ONE NIGHT IN THE CABIN HOUSE (Completed...)

19

Gracia turned her head sharply to the tiny door. She was so sure that she heard a voice. It sounded faraway. Was it just her imagination. Gracia reasoned and dropped the book she was holding on the single bed. She walked to where the sack bag she'd rummaged hours ago was and scattered the clothes on the floor. She didn't know exactly why she'd done so. Gracia recognized and stared at a peach hoodie that looked more like a rag to her now. She kicked it off to one side and zipped the pocket of her jacket after putting the credit cards inside. She was going to head outside soon and would need the lighter. Gracia searched for it and finally saw it beside the stove. She hadn't seen it earlier because the pictures of Sarah and the children covered it. She clicked the top and a tiny orange light popped out from it. She put the object into her pocket. Her eyes were playing around the room.
In few minutes she was going to leave the cabin to go into the woods. Gracia's chest was throbbing by the thought of it. Inside the cabin was scarey but she was aware outside was way scarier. Lee died outside. Bate had gone outside and died. She wasn't sure that Claire was still alive, now it was her turn. She mustn't die. She should be alive for the sake of her friends. To tell their families the story. Gracia made a silent prayer that the lord go with her.
  She directed her eyes to the corners of the old room and knew that there were many things yet to be discovered inside. Gracia was moved to leave without telling Bate her last goodbye but a part of her didn't allow her do that. She slowly went to where Bateman's body laid wrapped up with the thick curtain and squatted. Her head and eyes were bent low. She couldn't control the tears that was flushing from her eyes to her cheeks. Bateman would've been alive if they hadn't come to Townfriday. They would've just stayed back in their city and spend the holidays there. Gracia looked at the curtain and remembered herself and Claire wrapping the body. She hesitated for a while and touched the curtain. Her heart was melting in pain each time it came to her that she was never going to speak to him again. Gracia wiped the side of her face and said. “I miss you, Bate. Why did this have to happen to us.“ She wanted to cry out loud at least it could work in releasing the agony stuck inside her chest. “I promise you that you would be buried, I'm going to try everything within my power to see that happen.“
“I'm going to look for Lee's body and Claire and we would bury three of you together. I wish you and others would be coming home with me. 'I'm not even sure I would make it alive from here.“ She laughed with pain. Gracia felt someone touch her arm and sharply turned her head but there was nobody. Her eyes saw the skull at the corner she'd kicked it to. It looked scary and for some moment she couldn't believe that her hands had once touched it. The empty eye sockets looked as though they were glaring at her. If she doesn't make it alive from the woods, their bodies would decay until the bones are left just like that. She shuddered at the thought of it and removed her eyes from the head. Gracia threw her eyes at the curtain again and wished she could see his face. The sad truth hit her. She couldn't. His face was gone. She recalled the bloody face. No eyes, no mouth. They were all gone. Gracia could still perceive the smell of wound. She felt an air of courage wash inside of her and was standing. “Go with me, Bate.“ 
  Gracia casted her eyes again to the corners of the room that brought nothing but misery to her. An unforgettable one. And with pain filling inside her chest, she opened the door and ran into the cold dusky night.
Gracia stopped running after she'd ran for quite some time. She was panting heavily and bent to relax her hands on her knees. The cold wind bringing her hair to meet her face didn't allow her to sweat. She was tired and felt her feet wobble as she stood upright. She gazed around the dark and saw just trees. She was thankful to the moon that gave her some bit of light. Her mind didn't fail to remind her that she was the only one in the woods except of course there were some other creatures around and she imagined something about to attack her from behind. Gracia immediately turned her face around and saw just the leaves of the trees dancing to the rhythm of the air. Gracia was confused on the direction to take. She looked forward and saw two big trees bent low and knew that she would've to bend over to cross to the other side. She was looking right and figured that the trees seemed to be all clustered together. There was no route that way. Gracia turned her head to the left and saw that she wouldn't have to struggle to go through.
