The Final Toll - Day 5 #25DaysOfChristmas

Day 5: They Are Not Alone

The night was suffocating, the cold air biting through their clothes as they huddled together near the edge of the forest. The cabin stood ominous and silent behind them, its windows dark, no longer the warm and inviting sanctuary it had been just a few days ago. The sound of the wind howled through the trees, but it was the eerie tap, tap, tap—that relentless noise from the cabin—that made Megan’s skin crawl.

Tom was pacing, his breath visible in the frigid air. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, the knife he had grabbed earlier still held tightly. Lisa sat on a fallen log, trembling, her wide eyes staring blankly into the woods. Nate hadn’t said a word since they ran out of the cabin, his face pale and drawn as he leaned against a tree, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts.

“We can’t stay out here,” Tom muttered under his breath, glancing toward the darkened cabin. “It’s freezing, and whatever that thing is, it’s not going to leave us alone.”

“We can’t go back in there!” Lisa hissed, her voice cracking. “You saw it, Tom! There’s something in there—something wrong. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not human.”

Megan wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fight the growing sense of dread that gnawed at her insides. “Lisa’s right. There’s no way we’re going back in there. Not after what we saw.”

Tom stopped pacing, turning to face them. His eyes were wild, fear barely contained behind his forced calm. “So what do you suggest we do? Freeze to death out here? We don’t have anywhere else to go. The van’s back at the cabin. We’re stuck.”

Nate finally spoke, his voice hollow. “We should leave. Hike back to the village. Maybe there’s someone there who can help.”

Megan shook her head. “We’ve already been to the village. There’s no one there, Nate. It’s completely deserted.”

He pressed his hands against his face, letting out a shaky breath. “Then we’re screwed, aren’t we?”

For a moment, no one spoke. The wind rustled the trees, their bare branches creaking in the bitter cold. The sky overhead was a deep, inky black, and the only light came from the faint glow of the snow reflecting the moon. The eerie tap, tap, tap continued in the distance, a constant reminder that whatever was inside the cabin hadn’t finished with them.

“Maybe it’s testing us,” Megan said softly, her breath catching in the cold air. “Whatever it is, it’s playing with us.”

Tom narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you talking about?”

Megan swallowed, trying to find the words. “The stocking, the bell, the mistletoe... every day, it’s left us something. It’s like it’s building up to something bigger. Like it’s waiting for us to break.”

Lisa’s voice wavered as she looked up. “What if it doesn’t stop? What if... what if we’re trapped here, and this thing just keeps coming after us?”

Nate’s eyes widened with realization. “The note. The one in the store. It said, ‘Don’t look behind you.’ What if this thing is trying to mess with our heads?”

Tom’s expression hardened. “You’re saying it’s trying to scare us?”

“I’m saying it’s toying with us,” Megan said, her voice trembling. “It wants us to be afraid. And it’s working.”

The group fell silent again, the weight of their situation pressing down on them. The cabin loomed behind them, and Megan could feel the presence inside it, like a pair of unseen eyes watching their every move. She knew, deep down, that they couldn’t stay outside much longer. The cold was seeping into their bones, and the woods felt just as dangerous as the cabin now.

“We need to do something,” Lisa whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind.

Tom glanced back at the cabin, his jaw clenched. “Fine. We’ll go back in, but only to grab supplies. Enough to last until morning. Then we leave. We hike out of here, head back to town, and get help. We can’t stay here.”

Megan’s pulse quickened at the thought of going back into the cabin, but she knew Tom was right. They couldn’t stay outside in the freezing cold, not without food or proper shelter. It was suicide.

“Alright,” Megan said, her voice shaking. “But we stick together. We get in, get what we need, and get out. No one goes off alone.”

“Agreed,” Nate muttered, pulling his coat tighter around himself. “Let’s just get this over with.”

---

The cabin’s door creaked open slowly, the sound echoing through the eerily quiet space. The fire had died completely, leaving the interior dim and cold. Megan’s heart raced as they stepped inside, the warmth of the cabin doing little to ease the chill that had settled deep in her bones.

Tom was the first to move, crossing the room to the kitchen where their bags were still piled up from the day before. He grabbed a flashlight, shoving it into his coat pocket. Nate followed, retrieving his own bag from the floor, his hands shaking as he zipped it up.

