The Demon of Blackwood

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

A chorus of blood curdling screams enveloped the forest followed by the sounds of running feet. The sheer force of their stampede crunched dead leaves and snapped twigs, annihilating anything and everything in their path. The girls had lost their friend to the horrors of the cabin. As they ran to safety, the light of the candle faded away.

In the town of Blackwood, everyone knew the cabin in the woods belonged to a very famous tarot reader and mystic, Misty Browne. Many of the townspeople stayed away from her cabin and her presence; no one even bothered to learn her name. The townspeople referred to her only as Lady Blackwood. Many speculated on what her magic actually did because as the years went by, her sunny and eclectic disposition turned grim and frightening. She scowled at passersby in town, howled late at night into the dark forest and was also spotted taking dirt from fresh grave sites (which was appalling to all who witnessed this bizarre behavior). Her abilities disturbed the local residents of Blackwood, and so, Misty's reputation quickly spiraled from famous mystic to that of a demon conjurer and the locals could not be convinced otherwise. Misty lived out the rest of her days, exiled to the woods, with her tarot deck, candles and interestingly enough, loose change. Shortly after the death of Misty Browne, some of the local teenagers began to go missing, simply vanishing in the woods. Rumors of a soul snatching demon living in the conjurer cabin started to circulate throughout the town. The residents of Blackwood made an unspoken vow to never venture to the cabin or to the surrounding area. Legend has it on a Blood Moon a single candle can be seen glowing in the window to attract unsuspecting, naïve people into the woods, right into a fatal supernatural trap.

100 years following the death of the infamous Misty Browne, a group of girlfriends, Vanessa, Samantha and Melissa had trekked to the old, abandoned cabin while taking a walk in the woods. Vanessa and Samantha did not believe in the urban legends surrounding Misty, in fact, it sounded more like a creepy story people just like to tell. Melissa was a bit more skeptical but concluded she had never experienced Lady Blackwood and therefore, should not be afraid.

"Look at this dump," called out Samantha as she pointed to Misty's cabin.

"Oh my God, is that the Blackwood Lady's cabin?" asked Melissa nervously.

"Yep, it sure is," answered Vanessa rotating towards Melissa. "I know you are not thrilled to be out here with us, we just want to take a quick peek inside and see if the stories are true. We will be gone before it gets dark, I promise!"

"I’m not sure I want to go in, I am getting some dark vibes from here," Melissa said trying to keep calm.

"Dark vibes? Seriously Melissa, you have got to be joking! When have you ever felt dark vibes?" Samantha replied, half laughing at Melissa. Melissa scowled and glared at Samantha, which definitely conveyed the message she was, in fact, very serious. "Ok, ok, I’m sorry. I just thought you didn’t believe in this stuff."

"I don’t," Melissa retorted. "I mean… I sort of do not believe in it. But being here, looking at this cabin. I don’t know... I... I... just have a bad feeling. Something dark lives here, I can feel it in my bones". Samantha scoffed at the outrageous remark that Melissa could feel something dark living in the run down cabin. Samantha started to wonder why Melissa was here if she was so frightened. Vanessa did not look scared at all, she just stared at the decrepit house, as if she was trying to figure out a mystery. "Well, I guess you can hang outside Melissa. I can tell you are scared of this dumpy cabin. Vanessa and I will go inside and look around. See if we can find something interesting."

Melissa thought she might be right on this one; maybe it is best to be in the sunlight where it felt a bit safer. Something about the sunlight was comforting. "Yeah, I will stay out here. Good idea Samantha," replied Melissa.

"We won’t be long," chimed in Vanessa. "There’s probably not much to look at anyway. I will be lucky if I don’t have an allergy attack from the century old dust," she laughed. The other two girls joined in with her laughter. It was well known among the group that Vanessa had severe environmental allergies; the tiniest bit of pollen would induce an attack. "Alright Samantha, you ready?"

"Oh please V, I was born ready!"

The two girls climbed up the rickety stairs onto the rotted, creaky porch. The front door was not latched all the way and Samantha pushed it open with minimal effort. Upon entering the front room of the house, it became obvious why the house was in shambles, off to the left there was a gaping hole that had destroyed the eastern side of the house. The second floor and the living room had been completely crushed in, possibly by a large tree. Initially the girls did not notice this because they had approached the western side of the cabin.

"Whoa, this is unexpected! Check this out! I wonder what happened here," Samantha said over her shoulder to Vanessa.

"I don’t know, it’s a pretty old cabin," answered Vanessa as she inspected the house a bit closer. "Look at these spider webs, they are like the size of soccer balls!" Vanessa said motioning over to Samantha. "Eww, no thanks. I draw the line at disgusting spiders," she said with a laugh.

"Let’s go check out the kitchen, that side of the house seems to be in better shape," Samantha said. "I got to say V, I’m less than impressed with this place. Creepy, yes for sure, but other than that, just another forgotten place in the woods" Samantha said as they passed the staircase (that was only half-intact) before heading into the kitchen.

"And just what were you expecting?" Vanessa inquired.

"I don’t really know. I was kind of hoping to see something about the urban legend - candles, shadows, old tarot cards, anything solid. I guess I psyched myself up for something spooky to happen knowing it’s a Blood Moon tonight," Samantha admitted, sounding surprisingly disappointed.

"Maybe you'll experience something spooky! Our visit isn't over yet!" Vanessa said with a reassuring tone. She had that calm demeanor about her that put all her friends at ease. "Sorry Sammy, I don’t see any candles or tarot cards here. It looks like no one has been here in years," said Vanessa. "Just this old table and a hallway over there that leads to a back room."

