Cabin Fever

H​eart pulsing and head shaking. Derek drops the first aide kit. Panic with a side of dread fills his face. “Uh! Oh! Uh! Oh!, Uh! Oh!” Derek says. He calls out for their names in hopes of a response is made. “Charley! Demi!” No response. Laying in panick, Derek instantly regrets bringing his best friend Charley & his girlfriend Demi to A Cabin in the Woods.

H​ours before Charley & Demi had triggered a trap door in the cabin & fell through, Derek was upstairs looking for a certain box. “Where is it? Where is it? Derek says nervously. “It’s gotta be here. I had left it here all summer & it’s been here everytime I looked.” Derek says with a confused look. A small jewelry box is what Derek was looking for. A Small box that’s white with a wedding ring inside. “That ring cost me 6 months salary. It better be here.” Derek murmurs to himself as he begins to get impatient. The time spent at the cabin was so his best friend from high school and his girlfriend can bond before Derek pops the question at the end.

“Oww! Move your leg Charley.” Demi struggles out the words. “I’m trying.” Says Charley. Demi and Charley wake from a fall that has led them to a dark room.

Demi – “How long have we been out Charley?”

C​harley – ” I don’t know, Demi but it smells like metal and dust. Hows your leg by the way? “

D​emi – ” My leg is fine. We must have landed on some debris.”

T​he two had landed in a secret room under the cabin. Closed off to the rest of the house, there were metal bars and steel structures surrounding them, closing off the room. The floor had plant life. Grass and dirt all over with a pile of mulch that stood in the middle of the room. Charley got up from the floor to brush off the dirt and dust so he can assist Demi.

The two got up from the pile of mulch & moved away from the dirt. Charley & Demi both took out their phones & turned on their flashlights to view the metal sounding green room they are about to see. Charley holds the camera up to the ceiling to see the entry way they came from in hopes to see a possible exit.

Charley – “Nope. There’s no way I can see a way out from where we came in. “ he says with expected disappointment.

The ceiling was metal but had patches of fake grass on it. Similar to the fake grass for golf courses you see in homes.

Demi – Looking up with Charley, “Who would put fake grass on metal? Its clearly for some reason as for this room.” Demi explains with curiosity. ​

C​harley walks around to take a look around the small room.

C​harley – ” for a small room, its pretty cool in here. ”

C​harley looks on the floor in the corner to see an entry way where a cool mist is released. ” An Air conditioning unit. Why is there a unit here cooling a room full of nature for? There must be something bigger going on here. “

Demi – Walking around with Charley by his side for security she starts a conversation with a sudden glare in her eye. “So how did you & Derek meet anyway? He talks very highly of you and has a lot of trust in you which is good for a friend to have but sometimes it can be a bit much.”

Charley is shocked by the response Demi has given him. Charley knew how much Derek cared for him but he didn’t know how much. After becoming good friends in high school & after going to The Café (where we used to go as kids) & reconnecting, we developed a bond of friendship that will travel on for years to come.

Charley – “We met in high school.” I responded we shared a common interest & that led to our friendship forming.”

Demi raises one eyebrow with suspicion. “Do you love him Charley? Did you have a crush on him in high school? You know he’s not into you like that right?” Demi suggested being forward with the questions in hopes to find answers to why her boyfriend thinks so highly of his best friend. She was jealous. Demi wondered if she ever got that much praise.

Charley – “ Why does it matter to you of our relationship?” I raised my voice in defense. “ he’s with you & he doesn’t think of me that way. Besides, I rather have him as a friend that I can have forever than a partner with an expiration date. “

Charley was peeved. He thought he would have gotten along well with Demi for their shared interest in anime. But he didn’t know how much Derek cared for him like that.

Demi – “well you two must have had a thing since you care about each other so much. I know what you see in him because I’m with him but there’s no way he would be with you because you’re just doesn’t know how to take care of himself. You were very clingy during game night & when we was partners you were too competitive. I wasn’t a bit annoyed of you to be honest but I didn’t say anything for the sake of Derek. “

Charley was disappointed. He really wanted to get along with Demi & he thought he was during game night but Demi had different feelings. Charley walked around the room with his flashlight guiding his way looking for something to sit on. “Ugh! I cant believe you felt that way about me! I’ve been nothing but nice to you & really thought we could be friends, at least for the sake of Derek!” I yell in defeat and frustration.

Demi with a face of confusion, changing to aggression. “ You call that nice! You always stood your distance from me & ignored me anytime I was talking about me and Derek & our future. You had made a face every time I mentioned everyone else & not you. When I tried talking to you, you made every conversation about anime. I know we share the interest but you became annoying about it. Like I get it already!”

Charley – “ ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!! I kept my distance so you and Derek can have your alone time! As for “face” you shouldn’t make judgements on me because of how “I” react. We only have anime in common so I made an effort to talk about just that, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE ANIME IN COMMON!!! “

Going back to the house, Derek leaves the first aide kit on the floor next to the staircase (where Demi and Charley were) to look for clues as to where they could have gone. Every time Derek will call for them he would get nothing in return. He goes to Demi’s room to check to see if she’s there but finds that she’s not.

Derek – He runs into the room Demi was in to find something that might point him in the right direction. “What the!?” Derek is shocked when he found under the bed next a suitcase was a white box. It was his wedding ring that he was looking for. “Wha..wha..wha..why does she have this?” Confused, Derek stands up to take a moment to collect his thoughts while looking at the wedding ring. “Did she run off because she saw the ring? Wait a minute. If she left then she would have taken her suitcase.”

