The cabin of mischief

~Chapter 6~Lights Out, Fear In

The first night settled over the cabin, casting an uneasy stillness that wrapped itself around the walls. Outside, the darkness pressed in thickly, broken only by the slivers of moonlight filtering through the tall trees. The group had split up to their rooms for the night, but the air was still buzzing with tension and uncertainty. None of them could shake the feeling that they were being watched, like the cabin itself had eyes hidden in the shadows.

Isabella and Blake settled into the master bedroom, the king-sized bed dominating the space. The room had a rustic charm—wooden beams, a large dresser, and a fireplace that crackled softly in the corner. Despite the warm glow, there was a chill that clung to the air, as if the fire wasn't quite enough to chase away the cold.

Isabella flopped onto the bed, letting out an exaggerated groan. "This place is seriously fucked up," she muttered, pulling a pillow over her face. "It's like every creak and flicker is trying to mess with us."

Blake was standing near the window, his eyes scanning the tree line beyond. He could see faint outlines of the forest, but it was impossible to tell if something—or someone—was out there watching. "Yeah, no shit," he replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I swear the lights in the hallway flickered like five times when we were coming up here."

"You think it's the wiring or something else?" Isabella asked, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Hell if I know," he answered, turning away from the window. He sat down next to her on the bed, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "But if a ghost tries to pull some shit, I'll be right here to punch it in the face for you."

She snorted and swatted his hand away, finally lifting the pillow from her face. "Oh, great. I feel so much safer already," she said with a teasing grin. "Big, bad Blake is gonna fight the scary ghost."

Blake leaned in, his face inches from hers, and whispered dramatically, "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Before Isabella could fire back a retort, the lights above them flickered once, then again, and then went out entirely. The room plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of the fire. Isabella felt her breath hitch, and she instinctively grabbed Blake's arm. "What the fuck?" she hissed. "Did the power just go out?"

Blake's muscles tensed under her grip. "Stay here," he said, getting up and grabbing his phone from the nightstand. He turned on the flashlight and pointed it toward the door, which had creaked open slightly, though neither of them had touched it. "I'm gonna check the breaker."

"Are you serious?" Isabella protested, her eyes darting toward the dark hallway beyond the open door. "You're just gonna walk around out there in the dark? Alone?"

"Better than just sitting here and doing nothing," he replied, glancing back at her. "I'll be quick. Promise." With that, he slipped out the door and disappeared down the hallway, his flashlight cutting through the darkness.

Isabella sat there in the darkness, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to listen for any sounds—footsteps, voices, anything—but the cabin was eerily silent. After a few moments, she heard a faint scraping noise coming from the window. She turned her head slowly, her pulse quickening. "Oh, hell no," she whispered, getting off the bed and backing away from the window.

In the other room, Sienna, Violet, and Chad weren't faring much better. The three of them had crammed into the small space, with Sienna and Violet taking the bunk beds while Chad sprawled out on the twin. They hadn't bothered turning off the lights; none of them was quite ready to be swallowed by the darkness just yet.

Chad was on his back, staring up at the ceiling with a scowl. "This place is fucking with us," he muttered. "I know you guys heard that thud earlier. There's no way that was just the cabin settling."

"Of course we heard it," Sienna snapped from the top bunk, where she was lying on her stomach, legs kicking restlessly. "And the lights flickering on and off in the hallway? Yeah, totally normal, right?"

"Honestly, I'd rather deal with that than the weird-ass chill I felt earlier," Violet added from the bottom bunk. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, shivering slightly. "It was like someone breathed down my neck. I swear I felt fingers brush against my arm."

Chad rolled over to face them, propping himself up on one elbow. "Okay, but who's gonna be the one to admit they're scared?" he said, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Don't worry, I won't judge."

"I'll admit it," Violet said without hesitation. "This place is creepy as hell. There, I said it."

"Yeah, well, scared or not, we're not just gonna sit around waiting for shit to get worse," Sienna said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and jumping down. "I'm checking on Isabella and Blake. I don't care if the lights are out."

Just as she reached for the doorknob, the lights flickered back on. Chad sat up straight, his eyes narrowing. "Well, that's convenient," he muttered. "Like someone's messing with us."

Sienna opened the door cautiously, glancing down the hallway. "Still gonna check on them," she said, heading out and motioning for the others to follow.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Jamal were in their room, trying to distract themselves with some music on Jamal's phone. The twin beds were pushed up against opposite walls, and both of them were lying down, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yo, this is some bullshit," Jeremy muttered, tossing his arm over his eyes. "I knew this cabin was gonna be weird, but not this weird."

"You and me both, man," Jamal agreed, his voice low. He turned the volume up slightly, trying to drown out the eerie silence. "But hey, if shit goes down, at least we'll have a dope soundtrack."

Jeremy let out a laugh, but it was hollow. "Great. At least we'll die to some decent tunes."

As if on cue, the lights in their room dimmed, flickered, and then went out entirely. The music from Jamal's phone cut off as well, and the room was plunged into silence. They sat up quickly, glancing at each other.

"Fuck this," Jamal breathed, grabbing his phone to use as a flashlight. "We need to find the others."

Isabella had just started pacing back and forth in the dark room when Blake returned. He flicked on the flashlight again, casting long shadows over the walls as he came back in. "No sign of the breaker being tripped," he said, shaking his head. "The power came back on for like five seconds, then it died again."

"Well, that's just fucking great," Isabella snapped, feeling a surge of frustration. "So, we're just gonna sit here and wait for whatever's screwing with us to make its next move?"

Blake's expression softened, and he reached out to touch her shoulder. "We'll be okay," he said quietly, though the uncertainty in his eyes betrayed him. "Let's just find the others and figure out a game plan."

Just as he said that, Sienna, Violet, and Chad appeared in the doorway, their faces pale. "You guys okay?" Sienna asked, looking between Isabella and Blake.

"Define 'okay,'" Blake replied with a sardonic smile. "This place is seriously messed up."

"Tell us something we don't know," Violet said, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "The lights just went out in our room, too."

"Same with ours," Jamal's voice called out as he and Jeremy came down the hall, their flashlights bobbing in the dark. "This place is gonna drive us all insane before the weekend's even over."

Isabella took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Well, I don't know about y'all, but I'm not planning on just sitting here waiting for shit to get worse. We need to figure out what's going on, or at least find a way to get the hell out of here if it comes to that."

"Agreed," Chad said. "But we should probably stick together for now. No more wandering around solo."

As they all huddled together in the dark hallway, the cabin seemed to close in around them, as if it was alive, feeding off their fear. The flickering lights, the chilling drafts, the mysterious sounds—they all felt like warnings. But of what, none of them could say.