Family Vacation

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The candle illuminated the cobwebs in the room but the rest of the cabin remained in darkness. Little did anyone know, the candle was a signal. A sign.

Something was awakening from its slumber.

The Seigert family were on their summer vacation in the mountains and James, the father, had heard about a quaint cabin nestled in the woods next to a lake from his coworker.

“James, there is this cabin up near the campsite you go to every year. Hell of a price, man. I think my wife said the bloody thing is less than eighty dollars a night. You should check it out and maybe you and your wife can have the kids take a swim and you can finally have some alone time.” He had told him as he elbowed him and winked.

Him and his wife, Suzy, had been going through a dry spell. Their kids John and Katie were seventeen, twins, and would be out of the house soon and so James thought that maybe he should reduce the time it took for a campsite and treat them to a cabin.

The family pulled up to the isolated cabin a little before dusk and excitedly searched the premises. They learned that the cabin’s electricity ran off of a generator but at least they had it. John had found a closet full of candles and there was a fireplace just in case the generator malfunctioned.

The cabin, though run down and in need of some upgrades, was a gorgeous place. It was a two story log cabin that faced the lake, four bedrooms, three of which were upstairs, a decent size living room and kitchen, and a random room that Suzy had first come upon.

“James, come see this room.” She had yelled at him.

Suzy stood next to the window, looking out at the lake when James walked in. The room was more run down than the rest of the house. The wallpaper that clearly hadn't been updated since the 70's was cracked and peeling.

“Not much to look at in the room." Suzy said, eyes glued on the lake. "But the view is incredible."

James nodded looking around the room that was empty save for the candle on the windowsill that faced the lake and the grandfather clock against the wall.

“Hm. Must be just a spare room, it smells funny in here.” James said as he came and stood by his wife.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, kissed her on top of her head, and she wrapped her arms around him, lying her head on his chest.

“Did you see the ax next to the stump? I think it would be fun to chop some wood with you as if we are mountain dwellers.” Suzy said.

“I bet we can make that happen.” James let out a small laugh.

The Seigert family enjoyed the rest of their evening, sat next to the lake with a fire, roasted marshmallows and laughed together. Not retiring to the cabin until late into the night.

The still burning candle on the windowsill that faced the lake going out as they closed the door.

They all were in the kitchen, cleaning up when the quiet was ruptured by the chime of the grandfather clock.

RING, DING, DONG!

Suzy gasped and pressed a hand to her chest as she recovered from her fright. John threw out a few curse words earning him a glare from his father until they all began laughing. The generator shut off with a spurt and spatter silencing the laughter and light.

“Shit.” Suzy said, “everything is fine. The generator probably just needs a restart. Katie, you and John go gather the candles from that closest.” She shuffled around in her pocket, pulling her phone out and turning on the flashlight. John and Katie doing the same.

“I’ll go look at the generator. May I take your phone, I don’t know where mine is.” James asked Suzy.

“I’ll go with you.” She said with a smile.

James and Suzy walked hand in hand to the old generator. It had a pull start like a lawn mower that James bent over and pulled while Suzy held the flashlight.

Sputtering whine came from the generator, but it did not start.

James pulled again.

Sputter. sputter. The generator revved up.

“It’s all my manly muscles.” James said with a smile.

The light returned to the cabin, James and Suzy returning inside to find John and Katie setting a few candles down on the kitchen table.

“That’s all you two grabbed?” James asked.

“The electricity is back on.” John said as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Here is a lighter, let’s light these just in case the generator messes up again.” James said as he tossed a lighter to them.

John had lit the last of the four candles and spitter, sputter came from the generator again, the lights blinking and then going out.

A heavy sigh came from James as he looked at Suzy.

“Another date at the generator?” She asked him with a small laugh.

She turned her flashlight back on and walked with James to the front door. Her hand grasped and turned the handle but the door would not open. She turned and pulled, James even attempting a few times but the door would not budge.

“Mom…dad…” Katie’s voice trailed off.

James and Suzy walked to Katie and John who were standing in a doorway, James grabbing a candle from the kitchen table as he walked past.

“Wasn’t this that empty room?” John asked.

Suzy and James peered inside the room that once held the grandfather clock but now the room was a dark hallway.

RING, DING, DONG.

The chiming of the clock rang throughout the cabin but came from farther down the hallway.

James stepped out in front and began walking down the hallway, his family following. There were no doors but the hallway went on and turned to the right.

