I didn’t think that we were going to stop in the town, but in a way I was hoping, I needed to see other people. 

I don’t even remember seeing anyone in the gas station.

God I was really freaking myself out more and more… but I couldn’t help it. What happened to me at the gas station was freaky, but I had already classified it as a haunted experience. The gas station was haunted, and it picks random people that go in there and freaks them out… 

It might not be right, but it was the only semi-logical thing I could conjure up. 

Then we began to approach the tiny town, it looked almost deserted, but it was still a town. Hopefully, I was praying there were people in that town as well… maybe give me some reassurance that we weren’t the only people on Earth. 

Kate looked at me, seeing my eyes studying the town and she sighed, “Do you want to stop and piss again or something?”

My eyes looked at her, she sounded a little snappy, but she was still a little ticked off by the driver so I didn’t pay it much mind. 

Then Kate’s phone rang, and it was NATHAN! I sighed, “Your boo thing is calling.”

She groaned, “Now what…?” she picked it up and slid her finger across the screen, “What Nathan?” She paused for a second and I studied her features, and she turned to annoyed quickly. “Fine, ok, yea I need to ask for directions anyway.”

Then she clicked off the phone and she sighed, “Nathan and them are having car trouble, we need to pull over.”

I smiled, thank God, maybe the people would tell us that it’s such a lovely cabin and the town would be almost right next to it. The people would be all insane, they would all have two eyes and all their teeth, and not be like the ones on the scary movies that Kate always made me watch.

We exited off, and the tiny town grew a little bigger, it was really nothing. I saw a diner, some houses, and a couple trucks, but other then that… there was really nothing. 

Jeez, what did people do in this town?

We pulled over to a mechanic shop that I had missed when I scanned the town, and I started to get a bad feeling. Why were we running into so many troubles on the way here? The gas tank miraculously going empty? The car trouble?

And now this town?

I was starting to think these were all bad omens, something that was trying to tell us that it wasn’t a good idea. 

Then I remembered to check my phone. 

I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing one bar of reception on my phone. I cursed, we were in the middle of nowhere, and one of my biggest fears were coming true. 

Also, we weren’t even at the cabin yet, so no telling.

We would most likely be all the way in the woods, surrounded by nothing but wild animals and fucking trees. 

No reception at all. 

It reminded me of the scary movies, how at the dire need of a cell phone, there was absolutely no reception. Maybe that was going to be my first thing to do when I got there, walk around and find the best place in case of an emergency. 

Then maybe skinny dip in the lake with Allison.

Oh God did I really think that?

I glanced in the mirror and caught Allison’s gaze, and her features almost seemed like she knew exactly what I had thought. I smiled shyly, but I knew my face was flushed from the thought, and I pulled my eyes away from her. 

Me, Kate, and Allison exited the car and walked over to Nathan, who was currently popping the hood on his truck. A cloud of smoke surrounded us and I coughed, “Jeez, what the fuck did you do to your car Nathan?”

He groaned, “Nothing… I don’t even understand why it’s doing this.”

Then I felt a presence behind me, I turned, seeing a man with a squinted right eye and a scruffy beard. I jumped back, and he spoke, “You kids need somethin’?”

His voice was a little creepy, and he was old, maybe in his mid 60’s, and Nathan turned around, “Uh, yea, my truck… we were on our way up and it just started smoking a lot…”

I stepped away from Nathan, Kate, and the creepy old man, Allison following me. I looked around, maybe there were other people inside, so I made my way towards the door. Allison pulled on my arm, “Where you going?”

I turned back, seeing worry in her eyes, was she creeped out to? I shrugged, “Just wanna make sure there’s other people besides us and the creepy old man.”

She sighed, following behind me, still no apology… 

I opened the door, a bell ringing slightly above me, indicating that someone was here. There was no one at the front counter, maybe the old man worked here alone. I mean, it’s not like he could be that busy, there was absolutely no one to help anyway, this town was just so small.

There was a coke machine in the corner, a bathroom, and the chilling memory came to mind. Nope, I was just going to hold it until we got to the cabin… no more public bathrooms for the rest of my life. 

I walked around, then I heard a noise, and I jumped. Allison must’ve been startled to because her hand found mine, and I felt my face redden. I looked at her, she mumbled, “Sorry…”

Then let go of me. 

I sighed, feeling my heart rate pick up. I walked slowly around the back, I wanted to know who was there, and if they knew where we were going, because I had no fucking idea whatsoever. 

Then a woman popped out of a tiny room, I let out a small yelp and jumped back into Allison. She was tiny, maybe around the same age as the old man helping Nathan and Kate outside, and she smiled, unlike the old man. 

“You kids need some help er’ what?”

I sighed, feeling a little relieved, the old woman was nice, and I was grateful, “Um, no, we just had some car trouble… but I was wondering if you can give us some directions.”

She nodded, leaning on the counter, looking a little winded from whatever she was doing, “Sure, where y’all headed to?”

Then I remembered, Kate never told me exactly where we were going, and I looked at Allison, “Do you know the name of the cabin?”

Allison faltered for a second, and then it clicked, “Oh yea! Um, I think it’s… Malum Lake Cabin?”

Malum. 

The woman’s eyes grew, they were filled with worry, and that was enough to send me packing my shit and getting the hall way from here. Hell no, I wanted to go home, the mirror in the gas station….

That’s what was written on it. Malum. 

No way… no fucking way in hell.

I almost died in that bathroom! There had to be a connection…

The old woman finally spoke, “Why er’ y’all heading there?”

Allison didn’t seem to see the worry and spoke nonchalantly, “We’re spending the weekend… just a little get away.”

The old woman noticed my worried brow, but realized I was the only one that seemed to put two and two together. Allison got bored and walked over to the coke machine, and the woman leaned in, “Have you heard the stories?”

My heart picked up, and my face grew hot, “No… what stories?”

“They’re mostly myths, but it’s said to be haunted, cursed even… I don’t know if it’s true er’ not but…”

She trailed off, not finishing what she was about to say. Then Kate bursts through the door, “C’mon you guys, we need to get going.”

My eyes met with the old woman’s, she had worry and sympathy written all over her face… 

Then Kate pulled on my arm, “Come. On. Brooklyn.”

Then the old woman disappeared as I was pulled outside, into Kate’s car, and we started down a little road. That road was connected to a gravel road, and then that road led to a dirt road, and then finally, after fifteen more minutes, we were staring at the cabin. 

It didn’t look haunted, or cursed, it was actually really nice, really well built, it was even two stories. 

It had a balcony, it looked like a cabin someone could actually live in to be honest. The lake was almost right next to it, maybe twenty yards from it, but that didn’t mean I was still terrified to actually step foot in it. 

Then I realized I was the only one still in the car. 

Kate sounded, “Brooklyn, get your ass out the car and help, you better hurry if you want a good room.”

I clenched my jaw, I didn’t want a room, I didn’t want to help unpack. 

I wanted to turn this car back on and head back to my house, and never look at this cabin again. 

But majority rules, and it was one against five. 

I was stuck here until Monday morning.