Ghost of the Night

The snow fell hard as the company of six walked along the path in the forest. The forest already covered by three inches of snow made it harder for the friends to clearly see their path. Though they had a map and clear directions, they had already lost their way two times. The light of the day was leaving and soon it would be dark with only their flashlights and the moon and the stars to show them their way.

The six young adults knew if they did not reach the cabin soon, they will freeze outside. The weather channel had informed them of the snow blizzard that will soon reach its max by nighttime. They were already starting to regret taking this trip in the middle of the winter, especially with the blizzard coming.

“I need to use the bathroom,” June spoke up. A shiver went down her spine as a gust of wind passed by her.

“You will be able to soon. We are almost there,” said Matthew. The map crinkled in his gloved hands and he tried his hardest to not let the soreness in his body affect his ability to find the way.

“You said that an hour ago.” Ace pointed out.

“We are almost there.” Matthew pointedly said as he emphasized his words.

The friends kept walking as snow slowed down a bit, but the cold and the wind kept their pace. They did not stop as the sun went down and the moon came out of hiding. The stars that were usually hidden by tall buildings in the city, shone brighter than ever. Derek could make out some constellations as he trekked along with his friends. The howling winds watered his eyes the longer he looked up at the sky. Derek pointed out the constellations to his long-time girlfriend Summer who eagerly listened to him even though the only thing she wanted to do right now was to take a long, warm bath.

Soon, the six friends reached the cabin that was almost completely blanketed in snow. Ace and Matthew pushed open the door and turned on the lights as everyone piled in. Elizabeth instantly walked towards the fireplace and soon a fire was lit, warming up the place instantly. Everyone roamed around the medium-sized cabin, looking at everything the cabin had to offer.

Derek and Summer move towards the couch and cuddle up. The rest of the friends settle around the fire. None of the friends wanted to go to bed so soon. This was their last year of college and soon, everyone will be moving away to fulfill their dreams. They did not have much time with the other so they were doing everything they could to spend as much time together as possible.

“I’m bored.” Ace said to no one in particular.

“Me too. Let’s do something.” Summer said sitting up.

“Well, there is not much we can do what with the snowstorm and all,” Derek said as a smirk spread across his face. “Unless you want to make a snowman and get frostbite then ultimately die because someone here,” he pointedly looked at Matthew, “does not know how to follow a simple map.”

“Don’t get me started Derek, you know it was not my fault we got lost twice.” Matthew rolled his eyes as he moved away from the fireplace and sat on the couch.

“Okay before you two start fighting again, I would like to say some words,” June said, attracting everyone’s attention to her. She stood in the middle of the living room and made eye contact with all four of her friends and her sister, making sure she had all of their attention before she said, “ghost stories.”

“What?” replied Summer.

“Oh, come on, Summer. I want to hear some ghost stories.” June jumped on the couch next to her sister and pouted.

All the friends exchanged knowing looks. They were all aware of June’s obsession with everything horror related. They were also aware of June’s stubbornness. Having been friends for years, they all knew each other’s ticks and tricks. So, they all knew they will not be able to sleep tonight if they did not agree with June’s idea.

Soon after saying yes to June, all the friends sat on the floor in a circle. All the lights were turned off, the only light coming from the fireplace. After all, six of them were comfortable, one by one they all started telling ghost stories. June was the first one to start, followed by Matthew. Soon, all six friends had shared the scariest stories they could of and were now drinking beers and dancing to music.

The friends decided to call it a night and went off to do whatever they wanted to do. Matthew, June, Derek, and Summer decided to go to bed. The cold having settled in their bodies, their bodies ached. Ace went to go look for the bathroom while Elizabeth made her way to the kitchen. While Elizabeth was making some hot cocoa for herself and Ace, Ace wondered around the house by himself. Finding the bathroom in the cabin was proving to be harder than he had thought.

As Ace was walking through the hallway, he heard a strange noise come out of the room next to him. The noise had come and gone so fast Ace did not know if he had heard anything at all. He ignored the noise and took another step forward when another noise captured his attention. The noise came from the same room as before and sounded as though someone was being choked.

