Whispering Pines

Title: Whispering Pines

Chapter One: The Cabin in the Woods

It was supposed to be a fun weekend — just six friends, a remote cabin, and no cell service. After a stressful freshman year, Kenzie, Madilyn, Ben, Elora, Karlie, and Chloe were ready to unwind and get away from everything.

They arrived at Whispering Pines just before sunset. The trees were tall and twisted, and the cabin was older than expected. Dust coated the windows. The porch creaked under their sneakers.

Madilyn frowned. “Are we sure this is the place?”

“It matches the address,” Ben joked. “Or it’s where we all get murdered. Either way, no homework.”

Karlie clutched her bible a little tighter.

That night, they unpacked, played card games,

and told ghost stories. Chloe swore she saw something move out of the window. Elora joked it was probably just a squirrel.

But at midnight, the radio turned on by itself.

An old, static-filled voice whispered something unintelligible.

And the front door… slowly creaked open.

The front door stood ajar, swinging gently in the cold mountain wind.

Kenzie froze, clutching her blanket like a shield. “Did one of you open that?”

“Nope,” Ben said slowly, standing from the couch and grabbing a fireplace poker. “No way. I locked it. I double-checked it after Elora said she thought she saw something.”

“I didn’t think, I did,” Chloe snapped, pulling her knees to her chest. “There was something. A shadow. Right outside the window.”

“It’s probably the wind,” Elora offered, her voice shaky. She wasn’t even convincing herself. “This place is ancient. Creaky floors, loose hinges—”

“Radios don’t turn themselves on,” Karlie said, standing. Her blonde hair glowed like a halo in

the dim light. “That was a

voice

. I heard it.”

Madilyn crossed to the door slowly, every step hesitant like she was walking through fog. She peered out into the dark trees. “It’s just woods. And dark. No one’s there.”

Ben joined her, poker raised. “Let’s just close it. Lock it again. We probably spooked ourselves.”

But as he reached for the door handle, a

thud

echoed from the woods.

Then another.

Thud… thud… thud…

Like footsteps.

Heavy ones.

Coming closer.

“Nope. Nooope,” Kenzie whispered, backing into the kitchen. The group stood frozen at the door, barely breathing. Even Ben didn’t joke. The sound stopped as suddenly as it started.

Elora broke the silence with a tremble in her voice. “I think we should do a room check.”

Madilyn glanced at her. “A what?”

“Make sure no one got inside. Upstairs. Or the basement.”

Ben's eyebrows shot up. “Who hurt you that you think checking the basement is ever a good idea?”

Chloe stood up. “Okay. We either check now or wait until something drags us out of bed one by one like every horror movie ever. I’m not dying in my volleyball hoodie.”

Karlie crossed herself. “Lord, protect us.”

Ben and Madilyn went upstairs. Karlie and Elora checked the small rooms on the ground floor. Kenzie and Chloe drew the short straws — the basement.

The door was in the kitchen, heavy and old, with a rusted latch.

Kenzie stared at it. “You sure you wanna do this?”

“No,” Chloe whispered. “But I also don’t want a demon crawling out of it tonight.”

She grabbed a flashlight and opened the door. The stairs creaked as they descended. The light flickered.

The air turned

ice cold.

The basement was unfinished — concrete, shelves full of old tools, rotting wooden crates in the corner. The flashlight scanned the room. Nothing.

Until—

SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH.

Both girls spun toward the far wall.

Something had been carved into the concrete. Fresh. Still crumbling.

A single word.

“RUN.”