Maya shivered, pulling her blanket tighter. Liam leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he shared his latest ghost story. Sophie, usually the skeptic, couldn't help but feel a prickle of unease. Ethan chuckled nervously, pretending to be unbothered by the tales.
"And that's when they realized the ghost was right behind them!" Liam exclaimed, his voice rising theatrically.
"Oh, come on, Liam," Sophie interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Ghosts aren't real."
Maya glanced towards the window, where the darkness seemed to press against the glass. Ethan shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of something unspoken settling over them.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Maya whispered, her voice barely audible over the crackling fire.
Liam's eyes widened, his bravado fading. Ethan stood up abruptly, knocking over a mug, its contents spilling across the floor.
"Who said that?" Ethan demanded, his voice laced with fear.
"It wasn't any of us," Sophie replied, her gaze fixed on the darkened corner of the room.
The friends froze, their breath caught in their throats. Maya clutched Liam's arm, her skin prickling with dread.
"We need to get out of here," Liam whispered urgently, his voice barely a breath.
Ethan reached for the door, his hands shaking, but it wouldn't budge. Sophie searched frantically for another way out, her heart pounding in her chest.
"It's locked!" Ethan cried, desperation in his voice.
Maya's eyes filled with tears, understanding dawning upon her. They were not the first to be caught in this nightmare, and they wouldn't be the last.
"We have to fight it, together," she urged, finding strength in the bond they shared.
As they stood united, the cabin's walls seemed to pulse with a life of their own, the fire casting one final blaze of light. In that moment, the friends learned a terrifying truth: some horrors are not bound by mortal laws, and some nightmares never truly end.