Ace pushed the door open and what he saw was nothing out of the ordinary. Summer and Derek were lying face down on the bed with the blankets pulled up to their necks. One leg was seen peeking out of the blanket. Ace looked around the room and found nothing out of its place. Though he would not know what has been moved from its place seeing as this was his first time here.

Ace left the room and moved on to find the bathroom. There was only one bathroom in the whole cabin so it should not be hard to find it. He decided to check the door at the end of the hall. As Ace opened the door, his eyes fell upon another figure. The figure was sitting on the toilet with his pants down halfway. As Ace’s eyes met the figures, they widened, and he took several steps back and closed the door.

Ace took a shaky breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He could not believe what he had just seen. Sweat gathered on his forehead and a drop trailed down his temple. His hands were shaking, and he felt nauseous. Ace took a couple more steps backward, his hands touching the walls around him. His hand touched something cold and he ripped his hand away. His eyes found the doorknob and he gripped it tightly and turned it.

Ace pushed the door open and stumbled inside. He closed the door and kept his eyes on it. Various mumbles left his mouth, but no word came out. His mind was still racing to understand what he had just seen. His best friend. Ace could not believe the state he had found his best friend.

“Matthew,” Ace whispered. “Oh god.”

Tears leaked out of his eyes. Ace ran his hand through his hair as his mind kept going back to the scene. Eyes wide enough that he could see the veins inside. So much fear in them. But what had caught his attention was the knife sticking out of his chest, right where his heart is. Blood staining his white t-shirt.

Ace turned around to see if one of his friends had occupied this room and found another one of his friends but in a position, he never desired to see them in.

June. Propped up against the headboard. Eyes wide open. A knife in her heart. Blood staining her shirt.

More tears leaked out of Ace’s eyes. His heart beat so hard he thought it would run out of his chest. He took a shaky breath before he bolted out of the room and downstairs where he knew his friend was. Running down the stairs, his foot slipped twice before he safely made it down. Ace scanned the kitchen and found no one before he saw Elizabeth sitting in front of the fire with two cups next to her.

Rushing towards her, Elizabeth caught Ace in her arms as he babbled. Understanding no word that was coming out of Ace’s mouth, Elizabeth calmed him down before she questioned him. Ace slowly explained what he had seen to Elizabeth who was having a hard time believing a word coming out of his mouth. Not because she did not trust him but because she did not want to believe something could’ve happened to her friends.

The two decided to call the police before they checked up on their other friends. After the police told them that it will take them some time to get to their cabin because of the snow and to make their way to the safest place, the two chose their weapons and quietly walked up the stairs. They first walked up the room closest to them. It was the same room Ace had heard noises coming out of.

Ace opened the door and walked in first with Elizabeth following after. The two found their friends in the same state Ace had found his other two friends. Propped up against the headboard were Summer and Derek. Knives sticking out of their chests while their eyes were wide enough that they can see the veins.

Elizabeth tried to hold in her scream at the sight. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell freely. Elizabeth placed her hand over her mouth to stop any noises from coming out of her mouth. Ace held Elizabeth close to him as he pulled her out of the room, careful to not accidentally nick her with the knife he was holding in his hand.

Elizabeth walked forward and peeked into the room to see June. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as tremors rocked her body. Elizabeth moved towards the bathroom to see Matthew as Ace snuck closer to Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth opened the door, she found something that Ace had not found before. Though Matthew was still sitting in the same position, now there was another body standing next to him. Though this body was alive and well. Clad in all black, the figure had a knife in its hand. Elizabeth let out a scream and moved backward but was blocked by a body.

Turning her head, Elizabeth saw Ace stood behind her. A smirk on his face as he twirled the knife in his hand.

The next morning, there were police cars surrounding the cabin, as ambulances came piling in. Body after body was being brought out in black bags and loaded into the ambulances. Behind the police tape were news reporters giving in the news of the brutal killing of five adults. Many people surrounded the crime scene, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

The news reporters used a picture of Ace to warn people. The only one whose body was not found was being reported as the murderer.