Cabin Fever (Horror Drama) IC/Closed

[Kentucky Fried Land]

OOC

"What were you doing there?"

Chapter 1: The Cabin



The sun was still high when the two vehicles came speeding down the dirt trail. Tall oaks loomed overhead, snowy branches like claws scratching at the roofs of the two.

One of them was a petite pickup truck carrying three; all of them in the front, one riding bitch in between the so called lovebirds. The girl’s roommate, the ever so helpful third wheel, sat with them. Hoa Nzuyen was driving, her roommate beside of her, and her boyfriend Konstantinos Houston was getting choked by a seat belt in the passenger. All their things packed away in the SUV tailing them, their wheels kicking up snow and dirt and dust and whatever else was to come of this. Woodland creatures crawled from their holes, beady eyes tracing the metal monsters barreling past them. Some of them ran off into the tree line, but not all. One big old buck stared. The stare was not empty; it was very clear exactly what its eyes had fixated on.

And so, the wheels continued to spin and the axles kept turning. In the SUV, the young Cameron Vanstraaten gripped the wheel. Beside her, the older Houston of the group was buckled up and sitting along. In the back, they had managed to scrunch four up with Christian Wolfe nabbing the right window seat, then Cassidy Deckard beside him, Simon Cuff beside her, and then August Piatkowski grabbing the left window seat. They were certain sardines in a can, but at least they weren’t roasting. Winter was not kind in Michigan; but it at least wasn’t hot. No, and as the college students decided they were to come here for their winter break, they had brought along plenty of winter gear to warm themselves with. The trees seemed to glare at them; and the trail only seemed to grow narrower.

The cabin came into view soon enough; it was a well made building, with two stories, a basement, and a yard with lumber as well. They could even see a storage shed out near the back, if they looked close enough. The two vehicles stopped right outside, and the engines cut off. It was time to load out.

[Ormata]

August Piatkowski
Ch 1: Cabin

He watched the forest pass by.

There was something comforting about that white. There really was. In a way it reminded August of a blanket, all-encompassing and all-loving, a warm thing that came upon you and was comfortable in it’s existence. He knew it was cold. He knew it was most likely not as fluffy, as comforting, or as loving as his eyes told him it was. He knew that it most likely would break-apart by the merest hint of a boot or shoe coming-down upon it, like little chunks of not-quite-ice that was just solid enough and just icy enough to be a mild pain. Still, though. There was something comforting about that white.

He watched the forest pass by, and August’s eyes weren’t quite still. There were animals, out there; he never was one to hunt, but...maybe. Maybe that and maybe then. Deer and elk were interesting enough creatures, of the sort that he never grew-up with and not at all of the sort like back home. Florida was a strange-ass place with strange-ass people, and the animals there were just as strange. They were odd and not at all, at times, comfortable with the people about them. August had heard of, and saw the videos, deer and elk who pranced-about the small towns between hunting seasons. They were well-accustomed to people. These though? These weren’t that type of deer. They watched with their eyes and ran-away when the smoke got too close, when the noises were too familiar to things that they’d learned to dislike. What a nice place, this, came that little thought.

The car was packed; whoever liked to put four people in the back of a car was an asshole. To August’s side was Simon, a kid who was kinda an ass and kinda not. Kid brought his baseball bat; August almost wanted to tell him that there was no doubt that baseball was a big thing out here, oh yessir, a big thing because of the ice and snow and damn cold. They wore those tight yoga pants out here, of course they did. Almost. He almost wanted to say that but hey, if the kid wanted a bat, the kid wanted a bat. Good for him. He wasn’t August’s type, mind, but hey. Alright kid nonetheless.

August could see the house come-up in the distance and man, it was a nice-looking place in his opinion. Larger than what his parents owned, that’s for sure, though that really wasn’t saying much. It was definitely of the sort that three families probably could live-in, no problem. Big-ass place in the middle of nowhere, though, that’ll make things neat. The cars stopped and August got-out, tightening his jacket about him. He’d brought one of those heavier things, a jacket with a damn fur lining that felt like heaven’s hugs, and wore it on the trip. For one thing it felt nice. For another thing he was aware of cars breaking-down out here.

“Well, this is damn nice, Lynn!” He called-out to the other car. Lynn, well, Hoa Nzuyen, was the girl whose parents owned the cabin. Rich people, that’s for sure. She was quiet and, well...August had a sneaking suspicious that her interests in providing the cabin weren’t all selfish. Quiet girl, big group, wants to impress or the group leans...yeah it wasn’t a joyous thing, that’s for sure. She had a boyfriend, though. Maybe she wanted to get-away from parents and the surveillance state for a little alone time.

Well. That might have just a few issues. Just a few. August went to the back, the trunk already unlocked by the driver, getting at his stuff. He hadn’t brought a lot; just enough for a bit of time out alone. Just a few backpacks.

[Beiarusia]

- Hoa Nzuyen -

---

CHAPTER ONE: The Cabin

Lynn hadn't planned on spending her winter break at her parent's cabin. Not once had the thought crossed her mind, but her "friends" had wanted a vacation or else a reason to not go home, thus here they were navigating a snow-covered trail in the frigid wilderness of Michigan where the naked oaks and pines stretched for miles in any given direction. The little Nissan truck handled the snowy path well enough with the larger SUV lumbering behind. Lynn was driving with her roommate sitting beside her and her boyfriend sitting beside her roommate. No one talked much, and they drove most of the way in near silence. The cabin was far from civilization. An hour's drive maybe from the nearest town of reasonable size depending on the weather. Lynn's family was semi-wealthy, her parents owning a successful Vietnamese restaurant chain that was slowly spreading throughout the Midwest, and for whatever reason the vacation home had seemed a good buy. At the very least the cabin was well maintained by the family.

