Do Not Disturb

The small backpack sitting on the bed is filled to the brim, pulling taught at the seams, but Annabelle goes through a mental checklist of anything else she thinks she might need. She fingers through the bag and reviews everything she has already; a black flashlight, a blanket, a water bottle, and a cross. Annabelle knows that her friends will be bringing everything else they'll need but she can't rid herself of this nagging feeling that she's forgetting something. In the very back of her mind she knows she isn't forgetting anything, she simply does not want to go.

However, she'll never get the chance to admit that.

Annabelle zips the backpack and takes it off the bed to sling it over her shoulder. She sits down on the smooth wooden trunk situated at the end of her bed to lace up her boots; walking through the woods requires sturdy footwear. Once the laces are securely tied she goes to her bedroom door and cracks it open just a bit. She can see just a few feet down the hall where the alarm system hangs on the wall. The little light on the box is flashing red; her parents forgot to set the alarm.

She's about to duck her head back into her room when she hears a noise. She looks down at the floor and sees her black cat. When she makes eye contact with the cat he meows again. "Shhh," Annabelle says to the cat harshly. He meows again and his little name tag reading 'Felix' clinks as he scampers back down the hallway. She steps into her room and silently shuts the door. She can't risk making any noise and having her parents catch her. They would never allow her to go where she plans on going tonight. Just when she closes her door she sees a little bit of light come in through her window.

Annabelle swings her head around quickly and her raven black hair flies behind her. She strides across the room to her window and pulls back the sheer white curtain. She can see the headlights from the car parked in her driveway and that's her signal. She opens the window and steps out on the roof. She used to sit up here as a child in the summer and would get down by climbing down the wall. Her feet and hands easily find the footholds and she swiftly makes her way to the ground. One more scan over the house to make sure there are no lights on and she races across the lawn to meet her friends at the car.

She opens the back door and immediately hears a voice, "Hurry up get in." She climbs in and can see that it was Edith. She's sitting in the passenger seat and has turned around to face Annabelle.

"Are you guys ready?" Devin asks the three of them. He puts the car in drive and Edith sits forward in her seat.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Annabelle looks to her left and sees Cole sitting in the seat next to her. She can see worry clearly written all over his face.

"Quit being a baby. Don't you want to see if this cabin is really haunted?" Devin questions his friend but he doesn't turn around. He stays with his eyes on the road as he turns onto a back road. The light provided by the street lamps quickly fades and now the only light they have is from the dim headlights of the old car.

"I'm not being a baby," Cole rebukes, "I just don't think going to an abandoned and supposedly haunted cabin in the woods in the middle of the night is the best idea."

"It'll be fine Cole," Edith turns around in her seat again; "We're just going to hang out for a while and maybe talk to some dead old guy. Worst case scenario is that one of us comes back possessed."

"Edith!" Annabelle looks across the car at Cole. His face has gone totally pale; the color has even drained from his lips.

"What?" Edith asks innocently as she turns around in her seat once again, "I was just messing with him. You need to relax, Cole; nothing is going to happen."