10. Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
MARGERY
M argery hadn’t realized how much the cabin was surrounded by trees until she stepped outside to explore.
She had woken up pretty late this morning. The night was restful, and it felt amazing to sleep that long, especially when she didn’t have to worry about being followed or watched. She definitely felt more relaxed today than she had yesterday.
Margery was currently exploring the backyard. She wanted to be out in nature. Something she wasn’t able to do often in New York City. Everywhere she turned, it was building and buildings. Sure, they had the big parks, but it wasn’t the same.
This was so different. She was surrounded by the trees in nature. There was nobody in sight. She was all alone, and she absolutely loved it. She had already been out for several hours, walking around and looking at things.
Had she seen over a hundred leaves that were the same? Yes. Had she seen trees that were taller than an apartment building? Yes.
But she wanted to see more, even if it was the same. Margery wanted to soak up as much outdoor time as she could while she was there. Who knew when the next time she could do something like this was.
Raindrops hit her shoulder, and she cursed. Before she left to come outside, she didn’t look at the forecast—big mistake. She had just wanted to get here, but she definitely hadn’t packed the right things.
Margery started to run back toward the house as she heard lightning and thunder. She didn’t want to get caught outside in this weather. One of the trees could be struck by lightning, and she could have been hurt.
Something she didn’t want.
She giggled as she made it into the house right before it started to downpour. How had she gotten so lucky? She stared out the door as it was raining, enjoying watching it. It was one of her favorite things to do.
Sometimes, she wished she was able to sit and watch as it rained in New York City, but it always seemed like she was working and busy whenever it did. Life wasn’t always fair but right now, it was, and she planned to soak in this moment as long as possible.
“Hot chocolate,” she mumbled. “Perfect drink to watch the rain.”
Margery made her way toward the kitchen, put some milk in a pot, and started to warm it up on the stove. The cabin was so old that a lot of things hadn’t been added.
There was no microwave, no TV, not very good phone signal, there was no shower head, and Margery was pretty sure the electrical wiring hadn’t been touched in over fifty years. Lights had flickered this morning when she turned them on.
It didn’t bug her because she wasn’t here for luxury. Margery wanted to unplug and relax from everything. She needed it.
Right as she pulled the milk off the heat, the lights started to flicker. The thunder and rain was getting harder and louder with every passing minute.
Margery had a feeling the power was going to go out. Quickly, she started to look through the drawers in the kitchen, trying to find a flashlight. Her phone was almost dead, and she didn’t want to waste the battery by using flashlight. Not when she might need it to call somebody in case something happened.
She let out a little scream as the lights turned off.
“I’m okay,” she whispered to herself. “Everything is going to be okay. It’s just dark, nothing else.”
But that was when the wind started howling, the rain pelting, the loud thunder booming, and she flinched with each one. Nobody was with her, and she was afraid of the dark. She had always been afraid of the dark.
But her heart started to pick up the longer she couldn’t find the flashlight. She knew there was a flashlight in the kitchen somewhere because she had seen it earlier. But with her panic-filled brain, she couldn’t remember what drawer it was in.
Margery looked up and took a deep breath in. She would not panic over this .
Lightning struck, lighting up the whole room. Her eyes went wide as she saw an outline of somebody. She blinked and the room was dark again.
“There wasn’t anybody. You are alone,” she whispered to herself. “There’s nobody around for another mile. You’re okay.”
But the longer she thought about it, the more her mind was telling her there was somebody in the house. She could feel the hairs on her arms sticking up.
Margery opened another drawer and searched with her hand. Hopefully, she didn’t open the knife drawer and cut herself.
Lightning struck again, and she quickly looked up to see if she was imagining things or not. Screaming, she saw the person was closer.
“Just keep searching,” she mumbled. “Your mind is playing tricks on you. Nobody is standing in front of you. There’s nobody else in this house.”
The hairs on her arms and neck felt like they were standing up even further. The feeling of eyes on her made her skin crawl. Margery couldn’t invent that feeling, especially when it was in the dark. It was a distinct feeling she had only felt a handful of times in her life.
Her hand gripped the flashlight, and she quickly turned around and pressed on the button. But nothing happened.
“Come on,” she begged as she hit the flashlight. “Work for me. Please work for me.”
She suppressed the button again, and the light flickered for a couple of seconds before turning off.
“No. No. No. No. Please don’t be dead. Please.”
Panic had gripped her, and it was starting to make her hysterical. She needed this flashlight to work. She needed to calm herself down and to know that nobody else was in the house but her.
She continued to hit the flashlight and press the button desperately, hoping it would magically turn on and stay on. Much to her delight, it did.
Margery flashed the light up and screamed.