They parked and began unpacking the two vehicles. Lynn mentioned that she would unlock the door, but her voice was low enough that few people had likely heard her. Still, she trudged over and inserted the key into the lock, and stepping into the cabin she found it just as she remembered from her last visit so many months before. Rustic, but modern with more than enough creature comforts to keep the young adults satisfied sans working internet. The generator would need to be started but solar panels kept the lights working. Seeing that nothing appeared out of place Lynn headed back to her truck — which had previously belonged to her older sister — to tell her roommate and boyfriend that the door was open, and then she headed over to the SUV to fetch her bags.

“Well, this is damn nice, Lynn!” called out one of the guys. August. A bit older than everyone else.

The girl paused like a deer caught in the headlights, mouth slightly agape as her mind slowly moved into a frantic search for the correct words to say in response. "It... thank you," she said eventually, and although satisfactory Lynn couldn't help but to wonder if something better could have been said instead.

She didn't really say much more as she stepped over to the SUV to grab her things.

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

John Houston
The Cabin

The ride was fine. Cameron was a good driver, and not the kind of person who is very quiet nor the most talkative one. Small chats here and there, too. His limp hasn't been recovered much, the doctor said it would take another full year before it is recovered well enough and even then, it might be too long for him to join the military at this point. Though militia appears as another option for an easy join and something to do on. He went out from the SUV and into the back side. As much as he hated Konstantinos, he is still his brother. His younger brother, and they should fix the relationship soon or later.

He went to the back, slow but sure. There's Hoa already, she's Konstantinos' girlfriend. He didn't mind, since he was preoccupied with something else to cared enough about their relationship. She grabbed her things, and he slung over his rifle on him as he helped Hoa on her things. "Here, let me help with the other things you should be brought on upon."

[Kazarogkai]

Simon Cuff

Cruising down through the woods I couldn't help but feel a little scared. I wasn't exactly the boy in the woods types. My brief stint in the boy scouts ended in disaster with me lost in the woods as a result of the incompetent bitch that ran the troop or whatever they call them. Sucked pretty hard but I lived. Silver lining was it did partially contribute to my knowledge and love of fantasy and ancient history and how people lived in general.

Still couldn't help but be a little creeped out by the place. Why the heck did I even come if that was the case? Because they asked. I guess i'm one of those guys. If that wasn't enough I had stuck back here like a god damned sardine with 4 other. On one side was August. Giant military guy, s little old and stern and I don't know him as well as the others but otherwise he's cool. On the other side was the bitch in chief, Cassidy. Though again she is a bitch but she is a rather creative artisty type. I've seen what she could do and couldn't help but be a bit impressed.

Strangely enough despite this rather unpleasant predicament I still was able to go to sleep. Drool down my face and a bit of snoring, ya not a nice picture at all. When the ride was finally over I woke in a rather startled state accidentally smacking Cassidy on the side of her face.

"Oops, sorry dear."

After I made my brief apology I made my way out with my bat over my shoulder and surveyed all around. We have just arrived in the middle of nowhere to a rather nice place.

"Cool"

All I could say, couldn't help myself. And so I before anything occurred I made my way to the back of truck and began the process of unpacking. All I could think was this was gonna be a long winter.

[Anowa]

Cameron Vanstratten
Approaching the Big Fuck Off Cabin

The ride over was what one would call bullshit, between the bullshit in the back, to August's snoring, Cameron was about ready to drive headlong into a telephone pole... Except there fucking weren't any this far out. Just trees in an eight foot ditch, and lord knows they wouldn't hiy it fast enough to kill everyone, and then she'd have to listen to a bloody pumpkin screech in her ear for the next several hours.

Then again, with the autist in the back with a fucking baseball bat maybe she just needed to piss him off enough. Honestly a fucking baseball bat, why?... Then again Cameron did bring a novelty torso sized knife with her for the joke, but what purpose did a baseball bat have?

After a few hours of monotony and winter driving (a skill that Montreal made outright fucking easy), and they had arrived at the big fuck off cabin that Hoa stated her family owned. Cameron had pictured a small, three room cabin where they'd all be sleeping communally for the weekend. Not a fucking ski resort, someone present had pulled a fast one on the meek girl, and Cameron didn't like it one fucking iota.

With a frown she cut the engine, put the vehicle in park and engaged the E-brake, before stepping out of the vehicle. Immediately both her legs protested with a gut wrenching cramp. With a hiss of pain she slowly squatted onto the ground, leaning against the SUV for support, "Motherfucker."

A few seconds passed before the pain was bearable, standing up with a grimace, Cameron walked to the back of the SUV, seeing several others already clamoring for their stuff. She stepped up, walking past August, the eldest and Mr. Earthquake nose. As she grabbed her duo of bags from the back she absent mindedly realized that she was among the taller end of the group, standing three, maybe four inches taller than August. She hadn't really checked either height nor weight before she got to the cabin... or really for a few years. Never really had a reason to. Genetics sure was fucky wasn't it? Regardless they had a cabin to get into, and only one gal had the keys.

While waiting for Hoa to get herself sorted, Cameron sidled up beside August and spoke to the man in a hushed voice, "So who was it you think arranged this?"

[Ormata]

August Piatkowski
Ch 1: Cabin

"It... thank you."

