The Before-After

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. We were told as kids to never go to the abandoned cabin, but they never told us why. The unspeakable horrors that dwelled in there, how entities would kill you.

We decided to go camping for a weekend, knowing the cabin was nearby. It gave us an adrenaline rush as we told stories around the campfire. But as we were winding down for bed, I noticed the lit candles. “Those weren’t there earlier, were they?” I pointed towards the orange glow in the windows.

My friends shrugged. “So what? Maybe someone wanted to check it out.”

“We should check it out,” I insisted.

“And die like a bad horror film? Nah,” my friend muttered, shaking his head. “I’m not going anywhere near there.” My other friend shrugged.

Somewhat disappointed, I laid in my tent under the sleeping bag, staring at the candle flames dancing in the distance. I must have fallen asleep, because I woke to one of my friend’s deadly scream before the surrounding woods fell silent once more. I sat up. “Tobias?” An unearthly silence met my ears. I called out again. “Tobias, are you all right?” Nothing.

Getting out of my sleeping bag, I crawled out of my tent and looked around. The candles were extinguished, and the forest was quiet. “Tobias, Jonathan,” I whispered. Suddenly there was a rustling, and Jonathan came running back through the trees, completely out of breath.

“Tobias… is…” Jonathan put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath so he could speak. He shook his head, heaving, and pointed at the abandoned cabin.

Realization dawned on me. “You went without me?!” Jonathan shook his head, and then shrugged.

“You wouldn’t wake up,” he said. “But we saw something behind the candle, so we went up there for a closer look. I wish we hadn’t,” he explained. “Tobias is dead.”

“Dead? What do you mean, Tobias is dead?” I started to panic. “What did you see?”

“It was a… I’m not sure. A specter, a wraith, some kind of monster. It had black eyes and an open mouth, with long arms and legs like it was Slenderman or something. It was walking on the ceiling and then it disappeared. Tobias screamed, and then he wouldn’t move.”

“So how do you know he’s dead?” I started to walk up the path to the cabin.

“Wait!” Jonathan took off after me and grabbed my arm. “This thing froze him, lifted him into the air, gouged his eyes and discombobulated his limbs. But that isn’t the worst part,” Jonathan shook his head again. “It gutted him. Blood and gore everywhere inside there. Really, don’t go in there.”

“I need to see it for myself. Quit trying to scare me, we’re too old for that now,” I stated, glad it sounded bolder than I felt. I wouldn’t believe Tobias was dead until I saw him for myself. And even then, I didn’t believe in monsters.

I should have believed.

One candle was back, flickering in the window as I pressed forward with Jonathan close behind me. Except I saw a flash of shadow behind the flame, and stopped. I was waiting for an ‘I told you so,’ but it never came. I looked behind me, and Jonathan stood, frozen in place, about ten feet from me. “Hey,” I called out. “Did you see that?”

Jonathan didn’t answer me. I could see the fear in his eyes as I walked back up to him. “Don’t look,” he whispered. “Just run.” He began to raise in the air, and he let out a guttural scream as his chest exploded and his limbs bent at odd angles. I moved out of the way quickly, and started running.

I didn’t know where I was running to, or what I was running from, but I knew I didn’t want to end up like my friends. I ran for what seemed like forever, and still I wasn’t out of the literal woods. Stopping to catch my breath, I gazed to the left and down a hill, seeing our campsite.

What?

How was this possible? I ran past our campsite a long time ago. Was I running in circles? Turning to my left again, I saw the cabin, the singular candle still burning in the window. I hadn’t run far at all. I could see the crumpled and bloody heap that was Jonathan, mere feet from me.

Still trying not to panic, I tried to walk towards the house and found that I couldn’t. Frowning, I attempted to move my head. I couldn’t. What was happening? Suddenly, my feet raised me off the ground, and this thing came out of the cabin, lumbering towards me with it’s long arms and legs. It’s gaping mouth began to devour what was left of my friend, and I knew Tobias had gone the same way. A tear fell from my cheek as I screamed myself hoarse, trying desperately to get my body to move. It refused. The thing stopped it’s meal, and tilted its head at me. I saw red as my body began to move against my will.

The candle flame went out.