  Gracia broke a few more tree branches that tried to come in between her way and was going further into the forest. The road was so strange and Gracia was sure she hadn't walked the path before. Gracia had followed the way she and the others had earlier journeyed from, and she went in search for Lee at the designated spot Bate said they would meet. She'd hoped to meet his body there as she ran to the place and was disappointed when there was no trace of his body or anything that stated he was ever there.
  Gracia sighed as she broke more twigs off her way. She wasn't sure of what her shoes were stepping on. Bottles, ceramics, it sounded like one of those. She sighed and wondered if there ever would be dawn. She didn't bring the torchlight with her because it was dead. As she moved deeper, her hair got stuck. Gracia was terrified and closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding as she waited for the moment she would be attacked. Her whole body felt hot as she stood still for minutes. When nothing happened, she reached a hand to her hair end and was relieved to find out that it was some wood that had gotten hold of it. She carefully removed her hair from the tree and was knotting it quickly.
  Gracia came to stop at the familiar place and realized It was where she had been before to look for Lee. She immediately knew she'd gone in circle. She was lost. She and the others were. And with sadness, she searched with her eyes for a place to relax for a bit.
  Gracia sat on the rock for quite some time with eyes alert pointing to all directions. At some point the trees had formed something that looked dangerous. She had had to stare at it for some while to notice it wasn't. At interval, Gracia's heart would skip when she thought a tree was some evil creature that stood glaring at her waiting for the moment to eat her. She smelt the wet earth as drops of water from the sky continued touching her hair and hands and the mud ground. Gracia shot her tongue and tasted the little water that dropped on her tongue. She was craving for more than that.
  The wind did not cease making the trees dance wild and Gracia tried to see her shoes in the darkness. It had been on her feet since the morning she wore it. She was fortunate it was comfortable and imagined how it would've been if she'd worn heels or her favorite sneakers that were tight on her. Probably she would be walking with bare feet and get injured. She stretched her legs and yawned and wanted sleep.
  Gracia was standing from the rock after realizing she'd been sitting for quite a long time with her eyelids closed. She was heading west holding a moist wood she'd stumbled on. She had it for defense. The flashbacks of the face of the woman with blood coming from her eyes came to her and she shuddered. Gracia stopped walking when she heard footsteps coming from her right and became overwhelmed with fear. She paused and was quiet as possible. Her eyes did not leave the spot the sound was coming from. A part of her told her to start running but she didn't want to take the risk. Her legs were weak already and she knew she would get caught if she was chased. What she needed at the moment was to rest. The noise drew nearer and Gracia hid behind an oak tree. She saw a shadow coming forward with a gesture that was very familiar to her. Gracia's eyes were staring wide to see who would come out of the trees. Lo and behold with the help of the moonlight, Gracia recognized the boy walking as though his left leg was injured.
“Lee?“ She called underneath her breath and for some moment Gracia couldn't believe that she was looking at him. He wasn't dead. They had assumed that he was gone after his scream but they were wrong. Lee was still alive in the woods. He didn't see her and continued dragging his left foot. His eyes went about the dark as if it sensed something evil was about to come at him. Gracia watched him closely to be sure it wasn't his ghost and when she heard him cuss at his leg when it didn't want to move nomore, Gracia let out a cry of joy. He turned to the direction of the voice and saw the person he presumed was dead staring back at him with a joyous smile. The moonlight was on her forehead. Lee watched her hurried up to him and they embraced.
“You're alive.“ Gracia was crying and smiling the same time. “We thought you were dead.“
“I'm not.“
“Thank you, thank you.“ She was delightful. “oh my goodness I can't believe this.“ Gracia said with tearful happiness.
“If you remember I'd sworn not to let anything happen to me. Except of course the wound.“ His left hand went to his left leg.
Gracia's eyes glimpsed at his leg. "It doesn't matter as long as you are alive." She smiled. 
"I waited for you and the others to show up at the place we agreed to meet but no one came." He sounded betrayed.
