Photography, October Scary Challenge, Movies

Cabin in the Woods

October Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Scary

Safe retreat or escape from hell?

I stumbled upon the cabin in the middle of the woods during an evening run. I was desperate for a drink of water — my bottle was empty.

The lights were on. When I approached the doorstep, I heard screaming. I put my ear against the door — I couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a child. Suddenly — the screaming stopped.

Heavy footsteps — THUD THUD THUD. Like a heavyset lumberjack wearing muddy workboots. A dog barking, then growling. The lights went out. Silence.

I was dying of thirst.

Should I knock?

The above is a vision of a scene I played out in my head when I stopped at the lake on my run — like a typical scary movie — where the main character is faced with making a sudden choice. Should she knock and quench her thirst or should she run away?

When I saw the cabin, it reminded me of the horror movies, Evil Dead and The Cabin in the Woods. I’m the person in the audience who shouts at the characters onscreen, “Don’t go in — run away!”

But they never listen.

Thank you, Mary Chang Story Writer, for the inspiration and her October “Scary Challenge” in her cool new publication, Six Word Photo Story Challenge. This story is my fourth answer to her question, “What does scared out of your wits mean?” Check out my first three “movie-theme” stories, “Left for Dead”, “Teddy Bear Trash” and “Sometimes They Come Back.”

About Emma Tiger Lee

“Scared as hell to tell.” Finding courage, self-empowerment, and healing through true stories — one story at a time.