The Cabin

[Ravenloft]

When they pulled up to the cabin, cast in an eerie moonlight, an ankle deep fog swamped the ground, hiding the dirt path from sight. Howard leaned forward, bumping his hip into Helena's side by accident, the sight had him so enraptured that he just stood there, staring.

"Jenkies Scoob, we're gonna die..." He breathed, his voice a deep whisper.

As Em eased the car forward there was suddenly a loud echoing bang and the front of the car seemed to dip forward a bit.

"Ahh!" Howard screamed in a high squile of fear. He fell back, frozen in his seat, his eyes wide as could be, blushing red over his unmanly scream, hoping no one would comment on it.

 

[Ithica]

Alita patted Howard on the shoulder and said,

"Don't worry, I second that scream. But maybe later I'll teach you to scream like a man."

Alita tried to joke around but could shake the feeling of dread that had started to build up once they gotten into the fog.

"No one said this cabin was in a swamp. Well, this has been a wonderful trip, thank you everyone. We should leave now and head back to town. I saw a wonderfully sleazy motel that I suddenly have the urge to go see."

 

[Jades]

"I think I've seen a horror movie that started out like this." Ronni leaned over and pulled the handle that opened the door to the van. "What are we waiting for people? Time to set out on our little adventure." She grinned and hopped out of the van. "Maybe I should've brought a tent, because this place looks a tad bit unstable."

 

[Ravenloft]

Howard jumped as Alita touched his shoulder giving out a small yelp.
"Jeeze louise, don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah Veronica, it was in 'I spit on your lawn twenty', everyone but the virgin girl dies in the end..." Howard was visibly shuddering, not willing to even open the door and hop out.

 

[Jades]

"Well then, Howie. I guess you have nothing to worry about. Everyone else, though, is fair game. Although the stuck up bitch usually gets stabbed first." She hopped up the sagging steps, twirling around on one of the porch supports. "And we all know which one of us that is."

 

[Ankara]

Helena's mouth fell open "I hope you don't mean me!" throwing an empty pop can at Ronni. Through the van door Helena could smell the lake and the fog wafting in, a chill shot down her spine after Howard mentioned that we were all going to die.

Helena stared at the cabin, "Your kidding right, there's no way that i'm staying here or I am seriously sleeping in the van," Helena said "The locked van."

 

[Ravenloft]

"Thank you Veronica, I really appreciate you saying that." Howard said as he hesitently poked his head out of the car. "Helena, they tried that in Splatter Camp 12, they got crushed under a falling tree... To be honest, we're safer in the cabin." Howard was obviously working things out in his head.

 

[Ithica]

Alita looked around and was seriously disappointed and freaked out.

"Ronni, honey, we don't have to stay here to have an adventure. Remember sleazy hotel, it could be fun."

But it looked like Veronica had made up her mind to tough it out and Alita walked over to Emily.

"It sounded like you hit something with the van."

 

[Ankara]

Helena felt a little silly, but Howard's logic at the moment seemed to make sense. "It'll probaly be warmer in the cabin." She said off handedly so it wouldn't look like she was following Howard.

Ronni, honey, we don't have to stay here to have an adventure. Remember sleazy hotel, it could be fun."

"Looking at that cabin, i'd probaly join you at that sleazy hotel" Helena mumbled to herself while she was getting her bags.

 

[Ravenloft]

Howard shuffled to the back of the car, knocking for Emily to open it up, and when she popped the back hatch, he took out some of the lanterns she had brought.

"If its warmer in the cabin, Helena, its probably because its build over a gate to hell, just like in 'Hellgate 3: The Gates of Hell.' The guy that played Lucifer was particularly chilling in that one. All the others were a bit campy for my tastes."
Howard rattled on as he handed out the lanterns to his friends. "Sleazy hotel... Hmm, just make sure its not run by a guy named Norman Bates.

 

[Angelus]

Scott wanted nothing more than to laugh out loud. Howard was always good for a laugh and this was one of the really good moments. The fact that he could just pull horror movies out of thin air like he did was funny but it gave him something to talk about and the others to complain about. Scott just looked at him with a smile and moved slowly towards the cabin, wondering just what was going to happen as soon as he entered.

He turned to looked at everyone else and wondered just what was keeping them, why the hell they were just standing around and talking. They could easily just walk into the cabin where it would be a lot warmer than it was out here.

