CABIN 7

The forest rose up till the sky, on all sides. The dark and green merging together, the tall pine trees towering on all sides. The sky was barely visible, there was only darkness calling from inside the woods. A continuous sound of silence, where I can hear nothing but my own breathing. I stood on the black roadThe road stretched ahead, but I could only see so far, the rest engulfed in darkness. “I have to.” I whispered. The wind blew by, making the trees move, as though replying to me. “I know. I have to.” I repeated, looking straight at the darkness. The world stopped for a second, all stopped except the darkness. It came forward. I took a few steps back, stumbling. The darkness advanced more. I didn’t have to - it was playing with my mind. “Please, don’t make me do it.” I cried. The wind blew once again towards me, bringing the darkness along with it. Everything turned black.

“Ahh.” I woke up with a start, sitting up. I looked around frantically and realized I wasn’t in that forest anymore. A sigh of relief escaped out of me. My heart pounded in my ears, and my clothes stuck to my body because of all the sweat. The room swayed in front of me, instead of the white wall I could still see the dark road. I gripped the sheets, trying to take in deep breaths. “It’s gone. It’s gone Mel.” I said, trying to comfort myself that it was over. I gripped the sheets harder and brought them up to my neck. The room was pitch dark and I didn’t want to get up, so I layed down in bed exactly how I got up, shutting my eyes tightly and trying to focus on my breathing.

I was still afraid of the dark. It sounded so silly and childish….but I always have been. It scares me not to know what might be there, and ever since this dream started some months back, the fear has increased. I turned, now facing the window. The clear night sky soothed me. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about it. The same dream had been haunting my sleep for the last 7 months, me standing in the middle of a road saying the same things over and over again till the darkness engulfed me. Some days it would be me staring at the ocean, some days this, but it was there always. The darkness.

Everyone had told me it was absurd for an eighteen year old girl to be scared of darkness, I knew it was absurd. But I couldn’t stop it. Whenever I look at it, all these things come to my mind, all these things that could be standing right infront of me- just not visible. I turned my head to look at the room again, my eyes had adjusted to the dark and I could see better now. It wasn’t so dark anymore, I could make out the white wall, my desk, the bathroom door. Feeling a lot better I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths. This was a regular routine. The dream would wake me up, I would be scared for a few minutes then fall asleep again. My eyes drooped again, calling out to sleep. Nothing moved the darkness, my mind relaxed and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

‘Beep, beep.’ I groaned and turned my head. ‘Beep, beep.’ “Shut up.” I moaned. ‘Beep, beep.’ Okay so it wasn’t going to shut up. I stretched out my hand and pressed the snooze button, it stopped. I smiled to myself and buried my head deeper in the sheets, liking the warmth and comfort it gave to me. ‘Beep, beep.’ The alarm ran again after a few minutes. This time I was up, I sat up in bed and pressed the stop button. The alarm stopped, satisfied. I stretched, falling back onto my sheets, yawing. Last night, I barely got any sleep. Sunlight poured in through the window, lighting up the room. I smiled as I looked outside, the ground was covered in a layer of frost. It was early December, it would soon start snowing too.

Standing up, I stretched again and headed towards the bathroom. Shivering a little, I grabbed a sweater from my luggage along the way. The rooms were barely heated. ’I should have picked out a better inn.’ I thought to myself. The bathroom door was jammed and it took me a few minutes to open it. As I stepped into the bathroom, a chill shot through my spine. The floor of the bathroom was incredibly cold and freezing. I probably shouldn’t take a bath. Even the mirror was covered with a layer of frost. I picked up a towel hangin h from the door handle and wiped the mirror. The towels soaked up the frost into itself, making it wet. I dropped the towel and looked back at the mirror.

A tall,freckled girl greeted me. I flattened my long brown hair consciously, then tied it up into a messy bun. There was no water coming from the tap, so I brushed my teeth using my bottle of water.

‘Beep, beep.’ My alarm cried again as I stepped out of the bathroom. I looked at the time, it was seven. Switching the alarm off quickly, I picked up all my clothes that I had strewn all over the room and threw them in my suitcase. As I put my last piece of clothing into the now filled suitcase, my phone rang. I picked it up from my bedside table, it was my brother calling. “Hello?” I said after picking up. “Hey, Mel. Just wanted to check in with you before you left for camp.” Sam, my elder brother’s voice came from the other end. “Oh, okay.” I replied not sure what to make of that. “So what are you doing? Excited?” I shrugged, even after knowing he couldn’t see me. “A little. Just packing my bag. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, “Sam, I know you-” I began. “I’m sorry.” He interrupted me. “I know you wanted me to come with you. But I am just so busy, I barely have time to sleep.

