Page 6 of The Cabin-A Reverse Harem Romance
Nolan parked the truck and shook his head. “We’re not getting out of here anytime soon.”
Given the rapidly deteriorating conditions, not a one of us could really argue with him. He was right. We barely made it in as it was, and with the snow coming down even harder – not to mention the fact that the sun was going down quickly – there was no way we’d be able to see to drive in this mess now. That wasn’t even taking into account, the fact that the road conditions were just getting worse and worse.
I opened the door to the truck and was hit by an unimaginable cold with a force that nearly took my breath away. I’d never experienced anything like it. The air in my lungs froze, and it hurt to breathe. I gritted my teeth, and put my head down, but didn’t say anything. Both Sean and Nolan were used to cold like this, and I didn’t want to seem like the soft one in the group. I glanced at Chase who seemed only mildly chilly, at best, and held it together pretty well. I only hoped I was putting up a front half as good as his.
In front of us was a sign that read “Appalachia Falls Resort and Spa”.
“Sounds fancy for a place tucked away in the middle of fucking nowhere,” Sean mumbled.
I didn’t see a resort. I saw a couple cabins. That was it. A sign that read, “Guest Check-In” in pretty, flowing, cursive writing marked the main building, so I started off that direction. The others followed. We hoofed it toward the main cabin, which was completely dark, and stared into the windows. It had a sign on the front.
“Closed due to inclement weather,” Sean read aloud to us. “The fuck does that mean?”
“It means no one is home,” Chase said.
“Someone obviously is,” I said, pointing to the smoke coming from a nearby chimney. “Wanna wager a guess which cabin is theirs?”
“How can they be here if the place is closed?” Nolan asked.
“Good question. Let’s ask them,” I said.
This cabin was closest to the main building, so it really was only a few feet away. It was also the largest of the ones we could see. Only a couple smaller ones dotted the landscape around us, and they appeared as empty as the main cabin. I didn’t doubt there were others out there though. Probably spread out a bit to give people the illusion of privacy.
“Does anyone else feel like we stepped straight into the setup of a goddamn horror movie right about now?” Sean chuckled.
It might have been funny, had it not felt true. I was on edge. Not because I sensed danger to us, but something wasn’t right. I feared for Elise’s safety more than anything, and I just hoped that jackass hadn’t done anything to her. Since she was no longer answering her phone, and nobody had heard from her since that tearful call to her mom, it worried me. It worried me a hell of a lot. Also, the fact that they were apparently the only ones here and had been left all alone – and with no one else staying nearby – meant something bad could have happened to her. Something very bad – and nobody would have been around to see it or to help her.
The others seemed to be worrying about the same thing as well. No one said a word until we walked up the front steps of the cabin, and I knocked upon the door. We all stood there, our bodies tense, our faces grim, waiting, and holding our breath.
It was faint, but footsteps inside could be heard from where we were standing. It was a two-story cabin, and it sounded like someone was walking down the stairs – though, it sounded too heavy to be Elise. When the door opened, I found myself face-to-face with the man I’d met at the café that day, and he recognized me in a heartbeat as well. He frowned as his eyes moved among the group, and he stared at each of our faces.
“Is Elise around?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
Brad was shorter than all of us, by several inches. I towered over him, and yes, I used my size to my advantage, doing my best to intimidate him because I could. Petty? Maybe. But usually effective.
“She’s upstairs,” Brad said. “What’s this about?”
“We’re here to see Elise,” I said.
“May I ask why?” Brad said.
Nolan stepped forward. Leave it to him to step in and mediate any situation. Brad continued to look at us, his expression alternating between nervous and annoyed by our intrusion. There was a darkness in his face – something in his eyes, that I didn’t like. That really set the warning bells jangling in my head.
