Ava pulled out her phone, her thumbs moving quickly across the screen.

“Okay, the guys should be parking by the time we get up there,” she said. “About thirty minutes. You won’t get much service out here—honestly, the cabin’s not much better. So text whoever you need to now.”

She still didn’t look up.

What an exciting weekend this will be, Caitlyn thought dryly.

She pulled out her phone and opened her family group chat, typing a quick message to let them know she’d arrived. Just as she hit send, her phone buzzed again—louder this time, sharper.

A notification filled the screen.

Police activity in your area. Citizens are advised to stay indoors until the area is investigated.

Caitlyn frowned, her stomach tightening.

“Hey… are you seeing this?” she asked, hurrying to catch up with Ava and holding out her phone. “Should we maybe leave?”

Ava barely glanced at the screen before rolling her eyes.

“Caitlyn, seriously? We’re fine. This probably isn’t even near us. There's nothing around here for miles.”

“But—”

“Relax,” Ava cut in, already starting up the trail.

Caitlyn hesitated for half a second before following. The farther they walked, the quieter everything seemed to get. The sounds of the road disappeared, replaced by the crunch of dirt under their shoes and the occasional rustle of leaves overhead.

Just like Ava said, her phone signal started dropping—one bar, then none.

Great.

Twenty minutes later, Caitlyn was struggling to keep up. Her legs ached, her shoulders burned, and each breath felt heavier than the last.

“O-okay… hang on a second…” she called out, though it came out much softer than she intended.

Ava didn’t stop.

Caitlyn slowed to a halt, setting her bags down for a moment and reaching for her water bottle. As she took a long drink, the wind that had been gently moving through the trees suddenly died.

Everything went still.

Too still.

Then—

crack.

The sound was sharp and distinct, like a twig snapping under weight.

Caitlyn froze.

A faint rustling followed, somewhere off to their left. Not loud. Not frantic. Just… deliberate.

Both girls’ heads turned at the same time.

Caitlyn squinted into the trees, her heart starting to pound. For a brief second—just a flicker—she thought she saw something shift between the shadows.

A shape.

Too tall to be a deer.

Too still to be the wind.

And then it was gone.

“It was probably a deer. Just…try to keep up. I can see the Cabin from here. I’m sure the guys have just parked” Ava glanced back at her cousin. “Hurry up.” With that, Ava started moving again. Caitlyn swallowed hard, choosing to wait to bring up what she saw. She quickly grabbed her bags and hustled to keep up with her cousin.

Ten minutes later, the girls finally reach the cabin. It was a two story cabin with a small balcony on the side. Surprisingly in good condition since no one lives here regularly. Ava unlocked the door and once inside she directed her to the third room on the second story. Ava would have the master bedroom with her boyfriend while Caitlyn and the brother had the available rooms upstairs. Ava locked the door behind her and went into her bedroom without a word. Caitlyn took it as a sign for her to go find her room. The stairs creaked lightly with each step she took. Once up the stairs she saw four doors.

“Well, she did say it was the third room.” Caitlyn rolled her eyes and walked to the third door, opening the door as she got close.

“Hopefully the guys are here soon…” She tossed her bags on the twin bed.

As the girl paced the room she crossed the window several times. Every once in a while a figure appeared in the tree line. Caitlyn never noticed. She sat down on her phone and tried to get service and hopefully see what's going on.

Thirty minutes go by and she's disrupted by a loud knock on the door. She jumped up and crept to the stairs.

“Finally you're here! Did you bring everything I asked?” Ava jumped on the first guy that walked in. She assumed that was the boyfriend.

“Corona’s, hot dogs, smores and if your cousin isn’t a stick in the mud, cannabis. Does that check your lists babe?” Ryan laughed.

Suddenly, the other man rushed into the room. Caitlyn remembered him well. Matthew, her childhood crush.

“Are you guys not at all concerned with that alert we all got? I’m telling you, I saw something on the way up here. We were being watched!” He exclaimed.

“Seriously? Not you too. Like I've already assured Caitlyn, we are FINE. Nothing for miles. We would have seen the cops investigating already if it was in our area.” Ava snapped and grabbed onto her boyfriend.

“Now, we are going to our room to…relax for a bit. Someone needs a reward for bringing all the supplies for our bonfire with everyone tomorrow.” She giggled, pulling him into the room. Caitlyn peered down the stairs and made eye contact with Matthew.

“I saw something too… I knew she wouldn't believe me though so I hadn't said anything yet. I’ve been feeling…watched since we got here. I can't get service long enough to find anything about that text-” Caitlyn was cut off by a moan.

“Why don’t we talk in my room?” With that they hurried off and closed the door to her room.

A few hours had gone by. Caitlyn and Matthew hid in her room, catching up while also trying to use their phones. After some time, their eyes became heavy. The couple was still loud downstairs but at least being this far, it was muffled. At least maybe they would get a little sleep while the couple was goofing off.

Neither of them noticed the muffled scream from Ava.

Neither of them really heard anything until-

Creak.

The creaky staircase.

Their eyes shot open and they looked at each other in panic.

Whatever they had seen earlier was here now. As quietly as they could, Caitlyn moved under the bed while Matthew went into the closet.

A few moments passed.

Creak.

Creak.

Creak.

Creak.

Whatever it was, it wanted them to hear it coming.

Caitlyn held her breath as the door handle began to turn. The door opened. Caitlyn put a hand over her mouth as she gazed upon the pair of muddy shoes in the doorway. She heard a cough then a slight tapping of metal on the door frame.

Everything froze for a moment. Caitlyn was too scared to breathe. She wanted to figure out how to escape but she was petrified. The moment passed and the boots began to make their way into the room. Paced around the bed and slowly made their way to the closet. The boots paused at the closet. She heard the deepest, most demented chuckle as a hand landed on the knob to the closet.

Crash.

The sound exploded from downstairs—glass shattering in a violent burst, a sharp crack followed by a spray of splintering fragments skittering across the floor.

The entire cabin seemed to flinch.

Ava?

The being paused before hastily making his way back down the stairs.

Now that it was headed downstairs, Caitlyn and Matthew could attempt their escape.

“Now.” She whispered. “We have to go now.”