“I know.” I said quietly. “I understand. It’s just- it was the last place we went- together...as a family. And..now that both of them are gone, I-I just wanted you to come with me. You’re the only family I have left now.” “Mel. I am so sorry. I truly am. I promise the minute I find a few days off from work, we’ll go there- together.” He said, frantically trying to dig out of the hole. “No you won’t.” I said softly, “You know that Sam, and don’t try to fool me or yourself that you’ll find time for your family. You never have, and you never will. Mom and dad would have wanted you to come with me, but you’re always too bu-” My voice cracked and I stopped.

He didn’t reply.

I waited for him to say something, I wanted him to say something, but he didn’t. He knew I was speaking the truth. “Bye.” I said softly and hung up the phone and threw it on the bed.

I stopped for a second, trying to control my emotions and not burst into tears again. He could come, work wasn’t that important enough to neglect your family. He just didn’t want to. I knew that, and I understood that. I just wanted him to come to support me.

I could do this alone. I didn’t need him, he obviously didn’t need me.

The phone rang again, I looked at it, it was Sam again. I ignored it. He could enjoy his work. I didn’t care.

Taking in a deep breath I continued packing, not really caring how I put it in. Books, my laptop, shoes, all thrown in. I acted like I didn’t care but deep down I knew I did. It was the last vacation we had as a family before their car crash, and I wanted it to be our first vacation after it. And….. It just wouldn’t be a family vacation without family.

My phone rang again. I picked it up from where I had thrown out on the bed and checked who was calling. It was James Irvine, the camp manager. I picked it up. “Hello?” I called. “Hi, this is James Irvine speaking. I was hoping I could speak to uh….Mel Sallow?... yeah. I think that’s the name. Mel Sallow.” He said, stammering. “This is Mel.” I replied. “Okay, yeah so I wanted to inform you that your Cabin has been changed from 2 to 7.”

“Cabin 7…” I repeated. “Okay, yeah that’s fine.” I could hear a knocking sound coming from the other side. He put the call on mute. I waited. Thinking he would say something else too.

I waited for another minute, then he cut the call. I looked at the phone. Rude, I thought.

I switched off my phone before someone else could call to disturb me again. I kept it on the bedside table and picked up my alarm to pack it too.

After a few minutes of packing, I stood up and stretched. I was done and ready. I changed into a pair of dark green cargo jeans and bundled myself up with heavy sweaters and coats. I picked up my bag and dragged it outside. Opening my cupboard, I picked up my backpack and stashed my phone, another sweater and a few other essentials just in case I required them. Closing the door to my room, I locked it and put the key in my coat pocket. I pulled my bags down the steep stairs. Even though this hotel was a bad choice when it came to the heating, it was very isolated and away from the rush and busyness of the town of Cawl. Which was just what I needed, a little time to think about everything before leaving for the camp.

“Hello Mel. Signing out?” An old lady greeted me in German. I nodded and said, “Yes, Jawohl.” She smiled at me. “Very well, you can keep the keys here.” I stepped down from the steep stairs and into the small lobby consisting of only one desk. It was a beat down inn on the corner of the town, and appeared old. The old checked wallpaper had lost its color and was scraped out at many places.

I handed her the keys, filling out their register. “Where you going next?” She asked me in broken english. “Camp Black.” I replied, shaking the inkless pen gently. “Aah, I see. You go for how long time?” She enquired again, “2 weeks.” I responded. “Well, it was very good to meet you.” She told me, smiling widely. For a second, I felt bad for her. She should be in her home resting after a long hard life instead of working at this age in the old beat down hotel. I smiled brightly. “It was very good to meet you too.” I said enthusiastically, hoping she would understand, she nodded. I gave her a last smile and headed out not knowing if she really understood or not.

Cold, harsh wind greeted me the moment I stepped out. All the buildings, or what was left of them were covered in frost and trees were leafless, their empty branches creaking in the wind. I covered my face with the sleeve of my coat and squinted my eyes, trying to find a taxi. I waved my hand at passers- by and soon enough a car stopped next to me.

“Where do you wish to go?” The man sitting in front asked me in German. “Camp Black.” I replied loudly, hoping he would hear me over the loud wind. “The Black Forest. Camp Black.” I repeated myself once again.

“Get in.” He yelled in english. “Keep the luggage in the back.” I opened the back door of the car and loaded my heavy luggage, all the while mentaly cursing him, who didn’t even feel the need to help me. Cold wind got inside me, as I shivered. Even when I was wearing layers of clothes, I felt as though I was standing wearing nothing.

