Chương 237: Chapter 237
The woods stretched on for miles, dense and uninviting, their edges tangled in thick underbrush that no one could really tell how to get through. It had been a long walk, longer than they'd expected. Brianna, the one who had dragged them all out here in the first place, was leading the pack. She had always been the type to go off the beaten path, never worried about consequences. And, to be fair, it had started out fun enough. At least, until the air grew colder.
Ben had been the first to mention it, but no one had really listened.
"Does anyone else feel... cold?" he muttered, kicking at the ground. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, eyes darting around like he was seeing things in the trees.
No one said anything. They were too busy joking, too busy ignoring the strange gnawing feeling growing at the back of their minds. The deeper they went, the more the world around them seemed to close in.
It hadn't helped that the sun was starting to sink low, casting long shadows that made the forest look even darker than it was. Brianna had thought the hike would be easy, but now she was second-guessing everything.
"We should turn back," Ben said again, his voice tight.
"What's the matter with you?" Brianna snapped, half laughing but with a bit of edge. "It's just a cabin in the woods, Ben. You've seen horror movies. It's not like we're gonna get murdered."
But even as the words left her mouth, something felt wrong. They were on a trail now, an actual path, but it wasn't like the normal ones—clean, clear. This one was cracked, uneven, as though it had been abandoned for years. The trees grew too close to the path, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers. They pushed on anyway, past Ben's complaining, past everyone's growing unease.
When they saw it, it was almost too late to turn around.
The cabin sat crooked against a backdrop of thick pines, surrounded by nothing but silence. It was small, barely bigger than a shed, with broken windows that let in nothing but the creeping dusk. The roof slanted, half caved in. There was no trail leading to it, no sign that anyone had been here in years.
"This place is... weird," Ben muttered, stopping dead in his tracks. His voice cracked, his face pale.
"You scared, Ben?" Brianna teased, but it didn't come out like it usually did. Her words felt thin, and she almost wished she'd kept them to herself.
"Let's just check it out," Alex said, stepping forward with more confidence than he felt. He wasn't one to back down from things like this, even if the gnawing feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away.
They moved closer, the crunch of dead leaves beneath their shoes too loud. Brianna reached the door first, pausing in front of it. Her hand hovered over the rusted handle for a moment, then she twisted it. The door creaked open with a sharp groan, revealing a dusty, empty interior.
Inside, the air was thick, like it had been shut in for years. Old furniture sat in the corners, but nothing looked right. Cobwebs hung in every corner, and the faint smell of rot was in the air. But the strangest thing was the dark stains on the wooden floor, too faded to tell if they were old or something newer.
No one said anything as they stepped inside.
Alex wandered over to the fireplace, poking around the bricks as though expecting to find something. Brianna knelt down by the floor, running her fingers over the stains. She didn't know what she expected, but she didn't find any answers.
"This place is gross," Sarah said, her voice tight. She was near the window, eyes glued to the view outside.
Ben stood by the door, arms crossed, looking out into the trees. He'd already had enough. He wanted to leave, but something stopped him. It was like he could feel the eyes of something out there, watching. It made him feel exposed, like the walls around him were paper thin.
"I don't like it," he said, voice low. "Something's wrong with this place."
Alex turned to him, forcing a laugh. "It's just a cabin. It's old. Who cares?"
But Brianna noticed Ben's eyes, wide and unblinking. He wasn't laughing.
"Let's just look around, then we can go," Brianna said, trying to sound like she was in control. But her voice had lost its usual bite, too. She wanted to leave, too, but there was something... compelling about the place.
They stayed longer than they should have. Ben moved out of the cabin first, hands shaking as he looked out at the darkening woods. "We need to go," he repeated, his words raw, like they were being forced from his throat.
But they didn't listen to him.
An hour passed, maybe more. Brianna was the last to leave the cabin, her mind spinning with thoughts she couldn't put into words. There was something wrong with the air—wrong with the silence. She glanced around as the others stepped out, their faces set, unsure of what to say next.
And then, they heard it.
A soft thud from inside the cabin, then another. It was slow, deliberate.
"Did you hear that?" Sarah whispered, her voice trembling.
"I—I don't know," Alex muttered, looking back at the door. "It's probably nothing."
But Brianna wasn't so sure. She didn't want to admit it, but the feeling was creeping back—something wasn't right. It wasn't just the cabin. It was everything.
Suddenly, Ben screamed.
It was short, sharp, a burst of panic that didn't belong in a place like this. Brianna spun around to see him stumbling toward them, his hand gripping his chest like he'd been hit. His face was pale, eyes wide with fear.
"Ben?" Brianna's voice cracked.
Ben staggered forward, but his movements were jerky, as though he couldn't control them. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his mouth moved, but no sound came out.
Then he collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
"Ben?" Alex ran forward, but stopped short, his face going ashen as he saw what no one else could. There was nothing left of Ben but his clothes, his skin, all gone.
No blood. No body. Just... nothing.
"What the hell?" Brianna gasped, her hand shaking. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
They ran then, but the trees weren't the same. The path was gone. Everything had shifted. The dark was suffocating, closing in on them.
One by one, they began to disappear.
Sarah was the next. She was walking ahead, her voice calling back to them, when it stopped. There was a moment of silence, and then Alex's scream. He ran forward, pulling her back into view. But when she collapsed into his arms, she was already gone, her body nothing but a twisted husk, shriveled and empty.
Then it was Alex. He was next. They had barely had time to react before he was yanked away, his scream vanishing into the suffocating dark.
Brianna was alone.
She ran, but the woods kept changing, the trees pulling closer, pushing her deeper into a place she couldn't escape from. Every step felt heavier, the ground thick underfoot, and the air pressed down on her chest. She couldn't breathe.
And then, she found it again. The cabin. The door creaked open, as if it had been waiting for her.
She stepped inside, trembling, her heart pounding. The stains on the floor were darker now, smeared across the wood like something trying to escape. She wanted to scream, but the air was too thick for sound.
And then, she heard it. The slow, deliberate thud.
The door shut behind her.
And she knew, in that moment, she'd never leave. Not alive.
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