"Ummm excuse me. Can we get inside. I know that I might be speaking for just me but I want to get inside where it is warm."

 

[Jades]

Ronni

"Now why would we want to go to a sleezy place with electricity, running water and probably a bed...when we can enjoy the wonders of nature?" She went over and stood by the door, waiting for whoever had the key to come unlock it. "Think of it as a Scooby Doo adventure, and we get to be the meddling kids."

 

[Ankara]

... "Or the victims the meddling kids have to dig up" Helena grumbled. But began to carry her bag to the cabin door.

 

[Ravenloft]

Howard stood in the ankle high fog, holding his lantern in front of him as though it was a ward against some evil force. "Em has the key." He said as he hesitently stepped toward the front stoop of the cabin. Something was off, other than how generically creepy the cabin looked and Howard just couldn't put his finger on it. It was that vague feeling that you're being watched.

Turning about, Howie peered out into the darkness of the surrounding trees. "I have a bad feeling about this..." He whispered under his breath.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Emily

Emily sat still, staring toward the cabin as everyone gathered on its sad excuse for a porch, any romantic delusions she'd had about this place skittering away like a mouse that had just caught the scent of a cat. And why she'd not waited til morning was beyond her.

"Woulda, shoulda, coulda," she muttered to herself and reached in her bag for the key. "I'll just leave the van running for a minute til we get inside," she announced to no one in particular as she slid the old timey key into the old timey lock and... It didn't turn at first, and she looked toward Howard who rolled his eyes and started to whistle, something they'd both done since they were little whenever they got scared. "Scott?"

To her relief, Scott was braver... and stronger. He removed the key and replaced it giving it a jiggle or two before it finally turned, unlocking the door. He didn't, however, open it -- gesturing for Emily to do the honors.

Sure, she thought. If something goes bad, blame me. Taking a deep breath, she reached back for her brother's lantern and held it high as she lifted the latch and pushed the door open.

If they thought it was cold, dark and damp outside, the cabin was all that and more. The lantern barely penetrated the achromatic blackness and the chill went right to Emily's bones.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths...

Turning around to face everyone, she smiled, though it didn't show in her eyes. "Honeys, we're home."

 

[Wolfsister]

Ellie

Rose Lake.

The moon hung low on the horizon, the land cast in an eerie half light. Some would call it romantic, some would call it just plain freaky. Add in the baying dogs, the wolf sounds, the seductive whispering of the wind and the permanent chill infesting the area, and most romantics would be calling it down right freaky

She sat, staring with her big wide eyes out of her bedroom window, high above the ground, looking over the dark still water. She idly ran a little silver brush through a baby doll's curly golden locks, her child's high pitched voice whispering softly as she sang an old lullaby.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Momma's gonna buy you a looking glass"

She turned around, suddenly startled as she heard a deep voice bellow from down stairs for her to be quiet. To be to bed, straight away. She squeaked, her little feet carrying her swiftly to the bed in the middle of the little room. Scrambling under her covers, her eyes wide with innocent fear as she heard the heavy thump thump of something mounting the stairs.

She heard the scrape of the door handle turning and quickly shut her eyes, the picture of a child at sleep. She heard the dreaded heavy breathing, smelled the rosemary and sage scent... felt the large male hand pat her on the head and then heard his foot steps as they retreated from her bed. The thump and squeal of the unoiled hinges as the door closed and the distant thump thump of him returning down stairs.

She opened her eyes and scrambled back to the window to retrieve her doll, then jumped back into bed, screwing her eyes shut tightly as she clutched her doll to her little chest, the sheets drawn up to her chin and tried to sleep.

The nightmares came, they always came.

**************************************************************​

The door creaked open, an eerie sound accompanying the unoiled hinges as Emily opened the door. She turned and announced, "Honeys, we're home."

Howie stood at her shoulder, peering over it into the darkness of the cabin beyond.

Howie, you hear a distant child's voice singing, 'Hush little baby, don't say a word... momma's going to buy you a mockingbird...' The words cut in and out, like the voice is travelling through the dark little cabin. Only you, Howie, can hear this eerie little voice.

As you look over Emily's shoulder, you see the glimpse of small bare feet running up the stairs to the left of the cabin, the moonlight slanting through a high window giving you a clear view. The sounds of running feet and giggling reach your ears.

Silence.