"Here, let me help with the other things you should be brought on upon."

August let the other guy, Houston, get the girl’s shit from the back of the SUV, after he’d gotten his two backpacks. Out of the car, though, came Cameron. August’s opinion of her could generally be summed-up with ‘nice and loyal’ and who was, of many, many people, not an asshole. Good lady. She got out of the car, coming-down hard and squatting on the ground with...pain? Now that’d be a bitch of a thing to deal with. Would definitely not be fun for anyone to have medical issues while out in the middle of who-gives-a-fuck-nowhere. Then again it could just be feminine issues, but hell.

She approached, coming to the back of the SUV and getting her stuff, before talking in a quieter tone.

"So who was it you think arranged this?"

It was a fair question; he doubted Lynn would have voluntarily done all this, especially with the way her entire personality was. She was a quiet person, meek like a mouse, and somehow he doubted that, if she wanted some alone time with her boyfriend, she’d do it this way. That wouldn’t make any damn sense. He suspected it was either a specific person saying that sort of shit, a specific person pushing her into doing all that, or a group effort sort of thing, a self-imposed feeling to try and win favor with the overall group as it were. If it was the second then August felt kinda like shit; he’d hoped he hadn’t push anyone towards doing what they didn’t exactly want to do.

August mentally went down the list. He’d doubt Cameron would do this sort of thing, knew it wasn’t himself, and doubted Lynn had volunteered. Konstantinos was too distant for trying this entire thing, along with him being Lynn’s boyfriend, and so he severely doubted that guy would try and push her into this ordeal. Christian was too laid-back for pulling this, along with, August thought, generally being the sort of person to just drift through life, and John really wasn’t that social. Simon...no, that kid just wasn’t it. That really just left…

Well, that would make sense.

“Just our Cassidy, maybe. Other than that, I have no idea. By the way, are you OK?” He whispered back. Granted, she had been invited to it, but that really didn’t mean anything.

[Anowa]

“Just our Cassidy, maybe. Other than that, I have no idea. By the way, are you OK?” He whispered back. Granted, she had been invited to it, but that really didn’t mean anything.

Cameron sighed, Cassidy was her first thought as well. The orange haired woman was... less than pleasing to spend time with, why the hell they still included her in things like this was something no one really had an answer to, "Yeah, I was expecting a small wooden two story, not the equivalent to a ski resort." a pause as she shook her head, "But yeah, I'm good, both my legs just decided they didn't want to move anymore and cramped up, so." she shrugged. "Yeah."

As she looked around, she took a sort of recollecting stock of those who were present. Cameron herself didn't spend an exceeding amount of time with many of them, having a rather prolific job that was appointment based, so her weekends were busy especially. There were the Houston's, John and Konstantinos, the literal example of Aerith and Bob. They were both involved in a car accident a while back, and it was hard to judge who came out worse than the other. Obviously Konstantinos had been smacked with the 'ugly' hammer, he was still attractive to a degree, just with a few noticable scars and the missing eye. Then there was John, his physical damage was limited to a limp, but the way he just, fumbled words, sometimes made Cameron think he had some form of brain damage. But one could still get what he was trying to say.

Christian Wolfee was also present, being the computer nerd he was it was a bit of a surprise he'd come all the way out here for any duration. Though if he lit up inside the cabin, there was no doubt that Lynn's parents would be less than please if the smell of either nicotine or weed stunk the fucking upholstery up. Other than that he was the typical sarcastic kid who couldn't remember to shave to save his life.

Simon, Cameron was 90% sure was somewhere in the autism spectrum. Seeing as he was socially awkward at times, brought a goddamn baseball bat here and just so happened to be a slight ass most of the time, were it not for the fact that they likely hated each other, he and Cassidy could've probably hooked up at some point.

Then there was Miss Coppertop herself, the queen bitch and the gal most likely to lay a false rape accusation on someone, Cassidy Deckard. She was less than pleasant to be around, as if Cameron had to explain.

Lynn was quite obviously present, the shorter girl was, to put it simply, adorably mouse like. Somehow she managed to make it this far without finding friends that were like her, shy, timid, and generally selfless. The fact it took her this long to find someone like herself to latch on to was a bit of a miracle, her relationship with Konstantinos being one that was just.. awkwardly cute from both sides. Even if not for the cabin offering Cameron could find herself being friends with Lynn, although she'd likely still be a one sided conversationalist.

Then there was August, older guy, former Marine, so far from the least out of shape. He was pretty chill to say the least, and their thoughts, opinions, and pretty much half of what they talked about lined up well. So getting along with the man was easy to do. Although a few of his hobbies were dated, they still had a level of interest in them.

Cameron sighed again, waiting for Hoa to fish her keys out and open the bloody door, a leather jacket and jeans only did so much to ward off the cold.

[Max Empire]

Konstantinos Houston

Chapter 1: The Cabin

Konstantinos looked around nervously with his one eye as he adjusted his eye-patch and he got off the vehicle. Timidly tracing one of his scars near his functioning eye with his finger. He didn't think he was unattractive, maybe the scars even made him a little more attractive when compared to his old plain appearance. It would depend on what other people thought and what they found attractive.

A lot of the people here were attractive. Not wanting to stare or anything, he just kept his head down as he took his baggage out of the back. Occasionally moving his gaze to look at somebody while keeping his head down so they would be less likely to notice. He could have guessed he sort of looked like a kid looking at something forbidden or off limits. Maybe others eould think he looked cute? Well, as cute as a one-eyed guy with scars over his face could look.

