Whimper in the Dark

“The cabin in the woods had been deserted for years, yet one night a candle was seen burning in the window.”

Are we really going to hear this ghost story again? Ralph grumbled. Come on, shut up. Lori stated as she looked out of her sleeping bag, "Mandy enjoys telling the story even though it is kinda lame." She continued, "You're just truly afraid at night when the fire goes out." Who would have imagined a man of your size would be terrified of the dark? Ralph simply rolled his eyes and taunted Lori while opening another beer, faking a northern accent. Hey, pipsqueak, stop talkin before I come over there and scratch Ya lofers. There are seven of us out here, all attempting to escape the recent chaos the world has delivered. There are no telephones, bustling streets, or covid restrictions. Just absolute tranquility and no unpleasant sounds, that is, until Ralph starts farting in his sleep. Naturally, there are three couples and then me. I am Nomi, the continuous fifth wheel. Everyone is falling in love and cuddling around the campfire, while I am stuffing s'mores into my mouth and making Exes on mosquito bites with my thumbnail. I'm close with Mandy and Ralf, but Lori and Travin are my best friends. Pete and Marcie, the third pair, are Ralph's buddies. Last summer, he met them while driving through Mississippi to visit his sister. They were the ones who proposed camping in Georgia. I believe I overheard them telling Lori that they have ancestors who settled in this area. They are both a little strange for my tastes, but they are Ralph's buddies, so I shouldn't be surprised. Pete said, "I have a scary story to share." Yeah! Mandy shouted with delight that another person wished to partake in the storytelling. It's so adorable how she perks up when others love the more childlike parts of camping. Pete tosses another log to the fire and then joins me on the ground. Pete clears his voice and tips his hat up. “Legend has it that a physician named Osbon Blackmon and his wife Roxa once lived in these woods. They built a beautiful house and had three children”.