An eerie feeling went over Suzy, “James, I think we should go back and go to bed. We can deal with this tomorrow.”

“I agree, Dad.” John said as he held up and out his phone to look farther.

“Aren’t you curious what is down there?” James asked.

“I’m really tired.” Suzy replied.

James sighed and nodded his head, turning back. They walked down the hallway and it was Katie who broke the silence after a few minutes.

“I didn’t think the hallway was this long.”

“The door is right here.” Suzy said as she held up her phone at the door a few feet in front of them.

John was the first to reach it and opened it, “what…”

The door opened to a small room that was riddled with doors.

They all walked into the room, the door slamming shut behind them, causing Katie to gasp.

“What is going on?” James asked out loud to nobody in particular.

A soft clicking sound filled the room. “I’m scared.” Katie said as she looked at her parents.

“Yeah, this is weird. Something isn’t right.” John replied.

“Everything is going to be okay. Let’s just stick together and try one of these doors.” Suzy said as she touched Katie’s shoulder.

“Your mom is right. Just stay behind me and stick together.” James said as he picked a door and walked to it.

“Who would have thought that included in our stay was our cabin turning into a fun house.” Suzy said as she let her kids go in front of her and smiled at them.

“We got a bargain!” James said as he looked back at them and smiled then turned and opened the door.

Suddenly the sound of water came rushing and James slammed the door shut.

“Okay, not that door.” James said and tried to laugh off the worry in his voice.

He walked to another and opened it, stepping back and holding his arm out to shield his family. James slowly peeked inside as the other three held up their phone lights.

“It looks like a living room but not the same one when we first go here.” James said as he walked through the door.

The room had a single rocking chair in front of a TV and opened up to a hallway. Suzy walked up and put her hand on the chair then looked at her husband. Uncertainty filled her eyes as a child’s laughter came from the hallway.

“What was that?” Katie asked.

“Sounded like a kid.” John replied as he began walking toward the hallway. “Hey, kid.”

“John, that's far enough, remember, stick together.” Suzy said.

“It’s just a kid, Mom. Can’t just leave ‘em in the dark and plus maybe they know how to get out of here.” John replied as he continued down the hallway.

“John, listen to your mother.” James said as he began walking after his son.

“John, stop.” Suzy said after him.

John didn’t listen and continued down the hallway. He walked a few more feet before turning around to tell everyone to hurry up but only darkness was behind him.

“Katie. Mom…Dad?” John said. “Katie?!?” Fear dripped from his voice as he began to run back down from where he came.

“James! Where did he go? What happened?” Suzy said as she frantically ran her hands over the wall that suddenly appeared as John had walked down the hallway, cutting them off from him.

“I..I don’t…” James began but was cut off at the sound of something growling from behind him.

As the three turned, perched up in the far corner on the ceiling was a creature they never had seen before. It’s lower body resembled a rotting bear but it’s head. It’s head was a large human head with a clown face. It revealed it’s sharp, jagged teeth and snarled at them.

“Come on, this way.” Suzy said as she grabbed James’ arm and held out her hand to Katie who quickly grabbed it.

Suzy opened the door closest to them as the creature lunged and James slammed it shut as they ran inside, the creature slamming into it.

“Hehehehehehe..” the creature laughed through the door and ran its claws down the old wood.

“We need to keep moving, find John.” Suzy said.

“I’m freaking out, Mom! What was that? Where are we? What is going on? Is John okay?” She asked as tears began to slide down her cheeks.

“Hey, hey.” Suzy said as she rushed to her daughter and pulled her close. “I don’t know what is going on but your father and I will figure it out and we will protect you.”

“Your mother is right, take a deep breath. We are scared too, honey. But we will get through this.” James said as he joined his wife in hugging Katie.

The scraping of the creatures claws stopped. “Let’s go.” James said as he took in the room they now stood in.

Empty picture frames lined the walls and he could no longer see the door they came through.

“Look for a door or a window or anything.” Suzy said as she released her husband and daughter.

They split up and it wasn’t long before Katie said, “Here's some kind of vent.”

Her parents rushed over and James pulled on the cover and it opened with a creak.

“KATIE?!? MOM?!?” John’s screams flowed through the vent.

“It looks big enough, stay close.” James said as he crouched down and began crawling through the vent.

