The Knock From a Stranger

One of the good things about having a cottage in the woods is that there are no visitors to disturb you. You can understand the shock that Prisha might have felt when she heard a knock on her door. 

Dropping whatever she was doing in the kitchen, she made her way to the main door. She looked outside from the window to see a man about her age, getting wet in the rain. Without any further delay, she opened the door to him.

Her suspicions were right, he was completely drenched. She almost felt pity for him looking at his helpless state. 

“Yes?” She softly asked, opening the door halfway. 

“I’m so sorry to disturb you, ma’am. My car broke down, and there’s really no reception here.”

“That’s what happens when you live in the middle of nowhere,” Prisha said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, I was wondering if you could take me in, I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as the weather gets better.”

Prisha was a little doubtful. On one hand, it was indeed raining cats and dogs. On the other, this stranger could very well be a psycho killer on the run from the authorities. 

The stranger must have picked up on her dilemma because he continued “I can show you my ID ma’am, although my word probably doesn’t vouch for much I promise I don’t have any dead bodies in my trunk.”

Prisha let her protective instincts take over and opened the door to him. 

As he was about to go sit on the couch, she stopped him. “Why don’t you dry yourself first. I probably have some clothes that you can borrow.”

“Uh, I’d hate to be a burden on you, ma’am.” Although in dire need of help, the guy feigned denial to take any. Before he could object any further, he let out a loud sneeze that made Prisha chuckle. 

“We don’t want me taking care of a sick man, do we?” She said and then left him standing.

Within 5 minutes, she was back with a fresh pair of clothes for him and a towel. 

“The shower is at the back of the house, in case you want to take in. Otherwise, you can just dry yourself.”

“I think I’m good, I think I’ve gotten wet enough for a lifetime today so thank you for the offer but I’d pass.” The guy said taking the clothes.

Prisha left him to clean himself. Once he was done changing clothes, he looked around the house. It was a beautiful house, although mildly decorated. The wooden cottage was neither too big nor too small, perfect for a vacation. One thing that weirded him out was the lack of pictures on the walls. Instead, these walls were lined with paintings.

“Hey, are you there?” He called for her, not even aware of the name of the woman who was being so hospitable to him. 

“I’m in the kitchen, give me a minute, I’ll be right out” Prisha shouted right back.

True to her words, she was out in a minute. “Why are you still standing? Come, grab a seat,” She beckoned for him to sit and sat on the chair across from him.

“I have no idea how to thank you, you truly turned out to be a savior tonight” The guy awkwardly stated.

“It’s fine, as you can imagine, I don’t get a lot of company out here in the woods. My only friends are some wild animals or strangers that turn up, asking for help.” She said the last part, throwing a jab at him but he took the joke well.

“Aha, Anyway, I realize we haven’t even exchanged pleasantries. My name is David.”

“Prisha” She extended her hand to shake his. “So, what brings you here?” 

“Oh, a couple of my friends decided that it would be a great idea to spend the weekend camping in the woods. They left this morning but there was some urgent work that I needed to finish at work so I was the only one left behind. I did try to catch up with them by evening but then you know, the rain...”

“Ah, I’m surprised your friends didn’t check the weather reports, this is a terrible weekend to be out in the woods.” She interrupted. 

“Yeah, well, you can count on my friends to be idiots. Anyway, the trip wasn’t well-planned or anything. We met at the bar last night and after a couple of drinks Sia lost a bet and then one thing led to another and here we are.” 

The more the conversation extended, Prisha couldn’t help but notice how sweet David seemed. She even felt a little bad for having pinned him for a serial killer.

“So, that’s enough about me. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself Prisha?” David asked. 

“Well, there’s not much to tell, I don’t like much company which explains why I ended up in the woods. Sure, once in a while is fine but too many people make me nauseous.” Prisha said, now serving dinner.

“Not gonna lie, sometimes even I feel like dropping everything and going away from the hustle of the city.”

“I mean, I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries, but you can stay here for the weekend if you feel like. Either way, no one can camp in this weather.” 

“Ah, I’m not so sure about that, I’d hate to overstay my welcome,” David said, awkwardly.

While the offer seemed lovely, he wasn’t so sure about it. His friends were indeed idiots who didn’t care about him much. After all, they didn’t wait for him and forget checking up on him, they didn’t even bother picking his calls when he wanted to ask them for directions. Yet, he wasn’t one to leave them behind. 

“I would hate for you to join your friends but it looks like you’ve made your mind,” Prisha said, heaving a sigh. She thought David was different but guess not.

She poured him another glass of champagne and smiled at him, taking one last look at his face before he leaves. She was finally starting to enjoy his company. 

A few minutes later, when David was done with dinner, he started to get up but his knees gave way, and sat back down again. 

“The champagne is making me feel a little dizzy, I guess” David chuckled.

“That’s how it all starts. First, you feel dizzy, then the room starts spinning…”

“I know how being drunk works,” David interrupted, trying to joke.

“Then, before you know your body falls numb, you’re no longer able to move and you close your eyes forever,” Prisha said, now ignoring David. 

All the love from Prisha’s voice was gone. David could see nothing but a sinister smile on her face as she went into a trance.

“What the hell did you give m…” Before David could finish his sentence, he started to choke and he felt his body giving up.

“As I said, I’d hate for you to join your friends David,” Prisha said, putting David’s body right next to his friends, in the basement.

Once done cleaning, she went back to the kitchen and picked up whatever she was up to before a stranger knocked on her door.