Gracia looked at him for a while before saying. "we will talk about that later." she felt sorry for him. They'd agreed to meet at the spot and minutes after he was gone, Bate switched the plan. She found it hard to tell him. He might likely get hurt. They'd left him there to think they were coming while they weren't.
“You should've come back to the cabin and show yourself. We thought you were gone.“ she repeated. “Claire wouldn't have harboured the guilt that she caused you to leave and walk to death.“
"You all were in the cabin. I thought we had a plan."
"Of course. We went there but didn't see you and when we noticed the rain was going to fall, we went back to the cabin." Gracia quickly covered the mess she would've created.
“I came.“
“You did?“ Gracia couldn't believe. If he had then they would've met each other, right. Maybe not Bate, but herself, Justine and Claire. They had been in the small house ever since. Gracia reasoned.
“Yes. There was no one there and so I left.“
“Oh." She was suddenly remembering. "That should be when Claire was dragged out of the house by something that wasn't seen.“
“Something that wasn't seen?“ Lee was surprised. If it was a day ago, he would've doubted her but not after he'd gone through the worst experience of his entire life hours before he saw her.
 “Yes. We were so terrified.“ she said.
“I'm sorry to hear that." He was calm.
  "You don't have to." she shook her head.
"I'm sorry I thought you and the rest of the others were dead. Crazy things I saw here.“ he said after a minute of being quiet.
“Where are the others?“ Lee lit up a smile. He was thankful that he wasn't going to be alone in the woods anymore. And as he stared at Gracia's face, he could read her thoughts, his smile faded.
“They're all gone.“ Gracia's eyes became sad. “I'll explain everything to you at the right time for now let's figure out how to get out of here.“ she said to the cold night.
Lee couldn't believe what she said. His heart was racing fast. How did they die. He really wanted to know. It wasn't clear to him before that they were really dead. He'd only contemplated their death but now the truth was before him. His friends were dead. His stomach knotted. "How?" He said as though he avoided to attract something negative to them. Gracia didn't say anything instead she started crying. Lee looked at her and patted her shoulder. If the forest took his friends then there is little or no possibility of them making it out of the woods alive.
He shook his head. "I'm afraid we might be stuck here forever.“ Lee uttered, and when he saw her questioning look he says. “I've tried to find the way out and realized that I've been walking in circles. Look.“ He dragged his left leg to the red string tied on a tree visible enough to see. “I tied this cord here just to be sure. I'm back like six times to meet it here.“ He told her.
Gracia became worried she'd walked in circle too. Were they never going to go home? She thought and looked at his leg. “how did that happen?“ Gracia saw he tied it with a thin shred of the wrapper he'd left with.
“I was running from something evil and my leg got stuck in between a tree. I tried to remove the leg with force and a stick cut into my skin." he told the story.
"That's painful. So sorry." she made an irritated face.
Gracia looked at him and wondered if she was willing to know what he was running from. “Don't tell me.“
“What?“ Lee didn't understand why she said that.
“You were going to tell me what you were running from.“
“I wasn't because I couldn't see it.“
“Oh.“ She blinked. “how's it now?“
“To tell you the truth it's still painful.“ Lee replied.
“We must leave here. I promised Justine I would. I need to bury Bateman's corpse. Yes, his dead body is in the room. “ She added when she saw his face reaction. “he was killed with a knife by a ghost.“
“I-I don't get you. A ghost killed him with a knife? How?“ It sounded impossible to him.
Gracia wanted to tell him everything but knew it wasn't the time to. She started withdrawing her steps and was moving to the opposite direction. The night bird cried and her heart jumped.
“Let's find a place to rest until morning. I don't think we might reach anywhere close to out of the trees at this hour.“ Gracia was tired of walking. She imagined she would have stayed in the cabin until morning but was thankful she didn't as her eyes glimpsed at Lee's way. 
