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Speaker 1: Hello, I'm welcomed stories all the time. Glad you are here.

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Let's get into it. I just left a job I

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couldn't stand in Richmond and signed a short term lease

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on this old cabin up in the hills of Greenborough County,

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West Virginia. My sister had passed away earlier that spring,

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and being in my apartment just made it worse. A

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stuff was everywhere, her laugh was still in the wall summer.

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I needed space, even if it meant running from the

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memories instead of dealing with them. The owner of the place,

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an older lady named missess Ouga Kinley, mailed me the

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key with a short note Britain and shaky handwriting hasn't

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been used in a while, watch out for the critters.

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I should have asked more questions, but I didn't. I

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just packed up my car and left. The drive was long,

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almost nine hours. There were a few other cabins along

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the same road, but they looked like no one had

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touched them in years. One had a truck parked up

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front that was completely overtaken by moss. That first night,

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nothing dramatic happened. I unpacked a little made some lu

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quanti on the old gasp Berna and fell asleep in

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the couch with a book I wasn't really reading. Round

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three a m I woke up to the sound of

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the front door creaking open, not slamming, just along slow drag,

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like old woods graping against the frame. I sat up fast.

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The door was still locked when I checked, but it

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stuck in a way it hadn't earlier, like the frame

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had shifted or swollen. I figured it was just humidity

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and went back to sleep, trying to convince myself the

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sund had come from a dream. The second night was

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harder to shrug off. I was dozing off when I

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heard footsteps on the front deck, slow deliberate four steps,

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then nothing, then three more. It wasn't a raccoon or

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some deer. It was way too paced for that. I

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stood there in the dark with my hand hovering over

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the light switch, debating what out of look. When I

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finally turned on the porch light and peeped through the curtain,

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there was nothing, just trees and moonlight hiding a creek.

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But I stayed up the rest of the night. By nightfour,

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I was jumpy enough that I started sleeping with the

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radio on, windows shut a chair pushed into the door knob.

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I even dragged my dresser across the back door that

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opened the woods. That's how not okay I felt. Night six, though,

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that's the one that changed everything. When I got up

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that morning, I found the dresser pushed out of place,

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not a lot, just off like some one had nudged it,

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and then thought better of it. I checked a door,

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still locked, but there were new marks on the bottom edge,

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long rough scrapes, like it had been dragged. My first

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thought sleep walking. I hadn't done it since I was

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a kid, but suddenly that made more sense than anything else.

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I spent the whole day trying to convince myself that's

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all it was. That evening, I found an old motion

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sense so light in one of the kitchen drawers and

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hooked it up just outside the back door, pointing toward

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the trees. Then I sat in the living room with

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a baseball bat across my lap, pretending to read. Around

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four in the morning, the light clicked on. I jumped

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up and ran to the window. At first I didn't

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see anything, just trees, but when I squintid, I noticed

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a shape. Some one was squatting way back between two trees.

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They weren't facing me. They weren't moving at all. She

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just crouched low, arms draped over their knees, like they

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were resting or waiting. I stood there, staring, breath caught

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until the light shut off again. When I looked back,

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they were gone. The next morning I walked behind the cabin.

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I found barefoot prints in the dirt, not deep, not messy,

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just clean impressions, like some one had been standing still

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for a long time. Some faced the house, some faced away,

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no drought in, no leaves kicked up, just feet. That night,

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I poured flier into a pipe han and left it

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out on the deck. I'd seen that trek online somewhere,

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meant to catch Prince. I didn't sleep, just listened. I

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too am. The light flipped on again. I didn't move.

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The next morning, there it was one clear foot print

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in the flower, not bare at this time, some kind

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of boot deep at the heel, twisted at the till,

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like the person had shifted their weight. But that wasn't

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even the worst part. The lock on the tool shed

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had been cut. I'd never opened it, didn't even have

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the key, But now the padlock was lying on the ground,

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clean as liced. Inside the shed, there wasn't much and

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all chains of that didn't look like it worked, a

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few empty oil cans, a frayed rope, and an army

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caught with a thin, dirty blanket. There were fresh prints

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in the dirt leading in and out. That same day,

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I drove twenty miles to the closest gas station and

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asked the guy at the register if anyone lived near

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the cabin I was renting. He looked at me for

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a second, then just said not. For a while, I

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told him about the footprints, the share everything. He leaned

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in a little and said, you shouldn't stay out there alone.

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That land's not right. Then he just turned away and

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stopped talking to me. When I got back to the cabin,

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I found something tied to the back doorknop, A piece

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of string stretched from the handle to a branch overhead,

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then almost invisible if you aren't looking for it. It

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was poll tight, tied in a neat little knot. I

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hadn't put it there, I hadn't seen it when I

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left the morning. I stared at it for a long time,

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not really thinking, just staring. Then I grabbed a knife,

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cut the string and wrapped it in a paper towel.

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I didn't sleep it all that night. The next morning

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I packed up everything, my clothes, my books, the bat,

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the flyer pan before I left. What the property won

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last time? I don't know what I was hoping to find.

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We're assurance clover near the creek, half bared in the mud.

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A spot of something metal catching the light. I dig

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it out an all military canteen dentist cratched initials carved

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into the side or dye. I called missus Kinley to

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tell her I was leaving early. She asked if something

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had happened. I told her I thought some one had

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been living out where the shed. She went really quiet,

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Then she said, did you find the cot iye said yes.

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She hesitated, then told me it belonged to her brother,

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that he used to stay at the some times before Epas.

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Then she said, I thought we took all as things

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with us. I asked her when he died. She said, oh,

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years ago, before we ever put the cabin up for rent.

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I left the key on the porch and didn't look back.

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I drove straight back to Richmond, paid out the rest

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of the lease and never asked for a refund. A

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body of mine name marked this old family cabin beary

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deep in the mountains, somewhere near the line between Tennessee

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and Virginia. His grandfather had built it with hand hills

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back in the sixties, mostly for hunting trips, and apparently

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no one in his family had been up there in

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over a decade. We were all fried for school, so

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the idea of no service actually sounded nice. We parked lights,

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leaping backs, coolers, canned food, flass lights. The drive took

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most of the afternoon. We lost reception somewhere around a

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gas station that still had one of those old analoge

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pumps that click while they count the gallons. After that,

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a GPS just froze, and we followed a print at

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Matt Marke had found in his dad's glove box. The

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road turned to dirt and kept winding up hell until

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the trees started pressing in close enough to scrape the

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sides of the car. It felt like driving through a

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tunnel of branches. By the time we found the clearing

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of the cabin, the sun was already gone, and that

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last bit of twilight mid the woods look washed out

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and silent, like everything was holding its breath. The place

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looked exactly like I expected. All looks stack tight, a

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crooked porch, one window cracked down the center. The door

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hung slightly crooked, too, so you had to lift it

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a little to get it to close. Inside was a

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single room with a small loft, a couple of sacking couches,

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and a heavy iron stove sitting dead center. There was

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no electricity, no plumbing, not even a working lantern, just

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the faint musty smell that every old building has, mixed

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with a cold bite of wood smoke. We dumped our

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stuff in a pile, lit some candles, and sot around

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the stove, drinking from the cooler. The kind of night

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where everyone's tired enough to laugh too hard at dumb jokes.

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By midnight, one guy was already passed out on the couch,

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another on the floor. I tried to sleep, but the

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quiet was too loud. Every few minutes i'd hear this

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soft snat, like a tweet, breaking somewhere outside, not close,

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but not furry either, sometimes too in a row. I

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told myself it was just animals, dear raccoons, whatever, but

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I couldn't shake the rhythm of it. I'd start to

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drift off, then snap. I even tried plugging my ears

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with part of my hoodie, but the sounds seemed to

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crawl through anyway. Eventually I must have dozed off, because

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I woke up to sunlight cutting through the window and

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the sound of someone clattering pans. Mark was making instant

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coffee over the sove. The air and side was freezing

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our breath visible. We higg data that morning, follow in

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a trail that led up to a ridge where the

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trees thinned out and you could see valleys rolling forever

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in both directions. Mark pointed to a couple of rusted

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hooks nailed into a tree and said his family used

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to haindier there. I tried to laugh, but something about

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the way he said it, like it was still recent,

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made me uneasy. By the time we got back, the

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shadows were long and the air felt heavier. That's when

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we noticed the cabin door was shut. We were sure

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we'd left it open, because it never stayed close properly.

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Mark asked if anyone had gone back for something, but

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everyone shook their heads. The door was too heavy to

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swing on its own, and there was no lock. We

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pushed it open slowly. Inside looked the same, nothing missing,

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nothing moved. We stood there for a moment, each of

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us pretending it wasn't weird. Mark mumbles something about the wind.

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We all nodded like that explained anything. That night, we

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got the stove going again, played cards, and tried to

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ignore the creaks of the place. Settling round midnight, I

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went out back to take a leak. The air had

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the sharp mount and chilled its stings. Here of LUNs.

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That's when I saw it. A small stack of stones

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right passitory line, seven or eight of them, flat and

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balanced in a perfect little tower. At first I thought

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one of the guys had been crewing around, But when

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I asked, everyone came outside to look, and nobody claimed it.

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Mark's face went kind of blank. He said his uncle

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used to make rock stacks whenever he camped up here.

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It was just something he did. The thing is his

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uncle had died years ago. Nobody said much After that,

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we left the stones alone and went back inside. The

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next morning, I was the first one up again. I

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opened the door to get some order from the joke.

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At a froze. There were two new stacks, one beside

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the fire pit, on another ride in front of the

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cabin door close enough that I had to step over

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it to get outside. Same style, same height, perfectly balanced.

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I woke the others and we stood their half dress,

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just stirring at them. The dirt around them was smooth,

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no footprints, no signs of anything moved. It didn't even

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look like anyone had touched the ground nearby. We talked

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about leaving, but Mark said the dirt road would be

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slick after the rain from the night before. He promised

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we'd go first thing in the morning once it dried out.

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That day dragged. We barely talked. Every sound outside made

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someone flinch. By evening, the tensruon was so thick we

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gave up pretending to have fun. We made Chilly ate

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in silence and moved all our stuff into one room

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so we could sleep together. I jerked that it was

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like a middle school sleepover, except every one looked like

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they were waiting for something to happen. Nobody laughed. At

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some point past midnight, I heard a heavy thud in

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the porch. Not a knock, not footsteps, just a single

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solid drop, like something heavy had fallen from a few

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feet up. My eyes snapped open, across the room drew

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was awake too. His face was pale, and he whispered.

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You heard that. We both held our breath. Nothing followed,

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no creak, no wind, just the faint ticking of the

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stove as it cold. We stayed like that for what

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felt like ires. Eventually I lay back down, but every

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nerve in my body was still waiting for another sound.

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It never came. When I stepped outside at dawn, the

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light was thin and gray. The first thing I saw

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was a single stone sitting dead Santo on the porch, round, smooth,

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gray like the others, but alone. This time. We didn't speak.

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Nobody even finished packing. We just grabbed what was nearest, keys, wallets, jackets,

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and left everything else behind, sleeping bags, cool as lanterns,

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all of it. When we finally hid highway and our

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phones let up again, a tension broke, just enough for

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00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,720
us to start breeding normally. We stopped at gas station,

238
00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,440
and that's when Drew pulled me aside. He looked like

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00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,120
he was about to be sick. He showed me his phone.