 

[Angelus]

Scott looked around the door frame into the cabin and wanted nothing more than to let out a sigh. This was one of the dingiest looking cabins that he had ever seen in his life and he wondered what the hell he was doing here. He turned to look at Emily with a smile and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Can you tell me one thing? What are we doing here? I mean come on.... I have seen some bad places in my time but this is ridiculous. Can we not just jump back into the van and get out of here?"

He then saw the look on her face and knew that there was going to be no argument so he grabbed the lamp and walked into the cabin. As soon as he entered the cabin he wondered just what he was doing here. It looked like the worst place he had ever been inside of and all that he wanted was to turn, get back in the van and drive away, even if it meant that he had to leave everyone else here.

He turned and walked back out of the cabin, handing the latern back to Emily as he did.

"I ask again. What the hell are we doing here. I mean.... the setting is kinda cool but it looks as if someone left a fog machine on."

 

[Ravenloft]

"Em, thats not funny, you know I don't like that song..." Howard muttered under his breath as Scott pushed past him. His eyes went wide as he saw the feet on the stairs inside. He grabbed ahold of Scott as though he could protect him. "Please don't go?" Howie begged as he hesitently peered over Scott's shoulder.

 

[Jades]

Ronni

Ronni pushed past them and sauntered into the cabin. "Well, someone apparently forgot to pay the cleaning lady. This place is a fuckin' mess." A gross smell seemed to ooze around her now. "Ewww, that smells like a chick with BAD hygiene. I think I liked it better outside." She brushed past everyone else to stand on the porch, where she could actually breathe.

 

[Ankara]

Helena

"Ok, I don't care what squishes the van, I think we should wait till morning to go in there, if nothing else it might not look so creepy in the daytime." Helena said peering into the cabin. "This place looks like its about to fall over, and there could be rats, don't ya think, rats the size of a dogs." Helena was starting to panic, this place was really freaking her out. "Or bears, don't ya think." She turned around and leaned against the van bumper.

 

[Jades]

Ronni

"Lions and tigers and bears! Oh My!" Ronni chanted. She plopped down on the floor of the porch, waiting for whoever to decide what they were going to do next. Sleep in the van, sleep in the cabin, go the hell home...All she knew is that she was glad to be on something sturdy and wasn't rolling.

 

[Ravenloft]

It took Howard some time to rifle through his vast knowledge of horror movies, but he came to the conclusion that this was still reel one, and no one would be dying for a few more reels, er, hours. "Lets go in, its cold out here, and the van isn't going to stay warm much longer, the tires are blown, it aint going anywhere anyway. Scott, you check the basement for any dead bodies and I will be on mirror breaking detail. No spooks are gonna get us tonight, I tell you what!"

 

[Angelus]

Scott turned, looked at Howard and wanted nothing more than to laugh. What the hell was that little man thinking, wanting him to go into the basement of this place. Did he want to get rid of him so desperately so that he could have some peace or was he just so scared of what might be in the basement that the brave man that was Scott had to go down there. He wanted to laugh again but he looked at the others and grabbed a torch then went down into the basement but before he could he grabbed his Ipod and turned it on.

As he moved slowly towards the basement with his torch in his hand his head started to move with the beat as it normally did. He had a large smile on his face as he slowly moved to the back of the cabin, trying hard not to trip over something that would cause him to look like a fool to everyone here but then he realized that nobody would actually see him and it was a truly funny thought. He started to laugh out loud at that one, looked around and shrugged his shoulders then continued to walk around to the bad of the cabin...

He then had to ask himself something. Where the hell was he going?

 

[Ravenloft]

Howard was more than a little surprised that Scott actually headed down to the cabin's basement, but shrugged, reasoning that he wouldn't die for another reel, er... Hour or two. He on the other hand went about, merrily breaking any reflective surface he could find, so as not to be able to see into the dark dimension.

 

[Jades]

Ronni

"Holy fuck. When was the last time anyone was in here?" Her eyes scanned the interior of what appeared to be the 'living room' from the doorway. Cobwebs danced from the ceilings, nearly touching the floor. Sheets that were once white, were now a nicotine yellow, and were stretched across every piece of furniture. She half expected one of the sheets to rise and moan...dragging metal chains behind it.

"Well, looks like there is cleaning to be done. So who's doing it? I am sure Merry Maids wouldn't even come this far...or deal with this mess."