~MOUNT. BLACKBONE, VERMONT
THE RV GLIDES THROUGH A NARROW TRAIL cut into the Forest. Massive 300m trees cover the rugged expanse and Arielle struggles to keep the vehicle on track. With the minimal slivers of light cutting through the branches, the trail resembles some otherworldly gateway.
"Here," Fallon says and Arielle halts.
The two women peer around and sight nothing but dense canopies and black dirt.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Fallon mutters. "The arrow just stopped moving."
"Alright," Arielle says and revs the engine. The RV starts forward again, slowly. She moves a little distance and just like that, the treeline disappears. Who knew the Woods could be tricky?
The full light of the Sun hits the windscreen and they shield their eyes' as Arielle maneuvers the RV into a clearing.
The two women jump down. Then almost as if emerging from the very earth, they see it.
The Cabin rises like a spire upwards from the ground. Huge wooden beams line its exterior, solid as pillars. The very impressive height of Blackbone rises behind it. As if on cue, the Sun retreats behind the mountain and all that is left is a shadowy backdrop.
"I guess we're here," Arielle mutters, moving for the house.
As they near the Cabin, it seems to grow larger. They slowly walk up the blackwood steps. The door stands at an impressive 15ft and the women turn to glance at each other.
Arielle takes a deep breath and knocks. She immediately winces.
"Are you okay?" Fallon asks, moving close to her.
"Yes, I'm fine. The door...."
Fallon caresses the wood. The wood is thick and firm in so much that it's more of burnt stone.
She raps on the door again, this time with the side of her fist. No one answers.
Arielle peers behind and spots the dusk slowly giving way to night. Her breath forms a white mist and she shivers.
Winter already coated the air.
She walks forward and puts her weight on the door, pushing in.
"We're coming in, Mr... Silver," she announces, and is met with nothing but silence.
The house is as dark as the Netherrealm.
She brings up her phone and presses light on it. White UV light immediately dispels the shadows, and the two women gasp.
The Cabin Interior is massive, in every way. Solid walls rise thirty feet into the air, and Arielle spots a staircase leading to an upper storey.
Two single beige sofas rest on the far end of the wall adjacent to the stairs. She sends her phone higher, and spots a most exquisite painting.
It's of a woman. Single word—she's a Knock-out, with flowing dark waves. The woman seems familiar..... Arielle peers closer. It's as if she's staring into a mirror.
"Hello! Anyone here?" Fallon's voice jolts her and she sighs.
"Jeez, Fall." Even her wolf is uneasy, pushing her to leave this straight-out-of-Goosebumps habitation. She shuns her.
They ascend the stairs, and an even colder wind hits them. Her teeth rattles. Christ! How does the man live in such a place? The storey opens to a single dark hallway.
Arielle gulps.
"Arielle, are you sure we should?" Fallon whispers behind her. But Arielle doesn't stop walking. She's too damn close to turn away. With only her flashlight as a guide, she creeps down the hallway.
She walks past a couple of gloomy doors but none of them sing to her until she approaches the last. It terrifies her in its appeal. She knows this is it.
The door is different. In color. In texture. It's Red. Red like drops of blood.
Her hand stretches, reaching for the knob. An inch to go, she smells him. Before she hears his growl.
"Ar...Arielle?" Fallon whimpers.
Arielle turns and her blood runs cold.
It's him. The real him.
Slick white fur rises and falls on his bulk as he pins them with deadly slate-gray eyes. His stance is feral. His huge canines spread wide. Low growls emanate from deep in his throat.
The Silver wolf stands at the other end of the hallway, but she can tell. He's about the largest a wolf can get before it borders on beast.
There is a second where nothing moves nor speaks. Only a growling sound and their pounding hearts.
The next though is a blur. A flash of white. A swift breezing sound. A loud Whoosh, and she's in the air, in free fall towards the ground.