Cameron had this special... "Air" around her, he thought. Something that kept him looking at her every now and then. She was strange in an exciting kind of way, not that it mattered. Hoa had been his crush for as long as he could remember. The first time he saw her he found her cute. He was just too shy and timid to do anything.

He had a crush on her since forever. He didn't want to tell her that though. She might think that he was creepy. He looked at her timidly with his eye as he kept his head down and his face turned a little red. He was her boyfriend, but he didn't want to mess anything up with her.

He really liked her, but he was too scared to actually talk to her about anything. What if she thought he was weird? Or worse? Just broke up with him because of that... What if she didn't like the fact that he didn't talk to her? It all made him freeze up in fear for a moment. He just didn't know what to do.

Then he saw his brother offer to help her and instantly felt guilty. He always felt like he had caused the car accident and maybe his brother blamed him too... But he ignored that and encouraged him to actually ask Hoa out. He wanted to be friends with his brother again, but he didn't know if that would ever be possible. Would John hate him the rest of his life? No apology from him could ever fix the damage his brother suffered in the accident, but maybe he could help ease the load of his shoulders and John could do the same for him.

Grabbing his stuff, he timidly walked next to his girlfriend thinking of something to say before taking a deep breath.

"T-this place is n-nice Hoa... Th-thanks for i-inviting u-us...", He said trying to sound normal, but clearly failing at that with his nervous and shaky tone.

[New Grestin]

Cassidy awoke to the sting of being cracked across the face, the force being just enough to clock her head against the window. She groaned, rubbing the side of her head in a half asleep malaise as Simon apologized. Cass hated a lot of things in life. It wouldn't have been a stretch to call her a hateful person. One of the many things she detested was being crammed into a car with other people. It helped that it was a group of people she almost considered friends, but not much. It was a wonder anyone had even talked her into this whole affair. She'd been busy for weeks starting and stopping on her writing, trying to get something done. The hardest part of trying to write was knowing where to start, and she'd hoped that, perhaps, staying in a cabin in the woods might help get the creative juices flowing again. Had it not been the perfect storm of factors, she would've slammed the door in Hoa's face the moment she suggested this.

Yet, here she was now, regretting that decision since they'd left home.

The cars pulled off in front of a huge cabin. Two stories, built out of lumber that looked older than the forest itself. It was impressive, no doubt. Certainly more impressive than she'd initially anticipated. She couldn't help but crack a smile as she popped the car door open and slipped out. It was surprisingly nice out. Snow fell lightly against the Earth, wind blowing between the trees. She closed her eyes, taking it all in. The smell of the trees, the feeling of the snow on her skin. For the briefest moment she totally forgot that she was going to be stuck here for the entire summer. With that thought, her quiet smile died, and she turned her attention to getting her things.

As she hefted her duffle bag from the car, she couldn't help but notice the others whispering. Cassidy paused, raising an eyebrow as August and Cameron talked under their breath. She rolled her eyes, slinging the duffle bag over her back as she headed for the cabin. As she passed, she scoffed at them.

She stopped, looking back towards the two.

"Whenever you two are done being conspiratorial, maybe you could make yourselves useful and help get our stuff inside. No idea how long the weather's going to hold out."

[Ormata]

August Piatkowski
Ch 1: Cabin

"Yeah, I was expecting a small wooden two story, not the equivalent to a ski resort." a pause as she shook her head, "But yeah, I'm good, both my legs just decided they didn't want to move anymore and cramped up, so." she shrugged. "Yeah."

“Oh definitely. This isn’t what I expected at all,” came August’s reply. What the hell was he really expecting? That was a harder question to answer. This sort of place was...expansive, wooden, the kind you could expect for a 70s-type cabin owned by some stockbroker or some shit, the kind of place you’d expect from a middle-aged guy who liked to hunt on his off-days. Hey, maybe that was the kind of thing her parents liked, but rich people really were getting away from the whole ‘nature’ thing. Gold watches and Ferraris now, that’s what it was.

What kinda stuff did Lynn’s parents do, anyways? Yeah, that wasn’t really something August knew, massively, either. In truth, he’d love to talk to Lynn more, or would’ve loved to have talked to her more, but their relationship wasn’t really that connective. The issue was more in how the conversation went; it always felt like it’d drift too far into the territory of being a bastard form of an interrogation, August talking or asking questions and her always seeming to be uncomfortable or something. He should’ve asked that. Really should’ve.

"Whenever you two are done being conspiratorial, maybe you could make yourselves useful and help get our stuff inside. No idea how long the weather's going to hold out."

And that, of course, was Cassidy. August chuckled a little bit; yeah, that was Cassidy. She was not the most diplomatic of sorts, that could most definitely be said, and didn’t really ever want to be. She’d probably be grumpy the entire way through. Probably. “Yeah, sure,” came August’s reply as he delved back into the SUV, taking-out several bags, at least four of them, and feeling very much like a pack mule. Yeah, well, big whoop on that. And with that, he walked-up to the cabin.

[The Grand Rift]

Christian Wolfee
Ch.1 The Cabin

The dry Michigan sun cut across Christians face, waking him to the realization that the 10 person college commune had reached their destination, Lynn's cabin. Or at least her parents cabin as she persistently put it during their drive over, obviously she was gonna have to be worked on to get her to cut loose during this trip.

Christian found that no one had bothered to wake him when they arrived, not even Cassidy who sat beside him. Which was a shame, for despite all the rumors Christian found her presence to be quite...nice. Others and personally had found it strange that he always pursued the people who seem to resist it the most, even after heavy abuse Christian would always return those people with the same stupid looks trying the same tired tactics.