240
00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:22,320
There was a foreto in his camera role. He swore

241
00:11:22,399 --> 00:11:24,879
he hadn't taken. It was dark and grainy, but the

242
00:11:24,919 --> 00:11:27,679
shapes were clear enough you could see four people sleeping

243
00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,279
in a small room lit by a single lamp. It

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00:11:30,399 --> 00:11:33,759
was us. He deleted it right there. None of us

245
00:11:33,759 --> 00:11:36,000
said a word for the rest of the drive. That

246
00:11:36,159 --> 00:11:38,440
was over three years ago, and I haven't been back

247
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,879
anywhere near that Mountain Rain Saints. Last fall, I was

248
00:11:41,919 --> 00:11:44,320
managing a small cluster of rental cabins tucked deep in

249
00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,600
Appalachian hills. Then one group arrived that broke the rhythm

250
00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:51,279
a little. Four guys surveys hired by some energy company

251
00:11:51,279 --> 00:11:54,120
to map new ruts for transmission lines. They booked two

252
00:11:54,159 --> 00:11:56,399
cabins for a few weeks, and I remember thinking they

253
00:11:56,399 --> 00:12:00,159
looked more like college buddies than contractors. Loud, but friend

254
00:12:00,879 --> 00:12:02,720
They laughed a lot, cooked out in the fire pit

255
00:12:02,759 --> 00:12:04,879
every night, and left empty beer cans lined up like

256
00:12:04,919 --> 00:12:07,840
trophies in the porch rail all except for one of them.

257
00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:10,960
His name was Eric. Eric was quiet in a way

258
00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,360
that didn't seem forced. He just listened more than he talked.

259
00:12:14,639 --> 00:12:16,879
While the others joked and argued about football. He'd be

260
00:12:16,879 --> 00:12:19,120
sitting off to the side, sketching something in a small

261
00:12:19,159 --> 00:12:22,120
notebook or tightening a strap on his pack. The first

262
00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:23,720
time I met him, he asked if there was a

263
00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,440
trail that leaped down by the creek behind cabin free.

264
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,720
He said he liked walking alone before sunrise because it

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00:12:28,759 --> 00:12:31,159
helped him or set I remember thinking that was a

266
00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,519
strange word to use, Rossett, but it stuck with me

267
00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,159
Over time, I started trusting him. He'd offer to help

268
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,919
carry cleaning supplies or move lumber if he saw me struggling. Once,

269
00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,159
when one of the porch hines snapped, he fixed it

270
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,399
without being asked. Didn't even mention it until I noticed.

271
00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,200
He just said, couldn't stand the noise it made. There

272
00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,679
was something very steady about him, the way he moved,

273
00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,159
the way he spoke. I figured he was one of

274
00:12:55,159 --> 00:12:59,240
those quiet, capable types he rarely meet anymore. Lena, my coworker,

275
00:12:59,399 --> 00:13:02,879
noticed him too. She worked my dishifts, cleaning and restocking

276
00:13:02,879 --> 00:13:06,080
the cabins. She was younger than me, early twenty's, trying

277
00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:07,879
to put her life together again after what she called

278
00:13:07,879 --> 00:13:10,480
a rough patch. She'd laughed when she said it, but

279
00:13:10,519 --> 00:13:13,200
there was something brittle about the way she smiled. After

280
00:13:13,279 --> 00:13:15,639
a week or two, Eric started leaving little things for her,

281
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,720
nothing huge. A theramis of coffee, a protein bar, a

282
00:13:19,759 --> 00:13:22,039
folded note that just said thanks for keeping things nice.

283
00:13:22,759 --> 00:13:25,000
I teased her about her secret admirer told her she

284
00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:26,799
was going to get herself proposed to in the woods

285
00:13:26,799 --> 00:13:29,480
one day, and she just laughed, said tea was sweet,

286
00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:33,159
not weird. I wanted to believe that. When the surveys

287
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,639
finished their job, they said they'd be relocating about an

288
00:13:35,639 --> 00:13:38,279
iron north closer tou Boon. They packed up on a

289
00:13:38,279 --> 00:13:41,200
Friday morning. I remember watching their truck drive off and

290
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,720
thinking how strangely quiet it got afterward, like the wood

291
00:13:43,759 --> 00:13:47,240
swallowed the sound. That afternoon I went to inspect the cabins.

292
00:13:47,879 --> 00:13:50,200
Calvin four was fine, a little muddy, a few bottles

293
00:13:50,279 --> 00:13:52,639
left behind, but the cabin five looked like no one

294
00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,559
had stayed there at all. The sheets were touched perfectly, dishes,

295
00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:57,879
washtawels folded, and there was this faint smell of bleach

296
00:13:57,919 --> 00:13:59,960
that hadn't been there before, and a kitchen tonto was

297
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,919
a top piece of note for paper with Lena written

298
00:14:01,919 --> 00:14:03,519
needy across the top by I didn't read it, just

299
00:14:03,639 --> 00:14:05,279
left it in the office desk where she'd see it.

300
00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,000
That night, she came back to grab her paycheck and

301
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,960
spotted the note ride away She read it quietly, then

302
00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,159
looked up at me. He said, he's going back to Pennsylvania,

303
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:13,360
She said softly, said he's sorry he didn't say goodbye,

304
00:14:13,399 --> 00:14:17,080
and nodded. Guess he's a gentleman. We both kind of laughed,

305
00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,279
but she didn't sound amused. Two nights later, I was

306
00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,120
finishing up some guest logaters when Lena came bursting into

307
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,799
the office, white as chalk and holding her phone. You

308
00:14:25,879 --> 00:14:28,240
need to see this, she said, and shoved it toward me.

309
00:14:28,879 --> 00:14:31,759
The service barely held, but the headline loaded. Man arrested

310
00:14:31,799 --> 00:14:34,919
after killing three coworkers in mountain lodging near Boone. It

311
00:14:35,039 --> 00:14:37,480
was Eric. At first I thought it had to be

312
00:14:37,519 --> 00:14:39,440
a mix up, maybe a different Eric, but the photo

313
00:14:39,559 --> 00:14:43,519
was unmistakable, the same commie's, same faint smile. The article

314
00:14:43,559 --> 00:14:46,440
said he'd been fired for attacking a supervisor earlier that week,

315
00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:48,960
then gone back to their new rental house after midnight.

316
00:14:49,679 --> 00:14:51,519
He'd forced his way in and kill three the men

317
00:14:51,559 --> 00:14:54,200
he'd been working with. A fourth survived but was in

318
00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,679
critical condition. My hands started shaking so badly I nearly

319
00:14:57,720 --> 00:14:59,879
dropped the phone. All I could think about was how

320
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,759
he'd stood on the portier quiet polite, offering to help

321
00:15:02,799 --> 00:15:05,519
fix things. The same hands that fixed that Hinch had

322
00:15:05,559 --> 00:15:08,200
beaten three people to death. As more news came out,

323
00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,399
the picture got worse. He'd had priors, all charges, mental

324
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,080
health evaluations, even a restraining order once none of it

325
00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,759
showed up when they rented the cabins. But what really

326
00:15:17,759 --> 00:15:20,000
made me sick was realizing he'd left that note Felina.

327
00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,440
After the killings. He must have driven back here. When

328
00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,919
I told her that, she didn't react the way I expected.

329
00:15:26,559 --> 00:15:29,399
She didn't scream or cry. She just stared down at

330
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,159
the note, tracing the writing with her finger. He didn't

331
00:15:32,159 --> 00:15:36,320
seem dangerous, she said quietly. He seemed lonely. After that,

332
00:15:36,559 --> 00:15:40,000
something in her changed. She started printing articles about him

333
00:15:40,039 --> 00:15:42,960
from the library. She told me she'd written him a letter.

334
00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:45,399
I told her to stop, that it wasn't healthy, that

335
00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,399
he didn't deserve her sympathy. She said, you don't understand

336
00:15:48,919 --> 00:15:51,919
people break. Sometimes. Over the next few weeks, she got

337
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,279
more distant. On cleaning days, i'd catch her standing by

338
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:57,799
cabin five, staring at the porch railing where he used

339
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,919
to leave those notes. Sometimes she stayed there for minutes

340
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,799
without moving. When I asked what she was thinking. She'd say,

341
00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,519
he wasn't like the others. I started to dread being

342
00:16:06,559 --> 00:16:09,240
alone out there. Every creak in the four boards made

343
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,120
me tense up. Sometimes I'd find little things out of

344
00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,480
plays A rag folded differently at the back door and locked,

345
00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,679
even though I saw I had locked it. Maybe it

346
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:18,559
was just my nose, but it started to feel like

347
00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,200
he'd left something behind, some invisible rescue to clung to

348
00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,159
that space. The last time I saw Lena, she was

349
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,600
sitting in the office lawn after closing. The note spread

350
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,759
out in front of her. The lamp made her face

351
00:16:28,799 --> 00:16:31,039
loo colla. I told her again to let it go,

352
00:16:31,159 --> 00:16:34,000
that this wasn't love, it was obsession. She didn't even

353
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,519
look up. A week later she quit, No goodbye, just

354
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,000
her key in the counter. I tried not to think

355
00:16:40,039 --> 00:16:42,759
about her after that, tried to just keep working like

356
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,360
nothing had happened. Now, when guests check in, I always

357
00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,000
tell them the same thing. Don't talk to anyone who

358
00:16:49,039 --> 00:16:51,320
is impart of your group, don't open the door a

359
00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:55,000
few here footsteps, and if someone knocks after dark, don't answer.

360
00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,039
Reverend handled maintenance for a string of old research shacks

361
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,399
along a quiet stretch of the blackwater rain, and my

362
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,679
week always started before sunrise. The sharks were left of

363
00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:06,920
us from a discontinued forestry project, scattered miles apart, linked

364
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,359
by barely visible service trails that were mostly used by

365
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,759
elkan occasional lost hiker. A couple was still structurally sound

366
00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,440
enough to use as temporary shelters during fire season, but

367
00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,160
most of them just needed some one to make sure

368
00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,599
they hadn't rotted through or been cleaned by squatters. Every Monday,

369
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,640
I packed a week's worth of food, slum my gear

370
00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:25,920
and followed the ridge. The rough covered nine cabin's total,

371
00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:27,920
looping back to my own bunk house at the base.

372
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,240
By Sunday evening that fall, everything started to drift a little.

373
00:17:31,799 --> 00:17:33,519
The first thing that stood up happened at the third

374
00:17:33,519 --> 00:17:36,240
shack on a Tuesday morning. I stopped at the door,

375
00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:38,200
went to unlock it, and noticed the key hole was

376
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,000
cleaner than usual. The rest of the door was covered

377
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,240
in dust and pangret, but some one had wiped the

378
00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,079
area around the loch. At first I thought I might

379
00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:48,119
have brushed it myself somehow, but then I spotted the

380
00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:50,720
window latch and the side cracked halfway open. I had

381
00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,240
shot it the previous week. It's the kind of thing

382
00:17:53,279 --> 00:17:55,880
I double check without thinking. I marked the difference in

383
00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:59,759
my log, secured the latch, and stepped inside the furnitures,

384
00:17:59,759 --> 00:18:02,880
out of exactly where it always did. Narrow cot, metal table,

385
00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,839
two crates near the heater. Nothing felt moved, but on

386
00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,720
the table sat a plastic cup. I recognized, a cheap

387
00:18:08,759 --> 00:18:11,279
one from the country's bulk supplies, bright orange and thin

388
00:18:11,319 --> 00:18:13,599
at the rim. I had thrown it away over a

389
00:18:13,599 --> 00:18:15,440
month ago, carried it all the way back to the

390
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,000
main road, and dropped it in the bin myself. Yet

391
00:18:18,039 --> 00:18:20,079
here it was sitting upright like some one had just

392
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,440
used it. I picked it up and flipped it over,

393
00:18:22,599 --> 00:18:25,720
same brand, same scene. I didn't want to overthink it,

394
00:18:25,759 --> 00:18:27,400
so I shoved it into my pack and figured some

395
00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,119
one must have left the matching one behind. I rode

396
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,440
it down, finished the inspection and locked up the fourth

397
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,839
shacks at another mile or so deeper into the ridge.

