The Cabin

Chapter 24

Emma tossed her pyjamas onto her unmade bed and rummaged through her closet for an outfit to wear for the day. She selected a light blue tank top and a fuzzy, pink jumper, pairing them with some black leggings. She pulled her hair back into two messy bunches to keep her hair out of her face during rehearsals, then picked up her phone and ear buds, popping them in and listening to a playlist of her favourite songs.

She walked quickly down the stairs, greeting everyone in the living room, then continued down to the basement to gather her clean laundry. The door at the bottom of the stairs was open a few inches and the lights were turned off. It was late in the morning, so she knew Melanie would be awake. She pushed the door open and turned on the lights before making her way around the corner to the laundry room.

She didn't see the dark figure standing in the centre of Melanie's bedroom.

The door to the cold room was open and the shelves were stacked with freshly laundered and folded clothing that the housekeepers had done the day before. Emma sang along with the song she was listening to as she casually picked through the piles for her own clothing.

She suddenly felt as though she wasn't alone. She turned, expecting to see someone at the door, and frowned as she looked at the empty doorway. She pulled one of her ear buds from her ear and took a step back to look out the door.

"Hello?" she asked.

She waited a moment, pausing the music track so she could hear if anyone was moving around nearby, but the basement was silent. Certain she was alone, she put her ear bud back in and resumed listening to her music as she continued collecting her laundry.

She froze as she caught a glimpse of a tall man with a beard in the corner of her eye as he walked toward her. He reached his arm out towards her. Her heart racing, she turned to see who it was, but no one was there.

Standing completely still, she looked around the room to make sure she was alone. The man she thought she'd seen was no longer there and the room appeared to be empty.

It didn't feel empty though.

Calming herself down, she quickly grabbed the last of her laundry and hurried to leave the room. Her arms full, she turned the light off with her shoulder and walked toward the stairs.

She stopped short and nearly screamed, noticing the figure standing in the centre of the room. She dropped her clothes to the floor and raced toward the door to the stairs, wanting to get away as quickly as possible. She stopped at the door as her rationality kicked in and the features of the figure became more apparent. She fumbled for the light switch and turned on the light, illuminating the room and exposing Melanie, who was standing next to her bed, staring blankly at the staircase. Her breathing was laboured and her fingers twitched awkwardly. She took no notice of Emma and continued to stare, unblinking, at the staircase.

"Melanie?" Emma asked softly, her fear quickly replaced with concern. Melanie's head twitched awkwardly and she slowly turned to look at Emma. Something about her expression was unsettling and Emma instinctively took a step back.

Melanie stared directly into Emma's eyes, her breath rattling and wheezing as though she was struggling to pull air into her lungs. Her posture was slightly hunched forward and her body twitched unnaturally.

"Are you all right?" Emma asked apprehensively. Her heart had begun to race again. She wanted to go to Melanie, but something about her wasn't right. She didn't want to admit it, but in that moment, Emma was afraid of her.

Melanie's chest heaved as she struggled to inhale, but her face lacked any emotion that would indicate she was in distress. Her head twitched once more and blood slowly began to trickle from her nose.