Mountain Cabin

Despite it being the middle of July, It was pouring freezing cold rain on the side of the mountain. Coby pulled his rain jacket closer, shivering as he tromped further away from that hellhole of a campsite and closer to the top of Mount Bannock. The mountain pierced the dark sky like a jagged tooth and only revealed itself when a burst of lightning lit the sky.

Coby had been walking for probably hours. He was soaking wet and his wavy blond hair clung to his forehead. His legs ached, and his feet were most likely covered in blisters. He let out a long yawn as he checked his watch, a bright green 11:33 blinked back at him. Coby looked around, hoping to find somewhere to stay for the night. He did not feel like traipsing his way back down the mountain just to get back to some noisy campsite filled with snot-nosed first-graders and camp directors who didn’t know how to rinse out a cut.

He scanned the mountainside for anything that resembled a building. Coby had overheard rumors from the camp directors that there was an abandoned cabin out here somewhere. Another burst of lightning lit up the sky and suddenly –as if by magic–, a log cabin appeared a couple of miles further up the mountain.

Coby sprinted towards the cabin, relieved to have somewhere to take a load off. Maybe it had a fireplace, and if he was lucky they may have some dry firewood inside. Maybe the old place still had a decent bed, or at least a couch to sleep on. Coby had only been at camp for two out of the seven days, but he was already sick of sleeping on a dusty cot.

When he finally got to the old cabin, he was gasping for air. Coby wasn’t completely out of shape, but he wasn’t a marathon runner either. The two-story cabin loomed out of the fir trees like a giant. It was too dark to make out any details of the place, but he could see the porch and the front door and that was all he needed.

He sprinted up to the steps and didn’t hesitate to grab the door. He tugged on the door with all his strength. The door swung open and Coby tumbled to the floor with a yelp. He had expected the door to be much harder to open, with the place being abandoned and all, but he didn’t complain.

He stepped inside the dark cabin and slammed the door shut. He heard a sudden, high-pitched squeak to his left. His heart skipped a beat as he fumbled for the flashlight on his belt. He flicked it on and aimed it toward whatever that noise came from.

A scrawny boy cowered away from the light, shielding his face with a pale, bony hand. His camp-issued green T-shirt looked like it was two sizes too big. Coby’s lip curled into a scowl. He had come out here to be alone, and now he was stuck in a decrepit old house with some random kid.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Coby growled.

“Same as you,” A voice answered from behind, making him jump. “Getting out of the rain.”

He whipped around and shone his flashlight at a tall girl with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. The bridge of her long, skinny nose wrinkled as she blinked in the light. “Geez, waddaya tryin to do, blind me?” She shoved the flashlight away.

“Oh, I could do much worse than blind you,” Coby smirked. “I woulda punched you if you didn’t have such a pretty face.”

“I’m more than just a pretty face.” She growled, leaning down so their noses were mere inches apart. “I coulda taken you to the ground before you landed a hit, pipsqueak.”

Coby’s blood boiled. He was only a little less than average height, but it seemed like everyone wanted to let him know he was short. He absolutely loathed it. He opened his mouth to shoot back a reply.

“Okay, everybody calm down.” Interrupted another voice from the shadows, startling Coby again.

“Jesus, how many of you are there?” He cried.

“Just five of us, counting you.” The voice said, stepping closer. It was a girl with umber brown skin and frizzy, jet black hair. Her large, square-framed glasses were pushed up on her tiny nose. She was wearing a yellow rain jacket that came down to her knees and green galoshes.

“Five? Where’s the other one?” Coby asked.

“Yourr sssoull iss mmiiiiiinnne.” A voice from behind him rasped. Cold clammy hands grabbed his shoulders. Coby screamed, jumping away from the creep and pointing his flashlight at them. A thin, incredibly pale boy threw his head back and laughed. “You should have seen your face! You looked like,” He opened his deep-set eyes real wide and stretched his thin lips into an ‘O’.

“You sure are jumpy, aren’t ya?” Tall girl snickered.

Anger bubbled in Coby’s throat. “I should pound you for that.” He growled, advancing on the kid.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Rain jacket girl said, stepping between them. “Ain’t nobody poundin’ anyone.”

