Back Stabbed

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but for one night, a candle burned in the window”.

The campfire crackled and sparked. The camping group huddled next to each other, their eyes wide, frozen in place while their marshmallows charred and smoked. Everyone knew about the abandoned cabin at the end of the road, the one with the caution tape crossed over the front door and the ‘for sale’ sign still staked in the front lawn with its overgrown weeds and brown grass. A bit of an urban legend; kids spent the night in the forgotten cabin as a dare. No one ever lit a match, for fear of bringing HIM back; the infamous serial killer of our decade, the Back-Stabbing Killer, everyone’s worst nightmare. The tale says that “whomever conjures light within these walls will suffer the same fate as his victims”.

“Hey, I know that cabin!” Jessica, a perky blonde with the IQ of a rat chirped.

“Oh really? Everyone knows it Jess, but have you ever been inside?” Tom replied. Jessica was his girlfriend, but he took every chance he got to put her down. She pouted in response; clearly showing her lack of experience within the home.

“I mean I know that it was on the news, and that they never found who did it. That’s why there’s so many scary stories about it, right Sarah?” She looked at me expectantly, while Tom rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. It all happened about five years ago, while we were all still in high school. Stories like these aren’t supposed to scare us now, right?

“Many have tried and failed to spend the night,” I glanced at each of their faces; Jessica fearful and embarrassed, Tom smug, and Sadie completely oblivious to the story because all her attention was focused on Mike; a cool but silent biker who seemed oblivious to Sadie’s advances, and had no reaction so far to the story. I cleared my throat for the next part:

“All had failed until one night; a girl all on her own happened to be walking past the cabin, when she glimpsed the flame of a candle burning within.” The heat of the campfire was hot on my face and pulled deep shadows down on everyone else’s faces.

“Why would a girl be walking all on her own in the dark?” Sadie asked.

“To go to the general store of course. Her cabin was out of batteries for their flashlights and she went to go buy more.” I pointed over to the building in the distance. The faint glow of the porch lights seemed to welcome all travelers.

“Why not just turn on a light?” Tom asked, a little too condescending for my taste. His grin on top of that comment said it all.

“Why not just listen to the story Tom?” I growled. The wind shifted and made the smoke billow into my face, obscuring my vision and everyone else’s vision of me. Everyone else coughed and sputtered, but I remained focused on Tom. When the smoke cleared he and I locked eyes and I said:

“There had been whispers of foul play, of murder, within the campground. At the time no one knew for sure; neither who—or what had committed such foul acts.” His eyes widened just a touch, and Jessica gripped his arm with both hands. Sadie and Mike were paying attention; they were all paying attention.

“Wh—what happened to the victims?” Sadie’s voice was barely a whisper. Her black hair shielded her eyes, but her face was white as a ghost. Her voice quivered when she spoke, making it hard to understand her. Mike finally showed a fragment of emotion and put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. But I knew I had her hooked now; I had them all hooked.

“I have a great idea!” I said. They all looked up at the change of tone in my voice. I could tell they were half-expecting a refill of beer or another round of s’mores. Anything to change the subject. “Why don’t we walk up to the end of the road? Pretend like the kids do and stay inside that cabin the rest of the night?” I smiled. They all glanced around at each other, trying to decide but hoping someone else would break the bad news.

“I—I don’t know about this,” Sadie finally answered.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to the victims? Legend says the only way to know for sure is to go into the cabin itself, which is what that girl did.” I could sense the hesitation. They all glanced at each other again. I rolled my eyes and said: “Oh come on! I’ll only tell the rest of the story if we go up to the cabin.”

“I thought you said she passed the cabin, isn’t it the last one on the road?” Mike finally says a word.

“There’s a cabin right across from it, she had been staying in that cabin so obviously she would’ve seen the candle!” I was getting a bit impatient now. I just wanted to finish the story.

“You know what? Okay miss ‘Myers’ we’ll go to the stupid cabin, so you can shut up!”

*

Everyone trudged on the trail behind me. The further we go up the trail the darker it gets. It feels like even the stars try to stay away from this plot of land. Not many people stay in the cabins near that awful cabin anymore, in fact, we were the last guests to brave a cabin less than half a mile from it. Makes it easier to get to in my opinion. I quicken my pace, but I can feel the reluctance from the rest of the group. As we round the final bend of the trail the evil cabin looms into view. The ‘for sale’ sign still staked, caution tape still covering the front door. New additions are bits of graffiti that dust the side of the building. The night is warm, even for this hour, and absolutely no wind, but I feel a chill crawl up my arms and down my spine. It is dead quiet as we approach the cabin, not even a single cricket singing its tune.

“You guys I don’t want to go in!” Jessica squeals. We all shush her. The air is thick; not muggy like its thick with moisture, but thick with anticipation; something knows we’re here.

“Oh, come on babe! Let’s just get this over with! The sun will be up in just a few hours, what’s the worst that can happen?” Tom tries to calm her. They’re all looking a little jumpy.

“Rumor has it that when the girl saw the candle she was on her way back from the general store,” I said. Talking seemed like the only thing to do right now. “She thought maybe that cabin’s power had gone out. She went up to the door to offer them some of the batteries she had just bought. As her hand left the door after her final knock the door swung open and she was dragged inside.” We reached the front door of the cabin. We were waiting—expectant. Nothing was happening, but we were all too afraid to open that front door.

“So, should we go in?” Jessica asked. She took a step forward and turned the door knob. It creaked open, revealing an even darker room than the night outside. “After you guys,” she said as she gestured for us to go through the door. As Sadie, Mike, and Tom started to step over the threshold I remembered something about the story of the girl. She would’ve been my age at the time, she had said she was staying with family that happened to also disappear, and she was blonde. Those facts raced through my mind and then the face that had been shown on the news, the face of the girl, popped into my head.

It was Jessica.

I was too late to warn the other three because as soon as they crossed that threshold hidden knives sprung up and out from every direction and impaled them. Blood started to drip from all of them, pooling on the ground beneath their feet. The choking and gurgling filled my ears and I almost missed Jessica’s voice:

“Should never underestimate a person, Sarah.” I looked over at her and she seemed very much put together, smart, almost enlightened. I could feel the horror freezing my bones, anchoring my muscles in place, making it impossible to move. She laughed.

“Oh, don’t be so scared! I always love hearing a fan tell the story.”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t know, I kept it very hidden.” She smiled and took a step closer. When she was right next to me she whispered in my ear which made the hair on the back of my neck stand up:

“I’m your worst nightmare.”