"Well, we've tried everything." Jenny frowned as she stared at the inactive screen of her laptop. She pressed a few buttons in frustration.
"Yeah, that Wally guy won't help us either. He sounded kind of upset that we even asked." Cletus leaned back in the passenger seat of their rental car.
"We'll have to think of another way to get more information on what happened in that cabin." Jenny shut her laptop and pulled out her phone.
"Are we really going to spend another night in the car?" Cletus groaned. "I never signed up to spend the night outside like we've been doing. I'm not some boy scout you know."
"Oh stop complaining. It's not like there are bears or wolves out here."
"Are you sure about that?" Cletus asked.
"I don't think there are any bears or wolves. I could be wrong but let's hope not."
Cletus closed his eyes. "There's nothing creepier than being out in the woods alone."
"We're not alone. We have technology to save us."
"I don't know about you but I don't remember technology ever being able to fight off a crazed maniac. Are you sure you don't want to call it a night and head back?"
Jenny shook her head. "No. We're going to get a story on this cabin even if it kills us."
"Please don't group me into that statement. I want nothing to do with this story if it means dying."
"Think about it Cletus...why is there so much mystery surrounding this cabin? That Maria woman said it was haunted. Who is it being haunted by? An evil spirit? A poltergeist?"
"I can't believe that you believe in ghosts."
"You say it with such criticism. For your information, Cletus, I do believe in ghosts. I also believe in Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster. Why? Because I know that if they do exist, I'll be proving it in a story one day."
Cletus laughed. "So what are we going to do while we wait on a lead?"
"Who said anything about waiting? As soon as it's late enough, I plan on sneaking into that cabin."
"You've lost your mind." Cletus leaned over and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. "No, you don't have a fever so this must be a total psychological problem."
"Oh, stop. It's not like we have much choice. The sheriff practically ran us out of town and we couldn't find that Maria woman because her husband or whatever he is was so ticked that she let us overhear her in the first place. Why they get so protective about this cabin is beyond me."
"Clearly not. It's not beyond enough to make you give up this story," Cletus whispered angrily.
"Never," Jenny confirmed before checking the time on her cell phone. "I can't even get a signal out here. Can you?"
"Not at the moment. I think it depends on the spot we're at." He was looking out the window now, his hands up against the glass.
"Cletus?"
"What?"
"Are you scared?" Jenny asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Aren't you?"
Jenny laughed. "No. Why would I be?"
"Because there might be evil ghosts out here. I don't know if you've ever watched a horror movie involving ghosts before but they never end well. Never! People always die in those movies. The evil spirits or demons or whatever kill them!"
"You're such a baby." Jenny giggled. "A ghost has no reason to come after us. Evil or not."
Cletus jutted his chin out. "What if you're wrong? What if it gets mad that we're digging into its past?"
"Like it would care about something like that. Ghosts are dead, Cletus. They don't care."
"Fine," Cletus said. "But if an evil-ass ghost comes after us, I'm telling it to take you first."
Jenny just laughed.
"Another thing I hate about staying out like this is not having a bathroom," Cletus whined.
"I'm the one who should be complaining, not you." Jenny rolled her eyes. "Just go use a tree or something."
"Easy for you to say." Cletus opened the car door and popped his head through the window. "If I'm not back in five minutes, the wolves ate me."
"Right. I'll be sure to have that engraved on your headstone," Jenny quipped.
"You're the sweetest reporter I've ever worked with. You know that?" Cletus said sarcastically. "I'm not kidding about evil spirits. They might not want you digging into their past. The living hate it but that doesn't mean the dead won't mind. Are you willing to die for this story?" Cletus asked before looking around, making the sign of the cross, and moving towards a patch of trees.
Jenny opened up her laptop again and began pulling up information on Dalton Carter, Alex's father, hoping it would bring any leads.
A tapping sound on the passenger's side of the car caused her to be still. She looked to her right but no one was there.
She continued typing away at her laptop when she noticed ten minutes had passed.
"Where is this guy?" she asked referring to Cletus. She tried calling him and cursed when she heard the buzzing of his cell phone in the car. "Who leaves their cell phone behind when they go out into the woods by themselves?"
She pushed open her door and called out, "Cletus?"
The wind picked up her soft call and Jenny felt herself trying to yell even louder. "Cletus!"
Jenny headed towards where Cletus had gone. She looked around the wooded area. "I better not catch you jacking off!"
She took a few short steps towards the trees Cletus had walked to moments before. "Cletus? If you're trying to be funny...you're not. This isn't funny!"
A loud caw from above caused her to jump. She could hear the crickets and an odd owl here and there but no Cletus. After what felt like a lifetime to Jenny, she decided to give up searching for him. He was probably playing a trick on her.
"Dammit Cletus, where are you?" she took a few more steps forward and looked around but didn't see her partner in news-reporting crime. "Fine, I'll wait for you in the car but if you take forever to come back, I'm leaving your ass!"
She headed back to the car, the moonlight guiding her way. She noticed Cletus in the passenger seat and fumed. "He was here the entire time?"
She pulled open the door and got into the vehicle, staring at Cletus who had his eyes shut and was again sleeping, "I'll have you know that I was out there in the middle of nowhere looking for you! Did you think it was funny to scare me like that? Because it wasn't. It wasn't funny at all. You owe me an apology, Cletus."
She was yelling but he wasn't responding. Jenny's brows knitted together as she flipped on the interior light of the rental and frowned. "Are you pretending not to hear me? Cletus?"
She lightly pushed against his shoulder to awaken him but he continued to feign sleep.
"Listen to me, Cletus." She shoved hard at him this time and he toppled forward causing Jenny to scream.
There was blood on the headrest where his head had just been laying.
"Cletus?" Jenny sucked in her breath as she realized the back of his head was matted with blood and hair.
She tried to dial 911 on her cell phone but something wrapped itself around her neck, suffocating her. She remembered Cletus' last words to her.
"Are you willing to die for this story?"
Willing or not, the choice had been made for her.