A Deadly Winter Retreat

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LENA'S EYEBROWS SHOT up in curiosity as her body trembled uncontrollably. Her eyes darted left to right as she scanned the cabin for clues of another's presence. She tiptoed around like a mouse trying their hardest to avoid detection by a starving cat.

"Should we call the guys to come back?" Lena's voice quivered, barely above a whisper, as she leaned close to me, her fear palpable.

I responded with a slow shake of my head, lifting my finger to my lips, "Shhh," I hushed her gently.

Her grip on my arm tightened, almost cutting off my blood flow, as her chattering teeth only added to the already tense atmosphere.

Admittedly, I, too, felt a rush of fear surging through me. After all, we had just narrowly escaped a deranged individual on the road. But Lena's level of distress seemed disproportionate, considering we hadn't encountered anything of true significance yet.

"We should head upstairs," I suggested in a hushed tone; taking a cautious step forward, I approached the staircase. Suddenly, Lena loosened her grip on my arm and took two steps back. Her arms fell to her sides, and her demeanor abruptly changed, leaving me puzzled.

"I'm not going up there!" Lena protested, taking even a few more steps backward, "I don't feel safe going up there." she said through her chattering teeth. She leaned back against the wall.

My eyes met hers, wide with concern, "Lena, I don't feel safe going up there either, but we have to find out what that noise is."

"You can go find out, but I'm not," Lena replied fearfully.

Turning away from her, I placed my shaky hand on the wood railing, using it for support.

I gulped as I placed my foot on the first step of the staircase. A wave of dread washed over me and a few sweat beads formed on my forehead.

"Hello!" I called out as I gazed up at the top floor. I didn't move as I waited to hear a response, and just like before, there was none.

Step by step, I continued to ascend the staircase, moving cautiously and silently while my heart pounded in my chest.

With the confidence I slowly built up, I finally ascended the entire flight of stairs and reached the top—a sprawling expanse of darkness in the large hallway before me. Tiny slits of light were able to creep in through the cracks in the shutters. Two bedrooms were on each side, and a bathroom was at the far end of the hallway.

All the bedroom doors were closed, an unsettling sight being that Lena and I both distinctively heard the creaking of doors swinging open. The eerie contradiction sent a chill through my veins.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the first bedroom on the right of the hallway, causing my heart to drop into my stomach as a sheer intensity of terror dashed through me.

"Hello!" I called out louder this time, "Is anyone here?"

I made my way to the bedroom with slow and steady steps. Gripped by fear, I was trembling just as much or more than Lena.

"Trish, is everything okay up there?" Lena shouted out from downstairs.

"I don't know," I replied, "I'm still checking." My voice was quivering.

The light in the bedroom flickered on. The glow shined through the space underneath the door, startling me. Instinctively, I wanted to run back downstairs and out of the cabin, but there was nowhere to go. The main resort office was ten miles away, and the nearest cabin was three miles away.

"Hello, anyone in there?" I tapped on the door with my fist. I decided then and there that I had no choice but to open the door.

Reaching for the doorknob, I grip it. Then I slowly twist it, opening up the door.

"Surprise!" voices shouted at me, echoing against the walls, and mixed emotions exploded within me. My heart sped faster than a horse in a race, and goosebumps rode down my arms.

There stood Gina and Dale.

Anger and frustration flowed through me. I could feel the heat burning in my chest.

"What the hell?!" As I furrowed my brows, I erupted, meeting Gina's gaze, "Why would you do something so thoughtless? And who the heck let you guys into our cabin?" I had never been more frustrated with Gina in my entire life.

Gina smiles, "Trish, it's just a joke. We wanted to make this vacation a little fun."

Lena suddenly walked up behind me with the biggest smirk on her face.

"We got you good!" Lena burst into laughter.

"You mean to tell me you were in on this too?" I stared intently into Lena's eyes.

"Well, Gina and Dale called me and thought it would be fun to surprise you." Lena shrugged, the laughter dissipating from her voice.

"You seriously deserve an Academy Award!"I said, sarcasm lacing my voice, "I really believed you were terrified down there, Lena!"

Turning around, I faced the door, exited the bedroom, and stomped away. As I found myself in the kitchen, Troy and Dale walked through the front door, returning from the market with two bags of groceries and a case of beer. My frustration must've been evident as Troy walked up to me, patting me on my back. He asked in a compassionate tone, "Is everything alright, Trish? You look upset."

I nodded, forcing a half smile, "I'm fine, Troy." Concealing my true inner feelings, I chose to withhold them from Troy. I didn't want him to feel pity for me and be disgraced by our friends. The prank played on me was done in bad taste. It kept lingering in my mind, accompanied by a burning sense of fury, but dwelling on it wouldn't do me any good. I shrugged it off and hopefully could enjoy the rest of the day with Troy and our friends, or better yet, so-called friends.