398
00:18:36,319 --> 00:18:38,880
When I reached it, I saw something new. A piece

399
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,400
of twine tied tightly around the door handle, not just slooped,

400
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,960
but pulled into a knot that looked intentional. It had

401
00:18:44,039 --> 00:18:46,200
tension to it like cevitied it had wrapped it around

402
00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,839
their wrist or anchored it to keep pressure. No signs

403
00:18:48,839 --> 00:18:51,599
of any one around, though. I slipped it into my pocket,

404
00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,680
unlocked the door, and stepped inside the room, looked and

405
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:59,839
touched cot, still folded crate, still sealed dust even across

406
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,240
the floor. I added the twine to the log and

407
00:19:02,319 --> 00:19:05,079
moved on, telling myself maybe some hiker had gotten creative

408
00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,799
with a makeshift leegh or something. It didn't feel likely,

409
00:19:07,839 --> 00:19:09,759
but it was easier than thinking too hard about it.

410
00:19:10,279 --> 00:19:13,000
The next morning, after a long trek through the Midpoint markers,

411
00:19:13,079 --> 00:19:14,720
I got up early to prep gear for the day.

412
00:19:15,319 --> 00:19:17,240
My pack was still zip shut from the night before.

413
00:19:17,839 --> 00:19:20,119
I unzipped it, pulled it open, and there was the twine,

414
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:25,079
not tangled, not loose coiled, sitting neatly beside my boots,

415
00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:27,839
like it had been placed there on purpose. I stared

416
00:19:27,839 --> 00:19:29,960
at it longer than I should have. My door had

417
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,240
been locked. I always checked it twice. No signs of damage,

418
00:19:34,799 --> 00:19:37,440
no prints in the dirt. I didn't want it near me.

419
00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,079
I walked it back up to the second shack of

420
00:19:39,079 --> 00:19:41,000
the day and dropped it into one of the storage crates,

421
00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,119
sealed the lid tight. I finished the rest of that

422
00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,440
day's checks without incident. My heart didn't settle down for iars.

423
00:19:48,079 --> 00:19:51,039
By Friday, things had shifted again. I stopped at Chack

424
00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,279
six and opened the logbook to record a busted hinge

425
00:19:53,319 --> 00:19:55,200
on one of the crates. Except the log wasn't where

426
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,759
I left it. The drawer that held it was empty.

427
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,200
I found it ten minutes later, on the oppos sit

428
00:20:00,279 --> 00:20:02,200
side of the shack, resting on a window sole that

429
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,279
hadn't been opened in weeks. I didn't write anything, just

430
00:20:05,319 --> 00:20:08,240
stared at the pages. The last four inchuries my own

431
00:20:08,279 --> 00:20:13,319
handwriting were gone, not torn, not scribbled out, just missing.

432
00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,599
The dates jumped backward like someone had turned the clock back.

433
00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:19,759
I wrote what I could remember, even though it felt strangery.

434
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,039
The County didn't exactly audit the logs, but the habit

435
00:20:23,079 --> 00:20:27,640
was drilled into me. You saw something, he lowered it. Still,

436
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:29,720
I couldn't shake the idea that someone else had flipped

437
00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:33,519
through the book, read it, erased what they didn't want there.

438
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,359
When I reached the seven check, I started to hear

439
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:41,119
things I couldn't quite name, not voices or footsteps, just rearrangements,

440
00:20:41,839 --> 00:20:44,960
like small things being nudged in other rooms, clicks of

441
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,240
shifting weight. I told myself it was cabin settling on

442
00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:50,519
my own nerves. But when I opened the door, I

443
00:20:50,559 --> 00:20:53,720
stopped cold. The crate that usually sat under the back

444
00:20:53,759 --> 00:20:55,880
window had been dragged into the center of the room.

445
00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,279
Nothing else disturbed, no food wrappers, no bedding, no gear.

446
00:21:01,039 --> 00:21:03,559
Just a single round stone, perfectly centered and the caught

447
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,279
like a placeholder. I picked it up, smooth and cold

448
00:21:06,319 --> 00:21:08,599
in my hand. I left it on the table and

449
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,119
got out. The last shacks did past the old forestry boundary,

450
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,400
the only one with a basement silgeers back because of

451
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,160
water damage and mold. My job was to make sure

452
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,839
no one had broken the lock. I usually dreaded the

453
00:21:19,839 --> 00:21:22,920
hack there, but that day I wanted answers. When I

454
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:27,400
reached the clearing, I stopped short. There were tracks, not footprints, indentations.

455
00:21:28,039 --> 00:21:29,640
They started at the edge of the tree line and

456
00:21:29,759 --> 00:21:33,599
ended at the hatch, spaced two evenly for footsteps. Each

457
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,359
won the same depth, the same shape, like some one

458
00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:38,880
had pressed pipe or post into the ground with careful force,

459
00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,880
again and again in a perfect line. I followed them

460
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,319
to the hatch. The lock holm loose. The shackle had

461
00:21:45,319 --> 00:21:48,400
been popped and wreathreaded, but not snatch shut. I stared

462
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,640
at it for a long time. My keys had never

463
00:21:50,759 --> 00:21:53,480
left my belt. I relocked it close to the hatch,

464
00:21:53,559 --> 00:21:56,759
but didn't snap it tight. Inside the shack was too tidy.

465
00:21:57,319 --> 00:21:59,400
The crates had been pulled from the walls and opened.

466
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,079
The cot was laid out, pillows entered. The table had

467
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,880
been cleared, and sitting dead center on it was my

468
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,440
lop book. I always kept it with my tools in

469
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,799
the first shack. I hadn't brought it here. I opened

470
00:22:11,799 --> 00:22:15,559
it blank, not a single entry, all my repair notes,

471
00:22:15,759 --> 00:22:20,119
date's supply requests gone, the entire past month, erased. I

472
00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:22,519
shoved it into my pack and stepped outside, needing to

473
00:22:22,599 --> 00:22:25,720
check the hatch again. It was open, not swinging open,

474
00:22:26,279 --> 00:22:30,680
no wind, no footsteps, just open. I walked over, pressed

475
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,960
it ship with my foot and locked it again. This

476
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,240
time I double checked the latch before backing away. Then

477
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:39,079
I made for the trail. Half way to the main junction.

478
00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,799
Something skidded across the dirt ahead of me. I stopped.

479
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,559
The plastic cup, bright orange rolled to a stop right

480
00:22:44,599 --> 00:22:47,759
in my path. It shouldn't have been there. The slope

481
00:22:47,799 --> 00:22:49,839
of the trail angled downhill away from where it came.

482
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,039
My test felt heavy. I opened my pack. The cup

483
00:22:54,079 --> 00:22:56,720
I had picked up days ago was gone. I reached down,

484
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,519
picked up the one on the ground, and carried it

485
00:22:58,559 --> 00:23:00,799
the rest of the way. I couldn't stand the idea

486
00:23:00,799 --> 00:23:03,240
of it being behind me. When I finally made it

487
00:23:03,279 --> 00:23:05,200
back to my own quarters, the door was cracked open.

488
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,000
I hadn't left it that way. Inside every single tool

489
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,640
I owned had been pulled out and lined up on

490
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,359
the floor in a perfect row. My sleeping bag lay

491
00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:17,160
flat against the wall, smoothed out, not a wrinkle, and

492
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,799
on top of it, dead center sat the twine, same nott,

493
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,599
same coil. I didn't write anything down. I picked up

494
00:23:24,599 --> 00:23:26,559
my gear, left the radio on the post by the

495
00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:29,720
main trail head, and started walking. I didn't stop until

496
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,240
I hit the pavement four miles down the slope. My

497
00:23:32,319 --> 00:23:35,400
shifts started at six. I remember that because the sun

498
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,599
had just started edging over the trees. When I parked

499
00:23:37,599 --> 00:23:39,480
my truck at the base trailhead and began the hike,

500
00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:44,000
the first cabin looked normal, shutters latched, lock still in place,

501
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,839
lower clothes like I had left it. I made a

502
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,759
note check the supplies. Moved on easy, but when I

503
00:23:49,799 --> 00:23:52,200
headed toward the second cabin, the trail didn't feel right.

504
00:23:52,839 --> 00:23:54,720
I've walked that stretch of path more times than I

505
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:58,599
can camp twenty minutes tops gentle slope, a little footbridge

506
00:23:58,599 --> 00:24:01,720
across a dry wash, But that morning a trail led

507
00:24:01,759 --> 00:24:03,279
me into a clearing that looked like some one had

508
00:24:03,279 --> 00:24:06,119
shuffled the terrain around while I was blinking. The incline

509
00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:09,400
sloped down instead of up. The storage showed same collar,

510
00:24:09,759 --> 00:24:12,400
same cabin type, sat a weary angle, like it had

511
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,119
been rotated or flipped. My first thought was that I

512
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,920
must have taken a wrong turn. Happens even to people

513
00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,880
who know the trails. So I turned around, walked all

514
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:22,599
the way back to the tree with the old timarka

515
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,000
nailed into it our trail marker, the one that never moved.

516
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,799
I stood there staring at it, still the same rusty sign,

517
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,480
still on the right trail. I tried again, followed the

518
00:24:33,519 --> 00:24:37,039
exact road. I landed in that same mon clearing, same

519
00:24:37,079 --> 00:24:41,200
off kilter layout, say merely quiet. By then I was annoyed.

520
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:43,880
I figured the terrain had shifted over the years, and

521
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,000
I was just noticing I'd seen hikers get turned round

522
00:24:47,039 --> 00:24:49,599
on far simple trails. I shocked it up to that

523
00:24:49,799 --> 00:24:52,319
and headed straight for the cabin, pushing aside the weirdness.

524
00:24:53,039 --> 00:24:56,400
The padlock was open, just dangling there. That through me.

525
00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,400
I'd locked the cabin two days earlier, and there were

526
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,880
no guests book until next week. I stepped inside, careful

527
00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,640
not to touch anything. At first. The love book lay

528
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,440
open on the center table. We always close them after

529
00:25:08,519 --> 00:25:11,200
we signed an our outstand of policy. I didn't even

530
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,119
need to flip through the pages. One sentence had been

531
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,839
written across the most recent line, do not repeat the

532
00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:20,400
route that was in neat handwriting, no signature, no date.

533
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,559
I checked the rest of the cabin's supplies and touched beds,

534
00:25:23,559 --> 00:25:26,559
made nothing missing, no sign of forced entry. I stood

535
00:25:26,559 --> 00:25:28,400
in the doorway for a few minutes, debating whether to

536
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,640
call it in. I should have, I didn't. I convinced

537
00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,720
myself maybe someone from another department had stopped in, maybe

538
00:25:34,759 --> 00:25:37,279
a trinny or a backup tack. I locked the place

539
00:25:37,319 --> 00:25:40,119
again and moved on. To get to the third cabin,

540
00:25:40,319 --> 00:25:42,279
I had to cross a little bridge. Two long wooden

541
00:25:42,319 --> 00:25:45,119
planks laid over a shallow stream, been there as long

542
00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,880
as I've worked the job that day, the whole thing

543
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,400
had shifted about three feet to the left. And I

544
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:52,920
don't mean the planks were moved a little. I mean

545
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,000
the whole bridge, both planks and the anchor logs had

546
00:25:56,039 --> 00:25:59,319
been physically shifted over the stream. Fresh gouges lined the

547
00:25:59,319 --> 00:26:01,559
stones with they been dragged, and deep tracks in the

548
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,799
mud on both banks said whoever moved them had strength

549
00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,640
to spare. No way happened on its own still across,

550
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,039
and once I did, I noticed something else that didn't

551
00:26:10,039 --> 00:26:13,079
sit right. A line of tracks, spare, flat and small,

552
00:26:13,279 --> 00:26:16,160
ran along the left side of the trail. They weren't prints,

553
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,440
two narrow, too evenly space and no variation, same depth,

554
00:26:20,559 --> 00:26:23,319
same shape, like someone had walked perfectly straight without lifting

555
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,319
their feet. I followed them because honestly, I didn't know

556
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,680
what else to do. The Prince ended in front of

557
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,680
the third cabin's porch, just stopped at the first step.