Alone in the car, Christian watched the seemingly unlikely group. Cameron played her little show, Lynn played coy, and the rest seemed pretty chilled out for being in a car for so long. Christian shrugged and sighed, proceeding out of the car with his duffel over his shoulder and lit his cigarette of choice the smooth Marlboro Blacks. It was an amazing weight lifted off him, the cigarettes always seemed to give that psychological high no matter how many hes smoked.

He strolled over to August and Cameron, as Cassidy did an angry flurry of steps up the steps. Christian spoke with the cigarette still in his mouth.
"So what did you guys do to piss her off this time? Like we have even been out here an hour and it seems there's already bad blood it seems."

[Beiarusia]

- Hoa Nzuyen -

---

CHAPTER ONE: The Cabin

The university students were quick to bring their belongings inside. Nobody wanted to be out in the cold for longer than absolutely necessary, more so after several hours spent driving through the empty backwoods cramped and with no legroom to share between them.

Steps led up to a covered deck that looped around from the front of the cabin to the side. Inside the "friends" were greeted with a spacious living area complete with rustic furniture, a fireplace, a small TV and DVD player, hardwood floors, and an open kitchen. The decor was very woodsy given the natural colors of the room and the framed landscape painting of what likely to be the Appalachian Mountains with a pleasant lake in the foreground. The mounted head of a deer hung over the fireplace with an old rifle underneath despite Lynn's father not being a hunter. A bookshelf occupied one wall, a loveseat another, while the sofa divided the room with its back to the short hallway that connected two bathrooms and three bedrooms, all with a similar cabin theme. Upstairs was the master bedroom (with attached bathroom) as well as three other guest bedrooms. Downstairs was the game room, another bedroom, and storage. There was also a small attic for additional storage space as needed. The cabin had more than enough space for everybody, was well maintained if not a little understocked aside from non-perishables in the pantry, and carried with it a look of prestige despite having been purchased for a low selling price (the building was, reportedly, constructed sometime in the 1970's but Lynn wasn't sure).

"T-this place is n-nice Hoa... Th-thanks for i-inviting u-us...," Konstantinos said with a slight stutter due to nervousness.

Konstantinos Houston was Lynn's boyfriend, however, the label had been applied as a technicality as opposed to any longstanding attraction between the pair. The boy was an introvert who had somehow managed the courage to ask the girl out; the girl was socially inept with a strong aversion to saying no. A car accident had left Konstantinos lightly scarred but he was still attractive even with his eyepatch, and although Lynn could not say that she was enamored with the boy neither could she say that she disliked him, and given time perhaps she could return his feelings as strongly as he did.

"Thank you," she answered with her usual timidity, as if afraid that her voice spoken above a whisper would result in some unspeakable calamity. Lynn was shy towards most people (edit: all people), but more so around Konstantinos if only because she was unsure how to act in a relationship being that this was her first. Feeling that she should say something else, but not knowing what, the girl made an excuse to head outside and away from any potential conversation.

It was a valid excuse at the very least. No electrical lines reached out this far in the woods, obviously, so the cabin relied on a diesel generator to supply the bulk of its electrical demands since the solar panels were insufficient to do so on their own.

Bundled up, Lynn stepped once more into the bitter cold and made her way towards the small shed in what could be considered the backyard if only to give a definable location. The generator was situated beside the shed, relatively new, and with enough fuel stored to last them however many days they planned to stay. Additives kept the fuel useful even in zero-degree weather, which should have made things relatively easy, and it did, tremendously, but the process still took several minutes to accomplish. So long as they kept the generator fueled the cabin would have power.

"The power should be on," Lynn announced with a whisper upon returning inside. Only those closest would have heard her say anything. The cabin had no built-in heating system (again, due to its isolation) so relied on electrical heaters, which could be brought out now to fight back against the chill.

Now it was only a matter of enjoying their vacation in the middle of nowhere.

[Ormata]

August Piatkowski
Ch 1: Cabin

"So what did you guys do to piss her off this time? Like we have even been out here an hour and it seems there's already bad blood it seems."

August snorted, but decided to not respond. Just talking about something seemed to be enough to, at times, piss Cassidy off, and he really didn’t want to have to deal with that sort of thing this early in their staying at a cabin. It’d be rude towards Lynn, after all, to already have a fight going between two guests, and of the many people on the trip August took the most care with Lynn. She was interesting, the quiet little oompa-loompa, and pushing-about oompa-loompas wasn’t something he really wanted to do.

They came into the house and the way it was furnished...well, August was pretty impressed. It had the feel of a hunting cabin from the 50s, the sort of place everyone had then but just expanded for one reason or another. The modern furnishings, things like DVD players and modern TVs, kind of threw the entire feel off, but it looked like the sort of place for rich people to own. Hint to self: Lynn’s parents are rich people, he thought to himself. They were rich, they could afford a place like this, and this was one helluva place.

Lynn disappeared, though, so quietly that the young man might not even really notice, though as she was gone for those minutes August sat the bags he’d been carrying, the extra four that were really not his, down on the ground; as far as sleeping arrangements, he really did not know how they were going-about things. That’d be great to know. When she got back, August had been looking-over the various books in the bookshelf. A good few of them were of the sort that he hadn’t read. The rifle was older, a hunting rifle that gave August some small interest. Then Lynn came back.

"The power should be on.”

