Chapter 6 - The Third Cabin
It took almost two days.
By the time we reached the marked location, I could barely feel my feet.
Then the forest opened.
A cabin.
Small.
Old.
Hidden among trees.
I approached cautiously.
The door was unlocked.
Inside were canned food, bottled water, blankets, medical supplies—
and photographs.
Dozens.
My family.
Claire.
Me.
Noah.
Some were ordinary.
Others had been taken without our knowledge.
Claire leaving work.
My father entering a bank.
Melissa meeting an unidentified man.
Me dropping Noah at school.
Someone had been watching us.
Then I found a photograph taken after Claire died.
My father handing an envelope to Troy.
Written on the back:
MERCER / PHASE 2
Noah stood beside me.
“Dad…”
On a table was a battery-powered radio.
I switched it on.
Static.
Then a voice.
“…search operations remain suspended…”
I adjusted the frequency.
“…father and son presumed…”
Static swallowed the sentence.
I stared at the radio.
Presumed what?
Dead?
Missing?
Then someone stepped on the porch outside.
A floorboard creaked.
May you like
I grabbed Noah and moved him behind me.
The doorknob slowly turned.