  They came at a spot where two big stood glued together and Gracia went to sit on the underbrush. The plenty leaves on the trees made shelter. She relaxed her back to the bark. Lee went to sit next to her. They stared quietly to the other end and could hear the breath and heartbeat of each other.
“There was never a payback time.“ Lee uttered distantly.
“What do you mean?“ Gracia's eyes were now fixed at the round moon sending them some light from the sky.
“The prank I pulled, Bate told me there would be a payback time but he's no more.“ Lee recalled and was sad.
“Oh.“ Gracia only said and continued staring at the sky. The rain had ceased drizzling but the cold wind wouldn't stop. “You see that small star over there.“ She said and pointed up to the cloud. Lee followed her finger and looked at the blinking star. “That is Justine staring at us. I see her in it.“
“I've heard stories about people dying and going to form a star on the sky but didn't believe. I'd deemed it superstitious but now It seems true.“ He said looking at the star that he saw wink at him. He sighed and relaxed his back on the tree.
“I want us and his family to bury Bateman with flowers.“
“And Claire and Justine?“
Gracia sighed and closed her eyes. “Justine went to the spirit domain for our sake.“
“What do you mean?“ He didn't understand.
“We had performed a ritual and it opened the door to the spiritual realm. They required a human body to grant what we seek.“
“What you seek?“
“Yeah. The ghost that killed Bateman. We requested the realm to take her spirit with them. She was murdered in the cabin for more than 300years and her spirit was continuing to live there.“ Gracia told him. “she could've killed us if Justine hadn't volunteered to go.“
Lee looked confused and uttered. “Is that even possible.“
“Everything is possible, Lee. You just did not know it is.“ She said and held back the words when she wanted to speak about Marylou's past, how she had physically seen what happened more than 300 years ago.
Lee sat quiet. “What about Claire?“ He spoke after some silence transpired between them. He wanted the conversation to last long but by his observation of Gracia, it appeared she didn't want it to.
“She ran away when the ritual took place. Poor Claire, she wasn't expecting that.“ Gracia said remembering the terrifying noises. “I didn't even try to stop her. God knows what must've happened to her.“ She threw her eyes to Lee's sober face. “everything will be fine once we get out of here.“
He didn't respond. They were quiet listening to the sounds the trees were making and the cries of night birds. After an hour, they noticed something moving in the trees at the far end and was alert. Breaking of woods filled the midnight air as the two of them looked at each other faces with fear.
“We are in danger.“ Lee whispered.
“Shh, be quiet.“ Gracia told him. Her eyes were fixed to where the sound was coming from. “come let's hide over there, quickly.“ She added when she noticed that it was drawing close. They ran to hide behind an oak tree. Lee closed his eyes and they waited until the sound disappeared.
“If we don't leave this forest by tomorrow, we might be stuck here forever.“ Gracia said and held her body together. The cold was penetrating from her Jacket to her skin. Her nose was numb with cold. “I wish there was some sort of warmth. I could get sick from cold.“
“There's no dry wood to make fire.“ Lee was standing and he cleaned the butt of his trousers. His eyes were going to all directions. The huge trees appeared as though they were about to trounce on him and chew him.
“My mum would be very worried. She must've dialed my number as many times as she could and then phone Justine's. I wish I'd brought my cell it would've been much easier.“ Gracia said gazing at Lee who was still standing.
“I still can't believe this is happening to us. We would've just stayed back in the car until morning.“ he said, but how would they have known it was risky in the woods. Lee recollected himself gleefully saying how fun and adventurous it was as they'd journeyed into the woods. It wasn't fun after all. He recalled Gracia's words to him that Claire was guilty she was the reason he left the cabin house. Lee bent his head and muttered underneath his breath. 'you shouldn't have.' he felt sorry.
Gracia was looking at the two stars that joined the star. They were close to each other and Gracia knew they are her friends watching her from above. Somehow she wished she was there with them. Somehow she wished to fly high and reach out to them. And after hours of staring, she yawned and fell asleep.