My fingertips were freezing and my feet felt completely numb. I hurriedly kept it in my luggage and closed the shutter. I ran towards the side door and jumped in, thanking the heated car. The man started the car and drove through the heavy wind. I rubbed my cold hands together, and put them on my freezing face. I regret coming in the middle of winter, December. What was I thinking. I could have come a little later, I thought to myself. I sunk back into the seat and asked my driver, “How long till Camp Black?” He gazed through the mirror, keeping eye contact with me, “A few hours.” He replied. I thanked him and closed my eyes, pulling my coat closer to my body. After a few moments, the heat seeped in through my clothes, warming me. I closed my eyes happily. The car rumbled, making a heaving sound. The man slowed down the car and looked around worriedly. He stopped it for a few seconds then started it again, this time it went smoothly. “Trouble?” I asked. “No-no. Nothing to worry about, the cars tend to do this in winters, sometimes the engine jamms a little due to the cold.” He replied in perfect English, surprising me. I nodded. “You speak English.” I said. He nodded, “I go, my parents are migrants, shifted to Germany when I was little. I speak German too.” I stayed silent, not sure what to reply. “You are American.” he said after a few seconds. He wasn’t asking, he knew. “Yeah.” I nodded. “Tourist?” “Uh- no, not exactly. I have been here before. I lived in Germany for a few years when I was younger.” He took to this information very excitedly, saying, “AAh, I knew I had seen you somewhere before. Your face seemed familiar.” I frowned, I never remembered seeing him. But that’s maybe because I was just eleven when we were here, seven years had passed since we left. “Maybe, I used to come here with my parents during the summer.” I replied, not wanting to tell this unknown man of my parents death. “Jawohl, jawohl.” He muttered, “I used to work at Camp Black, during summer. But- I don’t remember your name, there were so many people. It’s hard to recall.” I gave a feeble smile, “Mel Sallow.” Even though I know nothing about this man or who he was, something about him told me that he wasn’t lying or scamming me. He thought for a minute, “Jawohl, I have heard the name- many times. But I don’t remember who, or from. There have been so many Mel’s.” I smiled again, losing interest, and closed my eyes. The man could see that I was tired and didn’t say anything else. I sat on the couch of the car, and laid my head on the slightly vibrating glass of the car, which I strangely found relaxing. Closing my eyes I fell into another dreamless sleep.

I woke up with a jolt, as the car stopped. The man looked behind at me, “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.” I blinked, “No- no, it’s okay.” I replied. “Have we reached yet?” He shook his head, “No I had to take the much longer route, there was too much frost on the regular one. It was dangerous, the car could have skidded, I hope you don’t mind?”

I didn’t.

“No of course.” I replied, “How many minutes does that add to the drive?” He looked embarrassed as he replied, “Around four hours, if we’re lucky. Maybe even more, it depends on how much frost we find on the roads.” I eternally screamed. I was hoping to get out and sleep in a soft bed than to sit in an uncomfortable car for another few hours. “It’s okay.” I lied. “I don’t mind.” He acknowledged me and drove quietly. I slipped into another sleep.

I was well rested and did not require sleep, so I kept waving in and out of my sleep at the slightest disturbance.

The car lurched and I woke up again, groggily looking around. We had entered the forest. I saw why it was called the ‘Black Forest.’ It was black. I could only make out the trees that were on the edge of the road, the rest of them just merged in the darkness.

I sighed with disappointment. I didn’t remember anything, any memories. I had hoped that I would remember this place on reaching, but nothing came, it looked like any other forest.

“We’ll be there in an hour.” He announced. “An hour?” I asked, trying to mask my disappointment. “But-we’re already in the forest aren’t we?” “That we are, but the camp is located really deep in the forest, it’s actually the only camp that got permission to set up in this forest, as long as it kept the camp- or you could say - the strength of the camp and cabins small. And the cabins are really far away too, from each other as well as the main center.” He finished explaining, “How do we reach the main center then, in case of an emergency?” I asked, he drove the car up the hair pin bend of the mountain before answering, “You drive.” He said. “There is no connection here . You either carry satellite phones or you drive till the main center.”

I gave a small laugh, “Isn’t that a little inconvenient though? What if there’s an emergency or a wild animal attacks?” I asked, surprised at the feeble commutation. He shrugged, “It’s a camp miss, you learn to be tough.” I scoffed and sat back on my seat, folding my hands.

You learn to be tough? I thought to myself. Die, you mean? You can’t be tough all the time, there’ll come a time when you can’t. Just can’t……. Mom and dad were the tough crowd. I smiled gently. They were the ones always doing something crazy, telling me that life could only be lived once, and you choose how you live it, like a scared person or tough. Never giving up on anything, never looking at something as impossible. I blinked my eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. ’You can’t be strong until you are strong enough to kick the ‘im’ from the impossible away.′ This was mom’s favorite line.

The scenery outside became blurred as tears filled my eyes.

I wasn’t tough.

