The Cabin (Book)

## Introduction

*Thump. Thump. Thump.* Shoes hit wood planks on the floor at a quick pace. *Thump. Thump. Thump.* It grew colder. *Thump. Thump. Thump.* And then, darkness took hold. Latching onto me with a grip as fierce as death itself. But it wasn’t death, no. What was it…

## Chapter One

I gasped, shooting up. I was lying on the…why was I on the floor? Better yet, where was I? A strange cabin, the floors were hardwood, cold as ice. I stood shakily, my knees felt weak. I leaned against a wall for support, how did I get here? There weren’t any lights, no windows, yet it was bright in the room, that was odd. There were a few chairs and blankets, but other than that the room was really bare. How did I get here? I couldn’t remember. I didn’t usually have a bad memory. Or did I? My memories were slipping away, faster than I could comprehend. I couldn’t keep hold of them. Within a minute, all I knew was that my name was Allie. I wasn’t sure of anything else.

I sighed, my legs were finally steady enough that I could stand without the support of the wall. I looked around, there was a doorway to another room. I could see a few utensils, it was a kitchen. I couldn’t see any food, though. I wasn’t sure why I was in here, this didn’t feel right. It didn’t really feel like my home…but I couldn’t be sure anymore.

I walked to the entrance between what I guessed were the kitchen and the living room, where I was standing now. I still didn’t see any food, though. I sighed, I was kind of hungry. I found a fridge, that was it! Of course you wouldn’t leave food just out, it would be in the *fridge*. I pulled on the handle, and it opened. But instead, I found rotting fruit. I gagged, slamming the door shut; the smell was atrocious. Atrocious...was I using that word right? Yes, I was.

Hunger rumbled my stomach, I frowned. I couldn’t find any more food, so I gave up on that idea. How did I get here? I wandered slowly through the cabin; I found three bedrooms, what looked like a craft room, and a bathroom, but none of the doors led outside. And there were no windows, no candles, no lightbulbs. But it was so…bright.  How did it get here? How did I get here? I had shoes, that was good. I think. Yes, if there was anything sharp, I wouldn’t get hurt. I think. I would be safe. I think. But did I really know anything anymore? I think.

I sighed, this was hopeless. I was hopeless. I think. UGGGGGHHHHHH. There had to be some way out of here, to home. But…where was home? I searched through all the dressers and nightstands in the bedrooms, the cupboards in the kitchen (where I only found a few crumbs and some flies), and in the cupboards in the bathroom. It was only when I checked in the drawer under the sink counter where I found something useful, or really, something at all.

It was a green, faded sticky note, written in pencil. It said: *Your name is Allie Carter. You are 15. I don’t have much time to write this. Find the way out of there, run! It’s*

That was where the pencil trailed off into a sharp, ragged line. It’s…what? I must have written it, but maybe it was someone who knew me. I couldn’t remember anyone that I could possibly know except…me. So, I had that much, My name was Allie Carter, and I was fifteen years old. I frowned, there was a small arrow above the writing, pointing to the mirror…what was that about? How did I get here?

I looked at the mirror, and suddenly something struck my brain. Somehow, I remembered something I heard once; from someone who I had no clue about. Maybe I found it out myself. But it was this trick, where if you put your fingernail against a mirror, and there’s a gap, then it was a mirror, but if there wasn't then it was a one-way mirror. It was such a strange, random thought, I decided to try it.

I decided to use my right index finger, pressing the tip of my nail against the mirror. And...there was no gap. It wasn’t a mirror! I frowned, why would that be there? I couldn’t find a gap that could lead me to the other side, even after prying at it for at least five minutes. Or maybe it wasn’t that long…I had no clocks, I had no idea what time it was. I frowned, deciding to go back to where I had first woken up. The floors were *freezing*. I sighed, sitting on one of the chairs. It looked squishy, but it was hard as a rock.

I looked at the…coffee table? Whatever table that was in the middle of the room. There was a plate of food on it. *Sandwiches!* I leaped to my feet, grabbed one, and shoved it in my mouth. There were about four, and I think I ate them in like two minutes. Not feeling hungry anymore, I slumped back on the chair to think of a way out. There had to be one. How did I get here?

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

I woke up to total darkness; when had I fallen asleep? I didn’t remember going to sleep…I had been…what had I been doing? Right, I was eating sandwiches. Then, I was trying to think up a way out of the cabin. The cabin! I frowned, standing up. That plate was gone, had I gotten rid of it? No…but there was a note on the table. I picked it up, looking at it. Left. Forward. Right. Open the door.

I knew I couldn’t have written this, but I was alone, so who did? There was a hallway to the left of the chair I was sitting on, was that what the note meant? I decided to just follow the directions, after all, what harm could that do?