558
00:26:32,319 --> 00:26:35,079
The door was slightly open. Inside, the room looked and

559
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,720
touched except for a backpack in the chair. That was

560
00:26:37,759 --> 00:26:40,200
a problem. No guest had checked in there for over

561
00:26:40,279 --> 00:26:43,599
two weeks, and we log algear left behind. I inspected

562
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:47,720
the bag carefully inside I found a small flasklight, dead batteries,

563
00:26:47,799 --> 00:26:50,640
a folded piece of cappensationary, and a laminated ID badge

564
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,200
for the county. Only the name didn't match any one

565
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,599
I'd ever worked with, and the photo was scraped off clean.

566
00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,400
I unfolded the note. It had five lines of handwriting,

567
00:26:59,519 --> 00:27:02,400
same stuff as the last one. The first line read,

568
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,799
do not repeat the rope. The next four were half

569
00:27:04,839 --> 00:27:07,200
finished sentences, as if the writer had started them and

570
00:27:07,279 --> 00:27:10,039
then stopped half way through. I set it down, backed out,

571
00:27:10,039 --> 00:27:14,079
tried the radio. Nothing. Usually at that elevation I had

572
00:27:14,079 --> 00:27:17,839
at least one working channel, not that day, just static.

573
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,640
I should have turned around, bun straight back to the track,

574
00:27:22,319 --> 00:27:25,440
but instead I kept going. I told myself maybe the

575
00:27:25,519 --> 00:27:27,720
power relay was down near the last cabin, and that's

576
00:27:27,759 --> 00:27:30,519
why the signal wasn't reaching. A trail from cabin three

577
00:27:30,559 --> 00:27:33,559
to Cabin four leaped around the outer ridge, a narrow

578
00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:35,359
bend with a wall on one side and a steep

579
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,039
drop on the other. That day it felt tighter than

580
00:27:38,079 --> 00:27:41,640
it had before, less room to breathe. Half Way across

581
00:27:41,759 --> 00:27:44,400
I saw the same narrow prints again. This time they

582
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,079
ran along the inner edge, hugging the cliff wall. The

583
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,200
weight they were pressed into the dirt made me stop cold.

584
00:27:49,759 --> 00:27:51,920
Each print was deeper than you'd expect from a light foot,

585
00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:54,480
like something heavy had been dragging itself just enough to

586
00:27:54,559 --> 00:27:57,920
leave those impressions. The fourth cabin appeared just past the bend.

587
00:27:58,599 --> 00:28:00,599
All shutters shut, but the door had been propped open

588
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:04,000
with a stone. That cabin supposed to stay locked. Its

589
00:28:04,039 --> 00:28:08,119
door's emergency gear at lanterns Merckitt's back rations, no one

590
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,400
opens it unless there is a documented emergency. I went

591
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,160
in slow. Every shelf was cleared. All the gear was

592
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,160
piled in the center of the room, like someone had

593
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,000
made a display out of it. Nothing missing, nothing scattered,

594
00:28:21,799 --> 00:28:25,000
just stacked and on top the love boat from the

595
00:28:25,039 --> 00:28:28,799
second cabin. I picked it up. The warning page was gone.

596
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,519
In its place, a new note in the same handwriting

597
00:28:31,599 --> 00:28:34,640
stopped closing what is opened. I stood there a long moment,

598
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:38,160
no clue what it meant. Eventually I left the book

599
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,000
where it lay and did one last weep of the room.

600
00:28:40,559 --> 00:28:42,880
Back door, seld shut for years because of a warped frame,

601
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,599
was wide open. The same narrow princes let out through

602
00:28:45,599 --> 00:28:49,119
it into the trees. I didn't follow. I grabbed one

603
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,400
of the working mountains and stepped back on to the trayer,

604
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:54,480
intending to backtrack the way it came. Only the trail

605
00:28:54,519 --> 00:28:56,960
didn't go the way it was supposed to. It slanted

606
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,160
off in the opposite direction. Now and the landmarks I

607
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,000
relied on bouldered bent Pine's trio signs were gone. The

608
00:29:03,119 --> 00:29:05,559
only familiar thing left was the line of narrow prints

609
00:29:05,839 --> 00:29:08,839
waiting again, just ahead in the dirt. So I followed them.

610
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,680
They led me into a clayon I'd never seen, definitely

611
00:29:11,759 --> 00:29:13,519
not on any map. In the middle stoo the cabin

612
00:29:13,599 --> 00:29:15,680
that looked exactly like the other, the same built, same layer,

613
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,720
but the lumber was near the walls, unsaying but years

614
00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:19,759
the sun and rain, there was no number plate, nor marking,

615
00:29:19,799 --> 00:29:21,920
no record of this cabine systing in any of our looks.

616
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,039
Still eyes stepped inside the rooms were mirror images of

617
00:29:24,039 --> 00:29:26,160
the standard lay. It left became ey, right became left.

618
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,160
Every detail reversed on the table was the torn page

619
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:30,039
from the second look book. A new sentence had been added,

620
00:29:30,079 --> 00:29:31,880
you or repeating the rave. I was still staring at

621
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,880
it when I heard movement behind me, just a soft

622
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:35,839
shift like wade sittling on old would I turned The

623
00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:37,759
backpacker had left in the third cabin was sitting in

624
00:29:37,799 --> 00:29:39,839
the doorway. It wasn't a second zelo. The straps lifted

625
00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,119
slightly the way they might have someone hutching its beneath them,

626
00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:43,720
but no one was. The eyebaut up hand and the

627
00:29:43,759 --> 00:29:45,640
door framed the back drop with a muffled thump, then

628
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,559
rolled on to its side. Behind it, the narrow prints

629
00:29:47,559 --> 00:29:49,759
started forming again fresh in the dut One after the other.

630
00:29:49,799 --> 00:29:51,359
They curved into a new path that led away from

631
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,559
the cabin. I followed and stop to think. After a while,

632
00:29:53,599 --> 00:29:55,400
the trees thind at, and I found myself back when

633
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,319
the main trail, the one lead into the service road.

634
00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:01,480
The Prince stopped exactly at the edge. No more strange cabins,

635
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,960
no more notes. I climbed down. The radio came back

636
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,680
to life the moment I cleared the ridge, I called

637
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,039
in and said the cabins needed a full safety sweep,

638
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,880
nothing more. I didn't mention the tracks or the messages.

639
00:30:15,519 --> 00:30:17,599
The counties shut down access to the cabins for the

640
00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,079
rest of the season. When we went back up as

641
00:30:20,119 --> 00:30:23,000
a team, everything was normal. The trails were were it

642
00:30:23,079 --> 00:30:27,920
they should be supplies untouched, no weird prints. I left

643
00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:30,839
the job after that. That fall, my co worker cover

644
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,039
handled most of the empty houses near the main road,

645
00:30:33,119 --> 00:30:34,599
so I was the one driving out to the more

646
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:37,839
isolated rentals. My shift that day started around noon a

647
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,720
cabin tuck way up near Lake Briar. It was about

648
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,079
an hour of County rough twenty seven past to Bailey.

649
00:30:43,119 --> 00:30:44,680
Their trail. The curve threw a lot of thick brush

650
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,400
before opening into a clearing. I did maintenance for a

651
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,240
small company that owned hand fullification properties scattered through the

652
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,599
appalation backwards. The cabin itself was simple, same as the

653
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,880
others would frame, a little porch, no real utilities beyond

654
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,279
the base of generated out in the shed. I didn't

655
00:30:59,279 --> 00:31:02,359
bother with it unless something need testing. One main room,

656
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,359
a kitchenette, and a sleeping loth above the fireplace. I

657
00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,640
popped next to a squat walk by the porch, hauled

658
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,200
my tool bag up the steps, and started the usual sweep.

659
00:31:10,799 --> 00:31:14,599
Then I heard it, a single thump from outside. Not loud,

660
00:31:15,359 --> 00:31:17,599
just a short, heavy sound like something dropping, clean and

661
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:20,400
close enough to stop me mid checklist. I stepped out

662
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,039
onto the porch and scanned the clearing. Nothing moved, trees

663
00:31:24,079 --> 00:31:28,000
stood still, no rustling, no wind. I figured it might

664
00:31:28,039 --> 00:31:31,359
have been a branch, could have been anything. I shrugged

665
00:31:31,359 --> 00:31:33,920
it off and went back inside. I saved the shed

666
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,400
for last, always did, mostly because the haspen. The generator

667
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,319
door jammed like cat and I hated messing with it.

668
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,880
But when I got there, it opened easy, too easy.

669
00:31:44,559 --> 00:31:48,359
The padlock had been misset, not knew, just different. A

670
00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:50,559
wrapper strip of orange final tape around the latch when

671
00:31:50,559 --> 00:31:53,359
I finished a job, just to keep track. This time,

672
00:31:53,519 --> 00:31:55,359
that tape was on the ground beside my boot, torn

673
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,960
in half a crouch trying to get a better look.

674
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,920
That's when I saw the footprint, fresh clear, pressed into

675
00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,240
the soft dirt near the threshold, bigger than mine, two

676
00:32:05,279 --> 00:32:07,119
to fine, to be more than an ile or two old.

677
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,839
I turned and placed, slowly scanning the trees. Not one

678
00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,319
bird's sand, not one leaf twitching. I didn't yell, didn't

679
00:32:15,359 --> 00:32:18,000
call out, just backed away and closed the shed door

680
00:32:18,039 --> 00:32:20,640
without bothering to lock it. I didn't want to stand

681
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,880
there fiddling with keys. Then I saw it, A piece

682
00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,279
of twine tied tightly around the railing on the cabin's porch.

683
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,799
It wasn't there when I arrived. I would have noticed,

684
00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:32,160
especially with that little wouldn't be dangling from the knot

685
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:34,960
looked hand coved, like something off a charm bracelet. I

686
00:32:35,039 --> 00:32:37,400
didn't touch it, just step wide around it and went

687
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:40,599
back inside. I figured i'd finished the last couple checks

688
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:43,200
fast and get up before anything else felt wrong. But

689
00:32:43,359 --> 00:32:45,279
the inside of the cabin didn't feel quite the same

690
00:32:45,359 --> 00:32:48,839
any more. The ladder to the loft was leaning only

691
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:50,960
a little, but I climbed it earlier and it hadn't

692
00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:54,359
been like that. I remember things like that. My notes

693
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:55,880
were still where I left them on the table, but

694
00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,759
the ladder just looked off like it had been nutched.

695
00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:02,079
I pulled it straight and went up to check. Didn't

696
00:33:02,119 --> 00:33:06,079
expect much. Most of it was normal, blanket folded at

697
00:33:06,079 --> 00:33:09,480
the edge of the matdress. Nothing shifted or moved, but

698
00:33:09,599 --> 00:33:11,400
in the far corner, near the boards, there was a

699
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,559
smear of dirt shaped like a hand wide fingers, but

700
00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:17,039
the thumb was angled strangely, like someone had pressed it

701
00:33:17,079 --> 00:33:19,680
down hard while dragging it across the wood. That's when

702
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,920
I knew I wasn't alone out there. I got down

703
00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,119
the ladder fast, packed up my kit without checking half

704
00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:25,880
the stuff I should have, and headed for the door.