Vanessa poked around the small hallway as she made her way to the backside of the house. She found nothing of interest except the spiders; they seemed to have taken over the back room and it resembled a web-like paradise filled with decaying insect bodies and intricate tunnels connecting web to web. The cobwebs glistened against the setting sun light and it was hauntingly beautiful. "Well, looks like the sun is setting, we should probably head home," Vanessa said turning back towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think it’s time to go" said Samantha as she closed up the cabinets and started heading for the door. Then, very suddenly, Samantha stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around slowly and asked Vanessa, "did you just growl at me?"

Vanessa did not answer. Her face was drained of all color and was stunned silent, like a deer in headlights. Vanessa's eyes finally lifted, meeting Samantha's and she quietly replied, "I thought you just growled at me."

They looked about to try to find the source of the animal like growl. Vanessa was hoping it was a dog that wandered into the cabin; Samantha did not know what to think. Out of the corner of their eye, something else caught their attention - an enormous, black shadow slowly started to appear. It started to take shape in the same way clouds do, resembling a large human. As they stood frozen and eyes on the shadow, another animal like growl emerged from the shadow. This time, panic set in and both girls had the immediate instinct to bolt for the door. They moved as quick as their bodies would allow. Both girls, while screaming as loud as they could, squeezed through the front door and fell down the stairs onto the ground, breathing heavy and gasping for air. Taking a moment to collect themselves and settle their racing hearts. Samantha's stomach dropped as she realized Melissa is not on the porch or anywhere in sight.

"Melissa! Melissa!" the girls shouted, frantically looking for their friend. Vanessa and Samantha did not have any moments to waste conversing about what they had just witnessed or how naive they all had been for coming out here in the first place. It was clear the legend was true and they were face-to-face with a demon. Fear set in as each friend played out horrific scenarios in their minds. Now, their friend was also missing.

Without a second thought, Samantha yelled to Vanessa, "We have to go back in. What if Melissa is trapped in there somehow? She clearly is not out here."

"Are you crazy?! We need to get out of here. Did we not just witness something evil? I’m sorry Sammy, I can’t go back in there," Vanessa answered, shaking her head sideways in a "no" fashion.

"I don’t know about you but I couldn’t possibly forgive myself if I didn’t go back in and look for her," Samantha replied. She was indeed scared beyond her wits, but Samantha was fiercely loyal to her friends. That one sentence pierced Vanessa's heart and she quickly realized guilt would also plague her until they found out where Melissa was. With every ounce of courage that was left within her, Vanessa responded "Oh, hell. Let’s go, Samantha. I hope you have a plan because I can’t even think straight right now."

"Nope, just riding this adrenaline wave at the moment. Sorry V, there’s just no time for plans. The cabin isn’t very big; we should be able to spot her easily if she’s in there."

Once again, Samantha went up the stairs first and peered into the darkened cabin. She gasped when she looked to the right and caught sight of a candle burning in the kitchen window. That definitely wasn’t there just a few minutes earlier. Then she turned to the left and saw Melissa. She turned around to Vanessa and said, "She’s here V!"

Both girls ran to her side but Melissa was staring up to the sky through the hole in the house with her gaze preoccupied on the moon. The moon started to change color to a slight pinkish color, the Blood Moon energy was shifting. Vanessa had a sinking feeling this shift was going to amplify the supernatural presence that dwelled in the cabin.

"Melissa, Melissa," Samantha said as she shook Melissa's shoulders, hoping to snap her back to reality. Melissa stayed motionless and fixated on the sky. Samantha waved her hands in front of Melissa's face, trying all she could to break her trance. Nothing seemed to be working. Samantha backed up and looked over to Vanessa with a look of sheer horror. "I can’t break this trance," her voice unsteady from the fear that was building inside. They exchanged looks of panic and a sense of helplessness until Melissa turned around.

"You shouldn’t have come back in here," Melissa said with a low voice as she stared at the girls. She slowly approached them and simultaneously, her eyes starting to roll back until only the white part of the eyes were showing. In a split second, Vanessa surmised the demon had possessed her friend; in that moment, the same thought occurred to Samantha. In one swift movement, Samantha darted past the demon to the front door and shouted behind her, "just run V, get out of there. Hurry, please!" Samantha, although terrified, waited nearby (in secret) in the forest for Vanessa to make her escape.

The demon was blocking Vanessa from the front door. The fear was written all over her face and the demon knew it. A big, murderous grin graced the demon's face and a deep, wicked laugh emerged from its mouth.

"Ha ha ha. I got you now Vanessa" the demon declared. Vanessa slowly stepped back as the demon inched forward; she was now alone with a real demon and no idea how to escape. "Where you going Vanessa?" she hissed, tilting her head. “You don’t recognize me? I know you have been looking for me. Did you find what you were looking for?” the demon said, gazing at her in a menacing way. Vanessa started to sweat profusely, too petrified to move a muscle. "You are going to need this,” she growled as she threw loose change in her direction, “for the reaper when he comes to collect your dead soul." As the coins plummeted around her, she started losing hope.

Looking around for a way out, she spotted the side of the house that was damaged; she could escape out the huge hole, right into the woods. The demon sensed Vanessa was planning something. Her size grew to epic proportions, her voice was now booming, more sinister and her eyes changed to black. As the demon lifted her hands over her, Vanessa felt her power; an undeniable force that she felt deep in the inner recesses of her soul. Moments before her soul was ripped from her body, Vanessa had the clearheaded instinct to sprint to the hole. She fled the corner of the room and catapulted herself through the hollow cavity of the cabin and onto the forest floor. Samantha seen the daring escape and ran to Vanessa hastily, helping her to her feet.

Without taking one look back, Vanessa and Samantha ran for their lives, screaming into the dark forest. It was a chorus of blood curdling screams. The girls had lost their friend to the horrors of the cabin and as they ran to safety, the light of the candle faded away.