Bloodlines

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Billy watched as the flame came to life in the window. He had snuck out with his friend Max, at whose house he was supposed to be sleeping at. He had always been told to stay away from that cabin and the area by his parents, but he was twelve now so he wasn’t scared.

“Do you see that?” He whispered to Max.

“See what? I don’t see anything.” Max responded, squinting his eyes so he could try to see what Billy saw.

“The candle in the window of the abandoned cabin. Come on, I want to see why and who lit it.” Billy started towards the cabin. He didn’t know why but he was drawn towards the cabin.

“Billy, come back.” Max didn’t want to go anywhere near the cabin, especially as he couldn’t see anything.

“If you don’t want to come, then just wait for me.” Billy didn’t even look back.

Max sent a quick text to his mom then followed Billy, unwilling to let him go alone.

As Billy approached the door to the cabin, it slowly and noiselessly opened inward. He jumped a little, wondering how the door could open so smoothly and noiselessly after the cabin being abandoned for so long. However the thought barely crossed his mind before it was gone. The drawing to the cabin over powering everything else. Maybe the cabin had just been sold again. Over the years it had been bought by many people. Some have tried to update the cabin while some had tried to tear it down. All of them had left with nothing happening to the cabin. In fact the only thing that ever seem to change about the cabin was the amount of ivy growing on the outside. As far as anyone knew nothing had been done to, or changed about the cabin since the witch who had tortured and murdered people, had been burned at the stake and hung.

“Come on Max, the door is open.”

“Wait Billy. Let’s at least turn on the flashlight on my phone.”

“Hurry up.”

Max turned on the flashlight and shone it on the door. He watched in horror as Billy disappeared while stepping inside. He could see the room beyond, but Billy was gone.

Once Billy stepped through the door he noticed that now there was a fire in the grate to the left. He turned around and noticed that Max was nowhere to be found. As he called for Max, the door slammed shut.

Max screamed as he heard Billy yell for him as the door slammed in his face. He ran to go get help.

Billy tried to open the door, but no matter what he did, the door wouldn’t move. Now that he was inside the insanely strong desire that drew him forward was gone and he realized what kind of a situation he was in. His parents warning about never going near the place echoed in his mind and he reluctantly admitted to himself that they were right.

He looked around nervously. Suddenly a door opened at the end of the dark hall. A flickering light spilling into the hallway. A gentle voice calling to him from inside the room.

“Come and you shall know all.”

Billy hesitantly headed to the open door. He peeked inside. A beautiful woman in her thirties was sitting next to a table. On the table was a large book sitting open next to the candle that he had seen shining in the window.

“Take a look.” She gestured to the book. As he stood in front of it, she stood behind him and touched his head.

Billy looked around himself confused. Now he was standing outside the cabin in the middle of the day. The cabin looked to be well maintained. The door was open and the woman who had sat beside the table was standing just outside talking to another woman. They were both wearing very old style clothes.

“This will help with the headaches.” She handed a bottle over to the other woman.

“Thank you.”

A group of men burst through the edge of the forest near the cabin at almost the same spot that Billy and Max had come though.

“Evanora! You have been accused of witchcraft, kidnapping, torture, murder and indecent acts!” The leader of the group yelled as they approached her.

“What? I have done nothing like that!” She was clearly shocked and appalled.

Scenes flashed before Billy’s eyes. Once the accusations came out, few people could be persuaded to go against the leader and defend her as just a healer. No matter what she said and no matter what the people who would defend her said, the leader and jury decided she was guilty. She was the outsider so in their eyes the people that went missing and the obviously tortured bodies that turned up had to be her doing.

Next Billy was standing next to her while she was about to be burnt at the stake. The leader looked familiar to Billy now that he was standing next to him. He looked a lot like Billy’s dad. The leader leaned in towards Evanora smirking.

“Thank you for taking the fall for my crimes.”

Evanora glared at him. “I swear vengeance on you and everyone who played a part in this. Your bloodline is tainted and anyone who bares resemblance to you or your character in it shall suffer the crimes that you have attributed to me.” She said in a deadly voice, then he lit the fire.

Billy found himself back in the cabin.

“Your relative, who you are alike.” The same deadly voice came from behind him.

Billy turned around and screamed.

Max got both his and Billy’s parents and came back to try to find him. As they approached the cabin they could hear Billy’s screams coming from inside.

They rushed towards the door. Billy’s dad rushed in first and the others watched as he disappeared.

“That’s what happened to Billy!” Max yelled.

They all followed him inside but found themselves only in a well preserved, dark cabin. They could hear the screams of Billy and his dad, along with a gentle voice,

“No innocents will be harmed.”

Eventually the screams died out and no matter how much they searched, all they found was a book that explained everything sitting open on a table.