## Chapter Two

I had followed the directions to a door that suddenly cut off the hallway. So, I did as anyone would do in my situation (I think), and I turned the door handle to open the door. But it was locked, I had no way inside. The note said to open the door, but what was I supposed to do? I jiggled the door handle again, pushing against the wood with my shoulder. The metal of the handle was as cold as cold could be, and I wanted to pull back, but I couldn’t. I don’t know what it was, but I *had* to open that door.

I pushed, and I pushed, and it finally gave. The door gave with such lightness that my force caused me to fall forward through the doorway and on my face. I groaned, sitting up and rubbing my cheek, which I had just landed on with an incredible force. I stood, the floors felt different. I looked down and realized they were a white, pristine marble. They didn’t match the cabin, but…the room didn’t look like the cabin either. The door swung shut behind me, and I could hear the lock click. Was that just my imagination? It had to be. It closed because of…wind? Yeah, wind. And I was only imagining hearing the lock, so it was fine. What I wanted to pay attention to was the room that was in front of me.

There were glistening floors that seemed to be made from marble, with simple white walls. I stepped forward, and something clicked. I felt a pinch in my shoulder, but before I could look to see what it was, I had dropped to the floor, unconscious.

I swam in and out of consciousness after that, and I kept hearing split chunks of conversation.

“-Going well-”

“-Holding up for such rigorous testing-”

“-Might not make-”

“-So sad…-”

I woke up for good, when I was sure was a long time later. It felt like I was in a weird, stiff bed. I felt a thin blanket over me, and a weight to the left corner. A prick stung my arm, which made me shoot up and jerk my arm back.

“Ow!” I exclaimed, to find that weight I felt was a woman, sitting on the bed, holding a needle, “Who are you? What was that for?” I demanded.

“Shh, now. It’s alright. I’m here to help you. Just relax, lay back down and rest.”

Hesitantly, I did, and she stood up, walking over to me. She pressed a cool cloth against my forehead, then put it away. She sighed, frowning at me, “Allie Carter, it’s a wonder the damage isn’t worse.”

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘isn’t worse’?” I looked at her and cried out, “What damage?”

But she responded with something anything but helpful, “Hush, now. It’s alright. Just lay down here and rest. You have a wonderful view.”

The woman left, and I sat up again, even more confused. Something didn’t feel right, but I decided to just ignore it for a moment. What did she mean when she said I had a wonderful view? I slipped out from under the blanket, standing. I still had my shoes on, so my feet made a bit of noise as I walked towards the only window in the room. It looked so beautiful outside; dark green trees, dense greenery, birds, a drizzle of rain. It was so perfect. I longed to be out there, I felt it in my heart; yet I’m not sure why.

The door clicked open, and I jumped, whipping around. Someone in a long, white coat, carrying a needle filled with some sort of purple liquid walked into the room. They looked at me, they seemed glad I was here. Why wouldn’t I be? I frowned slightly, something about them made me feel weird. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I didn’t trust them.

“Good afternoon, Allie. If you would please sit back down, I believe you should rest a bit longer. I will just give you this and then-”

My instincts kicked in, I threw open the window and jumped out of it, sprinting into the woods. I wondered why, but didn’t stop running. Something in my head told me if I listened to her, I would be in danger. So I didn’t stop running until I was so far my lungs hurt. I stopped, leaning against a tree. My legs were shaking, already sore. I was sweaty, in pain, on high alert, and anxious. What about her made me want to run? I wanted to scream. I needed answers. *Something!* I frowned.

I heard a rustle in the bushes, and I swear I jumped five feet up, though that might not be true. I couldn’t see anything, it must have been a squirrel. Then, I heard a voice. *That* voice. *HER* voice!

“You should have run farther,” And then, I fell unconscious.

## Chapter Three

I woke up, sitting slowly. The floor was so cold…but why was I on the floor? I looked around, where was I? It looked like a cabin, rather plain, with a few chairs and blankets. There were no windows, no lights, not even any candles, and yet the place was bright. I stood shakily, using the wall to support myself on the way up. I groaned, I couldn’t remember anything. Not like I forgot a few things, the only thing I remembered was that my name was Allie.

I saw through the doorway I was right in front of, the next room was a kitchen. There was a bathroom on my right, so I looked around in it. I heard a faint voice, it could have been my imagination, but I swear it said, “Trial number two, officially in commence.” It must have been my imagination, that made zero sense. Something flooded my brain, making me grip the counter. A strong, panicked memory. It was me…jumping through a window, running through the woods. I was running from someone. Who was it? *IT WAS HER! THEY STUCK ME BACK IN HERE!*

A weird smoke poured from somewhere I couldn’t see, filling the room, and I once again fell into darkness.