A.L.E.N - Between Shadows (Chapter 2)

Act 22

After a two-hour drive, Liam and Cathleen finally arrived at the cabin, but that male figure was still inside. He was fortunate to have found what he was looking for. However, the man is caught off guard as he walks down the stairs. As he hears two voices talking at the front door, Liam is trying to find the keys.

The man immediately returns upstairs to a room that was a bedroom and hides inside the closet.

Until Cathleen says, "Take a look in your pants packet, Liam."

Liam looks for them and replies with an embarrassing laugh, "Thanks, Cat."

Cathleen saw, and as Liam put the keys in and opened the front door, Liam and Cathleen were so preoccupied with their conversation that they didn't hear or even know that there was a stranger inside, hiding quietly.

As Cathleen was walking inside, she was amazed at how the place looked. "Woah! For an old, historical cabin, it looks in great shape."

Liam nods and says, "Yeah... So I can show you around. Just follow me."

As Liam shows Cathleen around the cabin, they have no idea that someone is watching them, hiding in the closet upstairs in one of the bedrooms.

Liam asks her, when he shows her the bedroom where the man was hiding, "And this room was where my mom sleeps... Ah, so, what do you think?" Cathleen is staying there, looking around and saying, "It's pretty nice," and sitting on top of the bed, "And comfortable."

Liam looks around and says, "Yeah, it's nice," and something else was on Liam's mind, but Cathleen notices his expression.

Cathleen gets up and asks him what was wrong. "Hey, Liam. Look, if you don't feel comfortable here, we could look for other places to stay."

Liam looks down and shakes his head. "No. It's not that." immediately Cathleen responds, "I know that it's about your father. You can't even call him that." The man looks surprised when he hears that, and she continues, "What kind of sick person, or more exactly, a father, does that to his own son and to his wife...? I'm feeling so terrible about what you and your mother went through."

Liam then interrupts her by saying, "My mother was never married to him. They were just an in-love couple and then broke up when I was 7 years old." The man looks a bit upset.

And Cathleen apologizes, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that... We have been together for a couple months now. It seems like we don't know each other well." and Liam agreed, "Yeah, I guess so."

Liam and Cathleen were talking until they heard something, like falling up in the attic, and Cathleen asked, "What was that?" and went to check it out.

Liam goes up the stairs from the attic and says with a surprise tone, "What the!?" and Cathleen asked, "What's wrong?" and she goes to the attic as well.

After hearing them in the attic, the man grabs the case and flees to get out of there before they see someone hooded.

Cathleen heard someone running downstairs, "Liam?! I think we are not alone." Liam was in shock. "What!? It's possible," and Cathleen quickly went downstairs and saw someone running outside as she called out, "Hey, you!? Hold on!" and as Liam went down the stairs, he said, "Cat, wait!" but the person was already gone.

Liam and Cathleen both felt uncomfortable and unsafe regarding a surprise appearance at the cabin, and Liam assumed the story got repeated. 

The mysterious hooded figure lingered briefly outside before disappearing into the night.