Jake, the group leader with an adventurous spirit, parked the old van beside the cabin. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he stepped out, followed by Maya, a curious artist always sketching her surroundings, Ethan, a tech enthusiast who never parted from his gadgets, Lila, a thrill-seeker with a penchant for ghost stories, and Ryan, the skeptical realist of the bunch.
"This place is perfect for a weekend getaway," Jake exclaimed, unaware of the sinister presence lurking nearby.
"I heard there's a legend about a maniac in these woods," Lila said with a mischievous grin.
"Just stories to scare kids," Ryan replied, trying to mask his unease.
A sudden thud echoed from outside, making Maya jump. Ethan laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "Probably just a raccoon," he suggested, but his eyes darted to the window.
Jake led them, his flashlight beam cutting through the darkness. "Let's check it out. It might be nothing," he said, his voice steady despite the creeping fear.
They wandered into the clearing, where the moonlight revealed something unsettling—a series of deep, deliberate axe marks on a tree. Maya gasped, clutching her sketchbook tighter.
"These are fresh," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind.
A figure emerged silently from the treeline: Riven, his face hidden beneath a hood, the moonlight glinting off the axe he carried. He moved with a predator's grace, eyes fixed on his prey.
"Run!" Ryan shouted, adrenaline surging as they turned and sprinted back to the cabin, fear clawing at their heels.
"Who was that?" Lila whispered, her voice trembling.
"He had an axe," Jake replied, urgency in his voice. "We need a plan. We can't stay here."
Just then, a window shattered, glass raining down as Elara, with eyes wild and a chilling smile, crawled through, her presence as menacing as her husband's.
Maya grabbed a poker from the fireplace, "We can't let them get us," she urged, determination in her eyes.
Ethan, frantic, searched for anything he could use, "We need to fight back," he insisted.
The night was a symphony of terror, the cabin a stage for a deadly game of survival. As Riven and Elara descended upon them, each teenager discovered the depths of their courage, fighting not just for their lives, but for each other.
