Where it all began
It was getting darker by the minute. The last-minute change in the hangout spot was not entirely my fault, but I didn’t want my friends’ poor planning ruining the day for us. So yes, I chose a forest to explore because come on, what else is more fun than exploring a place that’s supposed to be haunted?
When Leslie pulled up at the start of the trail, I knew it was going to be fun. “I don’t think I like where this is going,” Mila says, looking around at the vast forest before her. “Chill, I’m sure it’s gonna be fun,” I say, already turning on my torch and walking ahead of them. They follow behind. The chirping of insects was a constant noise that only added to the place's eeriness. “Do we have to keep walking? Because I think this plan would be even lovelier if we just... walk back to the car,” Aubrey adds. That only earns a sigh from Nyx, the only one in the group who agreed to my plan eagerly. “Stop being such a buzzkill. It’s only a forest. Nothing’s gonna hurt you.”
“Except for maybe wild animals,” I add, trying to hide my smile as Leslie shivers in response. I stop as soon as I see a cabin. A perfect hangout spot. I call my friends over. Even though reluctant, they entered. It seemed abandoned. The smell was a very good indicator. And then my friends became eager. They started exploring the cabin. It wasn’t small, by any means. There were many pots and pans, rusted. The mattresses seemed to carry stains that were either blood or body fluids that had dried out. It did smell like someone died here, so it made sense. Upon further exploration, I found a room that had a chair tied to a pillar in the middle of it. Ashes on the floor. Ashes surrounding the room, with burn imprints that seemed disturbingly similar to those I’ve seen in true crime documentaries. The exploration just got good.
“Katya, look,” Mila says to me as she points to a small box in the corner. We gather around it, and I kneel to pick it up. I tried opening it with my hands, but it seemed to be glued shut. “There’s only one thing we can do. Take it home and find out,” Nyx suggested.
“Oh yes, let’s take this random box that we found from some cabin in the woods that clearly seems like it was used by cults! Do you hear yourself?” Aubrey says, sarcasm dripping from her words, rightfully so. But I know what we’re gonna do.
We’re gonna take it home.