Derek began to think of the idea that Demi was scared to marry him. Other possibilities rushed up but none made sense because her suitcase was still there. He puts the box with the ring in it & continued to look around. He went to the other rooms & ended up back to the staircase where he left the first aide kit. As he bends over, he finds a lever so small you couldn’t see it unless you paid attention to it. “What is this thing? …I wonder” Derek put his hand on the switch & prepared to step back as if expecting something to occur.

…back in the green room, Demi & Charley continue to argue & their frustrations became hate & resentment. Both keeping their distance, Demi sees a panel, “ This looks odd. I wonder if this could lead to the outside.” She says quietly while trying to divert Charleys attention.

Charley – “ Why don’t we start over. It’s clear as r we both care for Derek deeply. We can both do our apart to make him happy, even if it means for us to get along. We may not have much in common but we can focus on what we also have in common & that is Derek. “ he says as he calms down while sitting on a stool in a corner.

Demi takes a deep breathe still pissed off at Charley and matches his tone so she can grab his attention. They both flash their lights to the center of the room so they can see each other clearly. Right before their lights connect Demi pushes the panel.

Demi – “You’re right Charley. We can start over. We can work together to make Derek happy & try to get along. At the same time we can also try to make each other better. Let’s work together to get out of here…” at she is talking to Charley a rumble begins to happen. The ground starts to shake & things start to fall. “What’s going on?” Charley says on confusion. As the ground continues to shake, tremors extend to the house itself.

*CLICK* The switch goes to the opposite position as Derek turns the switch. “Oh my gosh! What have I done!” Derek scared and more concerned. The trap door opens & the tremors begin to surround the house. More things fall to the floor as the tremor increase in vibrations. “DEMI!! … CHARLEY!! Are you down there?” Derek yells out to the hole as he holds onto the staircase.

“DEMI!! … CHARLEY!! Are you down there?” Demi & Charley sees a white light begin to emerge as they both hear Derek from a distance. The tremor turns into an earthquake as pieces of the ceiling starts to collapse. Fear and panic consumed everyone. Demi begins to think that this was her fought because she pushed the panel.

Both Demi and Charley: “Derek!?”

As the the building starts to collapse, Derek sees the two down below trapped. Derek is filled with relief and fear because he feels that he has caused the building to collapse.

Derek – “ I’m so glad you guys are safe & together! I’ll find a way to bring you guys out.”

With drive and determination, Derek opens the first aide kit to look for someway to get the two out of the green room. Meanwhile, Charley brings the stool to the center where they can see the path to Derek is. Demi gather some books that she has found on the floor and tries to build a monument so that she can climb so Derek can save her. Derek makes a rope from the gauze & ties it to his arm. He sew the pieces of gauze together & taped them for good measure. He takes off his belt & straps it to the bar of the staircase so he can use for support.

“I’m coming guys!” Derek says as he take a big gulp & takes a deep breathe. The gauzes unravels reaching a point where either Charley or Demi could grab if they jumped high enough.

Charley – “That’s not gonna hold both of us Derek!”

Demi – “Yes it is! If we do it together and try to grab his hand!”

The earthquake rumble was too loud for any of them to hear each other. As more debris began to fall, both Charley and Demi began to prepare for the jump.

Both Charley and Demi approach each other in the center of the room as they climb to the top of the stool. “No hard feelings?” As both Demi and Charley jump to grab the gauze. OW!

As they both jump for it, Demi feels a sharp pain from the fall she had down by the stairway before she fell through the trap door. Her knee bent on the bed of books. Pain as sharp as needles filled her body. Charley grabs on the gauze & a tug begins to grab the attention of Derek as he grabs hold and starts to reel them in.

Derek – “ Hang on guys”

Charley – “ jump again and grab on to my leg Demi. You can do it!” Calling out to her, Charley uses his free hand to unbuckle his pants so there’s less of a distance between him and Demi so she can grab on.

Demi – “ Alright fine. Unh! Unh!”

Demi successfully grabs onto pants and grabs on tight. The gauze starts to stretch & produce a slight tear from the bounce. As Derek continues to reel us in, Demi begins to climb up from the pants to my back. Restless to get out, both Charley and Demi are now holding onto the gauze. Now having clear visuals, Derek is able to see & grab onto their hands to pick them up. The ground surrounding them breaks apart and the gauze slowly tears up. Tension builds for Derek as he finally has to reach out for someone in hopes them both.The stairway begins to break off and Derek is about to secure his footing so he can grab both of them.

Demi – “ Screw this!”

Demi pushes Charley off his shoulders in order to get enough momentum so she can grab her boyfriends hand. Charley reaches out his hand in plea for help. Watching his life flash before his eyes. He flashbacks to the moments he had with Derek from the Café, up until now. He makes peace with it & right before he disappears into the rubble he says his final words. “I love you Derek!”

Demi grabs Dereks hand & they both watch as Charley falls into the abyss. Tears falls down Dereks eyes. He lets out his final words , “I love you!” As he lunges Demi out of the whole, through the trap door onto the floor, he rushes to Charleys aide and grabs his hand. The white box with the wedding ring he had goes out of his pocket and ends up on top of the hole hitting the switch to the trap door.

Demi is left on the floor of what’s left of the cabin. Down and unconscious, Demi is on the floor of the cabin where she is left to think about the decisions she made leading up to her death. As Derek falls and the rest of the cabin above becomes a tragedy, he moves Charleys hand to his shoulder as he hugs him. “I’ve always loved you. “ Derek says as they spiral to their death together sharing their first kiss.