The Uninvited Guest

Jake, decided to spend the evening at their cabin in the woods. They had been looking forward to this getaway for weeks—an escape from the chaos of city life. The cabin was secluded, surrounded by tall trees that blocked out most of the moonlight, making the night feel darker than usual.

The first few hours were peaceful. They lit a fire in the fireplace, opened a bottle of wine, and laughed as they reminisced about their past. But as the night wore on, Carla began to feel… uneasy. It wasn’t the kind of fear that comes from horror movies or stories—it was a strange sensation, as if they weren’t alone.

“Do you feel that?” she asked Jake, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake paused and glanced around the room. The fire crackled and popped in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls. He shook his head. “What do you mean?”

Carla frowned, but before she could respond, a soft knock echoed from the front door.

They both froze.

The knock was slow and deliberate, as though someone was waiting for them to answer. But who could it be? No one lived nearby, and the only way into the cabin was through the overgrown trail they had driven up that afternoon. No one could have made it up the mountain in the dark, especially not without them noticing.

Jake stood up and walked cautiously toward the door, peering through the small window beside it. His face went pale, and Carla felt a chill run down her spine.

“There’s… no one there,” he said, his voice tight with confusion.

Carla walked over and looked through the window herself. The porch was empty, bathed in darkness. But she could have sworn she saw a figure standing just beyond the light, barely visible in the shadows.

“Maybe it’s a prank,” Jake suggested, though he didn’t sound convinced. “It’s probably someone from town messing with us.”

Reluctantly, Carla nodded. They decided to lock the door and return to the living room, trying to shake off the creeping feeling that someone—or something—was lurking outside.

But the knock came again, this time louder and more urgent. It echoed through the cabin, rattling the door. Carla’s heart raced. “I don’t like this, Jake. We should leave.”

Jake hesitated, his eyes flicking nervously to the door. “We’ll be fine. Let’s just wait a minute. It’s probably nothing.”

But Carla wasn’t convinced. She grabbed her jacket, ready to head out, when the door suddenly creaked open, as if someone had unlocked it from the outside.

“No!” she screamed, rushing to slam it shut, but it was too late.

The door swung wide, revealing a man standing in the doorway. His clothes were tattered and stained, and his face was gaunt, pale as if he hadn’t seen the sun in years. His eyes were wide and glassy, and his mouth hung slightly open, as though he was about to speak—but no words came out.

Carla froze, a cold sweat forming on her skin. Jake moved forward to confront the stranger, but something in his gaze made him hesitate.

“Who are you?” Jake demanded, his voice trembling. “What do you want?”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he took a slow, shuffling step inside. And then another. And another.

“I… I don’t think he’s alive,” Carla whispered, her voice breaking as she backed away. “Jake, we need to get out of here.”

But Jake couldn’t move. His eyes were locked onto the man’s, as if he was in some kind of trance. He reached out, his hand trembling, as if trying to touch the figure. But just as his fingers brushed the man’s shoulder, a sudden wave of freezing cold engulfed the room, and the figure let out a low, guttural growl.

“Jake!” Carla screamed, pulling him back.

But it was too late. The man’s eyes turned black, his mouth stretched into a wide, horrific grin. His hands shot out, grabbing Jake by the throat. Carla tried to pull him free, but the man’s grip tightened, his strength unnatural and terrifying.

With a final, desperate cry, Jake’s body went limp, and the man released him. He crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

Carla stumbled backward, her mind racing, but as she turned to flee, the man’s voice echoed in her ears. It was barely a whisper, but it was enough to freeze her in place.

“You invited me in.”

The words echoed in her mind, over and over, as her vision blurred. The man slowly advanced toward her, his grin widening, and the last thing she saw before everything went black was his cold, dead eyes.