705
00:33:26,559 --> 00:33:28,279
Right as I stepped onto the porch, I heard a

706
00:33:28,319 --> 00:33:31,119
faint clack behind me. It came from under the loft,

707
00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:33,519
somewhere near the baseboard where the water line passed into

708
00:33:33,559 --> 00:33:36,079
the cabin. I turned and looked through the window, but

709
00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,440
nothing moved. Then another sound, sharp, with this time like

710
00:33:39,519 --> 00:33:42,640
something tapping deliberate. I pressed my ear to the window

711
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:50,000
and listened. Three taps piled, two taps, two taps, pause one.

712
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,839
I backed off. I walked the perimeter, slowly, checking under

713
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,279
the cabin. When I reached the far side, I saw

714
00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,519
them more footprints, a few sets, all pointed toward the

715
00:33:59,559 --> 00:34:02,599
coal space hatch. The hatch itself wasn't shut all the way,

716
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,440
it was proped just enough that someone could be underneath.

717
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,840
I didn't go closer. I just stepped back, took out

718
00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:12,039
my keys, and started toward the trail. Slower first. I

719
00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:14,960
didn't want to make noise, But the second the clearing

720
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,320
dipped out of sight, I moved faster. I kept glancing back.

721
00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:22,159
Nothing followed. About half way down, there's a fork in

722
00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:24,800
the trail that doesn't look like one. Locals know it,

723
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,440
most others walk right past it, thinking it to run off.

724
00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,480
I'd taken it before when dead full blocked them in path.

725
00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:35,159
That day, I didn't hesitate. It's narrower, darker, and slower going,

726
00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:37,239
but it was off the main line and harder to track.

727
00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,000
That's when I heard it again, a dragging sound, A

728
00:34:41,119 --> 00:34:45,559
dragging sound, soft but steady. Not footsteps, more like something

729
00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:50,400
being pulled, catching on roots, pausing to adjust, then dragging again.

730
00:34:51,039 --> 00:34:54,320
I didn't turn around, just kept my eyes ahead. The

731
00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,320
sounds day behind me, too faint to be sure, but

732
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,119
I could tell it was keeping pace. Near the creek bed,

733
00:35:00,039 --> 00:35:03,639
trail widened a little. I rest to look back. Nothing

734
00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:06,079
but in the right a clump of branches shook, ever

735
00:35:06,159 --> 00:35:10,960
so slightly. No wind, just movement. Whatever it was, it

736
00:35:11,039 --> 00:35:14,880
had stopped moving and was watching. I pushed on the brush,

737
00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:16,679
gave way to a gravel, turned out, and that's when

738
00:35:16,679 --> 00:35:20,159
I saw my truck still there, but the driver's door

739
00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,760
it was open. I always lock it, always, and out

740
00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:27,360
here second nature. I froze and scanned the clearing. My

741
00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,679
own bootprints were visible, pointing from the truck to the

742
00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:32,519
cabin next to them, new ones, deeper, more spread out,

743
00:35:32,679 --> 00:35:35,320
like someone had paced circles around the vehicle. I backed

744
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:37,119
away from the lot and crutched low near the ditch.

745
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:39,840
The tree line was dense there, but I knew the

746
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,159
woods better than whoever was tracking me. I stayed in

747
00:35:42,199 --> 00:35:44,800
the brush and moved through the undergrowth, keeping parallel with

748
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:48,079
the gravel road. Then I heard it, a soft food

749
00:35:48,119 --> 00:35:51,880
behind me. Then another something had stepped on to the gravel.

750
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:54,880
I dropped flat face against the dirt and peered through

751
00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:59,920
the ferns. There it was a figure walking toward my truck. There,

752
00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:02,400
dressed in muddy green and brown clothes that blended into

753
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,960
the wood. Shoulders hunched, arms a little too long. The

754
00:36:07,039 --> 00:36:09,480
way it moved was fast, but it had that slow certainty,

755
00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:12,159
like it knew exactly where it wanted to be. It

756
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,239
reached the truck and leaned inside. That was my chance.

757
00:36:16,039 --> 00:36:19,079
I crawled through the brush, barely breathing, until the trees

758
00:36:19,119 --> 00:36:21,920
curved up toward the ridge. From there, A straightened and

759
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,199
walked quick but control toward the next cabin over. It

760
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:28,480
belonged to a guy named Vernon, retired lanceervea kind man

761
00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:31,239
kept to himself. When I knocked, he answered with a

762
00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:33,280
cautious look. But once I told him some one had

763
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,679
followed me. He didn't hesitate, locked the door, ground his radio,

764
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,199
and told me to stay put. The deputy showed up

765
00:36:39,199 --> 00:36:41,519
about an hour or later. What the woods found nothing,

766
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:44,719
rode it off as a trespasser, maybe a poacher. I

767
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,880
filled out my reports. Management asked if I wanted to

768
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,559
rotate to another district. I didn't think twice. I was

769
00:36:51,599 --> 00:36:53,679
twenty seven when I spent a long weekend checking on

770
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,239
this rental cabin my uncle managed way up in the Alleganies.

771
00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,360
He usually looked after it himself, but he thrown out

772
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,559
his back left something heavy at his shop, and didn't

773
00:37:01,599 --> 00:37:04,360
want to leave his sitting unattended. He figured I could

774
00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,800
handle it. Just basic cup keep staff are the place out,

775
00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,119
checked the plumbing, make sure no windows were broken, and

776
00:37:09,159 --> 00:37:12,039
that the propan tank hadn't been tampered with. Honestly, it

777
00:37:12,119 --> 00:37:15,239
sounded easy enough. I'd done it a couple times before

778
00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:18,760
I got there late in the afternoon. Sun was already

779
00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:20,719
starting to dip behind the ridge, which meant I have

780
00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:23,000
a couple good eyos of daylight left if I moved fast.

781
00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:26,480
I unlocked the door, stepped inside with my backpack still on,

782
00:37:26,679 --> 00:37:29,480
and stood there for a second. It was exactly as

783
00:37:29,559 --> 00:37:32,440
I remembered it. One room plus a tiny bathroom to

784
00:37:32,519 --> 00:37:35,239
the side, a short lad I led to the sleeping loft,

785
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,320
which wasn't more than a platform with a mattress and

786
00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:40,920
a plastic bin for extra sheets. Downstairs, the furniture hadn't

787
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:44,519
moved in chineeer's little table near the window. Two wooden chairs,

788
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:47,440
wall shelf with folded blankets, kitchenet with the gastow of

789
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,400
an adentic kettle still sitting on the burner. The boards

790
00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,840
creaked under my boots in the usual way. When I

791
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,000
dragged the broom under the table, the bristles caught on

792
00:37:55,119 --> 00:37:58,000
something soft. I crouched down and saw a dish towel

793
00:37:58,159 --> 00:38:03,119
folded neatly, looked clean. I figured someone must have left it, maybe,

794
00:38:03,159 --> 00:38:05,920
I guess, tucked it away and forgot. I picked it up,

795
00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,760
tossed it on the counter by the sink, and went

796
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:10,119
back to sweeping. The thing didn't stick in my mind

797
00:38:10,159 --> 00:38:14,159
at all. Cabins like this always collect random stuff. Next

798
00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:16,920
up was the bathroom. Door was partly open, but it

799
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,559
didn't want to stay that way. Each time I stepped

800
00:38:19,599 --> 00:38:21,679
toward it, it eased itself closed an inch or two,

801
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,800
like it was gently falling on the hinges. I checked them.

802
00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:29,760
Seemed solid, nothing loose, nothing warped. I opened the door

803
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:32,360
fully and let it go. It held for a second,

804
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:36,679
then drifted again. I just left it and moved on outside.

805
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,840
The air was cool and clean. The propane tank looked fine,

806
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,920
no rust, no sign of leaks. I circled around the back,

807
00:38:44,079 --> 00:38:46,280
checked the siding, tapped a couple spots with the back

808
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,440
of my knuckles to make sure the boards were still dry.

809
00:38:49,079 --> 00:38:52,679
Everything looked good. I stepped back inside. That's when I

810
00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:54,719
noticed the dish towel was no longer on the counter.

811
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,199
It was back under the table, folded the same way,

812
00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,119
same exact spot. I just stood there looking at it,

813
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,400
trying to remember if maybe I hadn't actually moved it

814
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,480
after all. But I knew I had. I'd walked it

815
00:39:07,519 --> 00:39:11,000
over and set it down clear stay. I'd even remembered

816
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,840
brushing my fingers across the edge of the sink. Still,

817
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:16,360
I figured I was being forgetful. It had been a

818
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:18,559
long drive, and a quiet always did weud things to

819
00:39:18,639 --> 00:39:20,960
my sense of time. So I picked it up again,

820
00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:23,159
opened the cabinet ab of the sink and shoved it

821
00:39:23,199 --> 00:39:26,280
inside out of sight. I moved on checking the plumbing

822
00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:28,599
were in, the faucet, flushed the toilet, checked a water heater.

823
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,599
Everything worked fine. I grabbed my clipboard and started ticking

824
00:39:32,639 --> 00:39:35,280
off boxes. Then I heard a noise from the loft,

825
00:39:36,119 --> 00:39:39,519
just a soft thump, not loud, but sudden. I looked

826
00:39:39,599 --> 00:39:41,920
up the ladder. The loft was empty for as I

827
00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:46,320
could see. Probably a squirrel, I thought, or maybe something shifted.

828
00:39:47,199 --> 00:39:50,400
I climbed up to check. The mattress was dusty, still

829
00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:53,079
pressing into the far corner like it always was. The

830
00:39:53,159 --> 00:39:56,400
pastic bin had it moved. I peeked behind it. Nothing,

831
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:01,320
no droppings, no nests. No. I noticed the bathroom door

832
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,920
had shifted again. It was half way closed this time.

833
00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:06,719
I dragged one of the chairs across the floor and

834
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:09,559
wedged it right up against the edge. Heard its grape

835
00:40:09,559 --> 00:40:12,079
blood against the wood. I even leaned my weight on

836
00:40:12,199 --> 00:40:14,599
it to make sure it wouldn't budge with that handle.

837
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:16,800
I went back outside to check the foundation beams near

838
00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:20,920
the porch luke solid, no signs of shifting or erosion.

839
00:40:21,519 --> 00:40:24,360
Walked the perimeter one last time, then stepped back inside

840
00:40:25,039 --> 00:40:27,159
the chair I had wedged under the bathroom door gone.

841
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:29,880
It wasn't just moved. It was now sitting next to

842
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,000
the kitchenette, right under the cabinet where I stashed the towel,

843
00:40:33,599 --> 00:40:37,119
and that cabinet door wide open. The towel was back

844
00:40:37,159 --> 00:40:40,960
on the counter, same fold. At that point, my brain

845
00:40:41,039 --> 00:40:43,000
started buzzing, like it was trying to catch up with

846
00:40:43,079 --> 00:40:46,519
what I was seeing. I didn't panic, not right away.

847
00:40:47,159 --> 00:40:51,320
I checked every window, lopped, checked under the table behind

848
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:55,760
the door in the loft again. Nothing, no footprints, no

849
00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:59,440
open entry, no sign of an animal. The air didn't

850
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:03,679
feel colder, It didn't feel weird exactly, It just felt watch.

