Carter and his friends made their way up to the cabin. By now, the snow was really coming down, and Carter stumbled a few times on rocks that had been completely covered. They made their way to the small porch, huddling together to keep out of the snow.

"Think anyone's home?" Danny asked.

"Uh...no," Carter said. He'd raised his hand to knock on the door, but he stopped when he saw a note that had been pinned on it:

A gift awaits those who enter here.
If you've been good, you need not fear.
But if you've been bad, beware the nightmares that appear.

"What's that mean?" Sam asked.

"It means no one's home and we're more than welcome to enter," Carter said, reaching for the handle. But Danny pulled his shoulder back before he could even try opening it.

"We can't just walk into someone's house," Danny told him.

"Why not?" Carter asked. "I mean, that note pretty much says its ok."

"How do we know that the owner put that up there? Maybe it was just some dumb kids or something."

"Who would do that? Especially all the way out here." Carter asked, gesturing to the wilderness around them.

"Well, you would," Danny said instantly.

"I didn't do it— I was with you guys the whole time," Carter said, slightly insulted.

"Yeah. I know you didn't do it," Danny snapped. "But you asked who would. I just meant that if there's anyone out here like you, they might have done it."

"Oh. Well, thanks," Carter scoffed.

Such a vote of confidence from one of his best friends. Sure, Carter pulled pranks on occasion. And yeah, he thought bending the truth was a perfectly acceptable way to conduct conversations. But did that mean he deserved such derision?

"Look," Carter sighed, "It's freezing out here. We need a place to stay. Even if this note is a joke— which, maybe it is. Would you rather freeze out here for some sort of principle? I'm sure we could just explain what happened to the owners when they get back."

"Well..." Danny said slowly. "I guess you have a point..."

"How nice do you guys think you are?" Sam cut in.

"What?" Carter blinked. What kind of question was that?

"I mean, I think I've been pretty good..." Sam said. Carter almost laughed out loud at that.

"Are you worried about whether or not you'll get a gift if we go inside?" Carter asked. He figured that note was more of a warning not to try stealing anything once they entered.

"I don't really care about a gift," Sam scoffed. Then, he added, "I was thinking more about you..."

"Well, I think I'll take my chances," Carter huffed. Did that mean neither of his friends thought he was particularly good? Well, he guessed it was better knowing that kind of thing. Still, this didn't really seem like the time for either of them to be questioning his behavior. Before either of his friends could say anything else, Carter grabbed the handle and pressed down.

The door swung open with a loud creak, and Carter stepped inside. It was dark and clearly abandoned, but it was much warmer in here. He reached over and flicked the lights on. Unsurprisingly, Danny and Sam followed him in. Carter smirked to himself. It figured; now that he'd done the initial 'questionable' deed, his friends were more than happy to follow along. But that's how it always was.

The door hadn't even been shut before Danny threw off his boots and walked across the room. He made his way straight to a small wooden table in the breakfast nook. Sitting there was a bottle of whiskey, three empty glasses conspicuously laid out next to it.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Danny grinned.

"That's not ours," Sam said automatically.

"It could be," Carter shrugged. They were already inside some stranger's house; why not treat themselves a bit? In for a penny, in for a pound.

Danny reached into his wallet and pulled two twenties out. He slapped them on the table and then started filling the glasses.

The three drank until the bottle was completely empty. Partly, they drank as a way to stay awake until the owners of this cabin could come home. But mostly, they drank because it was there and the cabin was warm and inviting. And really, what more reason did they need?

Finally, Danny set his empty glass on the table. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and then looked at his two friends.

"Alright, guys," he said, standing. "It's getting late. What do you say we try finding out how many beds are in this place?"

Carter and Sam nodded, following Danny down the hall. There were four closed doors. One led to the bathroom. The other three each led to bedrooms. Carter took the one on the right.

His room was fairly sparse. It had a bed covered in a thick-looking blue plaid blanket on the far side, an old wooden desk, and a tiny closet. But it would do for the night.

"Looks like something I would have had as a kid," he murmured as he closed the door. He got ready to settle in for the night, never realizing that it was going to be one wild ride.