ONE NIGHT IN THE CABIN HOUSE (Completed and NOW Edited!!...)

10

"You're scaring me," Claire said, her voice trembling as she glanced nervously at the walls.

"How did you know she wasn't buried?" Justine asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"You don't want to know," Gracia replied quietly.

"Of course I want to know. Even though it's going to be frightening, we need to know. This place is terrifying enough," Claire insisted.

"I can't," Gracia said, her voice breaking. She didn't want to reveal what she had seen. She feared it would shatter their hope of survival.

"Why?" Claire stepped closer, touching Gracia's arm. "Why don't you want to tell us?"

"No, I don't want to," Gracia repeated, shaking her head. She covered her eyes, feeling as if she might collapse any moment. Her stomach churned with anxiety.

"If you don't want to talk, how are we going to survive?" Justine snapped in frustration.

"I'm doing this for you both. It will ruin your—" Gracia stopped mid-sentence, unable to finish.

"Tell us. We should know. Why aren't you saying anything?" Justine demanded.

"Stop shouting," Claire said to Justine before turning to Gracia with a calmer tone. "What's wrong, Gray?"

Gracia sighed deeply, her heart racing. "Look over there," she said, gesturing to the cupboard. The two girls followed her gaze.

"I don't see anything," Claire said, scanning the area with the flashlight.

After a tense moment, Gracia finally spoke. "By the side of the cupboard."

Claire directed the flashlight to the large, dust-covered cupboard. She had seen the curtain used to wrap Bates' body folded and discarded on top. The girls' eyes scrutinized the side of the cupboard until, "Oh my God," Justine gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. A shudder ran through her.

"Why haven't I seen any—" Claire's voice trailed off as the torch dropped from her hand. "Is that a skull?" she cried, her fear palpable.

"I tried to warn you," Gracia said, wiping her eyes as she picked up the rolling electric lamp.

"What happened here years ago?" Claire asked, her voice light but trembling.

"I'm trying to imagine how she was killed," Gracia said, her gaze fixed on the cupboard.

"We could end up like her, with our skulls left on the floor," Justine said, her worry evident.

"Don't think that way. She was murdered by a person. I don't think anyone else is here. Ghosts might be, but definitely not humans."

"And Bates?" Justine asked. "He was killed."

"By a ghost," Gracia replied.

"How does that matter?" Justine retorted. "He's dead, ghost or human. He's gone, and we could end up like him, with our skulls lying around."

Gracia fell silent and began to walk ahead.

"What are you doing?" Justine asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Trying to see if there's anything else besides the skull," Gracia replied. She hoped she was making the right choice. As she moved closer to the cupboard, her eyes widened. "Just as I thought," she said, her voice wavering. "Bones."

She stepped back, revealing a horrifying sight: the disjointed remains of someone who had once lived, scattered behind the thick wooden furniture. The thought of what other horrors might be hidden there made her stomach turn.