Megan’s eyes flicked toward the mantel, and her stomach lurched when she saw the bell sitting there again—exactly where they had found it the first time. It gleamed in the dim light, as though it had never left.

“Guys,” she whispered, pointing toward it. “Look.”

They all turned toward the mantel, their expressions hardening. The bell was back, but no one had touched it. No one had moved it since they had seen it ringing in the kitchen earlier that night.

“Leave it,” Tom muttered, his voice tight. “We’re not messing with that thing anymore.”

But as he turned away, the bell rang.

Once.

Twice.

Megan’s breath caught in her throat as the sound echoed through the cabin, that same hollow, tinny jingle that seemed to reverberate unnaturally in the small space. She backed away, her heart pounding in her chest.

And then the door slammed shut behind them with a deafening crash.

Lisa screamed, her hands flying to her mouth as they all spun around. The door was closed, the heavy bolt drawn across it, locking them inside. Megan’s blood turned to ice as the shadows in the room seemed to shift, growing darker, deeper, as though something was moving in the darkness.

“We need to get out of here!” Lisa cried, her voice high and frantic. “It’s trapping us!”

Nate ran to the door, yanking on the bolt, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as if something was holding it in place, keeping them locked inside.

The temperature in the cabin dropped suddenly, the air growing cold and thick with an oppressive weight. Megan’s breath fogged in front of her as she stepped back, her body trembling with fear.

And then she saw it.

A shadow moved across the far wall, a figure too tall, too thin, its limbs elongated and unnatural. It moved slowly, deliberately, as though it knew they were watching. The firelight flickered wildly as the figure came into focus, its face hidden in the darkness, but Megan could feel its eyes on her.

“Tom,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “It’s here.”

Tom turned, his eyes wide as he saw the figure too. The knife in his hand shook as he took a step back, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

“What the hell is that?” Nate muttered, his voice shaking with fear.

Megan couldn’t speak. The figure stood at the edge of the room, its presence overwhelming, suffocating. It didn’t move toward them, but it didn’t need to. Its mere existence in the room was enough to send waves of terror crashing through her.

The bell rang again.

The figure shifted, its head tilting ever so slightly, as though it was listening. And then, slowly, it began to move—its long, spindly limbs dragging across the floor, the sound of its movements like nails on a chalkboard.

Lisa sobbed, backing into the corner, her hands trembling. “It’s going to kill us.”

“No,” Megan said, her voice firm despite her terror. “It’s playing with us. It wants us scared. We have to stay calm.”

But it was impossible to stay calm. The figure moved closer, its form twisting in the flickering light, like a shadow that couldn’t quite hold its shape. It was only a few feet away now, and Megan could feel the cold radiating off of it.

The bell rang again—louder this time, more insistent.

“Get out of my house!” Tom shouted, swinging the knife toward the figure. The blade cut through the air, but it passed through the shadow as if it were made of smoke.

The figure didn’t react. It just stood there, watching them, its presence filling the room with an oppressive weight.

And then, without warning, it vanished.

The room fell silent, the fire crackling weakly in the hearth. The air was still, heavy with the lingering fear of what had just happened.

“Did it... leave?” Lisa whispered, her voice trembling.

Megan didn’t know. She couldn’t feel the figure anymore, but that didn’t mean it was gone. It was watching them. Waiting.

“We need to leave,” Tom said, his voice hoarse. “We can’t stay here.”

Nate nodded, still pulling at the door. “It’s locked. Something’s holding it shut.”

Megan took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “We’ll break a window if we have to. We’re not staying here another night.”

They moved toward the nearest window, their movements quick and frantic. The wind howled outside, the snow swirling violently against the glass. Tom grabbed a chair, lifting it over his head to smash the window.

But just as he swung the chair down, the tap, tap, tap started again.

Megan froze, her breath catching in her throat. The tapping was coming from the front door this time—slow, deliberate, as though whatever was on the other side wanted them to know it was still there.

And then came the voice.

Low, guttural, and twisted, it whispered through the cracks in the door, sending a chill down Megan’s spine.

"You’re mine now."

 

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