851
00:41:04,599 --> 00:41:07,480
I kept moving, finished the checkist even though my hands

852
00:41:07,519 --> 00:41:10,159
felt jumpy. When I passed the table, I noticed my

853
00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:14,920
tools screwdriver, flasklight, wrench all had moved slightly. They were

854
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:18,199
sitting closer to the edge than before, not hanging off,

855
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:21,800
just enough to notice. I nodged them back into place

856
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,519
and stared at the ladder. The top wrong was tilted,

857
00:41:25,119 --> 00:41:27,719
only a little, but enough to catch my eye. I

858
00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:32,280
hadn't touched it, swore I hadn't. Swore I hadn't. I

859
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:35,920
climbed doune careful, and it was straight before I stood

860
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:37,599
dead still in the center of the room and tried

861
00:41:37,639 --> 00:41:42,360
to listen. Nothing. Not a creek, not a shift, not

862
00:41:42,559 --> 00:41:45,079
even a breeze. I tried to shake it off, told

863
00:41:45,119 --> 00:41:47,960
myself the house was old things, settle woodwarps all that.

864
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:50,920
I gathered my things, packed my tools, and headed for

865
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,360
the door. I was half way down the gravel path

866
00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:56,039
before I remembered the clipboard. I needed it to file

867
00:41:56,119 --> 00:41:59,599
the report. Cursing under my breath, I turned around, climbed

868
00:41:59,599 --> 00:42:03,159
the porch steps again, unlocked the door. The cabin was silent.

869
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,360
Everything the towel, the chair, the tills, even the penn

870
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:08,519
I'd use, was now lined up neatly on the tabletop,

871
00:42:09,079 --> 00:42:11,679
perfectly spaced, like someone had arranged them to be seen.

872
00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:15,000
The bathroom door was closed high. I didn't take a

873
00:42:15,039 --> 00:42:17,280
step inside, just reached and grabbed the clipboard off the

874
00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,800
hook near the door and pulled back. I closed the door, slowly,

875
00:42:21,079 --> 00:42:23,760
locked it again, and didn't look through the window the

876
00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:26,480
hall walk back down. My spine felt tight, like something

877
00:42:26,559 --> 00:42:28,519
was leaning just a little too close behind me. I

878
00:42:28,599 --> 00:42:31,039
never told my uncle what really happened, just said the

879
00:42:31,079 --> 00:42:34,360
cabin felt off now. I avoided every cabin check after that,

880
00:42:34,639 --> 00:42:37,880
especially the remote ones. I was twenty nine years old

881
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:39,480
when I took the care take a job watching over

882
00:42:39,519 --> 00:42:43,800
the ridge cabins. It sounded straightforward, keep the unit stocked,

883
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:46,519
do you walk throughs after guess jector report anything weird

884
00:42:46,519 --> 00:42:48,760
to the owners. By the time I got to the

885
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:51,119
service shed that first morning, the sky was still gray.

886
00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:53,679
The guy I was replacing looked like he couldn't get

887
00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:56,559
out of there fast enough. There were six cabins scattered

888
00:42:56,599 --> 00:42:59,480
across the stretch of ridge, all old but solid use,

889
00:42:59,559 --> 00:43:01,760
mostly hunters and hikers who didn't mind the luck of

890
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,559
cell signal. The owners lived a few hours away and

891
00:43:04,639 --> 00:43:07,519
only came up every couple months. Most of the time,

892
00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:10,280
it was just me. That morning felt like any other.

893
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,559
I loaded up my pack Lubbock floslight, spare batteries, extra

894
00:43:14,639 --> 00:43:17,119
cabin keys, a couple of prope intesters, and headed down

895
00:43:17,159 --> 00:43:20,199
the trail toward Cabin three first. It sat the farthest

896
00:43:20,199 --> 00:43:21,960
from the main loop, nestled near the edge of the

897
00:43:22,039 --> 00:43:24,519
forest line, surrounded by trees that grew so close they

898
00:43:24,559 --> 00:43:27,000
almost brushed the roof. The hike out there was steep

899
00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,840
in a few places, but not bad. The square darted

900
00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:32,320
across the porch. As I stepped up, the shutters were

901
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:35,840
where I left them last time. Looked normal. The last

902
00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:38,039
guest had check out two days before, and according to

903
00:43:38,079 --> 00:43:41,360
the notes, everything should have been in order. Inside it

904
00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:45,840
was tidy, linens folded, no dishes in the sink. The

905
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:47,559
key sat on the table like it was supposed to.

906
00:43:48,239 --> 00:43:50,000
I checked the windows and moved to the back door.

907
00:43:50,639 --> 00:43:52,480
That latch had a habit of slipping loose, so I

908
00:43:52,519 --> 00:43:54,840
gave it a couple test closures, and for once, it

909
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,840
clicked shut perfectly. Too perfectly. That thing never lined up

910
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:01,840
on the first try. I squatted down and tested it again,

911
00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:06,079
smooth as butter. That's when I noticed the rug, just

912
00:44:06,119 --> 00:44:07,920
a small one by the back door, the kind people

913
00:44:08,039 --> 00:44:10,519
used to wipe off their boots. It was maybe six

914
00:44:10,559 --> 00:44:13,039
inches off from where it should have been Normally. I

915
00:44:13,119 --> 00:44:15,360
wouldn't care, but I had fixed it last time because

916
00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:17,840
it always bunched up near the door. It never stayed

917
00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,239
in place unless some one walked on it. I stood

918
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,599
up and looked round again, slower this time. Nothing seemed

919
00:44:23,639 --> 00:44:26,480
out of place. I convinced myself maybe a clean air

920
00:44:26,559 --> 00:44:29,280
had come in and reset things, or maybe I guess

921
00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,280
left it like that, and the detail just hadn't made

922
00:44:31,280 --> 00:44:33,800
it on to the report. I told myself that I

923
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,199
moved on, but I glanced over my shoulder one more

924
00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:39,239
time before heading out. On the step outside, the mud

925
00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:43,239
looked fresh, not like mudy footprint fresh, more like the

926
00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:45,760
kind of disruption that happens when something heavy brushes it.

927
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:48,320
I bent down, but whatever mark had been there was

928
00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:52,760
already fading. The soil around Cabin three usually held impressions well,

929
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,599
but I couldn't make out a shape, just a vague smudge,

930
00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:59,239
like something had disturbed it then quickly vanished. Cabin Fall

931
00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:01,679
was afire, just a fifteen minute walk along a winding

932
00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:04,800
trail that curve around a massive split boulder. The trees

933
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:06,760
were thicker here and the lie dimmer, but the effelt

934
00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:09,840
still dead still. The only sounds were creaks from far

935
00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:11,719
away branches and the soft crunch of my boots on

936
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:15,119
the path. That cabin was locked, shudders drawn, no signs

937
00:45:15,159 --> 00:45:18,639
of disturbance. I walked the perimeter, checked the propane tank,

938
00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:22,000
signed off in the lug book, and kept going. Cabin

939
00:45:22,039 --> 00:45:24,760
Fave always made my skin crawl a bit, not because

940
00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:27,400
of anything that happened there. Just the lay it. It

941
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:29,239
sat low in a dip of land, like it had

942
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,039
sunk there and never climbed back out. The road curved

943
00:45:32,039 --> 00:45:33,880
in a weird way as it approached, like it was

944
00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:36,880
bending around something that didn't want to be seen. Even

945
00:45:36,920 --> 00:45:39,440
the birds stayed quiet in their pocket. As I stepped

946
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,400
onto the slope, bleeding to the porch, I saw the

947
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:44,599
front door was nearly closed but not latched. That happened

948
00:45:44,639 --> 00:45:47,480
sometimes guests would forget to lock it, or guest of

949
00:45:47,519 --> 00:45:50,440
wind might tug it open a crack. Still, it gave

950
00:45:50,519 --> 00:45:54,159
me pause. I pushed it open and stepped inside. First

951
00:45:54,199 --> 00:45:56,079
thing that caught my eye was the lantern on the table.

952
00:45:56,639 --> 00:45:59,559
These cabins all had a battery powered emergency lantern, but

953
00:45:59,639 --> 00:46:01,639
this one was turned toward the door angle, like it

954
00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:04,519
was intentionally facing me. Normally, it sat in the middle

955
00:46:04,559 --> 00:46:07,880
of the table, centered neatly. I picked it up. The

956
00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:12,480
battery was almost dead, weird but not necessarily alarming. I

957
00:46:12,599 --> 00:46:14,119
made a mental note to replace it and move to

958
00:46:14,159 --> 00:46:16,960
the bedroom. The bed bed was pulled back just slightly,

959
00:46:17,159 --> 00:46:19,559
like some one had sat on the edge. The pillow

960
00:46:19,639 --> 00:46:21,440
had that telltale dip where a head might have rested.

961
00:46:22,079 --> 00:46:25,039
Now I've seen messy cabins before, but this one was

962
00:46:25,079 --> 00:46:27,400
supposed to have been cleaned a week ago. The law

963
00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:30,199
confirmed no one had been, no sense. I lifted the

964
00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:32,199
edge of the mattress and saw something tucked between the

965
00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:35,519
wooden slats, A tiny square of paper, clean and folded.

966
00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:42,440
I unfolded it blank, no words, no smudge, just plain white.

967
00:46:43,039 --> 00:46:45,440
I left it on the night scent. At that point

968
00:46:45,519 --> 00:46:49,159
I felt it, not fear exactly, just a pressure in

969
00:46:49,239 --> 00:46:53,000
the air, like something leaning over my shoulder. I wrapped

970
00:46:53,039 --> 00:46:56,320
up the inspection quickly and stepped back outside. The clearing

971
00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,079
in front of cabin. Five are changed white. In the

972
00:46:59,119 --> 00:47:01,000
middle of the odd layer, long peel piece of tree

973
00:47:01,079 --> 00:47:05,920
bark the palings I turned up, not form peel, too clean,

974
00:47:06,039 --> 00:47:09,159
too deliberate. I'd walked that same patch minutes earlier, and

975
00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:12,559
it hadn't been there. I walked over slowly. The devil

976
00:47:12,599 --> 00:47:15,480
around the buck was marked dragged maty, not for prince,

977
00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:18,239
just streaks, shallow and wide, as if something had slid

978
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:22,000
or been pulled. My pulse quickened. I left it alone

979
00:47:22,039 --> 00:47:24,639
and backed away. On the path back to the loop,

980
00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:28,280
I stopped at the utility shack. We kept spare filters, propane,

981
00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:31,960
odds and ends in there. The padlock was undone, dangling loosely.

982
00:47:32,599 --> 00:47:35,079
That hit me like a splash of cold water. I

983
00:47:35,159 --> 00:47:37,599
knew i'd locked it last time. I swung it open.

984
00:47:37,719 --> 00:47:42,280
Nothing missing, shelves still stalked. Even the faulty canister marked

985
00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,719
with tape was untouched. But then I saw the broom

986
00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:47,639
leaning by the wall. Mud stained the handle about half

987
00:47:47,679 --> 00:47:49,280
way up, as if someone had gripped it with a

988
00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:52,480
filthy hand. I stepped back and took a breath. I

989
00:47:52,559 --> 00:47:55,199
locked the shack tight and returned to the shad to radioderners.

990
00:47:55,920 --> 00:48:00,320
No signal, just static and faint blips that happened sometimes.

991
00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:03,480
I decided to push through the last cabin, then try again.

992
00:48:04,199 --> 00:48:06,400
Cabin six was the newest, set high on the ridge.

993
00:48:07,079 --> 00:48:09,440
Getting up there took effort, especially with your nervese fraying.

994
00:48:10,039 --> 00:48:12,519
Every few steps. I felt like something was watching me.

