Ginger Fox

"I sincerely hope that this hidden house has a TV inside or at least some scarce technology from the mansion, Jon," I smile, walking among the trees.
"I’m not sure if there’s a TV inside." Jon shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets.
As we continue forward, I look around, noticing that the house isn’t as close to the mansion as I thought. It’s quite far, to be honest, with all these tall trees making it easy for us to get lost if someone needed to find us.
"This place reminds me why I’m scared of camping." My fingers tighten around my arm as I start to feel more nervous.
"Why? It’s quiet here, I think it’s nice." He looks at me as if he’s mocking me for being such a coward.
"Well, if you ever watch *Friday the 13th*, I guarantee that a closed forest full of tall, thick trees, and eerily silent won’t seem so pleasant." I quicken my pace to keep up with Jon, who seems to enjoy walking among the trees.
"You’re exaggerating, Gim, it’s just a forest. What’s the worst that could happen?" He smiles, running ahead of me and leaving me behind.
"Jon... JONNN, don’t do this to me, you skinny idiot!" I exclaim, forcing myself to run after him.
I feel the cold wind hit my face as Jon laughs even more, clearly enjoying leaving me behind. I push myself to run faster, brushing my hair back. As quick as a flash, I catch a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of my eye, watching us. I turn my head, searching, but it’s just the trees; there’s no one there. I stop, bending over and holding my knees, feeling the air burn in my lungs. I lift my head, trying to find the figure I thought I saw, but it’s just me and the trees. Jon is no longer in my line of sight.
"JON? JON!" I shout, a mix of fear and distress in my voice. I don’t know this place; I’ve never ventured into this forest before. I’m not sure if it’s private property belonging to the Roys or open for others to walk through. "JONNN!"
I rub my chest, feeling my heart race. My legs are starting to tremble with every passing second that I can’t find him. The sound of a twig snapping makes me jump. Startled, I immediately look in the direction of the noise.
"Jon? Jon, please, I don’t like these kinds of jokes..." I hug myself, rubbing my arms and glancing around. "Jon, please."
God! I’ve watched all those stupid endings, showing how someone could die in a forest, and yet here I am, slowly walking down the trail, hugging myself tightly, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Other than my voice calling out for Jon, I don’t hear a single sound. No birds, no insects, no vibrations at all—it’s the most unnerving silence. My whole body freezes as a bad feeling washes over me, like someone’s watching me. It could just be my mind playing tricks because of the growing fear, but it’s still unsettling.
I turn my head, looking over my shoulder, but there’s no one there, just the empty trail.
"It’s just in your head, Gim," I whisper, trying to calm myself down. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, lifting my foot to walk away, but I scream, covering my face, nearly throwing my heart out of my chest when I find Jon standing just inches away from me.
"You’re too slow, Gim." Jon smiles, relaxing his shoulders as he pulls his hands out of his pants pockets.
"Oh my God! Are you trying to kill me, Jon?!" I rub my face, not at all happy with him for doing this to me right now.
"It was just a joke." I look up at him, feeling my anger soften. Jon is lost, staring at the ground, but when I look into his eyes, my fear fades, and only the affection I have for him remains.
"Just try not to give me a heart attack; I want to leave this island alive." Jon lifts his face, his blue eyes dilated, as he gives a faint smile.
"You will." He smiles, bumping my shoulder as we resume walking. "There it is."
Jon raises his finger, pointing to the end of the forest. It’s a small cabin with two glass doors and a two-step porch, near a shallow lake.
"Do you think it’s locked?" I walk with curiosity, approaching the little cabin.
"I don’t know, let me check." Jon climbs onto the porch, reaching for the door. "It’s locked."
I lift my fingers, stopping beside my face as I press it against the glass, trying to see what’s inside. It’s filled with old furniture, suitcases, and boxes.
"It’s just junk." I laugh, turning to Jon, who does the same as me, pressing his face to the glass to snoop. "Are you sure this stuff belongs to your uncle?"
It’s all so old, like it’s been here for years.
"I don’t know, but I’ve seen him coming here a few times. Look at that thing near the wall, what an ugly vase!" I look at where he’s pointing, laughing.
"Jon, that’s a spittoon, not a vase." I didn’t even know people still used those things. Who, in God’s name, keeps a spittoon?!
My eyes drift away from the old junk, and I focus on a small table. Beside it, there’s an old photo frame sitting on the wood. I try to see it more clearly, but the dusty glass isn’t helping. It looks like a couple. A man in a light suit beside a Black woman in a red dress. I press my face harder against the glass, as if I could pass through the door. It’s not Aunt Charlote in the photo, but the dress on her body still seems so familiar...
Who could that woman be?
"What are you two doing here?" I jump, startled again by Baby's angry voice as she stands near the trees, hands on her hips.
"MY GOD!" I rub my chest, knowing that if I get scared like this again, I’ll die of a heart attack.
"Do you two want that old woman to kill you for being here?!" Jon looks down, lost, glancing at me with fear of Aunt Charlote’s scolding.
"We were just walking and ended up finding the cabin. I didn’t know it belonged to Madame Roy; I thought it was Jonathan’s."
"This cabin belongs to Auntie. Roy is the last person to enter there." I turn my head, looking at the small structure.
Why did Jon say he had seen Roy going inside? And why would Jonathan be the last person to go in there?
"Come on, get out of here!" Baby turns, walking away angrily. My body shrinks just like Jon’s, feeling caught doing something very wrong, letting questions wander through my mind.
I pull him by the arm, stepping down from the porch and following a very upset Baby.

"We didn’t mean any harm; we didn’t even go inside—it’s locked," I try to ease the tension with the blonde bombshell. Her face turns toward me, exhaling sharply, and her expression softens.
"I know you didn’t. Come on, I was looking for you both to take a walk with me." She smiles, reaching out to stroke Jon’s arm, and he returns her smile.
I glance one more time at the cabin, still lost in the questions hammering in my mind.
Why would Roy be the last one to enter there?