All of the births occurred at home. Even though the doctor did not specialize in obstetrics, he loved the idea of performing the procedure himself. Unfortunately, due to his lack of experience, all of the newborns perished, and the doctor's wife passed away after the third birth. This drove the physician utterly insane. Allegedly, he mourned the loss of his children and wife so severely that he began kidnapping pregnant women and holding them captive so that he could steal their newborns. He failed delivery after delivery until he finally succeeded with one. She gave birth to twins and to make her more agreeable to his request that she remain his wife. He performed multiple lobotomies on her to ensure that she was mentally competent and savage enough to succumb to his household. He didn't stop there, he became obsessed with inventing what his real offspring would look like, so he continues to kidnap youngsters and pregnant women in order to use whichever pieces he wants and attach them to live experiments he has, In the attempt to create his perfect family. All kept up in cages like wild dogs, he feeds the experiments the leftover body parts from those poor souls who didn't make it. If you listen attentively, you may hear the cries of all the people he has created. Oh shit, this story is creepy! I mused as I reached behind me for another bag of marshmallows. As Pete continued the story, I turned around and saw everyone gazing over the fire, hanging on every word. But where has Marcie gone? In the distance, a twig snaps and so does Pete's hypnosis over everyone. What happened to Marcy? I inquired aloud. Pete turned back and stated she must have gone to the little girl's room. I thought to myself as I looked over at him, "I'm not sure what it is about the two of them, but I get an eerie vibe." Travin broke the stillness by announcing his plan to get firewood for the night. Thank goodness, because Ralph appeared to be physically ill as a result of the story. Travin has always been the most introverted member of the gang. It takes a lot to get his attention. That's probably why he's with Lori. She is a fiery head from the Bronx in New York. She has plenty of character to go around. Lori and I decided to tag along with him. As I squatted behind a tree to pee, I questioned Lori about Pete and Marcie. So, exactly what did they claim to do for a living? "I guess they're farmers," Lori shrugged. When they met Ralph at a farmers' market, they claimed to be in Mississippi collecting livestock. Travin said, "Yeah, kind of strange how they say "collecting." They speak in an odd way. Thank you very much! I burst out laughing. I find them quite bizarre! All of a sudden, we hear footsteps coming through the woods. I jumped up so quickly that I didn't even have time to drip dry. I glanced through the trees; my beam aimed at the noise. It was Marcie. Lori caught my attention by smacking my leg. "Ya think she heard us?" she asked me out of the corner of her lips. She appeared to be on a mission from the way she walked. "Awkward," Travin sighed. He picked up the wood we'd gathered and headed to camp. On the walk back, I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing out there. A gunshot and scream simultaneously pierced the air. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever heard. We all began sprinting towards camp. Then I heard Lori begin to scream, my mind started racing. As soon as I reached the clearing, I became utterly immobilized. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end. I remained there. My body was soaked in a cold perspiration, and I began to tremble in shock. Ralph's body was dragged across the fire, and he was fully consumed by flames. On the ground, Mandy was shot in the chest, choking on her own blood. As I hurried towards her, I saw Travin pouring water on the flames in an attempt to save Ralph. Lori vomited as she gathered all the water, she could find to assist Travin. I sat close to Mady and held her hand. I inquired softly, "What happened?" With wide eyes, she managed to say "Run." There was a single shot fired into the air. Everyone looked up. There was Pete and Marcie. Pete held a shotgun, and Marcie had a pistol. Lori began running towards them, yelling, "What the fuck have you done?" Without hesitation, Marcie fired a bullet toward Lori's leg. Travin rushed to aid her. Pete replied with a grin, "Now that you're all paying attention and beginning to comprehend how this is going to work." Loris's screams were so loud that I feared he would murder her for expressing them. I looked over and saw that Mandy had passed. I covered her face with the closest sleeping bag. "Stay still!" Marcie ordered me. I instantly froze. Pete approached Travin and Lori. He knelt down and examined her wound tying a bandana around her leg. "She just grazed you for a purpose," he said to them as he flung two necklaces resembling ropes with bells at their feet and instructed them to wear them around their necks. Pete looked them in the eyes and said, "It's time for you both to run." They were confused and shocked that they did not move. Pete reached back and struck Travin in the face. "Did you hear me, boy?" I said, "Run!" Travin and Lori began to sprint into the forest. I was still on the ground next to Mady, cutting off my circulation by gripping her hand so tightly. Pete moved carefully over to me and stopped at Ralph's body. He started to undo his belt. He slipped his pants to his ankles and began to urinate on Ralph’s feet. I was surrounded by pure evil, and I couldn't physically handle it anymore. I closed my eyes and felt as if I was going to pass out. The sound of his zipper and close footsteps cemented the deal. Marcie was pouring water on my face when I awoke. "Wake up, sunshine," Pete replied, laughing. He wrapped the rope around my neck and stated, "I think you'll be the one he's looking for." "Go ahead, start running," he said. Dazed, I rose to my feet and looked him in the eyes. "Why?" I inquired. Oh, you'll find out pretty soon. Now Get! The moonlight was strong enough for me to see my feet as I ran past the wood line, but I had no idea which direction to go. After almost two miles, I became so distraught that I collapsed on the ground and started to vomit. Then, I heard horses' hooves! I leaped to my feet and began yelling "help!" As I approached the sounds, the houses began to sound anxious. Lori and Travin, both panicked and running, blocked my path. Lori halted and seized my hand. "Run, run!" she screamed. I peered past the woods into the distance. Three horses appeared. "What the fuck?" I exclaimed. Travin yelled. Speed up!

The fact that I was so relieved to see them gave me some kind of weird hope. I said to Lori, "Where did the horses come from?! It's Marcie and Pete. Then, Lori paused. “There was another rider, but he didn't look normal. It's like he had extra arms or something” she said with a confused look on her face. “We don't have time to talk”, Travin interrupted. We took thirty-second breaks and ran continuously until the sun rose and we could no longer hear the horses. Lori had lost a significant amount of blood, and we were exhausted. Our run became a jog, and the jog degenerated into a collapse. We were all lying on the ground, absolutely lost. Travin lifted his head and exclaimed, "There's smoke!"

Travin stands and says, "I'm going to see what's up with that smoke. stay here." No! I responded, "That is a terrible idea." Can't you see that we're being herded like cattle?! Do you have a better proposal?! Travin yelled. Lori begins to cry, at which point she wraps her shirt around her leg repeating “I lost the bandana, I lost the bandana”. Travin said, "We have no idea where we are, no weapons, no food or water, and our friends are dead." He continues, what if it's someone else? What if it is a person who can assist us? We cannot remain here for them to discover us! “Fine!” I agreed, but we need a strategy.