995
00:48:13,239 --> 00:48:16,199
Nothing obvious, no crunch of branches or shifting shadows, just

996
00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:18,840
a constant pull to look behind me. I didn't. I

997
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:21,960
reached a cabin, walked the perimeter, found no signs of tampering.

998
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:26,920
The ground was firm, the windows clean. Everything still inside

999
00:48:27,039 --> 00:48:30,559
the cabin was as plain as ever modern sterile. Almost

1000
00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:33,119
I moved toward the back door to check the frame,

1001
00:48:33,159 --> 00:48:35,639
and that's when I saw it. Another folded piece of

1002
00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:38,719
paper topped under the bottom edge, identical to the one

1003
00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:42,719
at Cabin five, same size, same blank face. I opened

1004
00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:45,159
the door and stepped on to the porch. The ridge

1005
00:48:45,199 --> 00:48:47,639
sloped downward, trees line in the narrow view, like a hallway,

1006
00:48:48,199 --> 00:48:49,960
and at the very end of it, just before the

1007
00:48:50,039 --> 00:48:53,840
underbrush took over her, something stood. Not a deer, not

1008
00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,719
a person. It looked like a figure in a long coat,

1009
00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:59,039
but there was no head, just a collar standing stiff.

1010
00:48:59,599 --> 00:49:03,119
The arm didn't hang naturally, the coat didn't sway, it

1011
00:49:03,239 --> 00:49:05,960
just stood there like it had been waiting. I didn't move,

1012
00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:10,159
I didn't call out, I didn't blink. I closed the

1013
00:49:10,199 --> 00:49:12,639
door calmly, gently and walked back toward the front of

1014
00:49:12,679 --> 00:49:16,920
the cabin. I left everything, my till's, my notes. I

1015
00:49:16,960 --> 00:49:20,639
didn't check anything else. I just walked half way down

1016
00:49:20,679 --> 00:49:23,440
the ridge. I heard a step behind me, not loud,

1017
00:49:23,679 --> 00:49:28,239
just a soft crunch, then silence. I didn't stop another

1018
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:34,000
step a minute later, then again, even spacing always behind me.

1019
00:49:34,280 --> 00:49:37,559
I never looked back. When I finally reached the service shed,

1020
00:49:37,719 --> 00:49:40,480
I slammed the door and locked it. The radio worked

1021
00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:43,719
this time. I told the owners what I'd seen. I

1022
00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:46,960
used phrases like an authorized presence and possible trespasser, even

1023
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,519
though none of that felt accurate. They said they'd send

1024
00:49:49,599 --> 00:49:51,639
someone else up by morning, told me to stay put

1025
00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:54,000
and secure the cabins if I could. I didn't go

1026
00:49:54,079 --> 00:49:57,039
back out. I sat in nashead until I shift ended.

1027
00:49:57,760 --> 00:49:59,519
When the sun dip low, I got in my truck

1028
00:49:59,559 --> 00:50:03,039
and drove. I didn't check cabin five, I didn't check

1029
00:50:03,079 --> 00:50:06,280
the ridge. I drove without stopping. I grew up in

1030
00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:08,320
a small town, but I had never experienced the kind

1031
00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:10,280
of vselation I felt when I rented a cabin in

1032
00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:13,079
the Appalachian Mountains. I thought it would be a perfect

1033
00:50:13,119 --> 00:50:15,360
we can get away, just a chance to unplock, get

1034
00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:17,239
away from the noise of the city and breathe a

1035
00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:20,039
little bit of fresh mountain air, some time alone to

1036
00:50:20,079 --> 00:50:23,599
clear my head, and we sat simple. I'd heard the stories.

1037
00:50:23,599 --> 00:50:26,280
Of course, everyone in town has the version of some

1038
00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:29,760
creepy cabin tail, something spooky about the woods, but at

1039
00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:32,559
the time I brushed them off, they were just that stores.

1040
00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:35,559
The cabin looked old, but there was something charming about it,

1041
00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:38,840
maybe too charming. The wood was weathered like it had

1042
00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:41,199
been three years of storms and sunrises, and the porch

1043
00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:43,199
creaked under my weight. When I stepped up to the door,

1044
00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:46,239
the smelt of pine and damp earth, the kind of fresh,

1045
00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:48,679
earthy smell you only get when you're in the woods.

1046
00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:53,039
Inside the place was surprisingly cozy. The fireplace had freshly

1047
00:50:53,119 --> 00:50:55,079
chopped would stack next to it, and there was even

1048
00:50:55,079 --> 00:50:57,159
a handred in welcome notes sitting on the kitchen table,

1049
00:50:57,239 --> 00:50:59,960
which I thought was a nice touch. The floors creaked

1050
00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:01,920
in all the right places, but I expected that this

1051
00:51:02,119 --> 00:51:04,920
was a five star hotel. The place had that rustic,

1052
00:51:05,079 --> 00:51:08,159
lived and feel. I was ready to relax, maybe read

1053
00:51:08,199 --> 00:51:10,480
a book, take a walk through the woods, enjoy the silence,

1054
00:51:10,519 --> 00:51:14,039
simple stuff. But then things started to feel off. The

1055
00:51:14,119 --> 00:51:16,360
first night, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't

1056
00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:19,000
quite right. It wasn't anything I could put my finger on.

1057
00:51:19,719 --> 00:51:22,320
It wasn't like hearing voices or seeing things. It was

1058
00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:24,760
just this snagging feeling that I was alone, even though

1059
00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:27,960
I was. The wind was howling outside, the trees rustling

1060
00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:31,079
in the dark, but there were other sounds too. Footsteps

1061
00:51:31,119 --> 00:51:34,119
soft and slow on the porch, like someone was standing

1062
00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:37,079
just outside listening. I checked the locks in the door,

1063
00:51:37,199 --> 00:51:39,519
pulled the curtains tighter, and told myself it was nothing,

1064
00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:43,719
just nerves. But it didn't feel like nothing. It felt

1065
00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:47,880
like something like someone was waiting. The second night was worse.

1066
00:51:48,679 --> 00:51:49,960
I woke up in the middle of the night to

1067
00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:52,960
a faint sound scratching. It was soft at first, like

1068
00:51:53,039 --> 00:51:55,000
something with calls was drugging them along the side of

1069
00:51:55,039 --> 00:51:57,400
the cabin. It wasn't loud enough to be a bear

1070
00:51:57,519 --> 00:52:00,280
or raccoon. It wasn't like any animal sound and I'd

1071
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:03,039
ever heard. My first thought was to dismiss it, but

1072
00:52:03,159 --> 00:52:05,880
it didn't fade away. It lingered, just enough to make

1073
00:52:05,960 --> 00:52:08,800
my heart race. I grew out a flashlight, my handshaking

1074
00:52:08,840 --> 00:52:11,000
a little as I swung open the door and stepped outside.

1075
00:52:11,639 --> 00:52:14,440
The wood was silent, completely still except for the wind.

1076
00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:17,440
I scanned the dark trees, trying to catch a glimpse

1077
00:52:17,519 --> 00:52:21,360
of whatever was making that noise. Nothing. Then, just as

1078
00:52:21,400 --> 00:52:23,360
I was about to turn back inside, I saw them,

1079
00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:26,559
a pair of glowing eyes deep in the woods. Just watching.

1080
00:52:27,280 --> 00:52:31,679
I froze. The eyes blinked, then they were gone. My

1081
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:33,800
pulse was pounding in my ears as I backed inside,

1082
00:52:33,880 --> 00:52:35,519
locked the door, and sat in a chair for the

1083
00:52:35,599 --> 00:52:38,159
rest of the night, staring out at the trees. The

1084
00:52:38,239 --> 00:52:41,000
silence outside was unsettling, but it wasn't the same as before.

1085
00:52:41,719 --> 00:52:44,480
Now it felt different, like there was something out there,

1086
00:52:44,639 --> 00:52:48,679
something waiting. By morning, I felt ridiculous. It was probably

1087
00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:51,719
just my nerves. It's easy to imagine things when you're

1088
00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:54,159
out in the woods all alone. I made myself a

1089
00:52:54,199 --> 00:52:56,199
cup of coffee, tried to shake off the weirdness, and

1090
00:52:56,280 --> 00:52:58,960
decided to go for a hike. I figured getting some

1091
00:52:59,039 --> 00:53:01,079
fresh air would help clear my mind. But the deeper

1092
00:53:01,079 --> 00:53:02,840
I hiked into the woods, the more I felt it,

1093
00:53:03,119 --> 00:53:06,719
that weird sensation of being watched. At first, it was subtle,

1094
00:53:07,039 --> 00:53:08,760
just a strange feeling in the back of my mind,

1095
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:10,960
but the farther I went, the more it grew. My

1096
00:53:11,039 --> 00:53:14,400
steps quickened. I kept turning around, half expecting to see

1097
00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:17,400
someone standing there, but there was never anyone. Still, I

1098
00:53:17,400 --> 00:53:19,960
couldn't shake the feeling. I didn't get far before I

1099
00:53:20,039 --> 00:53:22,880
turned around. As I made my way back to the cabin,

1100
00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:25,039
I tried to tell myself I was just being paranoid.

1101
00:53:25,159 --> 00:53:27,119
But when I got back to the parch, I froze.

1102
00:53:27,840 --> 00:53:29,800
There in front of the door was a fresh pile

1103
00:53:29,840 --> 00:53:31,880
of dirrit, like some one had recently dug a small

1104
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:34,360
hole and filled it in quickly. There was no reason

1105
00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:36,599
for it to be there. It hadn't been there when

1106
00:53:36,599 --> 00:53:39,800
I left, I hadn't seen it earlier. I spent the

1107
00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:41,719
rest of the day pacing inside the cabin, trying to

1108
00:53:41,719 --> 00:53:44,639
stay calm. Every creak of the floorboards made me jump.

1109
00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:47,320
Every gust of wind outside made the trees grow like

1110
00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:49,800
they were whispering. Night fell, and with it came the

1111
00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:54,559
strange weight of everything, the silence, the isolation, the growing

1112
00:53:54,599 --> 00:53:57,039
a knees. I didn't know what I was afraid of,

1113
00:53:57,239 --> 00:54:00,320
but I couldn't ignore the feeling that something was watching,

1114
00:54:01,079 --> 00:54:03,840
something that wasn't supposed to be there. And then that

1115
00:54:04,039 --> 00:54:07,360
night the tapping started. It was softer, first, barely noticeable,

1116
00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:10,199
like a tree branch brushing against the window, But then

1117
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:12,760
it got louder, moving from window to window, as if

1118
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:15,920
someone of something was trying to get inside. The footsteps

1119
00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:18,679
on the porch I could, again slow and deliberate. And

1120
00:54:18,840 --> 00:54:21,920
then the scratching sound, but this time it wasn't just

1121
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:25,440
on the walls. It was at the door. I couldn't breathe.

1122
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:28,599
I stared out the window, hard in my throat. There

1123
00:54:28,679 --> 00:54:31,159
in the dim light was a figure. It was too

1124
00:54:31,239 --> 00:54:33,000
tall to be heuman, too thin to be anything. I

1125
00:54:33,119 --> 00:54:36,719
recognized the outline of it shifted in the darkness, a silowuette,

1126
00:54:36,719 --> 00:54:40,519
standing just beyond the glass. I couldn't move. I don't

1127
00:54:40,559 --> 00:54:43,840
know how long I sat there, just frozen, staring. Eventually

1128
00:54:43,960 --> 00:54:47,079
the figure disappeared, and with yet the sounds. The silence

1129
00:54:47,119 --> 00:54:50,239
that followed felt suffocating. I didn't sleep that night, not

1130
00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:53,400
a single minute. By morning, I couldn't stand it any more.