“The little slug deserves it,” Coby rumbled, shoving past the girl. She grabbed him by the hood and yanked him back, taking him by surprise. She took him by the shoulders and stared him down. “I said, you ain’t hurtin’ nobody, got me?”

Coby stared back fiercely, but eventually shook her hands off him and said, “Fine.”

Her features softened. “My name’s Angeline, what’s yours?”

“Coby,” He replied coldly. “Now, who are the rest of you?”

“I’m Carol,” Tall girl replied. “But everyone calls me Chuck.”

“My name’s Eli.” The creepy kid breathed.

“I’m Sebastian.” The skinny boy said. Coby had almost forgotten about him. He growled, realizing Sebastian was a couple of inches taller than him.

Coby stormed away, grumbling, “Where’s the light switch around here.”

“The lights don’t work,” Chuck informed. “This place is like a million years old.”

“N-no lights?!” Sebastian whimpered. “I-I can’t stay in the dark, I hate the dark!” He wrapped his arms around himself and looked around the shadows in terror as if they would snatch him up and eat him.

Coby rolled his eyes.

Angeline patted him on the shoulder. “Now, now, don’t you worry. We’ve got somebody with a flashlight, and there’s a fireplace right over there. Maybe we can get a nice little fire going. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Sebastian nodded as Angeline led him over to a living room area where the fireplace was.

“I can start a fire.” Chuck offered, following them. “All I’ll need is some wood and the firestarter in my pocket.”

“Oooh, I like fires,” Eli said, rubbing his hands together while a screwy smile spread across his face.

As they all gathered around the fireplace, Coby searched for the kitchen. He was starving after hiking around the mountain. He didn’t even stay in the camp long enough to eat dinner. He hoped maybe there might be something in this old house that was still edible.

Coby’s stomach rumbled as he roamed into the next room of the cabin. He scanned around with his flashlight, piecing the room together. There was a long, dusty table on one side of the room. Behind it was a glass cabinet filled with antique plates and glassware. On the other side of the room, there was an ancient stove and some counter space running along the wall next to a rusty refrigerator.

Coby eagerly walked up to the fridge and pulled open the door. A rancid odor flooded his nose. Splotches of mold invaded the walls of the fridge. A half-rotten, fleshy possum carcass lay on the second rack as hundreds of flies swarmed around it.

Coby’s stomach turned and he leaped away from the refrigerator. He pressed a hand to his mouth. He dared another peek at the dead possum, and his body responded with a dry heave.

Coby wasn’t scared of dead things, he just has a weak stomach is all. The decaying flesh and the bugs plus the smell make his insides twist. He carefully closed the refrigerator door with his toe before rushing out of the kitchen. He lost his appetite.

When he got back to the living room, everyone was huddled around a crackling fire. Sebastian was sitting a mere couple inches from the flames, staring at it serenely. Coby clicked off his flashlight and strolled over to the group.

Chuck turned. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. Where’d you go?”

“N-nowhere important.” Coby said, turning green at the analogy. He plopped down on the outside of their little circle.

Angeline opened a bag of chips and started eating. She had an assortment of candy, chips and snack cakes spread out before her. “Help yourselves.” Angeline said, gesturing at her hoard.

Sebastian immediately snatched a Twinkie and a bag of Doritos. Chuck decided on a bag of Cheetos. Eli scooped up nearly half the pile and loaded it into his lap, stuffing Warheads and Gummy Burgers into his pockets.

Coby’s appetite suddenly returned with a loud growl. Sebastian picked a bag of Lays out of the pile. “Here.” He offered the bag to Coby. He turned away and huffed, “I don’t want it.”

“Are you sure?” Sebastian asked, pushing the bag closer. Coby assessed the emptiness in his stomach, weighing his options. He snagged the chips from Sebastian’s hand, ripping open the bag and shoving a handful of chips in his mouth.

The rain pattered against the roof as they ate their snacks in silence. The fire cast a dancing orange sheen over the floor. The light painted over the faces around Coby, bringing forth some details, while leaving others in shadow. Thunder rolled just overhead. To Coby, it almost felt like he was in a box in the rain, and if he imagined it hard enough, he could open up the door and be back in Nampa where he belongs.

Angeline finally broke the trance by asking. “So, what are y’all doin’ up on the mountain?”

“That’s none of your business.” Coby replied coldly.