The cabin of mischief

~Chapter 5~How the Hell Did I Let This Bitch Talk Me into This

The night settled in, thick and heavy, casting long shadows across the cabin. The wind outside seemed to pick up, rustling the trees like a distant whispering voice. Inside, the group tried to ignore the growing discomfort as they spread out in the cramped living room. The air felt almost alive, like it was pressing in on them, making the space feel smaller than it had earlier.

"Yo, is it just me, or is this place extra fucking creepy at night?" Blake muttered, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting something to jump out of the shadows. He ran a hand over his short hair, his muscles tensed like he was ready for a fight.

Chad snorted from his spot near the kitchen doorway, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Nah, bro, it's not just you. This whole place feels off." He shook his head and shot a pointed look at Isabella. "How the hell did I let this bitch talk me into this? I could be chillin' at home right now, not stuck in a haunted-ass cabin in the middle of nowhere."

Isabella smirked, rolling her eyes at him. "Oh, come on, Chad. Where's your sense of adventure? Besides, if shit gets real, you can just grab one of those weapons you brought along and show whatever's out there who's boss."

"Yeah, and I'm not trying to be a fucking ghostbuster tonight," Chad retorted, though a hint of a grin tugged at his lips. He walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a protein bar. "I swear, though, if anything actually goes down, I'm out. I didn't sign up to get possessed or some shit."

"Possessed? Seriously?" Jamal scoffed from the other side of the room, his face partially obscured by the flickering light of the fireplace. "Man, the only thing haunting this place is the shitty maintenance." He kicked a chair leg, and the whole thing wobbled dangerously before steadying again.

Jeremy, who was lounging on the couch with his feet propped up on the armrest, snickered. "You know if this was a horror movie, Chad would be the first to die, right? He's that dude who says, 'I'm getting the fuck out,' but trips over nothing and gets dragged off screaming."

Blake chuckled, though the laugh sounded strained. "Nah, that'd be Jamal. Always talkin' shit till he's face-to-face with a demon, and then he's the first to piss himself."

Jamal flipped him off with a lazy grin, but there was a nervousness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Yeah, well, if anything happens, at least I won't be dumb enough to check it out. Y'all can play hero all you want, but I'm sticking to the rules."

Isabella leaned against the back of the couch, a slight tremor in her hands as she rubbed them together. "So, this is our big, fun trip, huh?" she said with a half-hearted laugh. "You know, I think I'd be having more fun if the place didn't sound like it was gonna fall apart every five minutes."

"Yeah, and if the walls didn't whisper like some creepy ass shit," Jamal added, shuddering. He tossed a wary glance over his shoulder as if expecting to catch a glimpse of something lurking just out of sight. "I swear I heard someone saying my name earlier."

"Stop being a little bitch," Blake replied, trying to sound dismissive, but his voice lacked its usual confidence. He was slouched on the loveseat, his arms draped lazily across the cushions. His gaze flicked toward the hallway, where a door had creaked open for the third time that night. "It's probably just the old wood shifting or some draft coming in through the cracks."

"Or it could be something else," Chad chimed in, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. He leaned in closer to Jamal, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know, like the ghost of the guy who died here in the '80s. The one who used to lure people out into the woods at night."

"Dude, shut the fuck up," Sienna snapped, tossing a pillow at Chad's head. "You're not helping." She tried to sound annoyed, but there was an edge to her voice that betrayed her nerves. She was curled up on the far end of the couch, knees pulled to her chest as if trying to make herself smaller.