1131
00:54:54,079 --> 00:54:56,199
I packed up everything, shoved my stuff into the car,

1132
00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:58,679
and drove away as fast as I could. I just

1133
00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:01,000
moved out to a small town Palatia, after years of

1134
00:55:01,039 --> 00:55:03,800
city noise and constant motion. A friend of a friend

1135
00:55:03,880 --> 00:55:06,159
mentioned as cabin he'd stayed in once, way out in

1136
00:55:06,199 --> 00:55:08,880
the woods, barely even on the map. He said it

1137
00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:12,480
was perfect for being alone. I figure, why not. The

1138
00:55:12,599 --> 00:55:14,519
drive out there wasn't long in terms of miles, but

1139
00:55:14,639 --> 00:55:16,719
it dragged on like I was slipping backward in time.

1140
00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:19,880
The roads turned from pavement to gravel, entered durret and

1141
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:22,159
then to something that barely counted as a road at all.

1142
00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:25,039
I pulled in as the sky started dimming into disk.

1143
00:55:25,719 --> 00:55:28,800
The cabin looked older than I expected. Nothing spooky at

1144
00:55:28,800 --> 00:55:31,719
first glance, but definitely not part of any rental service.

1145
00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:34,159
The porch hugged a little in the middle, and there

1146
00:55:34,239 --> 00:55:37,320
was moss creeping up the sides, but the windows were intact.

1147
00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:40,840
The roof looked solid, and I wasn't exactly picky. Inside

1148
00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:43,960
it smelt like old wood and dust, not musty, just

1149
00:55:44,199 --> 00:55:46,719
still like no one had opened a window in years.

1150
00:55:47,400 --> 00:55:49,719
The floors creaked a little under my boots, and there

1151
00:55:49,800 --> 00:55:51,559
was a thick old rug in the center that probably

1152
00:55:51,639 --> 00:55:54,639
hadn't been vacuumed since the nineties. But it had heat well,

1153
00:55:54,639 --> 00:55:57,360
a stone firepless that still worked, and the basics a bed,

1154
00:55:57,599 --> 00:56:00,400
a chair, and a little kitchen. No TV, no a WiFi.

1155
00:56:00,480 --> 00:56:02,280
That was kind of the point high unpacks. Started a

1156
00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:04,599
fire and made myself some dinner from the supplies I bought.

1157
00:56:04,639 --> 00:56:06,239
After a while, I killed the music and let the

1158
00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:08,320
silence take over. The fire crackled, and for the first

1159
00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:10,480
time in a while, I felt like I could actually breathe.

1160
00:56:10,480 --> 00:56:11,960
Then I heard it At first I thought it was

1161
00:56:12,119 --> 00:56:13,639
just the when, the kind that comes out of nowhere

1162
00:56:13,639 --> 00:56:15,519
and slips the trees in weird ways. But then I

1163
00:56:15,599 --> 00:56:20,119
heard it again, a knock, light almost hesitant. One knock,

1164
00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:25,280
then another. I froze, Not like I was terrified, just confused.

1165
00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:28,760
It was remote out here, no one should have been around.

1166
00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:31,360
I got up, walked to the window and looked out,

1167
00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:35,039
but saw nothing, just woods in fading light. Still, I

1168
00:56:35,119 --> 00:56:37,559
opened the front door and stepped out. The cold air

1169
00:56:37,599 --> 00:56:40,320
hit me immediately. It wasn't just cold, it was sharp,

1170
00:56:40,440 --> 00:56:42,719
like it didn't want me there. I stood there for

1171
00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,079
a minute, scanning the trees, but there was no movement,

1172
00:56:45,239 --> 00:56:49,840
no footsteps, nothing, just silence. I went back inside, told

1173
00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:52,159
myself it was probably a branch or an animal bumping

1174
00:56:52,199 --> 00:56:55,320
against the wood. I tried to settle back in. Then

1175
00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:58,519
the knock came again. This time it wasn't subtle, it

1176
00:56:58,639 --> 00:57:02,840
was louder, more direct. My chest tightened. I stood again,

1177
00:57:02,960 --> 00:57:06,559
slower this time. I didn't say anything, just listened. The

1178
00:57:06,639 --> 00:57:08,880
sound had come from the back wall, which didn't make sense.

1179
00:57:09,599 --> 00:57:12,079
The porch was in the front, the back just faced

1180
00:57:12,079 --> 00:57:14,880
the woods. I growled a flask light and step outside

1181
00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:18,880
circling around the cabin. There were no footprints, no broken branches,

1182
00:57:19,079 --> 00:57:21,199
no signs that anyone or anything had been back there.

1183
00:57:21,840 --> 00:57:24,599
I even checked under the deck nothing. But as I

1184
00:57:24,719 --> 00:57:26,599
was walking back to the front door, something shifted in

1185
00:57:26,679 --> 00:57:28,760
the trees. Not sound, just a feeling like someone had

1186
00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:30,800
moved just outside my line of sight. To stop walking,

1187
00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:33,039
my mouth when dry. I turned the flashlight toward the trees,

1188
00:57:33,119 --> 00:57:34,920
but the being barely cut through the shadows. And then

1189
00:57:34,960 --> 00:57:36,559
I heard the knock again, This time it came from

1190
00:57:36,599 --> 00:57:38,880
deeper in the woods. Against every ounce of better judgment,

1191
00:57:39,039 --> 00:57:41,960
I followed it. It wasn't like I had some brave impulse.

1192
00:57:42,719 --> 00:57:44,599
I think it was more that it didn't feel entirely

1193
00:57:44,639 --> 00:57:46,320
real yet, and part of me thought I could make

1194
00:57:46,360 --> 00:57:48,039
it make sense if I just saw whatever it was.

1195
00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:51,719
So I walked flat light in hand deeper into the forest.

1196
00:57:52,639 --> 00:57:55,119
The trees closed in tight, the branches catching my sleeves.

1197
00:57:55,800 --> 00:57:58,159
If wasn't even a path, just patches of bare ground

1198
00:57:58,159 --> 00:58:02,039
between the brush. That's when I saw it. Another cabin,

1199
00:58:02,679 --> 00:58:06,480
smaller than the first, almost hidden behind vines and undergrowth,

1200
00:58:06,840 --> 00:58:09,239
like it didn't want to be found. The front door

1201
00:58:09,320 --> 00:58:11,679
was cracked open just enough to see that faint flicker

1202
00:58:11,719 --> 00:58:14,599
of yellow light coming from inside. It didn't make sense.

1203
00:58:15,400 --> 00:58:17,400
I hadn't passed any other structures on my way in.

1204
00:58:18,079 --> 00:58:22,079
I didn't even know this one existed. But there it was, waiting.

1205
00:58:22,760 --> 00:58:25,840
I should have turned around. I know that now, but

1206
00:58:25,960 --> 00:58:29,960
I stepped closer, heart thudding against my ribs, flashlight flickering slightly.

1207
00:58:30,599 --> 00:58:33,039
I pushed the door open with one hand. The air

1208
00:58:33,079 --> 00:58:35,400
inside was colder than it should have been. A single

1209
00:58:35,440 --> 00:58:37,760
bulb dangled from the ceiling, swaying just enough to make

1210
00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:40,679
the shadows shift along the walls. There was a catch

1211
00:58:40,719 --> 00:58:43,159
hold sagging in the middle, some broken furniture and us

1212
00:58:43,199 --> 00:58:46,400
covering everything In the walls. They were covered in carvings,

1213
00:58:47,079 --> 00:58:51,400
not drawing scratches, hundreds of them, maybe thousands, like someone

1214
00:58:51,440 --> 00:58:53,840
had spend year slowly etching shapes and marks into the wood.

1215
00:58:54,519 --> 00:58:56,400
Some of it looked like writing, but not in any

1216
00:58:56,480 --> 00:59:01,159
language I recognized. It felt frantic, desperate, not decorative. And

1217
00:59:01,280 --> 00:59:03,519
then there was the chair. It was in the corner,

1218
00:59:03,679 --> 00:59:07,360
facing the wall, nothing else around it, just the chair

1219
00:59:07,519 --> 00:59:09,639
turned toward the wooden paneling, like someone had been made

1220
00:59:09,639 --> 00:59:12,000
to sit there and stare. I was about to leave

1221
00:59:12,039 --> 00:59:14,599
when I saw it. Something bundled up on the floor

1222
00:59:14,679 --> 00:59:16,960
near the wall, wrapped in cloth or maybe old burl

1223
00:59:17,039 --> 00:59:19,800
up about the size of a small dog. It was moving,

1224
00:59:20,000 --> 00:59:22,719
but something about it made my stomach twist. I don't

1225
00:59:22,760 --> 00:59:24,599
know what I thought it was, but I stepped closer

1226
00:59:24,719 --> 00:59:26,840
and then the door slam shut behind me. I spun

1227
00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:29,800
around so fast I dropped the flashlight. I scrambled to

1228
00:59:29,800 --> 00:59:31,639
pick it up, pointed at the door, still closed. No

1229
00:59:31,719 --> 00:59:36,199
one there. I rushed over, twisted the handle, yanked it hard. Nothing.

1230
00:59:36,880 --> 00:59:40,239
It wouldn't budge. It didn't even rattle, like it had

1231
00:59:40,280 --> 00:59:43,760
been sealed from the outside. Then came the knock, but

1232
00:59:43,920 --> 00:59:47,920
it was inside, somewhere behind me. Then the voice lo

1233
00:59:48,880 --> 00:59:53,400
like someone speaking through sand, one word head out. My

1234
00:59:53,480 --> 00:59:57,079
whole body locked up. I couldn't even scream. My legs

1235
00:59:57,199 --> 00:59:59,039
just moved like they knew what to do, even if

1236
00:59:59,079 --> 01:00:02,039
my brain hadn't caught up. I don't remember opening the door,

1237
01:00:02,119 --> 01:00:05,599
but somehow I was outside running. Branches tore up my clothes.

1238
01:00:06,320 --> 01:00:09,519
The cold didn't even register any more. I didn't look back,

1239
01:00:09,760 --> 01:00:12,559
not once I burst into the main cabin and slammed

1240
01:00:12,559 --> 01:00:14,480
the door behind me. I didn't turn on the lights.

1241
01:00:15,239 --> 01:00:17,760
I didn't go near the windows. I just sat there

1242
01:00:17,800 --> 01:00:19,920
in the dark, knees to my chest, until the sky

1243
01:00:20,039 --> 01:00:22,920
started to lighten. At dawn, I threw everything back in

1244
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:25,440
my car and drove without stopping. I didn't care that

1245
01:00:25,480 --> 01:00:28,440
I hadn't showered, hadn't in I didn't even check the mirrors.

1246
01:00:29,159 --> 01:00:31,760
I just drove. When I got to the nearest town,

1247
01:00:31,840 --> 01:00:34,079
I stopped at a diner. I must have looked like

1248
01:00:34,199 --> 01:00:37,039
al The woman behind the counter asked if I was okay,

1249
01:00:37,199 --> 01:00:38,960
and I told her a bit, just that i'd heard

1250
01:00:39,039 --> 01:00:40,639
something in the woods, that I found a cabin that

1251
01:00:40,760 --> 01:00:44,480
wasn't on the map. Her face changed. She didn't ax shocked,

1252
01:00:45,400 --> 01:00:48,840
just tired. You're not the first, she said. That's all

1253
01:00:48,880 --> 01:00:51,559
she told me. I didn't ask for more. I didn't

1254
01:00:51,599 --> 01:00:54,840
want to know. I never went back. I never even

1255
01:00:54,880 --> 01:00:58,599
asked for a reefend. And that is the end. Thank

1256
01:00:58,679 --> 01:01:00,679
you for listening, and I will see in the next one.