“Hehehehehehehe…”

Suzy’s head shot around and the creature was crawling through an empty frame on the wall. It’s body twisting and contorting to fit through the small space.

“Go, go.” Suzy yelled.

They rushed through the vent and Suzy screamed as the creature's head snapped at her feet. She kicked her foot back and kicked it in the face, it snarled at her as it struggled at the entry.

“It is too big, it can’t get in here.” James continued, “keep moving.”

They continued crawling through the vent and John’s voice echoed again.

“John! JOHN! We are coming!” Suzy yelled back.

She turned back to look at the opening of the vent and the creature was still there, his mouth contorted into a grin that reached from ear to ear. It’s face began to twitch and contort even more.

“James..” Suzy said hesitantly as she stared in horror.

The creature suddenly exploded into hundreds of smaller versions of itself, no bigger than a house cat.

“GO!” Suzy yelled as she turned and they crawled even faster through the vent.

“I see a way out!” James yelled back and Suzy could hear the creature gaining on them.

James slammed his fist into the vent door and it went crashing down to the floor. He went through it feet first and landed, his knees protesting as pain shot through his legs. “It’s a bit of a drop but I got you!” James yelled back up and soon Katie and Suzy came through the opening.

They turned and looked up but the vent opening was gone. They were back in the room with all the doors.

A scream escaped from Suzy as the creature appeared in the corner, standing on its hind legs and holding an ax.

“Follow me!” James yelled and they began running to a door. Locked. They tried the one next to it. Locked.

“Find a door.” James yelled and they separated, rushing to find a door that would open.

“Hehehehehehe…”

“I got one!” Katie yelled and flung the door open, “John?” She said and rushed through.

“Wait!” Suzy yelled as she sprinted to the door but her and James did not make it before it slammed shut and would no longer open.

The sound of the ax head hitting the floor came from behind them.

“Shit!” James yelled and grabbed his wife’s shirt and pulled her to another door. It opened and he flung her through, slamming the door behind them.

They both panted and stared at each other, Suzy’s light going off as her phone died. Darkness encompassed them, only the soft light from the candle James had grabbed offered any comfort.

“James,” Suzy anxiously said as she began to cry, “where are our kids? We need to find our children!” She yelled.

“I know. I know, we will, I promise.” He said as he grabbed his throbbing leg.

They huddled together and slowly began to walk around the room, James holding the candle out and up. They couldn’t see anything, just the floor and endless darkness.

“Stay close.” James said as he grabbed Suzy’s hand.

“Honey. Stop.” Suzy said as she hunched over and put her hands on her knees, panting. “I am so scared.”

James turned his head to her but continued to hold up the candle, “I know. I love you. We are going to find our kids. We will get through this.”

“I love you too.”

James turned his head back and yelped, the creature stood inches away from the candle. It smiled at him and blew out the flame.

Complete darkness covered them.

“James!” Suzy yelled as his hand was ripped away from her.

“SUZY!” James yelled back.

She ran after his voice, running as fast as she could.

“James! James!” She frantically yelled and threw her arms out in front of her, trying to feel anything.

She could not find him. She could not see. She stopped and took a deep breath.

“Hehehehehehe…”

Suzy sprinted into the darkness and slammed into a wall. She ran her hands over it and found a handle.

“Hehehehehehehe…”

She flung the door open and went through it, suddenly coming to a stop.

Her heart began to race as she looked at the room, light suddenly taking away the darkness. She saw the grandfather clock, she had made it back to the room.

Then she screamed. The most horrific scream that ever was.

She continued screaming as she looked at her husband’s body face down on the floor, his legs cut off and his skull cracked open. The screaming intensified and turned into loud sobs as she continued looking and found her two children, Katie lying on top of John like she was trying to protect him, their bodies covered in blood and no life in their eyes.

Suzy looked down and jumped, blood covered every inch of her. She went to lift her arms to wipe the blood off when she noticed the ax she held in her hand.

The ax was soaked in blood as she stood over her husband’s body. What did she do?

Suzy fell to her knees and sobbed.

What did she do? No. This could not be real. She looked at the grandfather clock, the hands of the clock not moving and still on the same time as when her husband had held her by the window.

She looked at her mutilated children and husband one more time.

Then Suzy lifted the ax to her throat and sliced along her neck.

The cabin’s lights flickered and went out but there was not complete darkness.

There was but just a soft light as the candle on the windowsill that faced the lake, lit.