Cabin in the woods

(From a dream I had on the 29th June 2024)

I'd been hiding in a small cabin in the woods. Secluded and far away from civilization. I've a heard of sheep and dogs to give me company. My dogs were obedient and clever, listening to whatever I said. But winter was now in full force and snow was coming down in the mountains. I put some wood in my fireplace and went to my room to grab extra blankets. The winters up here were ruthless so I had to stay warm to survive. Something rustled outside, perhaps an animal. I couldn't see through my window. The lights in my room were on and everything outside was pitch black. Before I could close my curtains though, I heard another rustle and steps, this time at the front door. I yelled for my dogs but the air remained irily silent. They hadn't even been barking. Cautiously I opened the door of my room to peak out, momentarily relieved to see my cat, the one I'd adopted in an unhygienic shelter. Only when the floor boards squeaked did I look up, my body instantly freezing at the sight of tall man in a black snowsuit and mask. He didn't hesitate a second to punch me in the face, my nose crunching under his fist. I stumbled back into the room in sharp pain and the man stepped over me, kicking me until I became unconscious. The last memory being the uncovered window behind me, then darkness. When I regained consciousness, the man was gone, the room destroyed and a black box in the middle of the room. A small red light blinked from it and I knew I needed to leave immediately. I got up, my body still aching and carefully turned to the back door in case any of the intruders were still nearby. I slid outside quietly, only to realize a sinister truth. Beneath the window of my bedroom were big footsteps in the snow. There was a hand print on the window and even a small mark that looked like someone had been breathing against it. A shiver ran down my spine at the discovery. Someone had been watching me the entire time. My legs carried me away and to the back of the cabin. It was pitch black so I couldn't see where I was going. In my hurry, I stumbled over something. Something heavy and slightly warm. It smelled vile, rotten. I carefully bent my hand down to feel something wet. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light and I realized that it was in fact an animal. My dog. Bloodied and dead. I stumbled back with his blood still on my hand. When I looked around, a bit more aware of my surroundings now, I noticed another lump on the ground. My whole body trembled. Then a male voice shouted out. "Where is he?", then loud footsteps. I ran off into the night with nothing on me but the clothes I'd been wearing. I had no means to make fire with, no coats to keep me warm or food, and most terrifying of all, I couldn't call for help. As I kept running the darkness eventually engulfed me. I briefly turned back to the cabin. A tall silhouette stood beside it, a beeping alarm was going off, assumably from the box they'd placed next to me. The man's gaze went down and he turned on his flashlight, revealing my footprints in the snow. My breath came to an abrupt halt as the beam followed the trail until the light was pointed directly at me.
Time slowed down in that moment. The man opened his mouth but no words would ever leave it again, for in that moment, the cabin blew up. The explosion was so violent that it send the man flying into the air. The bright fire momentarily illuminated the dark forest around. The burned body off the man landed on a branch of a tree.
If he'd kicked me hard enough, and I'd stayed unconscious for a few moments longer, he would have successfully and brutally murdered me, like he'd been right now.