The Cabin

Chapter 31

A pungent, metallic smell filled the air.

There was blood everywhere, splattered across the walls, saturated into the carpets, streaking down the bannisters. There was blood in the shattered glass where Howie's head had been thrust through the window. His body had crumpled to the floor and that was where he lay, in a lifeless heap. Brian and Geri lay on the floor next to the couch, where Mel's body was folded over the back, a gaping wound in the back of her head. Kevin and Nick had been killed in the kitchen. Nick's throat had been slashed and he'd crumpled forward onto the table, still sitting in his chair. The knife was protruding from Kevin's chest. He had collapsed near the fridge. Both Emma and Victoria lay in their beds, their throats slit while they had been sleeping. AJ had been killed in the shower, beaten to death with the poker from the fireplace. He was bent over the tub, half in, half out. The water was still running, spattering small droplets of blood over the walls and the bathroom floor as the water hit his body.

The cabin was quiet. So quiet.

Melanie took in the carnage around her, unable to move, In her hand was the poker. She dropped it to the floor and took a step back, horrified. Her hands were dripping with blood that crept up her arms and had saturated her jeans and jumper. She whimpered, taking another step back and looking around at the bodies of her friends. She caught sight of herself in the mirror, seeing the blood spattered across her face and dripping from her hair.

"You should have listened," a whispered voice taunted from behind her. She turned to find the little boy standing in front of the door. "You shouldn't have let them take you."

"No," Melanie whimpered tearfully, wanting to run away, but not knowing where to go. Someone suddenly grabbed her hair, pulling her head back forcefully. She instinctively lifted her hands to the back of her head and grabbed the person's hand. The older boy pressed his cheek against the side of her head, his lips next to her ear.

"Go back!"

---

Melanie woke up screaming and thrashing, kicking away her blanket and the hands attempting to hold her down. She could hear people speaking around her, but couldn't make out what they were saying over her own screams. She couldn't make out who the people were, her eyes unable to adjust to the light. She didn't know if what she had just seen was real. She had no idea if her friends were dead, and at her own hands, or if it had been a horrific nightmare.

Simon and Dr. Schreiber watched from the door as two orderlies and Shirley attempted to subdue Melanie. It was the third time she had woken up in a complete state and no one was able to get her to calm down. They had tried giving her valium, but it had no effect on her, leaving them with no choice but to sedate her.

Simon watched anxiously as Melanie stopped screaming and she slowly stopped fighting against everyone as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"I don't understand what is happening," he sighed, following Dr. Schreiber into the room.

"I have no explanation for what happened during the procedure," Dr. Schreiber replied earnestly. "It was completely bizarre and there was no obvious cause. What happened is impossible. But she's lucky there was no permanent damage." Simon looked at him skeptically. Melanie was in far worse condition than she had been when she had been brought to hospital. Something had definitely changed.

They both watched as Shirley pulled Melanie's eye open to check her pupils, which were still fully dilated. They had run numerous tests and kept coming up with completely normal results. They were at a loss for the cause of Melanie's symptoms.

"We can't keep doing this to her though," Dr. Schreiber sighed tiredly, looking at Melanie as she slept. "There's nothing physically wrong with her that we can find. Perhaps this is just an extremely severe bout of PTSD and we should give her a chance to process it."