He returned this proclamation, as quiet as a damn mouse as it was, with a smile, though August found the stairs rather rapidly, going-up those to see the other rooms and possibly lay claim to one before everyone else. If anything, they were extremely likely to share rooms and he was interested in not sharing a room with Cassidy.

[Blitzkeig]

Victor Helmant

Their was one advantage to being that guy who always brought too much stuff, and that advantage was the fact that I could take this peaceful trip up into the Michigan countryside without being crammed in between two or three other people, and actually get some thoughts together before I'd have to bare close company for a long time. This year hadn't been too good for me; sure I'd passed college, sure I'd not gotten into any fights...really big ones that is, but everything was going flat. I've not been able to write a decent song in months; I know I'm probably drinking too much...fuck and when you start admitting it to yourself you know things are going tits up very quickly, and the whole getting a girlfriend thing was...shall we say, not going to plan? You'd think, for a good singer with awesome hair, a huge convertible which growled like a beast as it ate up the road and who carried a real vintage hunting rifle around in the back of said car, girls would flock to me; unfortunately, they just don't.

In front of me was the cabin, and even I had to admit it looked pretty impressive. Warm; out of the way, the sort of place you could spend a couple of weeks and let the world go by, assuming that was your plan. A good place for hunting some wild and furry creatures was my plan...it was becoming something of a passion for me

Everyone would struggle to miss the loud growl of the suv as it drove up the rural dirt road, and I spied them all coming to a halt in front of it...and for fucks sake their was an argument brewing already. For the love of God Cassidy, if this is your expression when you just get hear you're going to be a joy to live with all summer...it was time for Victor to make his appearance, and he was pretty good at that.
The door of the massive car swung open hard and Victor jumped out, that insane grin he was always known to possess plastered write across his face as he ran up to everybody.
"Nice place," he said cheerfully...and when Victor spoke cheerfully it was hard not to think it was totally genuine, he just always seemed so happy..."If anybody wants booze, it's in the back. We got enough to last all of us all summer...if someone helps me carry it that is."

[Kazarogkai]

Simon Cuff

Seeing that everyone was making their way in I decided to do the same. With my various miscellaneous goods slung over my right shoulder and my old bat on my left I made my way to the door. But before I did I remembered something important. Putting my stuff down for a bit I made my way back to the yard where I preeced to look for something. Eventually I found it:

a relatively roundish rock.

Not perfect but it would do. Readying myself I tossed the stone in front of me and swung my bat at it. The stone flew easily going atleast 100 MPH with it's path taking it on a course right above the roof which at it's most precarious point was less than half an inch away from said roof. Eventually though it cleared the roof and made it's way further and further away from sight and memory toward the never ever were all things go that have been lost to time and space whether willingly or not.

"Good Omen"

Is all I could say as I made my way back to the porch picking my things back up I made my way in. Upon seeing that there was basement access I immediately jumped on that real quick. Rushing through rather obnoxiously I eventually found what I was looking for. A bedroom all to myself. Now one might be asking, I mentioned I'm rather scared of the dark so why am I here? To put it simply I like my privacy and having a nice little place like this all to myself appeals to my senses. I gave a rather loud shout to those above stating my intentions,

"CLAIMED!!!"

Soon I noticed something though. It's dark. In all my exuberance and desire to get what I wanted I hadn't really noticed that particular problem. They say when people are scared they will either respond via fighting or fleeing whatever is causing that fear. But the ones who mention such things forget that their is a third response and that one comes in the form of freezing so to speak. As the panic spread throughout my body and hearing all the rather strange sounds which due to the low light conditions I couldn't pinpoint put into a semi-catatonic state. All I could do was stand there for a bit paralyzed with the fear.

[The Grand Rift]

Victor Helmant


"Nice place," he said cheerfully...and when Victor spoke cheerfully it was hard not to think it was totally genuine, he just always seemed so happy..."If anybody wants booze, it's in the back. We got enough to last all of us all summer...if someone helps me carry it that is."

Christian stood near Victor as he ran up to the rest of the group, the alcohol of course had peaked his interest, so he piped up first.

"Hell yeah bro, let get that shit out of the car."

"Oh yeah though, i think i got a bottle of Tennessee Fire in my duffel."

"Plus i think i have a little something to celebrate as well"

Christian switched his duffel around to the front of his chest, and pulled a quart sized baggie of about 1 gram of Marijuana out. "With some music and some other joining us, this can be a very wonderful night."

Christian began speaking with a grin on his face,"alright now lets get back to the others" he said with a crate of booze in his arms.

[Blitzkeig]

Victor Helmant


"Nice place," he said cheerfully...and when Victor spoke cheerfully it was hard not to think it was totally genuine, he just always seemed so happy..."If anybody wants booze, it's in the back. We got enough to last all of us all summer...if someone helps me carry it that is."

Christian stood near Victor as he ran up to the rest of the group, the alcohol of course had peaked his interest, so he piped up first.

"Hell yeah bro, let get that shit out of the car."

"Oh yeah though, i think i got a bottle of Tennessee Fire in my duffel."

"Plus i think i have a little something to celebrate as well"

Christian switched his duffel around to the front of his chest, and pulled a quart sized baggie of about 1 gram of Marijuana out. "With some music and some other joining us, this can be a very wonderful night."

Christian began speaking with a grin on his face,"alright now lets get back to the others" he said with a crate of booze in his arms.