The forest turned even darker and denser and we went further up the hills. There was a strange silence, one that felt familiar. “I’m switching on the inner lights too, if you’re okay with it. I can’t even see the steering wheel or the brakes.” He said, after driving in silence for a few minutes. “Yeah.” I said. Dusk had set in, and soon I could see stars twinkling in the sky. I lifted up my hand, and couldn’t see it even when it was right next to my face. The only light was that of the car, it looked as though we were traveling on nothing, floating on darkness.

“No, I don’t think that’s right.” The driver muttered, “I don’t remember seeing that road sign before, and I just came here a few weeks back.” ” Maybe they put it up this week?” I offered. He looked troubled, and worried. “Hey? Are you sure we should go on? Because if you’re not, then should you probably stop or go back? I don’t know, call them maybe?” He looked at me through the mirror, and sighed. “It’s not safe to drive around at night.” He told me, ” Wild animals, losing their way, ending roads, and God knows what roams in these forests.” He glanced out of the window, “And plus it will take us a few hours to go back and hit the freeway again.”

I gave him an understanding nod, “Let’s…..let’s just keep going okay?” I said feeling a little scared. I was stuck in the middle of a forest with an unknown man and I didn’t want us to lose our way on top of that. It would really be a cherry on top of this comfortable and perfectly perfect journey. “Don’t worry.” He said, reading my mind, “I worked here for 4 years, I know the woods like the back of my hand. And….I have gotten lost before too, it’s nothing to worry about.” “Lost? At night?” I asked. He frowned, “Well not in the night but late evening-yeah.”

I sighed and looked out of the window. The road looked identical to what we had been driving on for the last few hours- and so did the forest. Apart from the frequent road signs telling about curves and cuts there was nothing that looked different to me.

All the same.

“Wait, I think-yeah. Yep, we’re back on track.” He said after a few minutes. He looked outside for a few seconds then clicked his tongue. “Yep. It’s road 24.” He said. “24?” “Yeah, uh...the roads are really confusing because of the hills and similar looking forests so to help tourists find their way they have numbered the roads. So ….um..yeah...when you come from the freeway, there are three exits that you can come from 50 51 and 52 and you just keep following the roads until the numbers decrease and you reach 0 and then you reach the camp.” He finished explaining. I nodded, “Helpful.” I said.

“Sometimes.” He said looking grave. “There have been stories of people….I mean .. it’s going to sound completely absurd but uhh.. Some people who came here say that the road kept going on and on and never reached 0 or some say that the road kept changing numbers on its own and I mean yeah, it’s a little ….a little uh.” ” Insane.” I finished for him.

We drove on for another half an hour before he slowed the car down saying, “We’re here.” I could see a big house, further ahead. It was the only thing from which any light or sound was coming in the entire forest. We passed a banner saying, ‘Welcome to Camp Black’. I could hear people talking and a few cars parked in front in the parking lot. As we came closer I saw it was a wooden cabin which said ‘Center’ , it looked old and rusted and the white paint came off at many places revealing the bad condition of the wood inside.

I stepped out of the car behind my driver and he helped me pull out the luggage.

I pulled out my last backpack and stood back. “Thanks.” I said quietly. “How much...uh will it be?” I asked, trying not to offend him. He gave me a warm smile. ” Consider it a free trip from a friend.” ” Oh no, I can’t, I honestly can’t, you have been of most help, I must pay.” I muttered trying to convince him. He patted me on my shoulder, “It’s on the house.” He said firmly. I gave in and nodded and gave him a smile. “Thank you.” He bowed his head and got back in the car. As the car rumbled to life and drove away into the darkness.

“Welcome. Mel, right?” A middle-aged, plump man greeted me the moment I stepped inside. I nodded. “Myself James, Irvine?” I smiled, “Hi James.” ” You must be tired.” He said running his hands through his ginger hair. ” Okay so the thing is that when we opened the cabins for this season, there was uh ..a rat infestation. So we have to keep them closed, they’re cleared now but, there is uhh some ….um.. corpses...you get the idea. You’ll be sleeping in this center tonight.” He explained. “Won’t there be a lot of people ...to …. adjust?” I asked. “Yeah, about that. You are the only Camper here today, we actually sent out emails telling them to delay their trip one day, only I don’t think you got it, but no worries, we have a room ready for you, you can crash there tonight.” I thanked him and he sent a middle aged lady to show me the room. It was a small cozy room with good lighting and a double bed. “There you go sweetie.” The lady said to me, “If you need anything, just don’t hesitate to call me.” “I won’t.” I said and smiled at her.

She closed the door and headed out. I locked it from inside and dropped my bags on the floor. I stretched and lay down on the warm bed and yawned. Broken sleep from all day got to me and I closed my eyes and realized I never did ask the driver for his name.