Victor Helmand

"Great," he smiled, wanting to get into the building, "I got about 6 bottles of Tennessee fire. I got vodka, I got whiskey, gin and tequila. Beer and hard cider, brandy and wine. Most of this amazingly full trunk is booze, oh and stuff for the freezer."
He stopped his monologue when he saw the weed, and his usual grin returned. "Nice one," he laughed, "My supply probably won't last me all summer." He pulled two thirty-packs from one of the bags "Mix?"

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

John Houston
The Cabin

John brought almost all of the stuffs from the vehicle he was brought into, though he saw Konstantin, he decided to let the relationship as coolly and as warm as he tried. He is not interested in exposing the conflict between brothers to his friends, and he should be fortunate enough to feel not like a jerk all the time. The inside of the cabin is a piece of work. He hasn't got the time to explore, but he will, soon enough. As soon as he put off the things into the place where they needed.

The cabin's far from anything. He shouldn't feel worried, though the nothing short of horror movies set in the woods clearly made him feel slightly restless about this whole thing of vacationing in the middle of nowhere.

"Lynn," as he approached Lynn and about to talked to her, "I just want to thank you that you allowed me to be with your friends, and my...brother here. Guess there is more than meets the eyes. Sorry about that," said normally to Lynn.

[New Grestin]

Cassidy tagged along with the others, trudging through the thick snow. The sounds of the forest seemed muted in the winter. Only the occasional chipper of a bird overhead seemed to break the monotonous crunching of boots in earth. Cassidy, for all her whininess, quite liked the outdoors. It reminded her of back home.

The inside of the cabin was impressive, to say the least. Spacious, with a television and a DVD player and electric heaters dotting throughout. Cass had to admit, she was actually quite surprised. She let her bag drop to the floor with a thud, strolling about the place like she was in some home design show. Her attention was quickly drawn to the bookcase, where she took to examining what Lynn's parents had decided to stock. It was a lot of the classics, as to be expected. A few historical books, a bit of Hemingway and Tolstoy, and even an aging Bible that had to have been decades old. Cassidy was just stating to thumb through a copy of The Zone when Lynn wandered off to get the power running.

The book was a bit hackneyed, she thought, shoving it back into it's place on the shelf. Seemed like the writer was going out of his way to be quirky and weird. The quality just kind of dropped off near the end, if she remembered correctly from the last time she'd read it.

Cassidy sighed, breaking out of her grand literary criticism and flopping onto the sofa nearby. She sunk into it, kicking her boots off as she rose back to the edge of the seat. Her eyes moved across the room, finally settling on Lynn.

"So," she said, trying to get the timid girl out of her shell for once. "What now?"

[Beiarusia]

- Hoa Nzuyen -

---

CHAPTER ONE: The Cabin

Now that the power was on, and the electrical heaters were working as intended, Lynn removed her coat to hang inside the small closet near the main door. Underneath she wore a baggy sweater with MICHIGAN STATE printed in bold lettering, two-sizes too big and loose enough to hide an already negligible figure — Lynn was as flat as a 2x4 compared to the other ladies present. She turned, allowing the closet door to swing shut behind her, and was immediately startled like a mouse caught in the open as John, Konstantinos's brother, approached her. The girl's social anxiety kicked into high gear and Lynn couldn't help but to shrink back a small bit.

"I just want to thank you that you allowed me to be with your friends," he began, to which Lynn wondered if she really was their friend, which was a pleasant if woefully unlikely notion to the pessimist, "and my... brother here. Guess there is more than meets the eyes. Sorry about that."

Lynn wasn't entirely sure what John was apologizing for, but the conversation seemed to be just about over to which she was glad. "It... it's fine," she finally said, tone low as if speaking above a whisper was physically impossible.

The university students were already settling in. A few others had gone off to explore the cabin or else to claim rooms, but most were still in the family room or else grabbing what few belongings remained out in the vehicles. The perfect time to get-to-know the guys and gals she would be spending much of winter break with, but Lynn second-guessed herself, thinking that she would say the wrong something, knowing for certain that she would mess it up because that was the only possibility in her mind, so instead she stood awkwardly while deciding on just what to do next.

"So, what now?" Cassidy said, to which Lynn was slow to understand that the question had been directed at her.

"Uh...," Lynn stuttered, having not planned this far ahead if she was entirely honest with herself, and while her mind panicked the door was kicked open to reveal Christian and a latecomer she did not recognize with a crate of alcohol in their hands. Lynn stared at the booze for a moment too long before looking back to Cassidy to shrug apologetically. Her next words were barely audible. "I'm going to put my things in my room." Bag in hand, she went downstairs to the basement to the room that had always been hers during her family's outings to the cabin, only to find that Simon had already claimed the space when she flicked the lights on, and so she came back upstairs a few moments later to sit on a recliner painfully aware that her things were still with her.

[Blitzkeig]

Victor Helmant

Victor and Christian made about 5 more trips to Victor's massive car, bringing back a formidable amount of alcohol. It was impossible to know how much Victor (or more likely Victor's parents) had spent on the booze collection but it was clear it was going to last them all break; no matter whattheir drinking tastes were.
Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, he positioned the last crate of cider with the rest of the booze pile and positioned himself on a sofa, looking around at the people still around him, still a little surprised at the fact that the place had all the mod cons one would expect in a normal house.

Looking at the way that Lynn, the owner of the cabin or so he thought, was looking at the small off-license he'd brought with him, he asked pleasantly "Is it a problem? I'm sorry I didn't know how much we'd need or what everyone wanted...so I ust brought loads of everything. Care for a drink?"

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Upstairs

While there were three bedrooms on the first floor, and another sitting down in the basement, there were exactly three more upstairs. The first was fairly simply; just a twin bed navy blue sheets and spread, with lime green pillows, a closet, two windows, and not much else. Light gleamed in through the silk curtains; it seemed apparent that this was a guest room. The next room over featured a wondrous bunk bed with similar garb as the previous bed, and the room contained a similar layout with the closet and two windows. The thing of most importance however, was the plasma screen desktop sitting on the… well, the desk. While there was no Internet out in the boonies, the computer did host a few games and programs. The typical Microsoft programs, a Recycling Bin, Space Cadet Pinball, Solitaire, the usual. There might have been some other goodies sitting on the computer; but nobody would know unless they tried it.

In the final bedroom was a king size bed, a shelf and a two brown mahogany night stands. These were not the important parts of the room. The first important part was the walk-in closet; it was spacious, as a walk-in closet should be. It was entirely empty for now, but perhaps partially filled with clothes it would soon be. The closet seemed to have everything, and it even came complete with a kitchen sink! Who could ask for a better closet? And then, there was ANOTHER bathroom towards the back of the closet. The cabin already had two downstairs; and now it had two upstairs? But the walk-in closet was besides the point; there was a much more important part of the room that was begging to be searched.

The attic.

A white, raggedy piece of string was hanging from the ceiling, tied in a loop at the end, creating the appearance of something eerily similar to a noose. Something was calling to some of the young adults; something begged for them to enter its gaping maw, as the floorboards of the attic began to…

Creak… Creaeak… CrEaAAeKK…

It sang a chorus to August and the few who had followed him.

***

Meanwhile, in the basement Simon was settling in. The basement was nice; he had seen his own bedroom, complete with bed, closet, and a Sony box television sitting across from the bed on a nightstand. This was the only bedroom downstairs, and isolation might be good for him. He had also caught a glimpse of the rec room, which contained a pool table, pool balls nowhere to be found. The pool cues hung from the wall, to either side of the billiards table, numbering eight. There was a duffel bag sitting under the table, very likely where the balls and triangle were to be found. To the side was part checkers board, the checker chips sitting neatly on the board at opposite ends. On the back of one chair hung a plastic bag full of chess pieces. It was obviously never moved since the last trip out here. There were numerous other games and tables sitting in the back corner of the room, perhaps ready for another day.

The kids had been graced with three weeks of winter vacation by Michigan State this year, due to word of a blizzard coming in. It was sure to pass by this secluded area, and if it didn’t there was plenty of gasoline for the generators out in the barn. Regardless, they would have plenty of games in case they were shut in.

There was plenty of the cabin and the general area still left unexplored. A stump with an axe lodged in it, as well as a bundle of logs sitting next to it. A toolshed. The expanse of forest around them. The basement, the attic, they were all feeling just a bit lonely.

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

John Houston
The Cabin

After he put the things that needed to be put on their respective places, he brought his own rifle that is used mostly for hunting, and polished it. It is probably one of those time where he can be on his own, alone, without the need to talk to someone. There is a bedroom on the first floor, three in fact. He took the first he saw. The inside was fine, except for the window and the layout which seemed to be...eh. Not the best place, but enough. He put the door on the close position and polished the rifle after that.

Perhaps this was the time to remember what happened. But it was not, and he wasn't eager to remembered it enough since it was a bad taint on his memory. Konstantinos should be fine, he has a girlfriend despite being a nervous wreck, but him? What about him? This guy is probably same, more or less.

[Beiarusia]

- Hoa Nzuyen -

---

CHAPTER ONE: The Cabin

A few hours had passed since their arrival. Bags had been unpacked, rooms allocated (Lynn had insisted on sleeping on the couch since her usual room had already been occupied and it would be rude to leave another without a bed), and alcohol consumed by those interested. It wasn't much a party, but they had movies and games to keep themselves entertained this far out in the wilderness where wi-fi and cellphone connectivity were nonexistent. Monopoly was on the table, mid-game, with a few houses and a hotel already on the board while a comedy movie played unwatched on the television. Popcorn, soda, the aforementioned alcohol, and snacks provided by Lynn (who had become the designated hostess).

The Vietnamese girl wasn't partaking in the game or conversations, sitting on the far end of the sofa with her legs pulled up to her chest, wanting to join in but being too socially inept to interject herself without coming across as foolish or else embarrassing herself without meaning to. The best she could do was fetch drinks, snacks, change the DVD as needed, and nod in response to any comments directed her way. Alcohol had been offered but Lynn was inexperienced and didn't feel comfortable drinking knowing full well that she was a lightweight. Christian had brought marijuana as well, and although Lynn disliked the idea of smoking inside her parents' cabin she had said nothing. She didn't want to impose unreasonable restrictions; she wanted them to like her; she didn't want to come across as totally uncool despite already being a social outcast. She'd willingly indulge in the pot or alcohol or whatever debauchery they intended if it meant they'd like her, but no one pressured her to do much of anything aside from grabbing snacks, and while thankful Lynn couldn't help but to feel a little disappointed if not outright ignored.

The movie ended (with a cliffhanger for potential sequels) and Lynn put in the next one without paying much attention to what she had grabbed. It was a horror movie: Cabin Fever. Lynn wasn't one to shy away from such movies but neither did she purposely go out of her way to watch them, but being that the DVD was already in and that she was already sitting back in her spot there was little to be done except press play.

A slight rattle could be heard as the wind picked up outside. The cabin was well-built, sturdy, but would make the odd noise just like any structure nearing on the high side of 40 years-old, and while potentially creepy the sound was more an annoyance than an omen.