• Trepidation
    By: LaLunaKaida



    “Here!” exclaimed the boy, dropping his bags wear he was standing. “This spot is perfect!”

    Corey let out a quiet chuckle, brushing a wisp of his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes. “Ok then, way to get to the point, Alex.” He said, setting his things down.

    Loralai groaned, leaning heavily against a tree. “You guys told me that we were settling down in a campsite. You know, with other people!” she waved her arms in an angry fashion, as if presenting the clearing to the two boys.

    The area was small and quiet, completely surrounded by trees. “We’re in the middle of no where!” she shouted, causing a small flock of birds to flee from their tree.

    Alex grinned, scratching the back of his head. “You were the one who said no one should trust us, Lora.” He looked up at the birds and laughed. “Aww! You scared the birdies away! Lora, you’re such a meany!”

    Lora flimsily tossed a stick at Alex, “Shut up. I hate you.” She said bitterly, plopping down next to her things. “I hate both of you.” Her citrus colored eyes fell on Corey, who was resting against a tree.

    The blonde chuckled, taking a seat in the middle of the small clearing. “Such hateful words, Lora, really.”

    The three had been close friends for years, though Loralai still claimed to hate both of them. According to her, Corey was a flirtatious idiot and Alex... Well he was just an idiot.

    For the most part, that was true. Corey had the habit of using his looks to sway the ladies. The girls always went for guys like him; Tall, sinewy, and blonde. His icy cyan eyes fit in perfectly, standing out against the dirty blonde color of his hair. He also had that irrsistable charm that fit the package. He was a classic ladies man.

    The girl rolled her eyes, flicking a stand of her raven hair over her shoulder. “That’s because I hate you. Thus the phrase: ‘I hate you’.” She replied flatly, her sarcastic personality showing more then ever. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her mobile phone. “Darn, I don’t get any service out here.”

    Corey smiled, crossing one long leg over the other. “We are in the middle of no where... according to you.” He said, absently swaying his head to the beat of the music on his iPod. “Hey, if it makes you feel better, there’s a campsite about 20 minutes from here. You can feel free to go there.”

    Loralai huffed, crossing her legs and sitting Indian style. “Pft, and leave you two alone? What kind of influence would I be if I did that? God only knows what two would get yourselves in to.”

    Alex let out a childish giggle, hopping over to Corey and nudging him. The two exchanged mischievous looks before bringing their attention back to Loralai.

    She rolled her eyes. “Very mature.” She stood up, and began to pull the camping supplies from her bag. “I hope you both get eaten by bears.”

    “Says the responsible one.” Alex jeered, crossing his arms. “I suppose she’ll just be held responsible… Teehee…”

    Loralai huffed, narrowing her emerald eyes at the two boys. “This weekend is going to suck.” She said to herself. She turned back to Alex. “Annoyance, go set up the camp.”

    Corey laughed and Alex made a face. “Make me.”

    The girl growled under her breath, walking over and smacking Alex upside the head.

    “Owie!” he cried, holding his head. “You didn’t have to smack me!” he whined, as he began to set up camp. He look up at Corey, who was a few inches taller then he was. "Corey! She smacked me!" he yelled chidishly.

    Corey stood up, stretching a bit. “After we set up camp, how do you guys feel about looking around? Exploring, ya’ know?” he finished, totally disreguarding the other boy's words.

    Loralai perked her head up. “Sure… That sounds good, I guess….” She replied absently.

    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Alex hopped up on a stump after setting up the tents. “What is this peculiar object I see?” he asked, trying to sound intelligent.

    Corey balanced himself behind Alex, peering over his shoulder. “I dunno, it looks light a cabin or something…” he chuckled quietly, glancing over at Loralai. “Maybe we’ve found your other people, Lora…” he looked back at Alex. “Shall we go investigate, Alexander?” he asked the boy, taking on an official sounding tone of voice.

    “Indeed, we shall, Corey…” Alex replied with a matching tone.

    Both boys hopped off the stump and began to walk, Lora staying planted where she was. Corey turned and stared at her for a few moments. “Aren’t you coming, Lora?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

    The girl shook her head. “The last time I followed you guys, I ended up in the middle of the woods.” She said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. “As if I would follow you to come check out some stupid cabin.”

    Before she had the chance to say another word, Corey had taken her by the hand, leading her to the small house. “Aww, c’mon, Lora, what fun could you have just sitting back here at camp?” he asked, looking back at her as he walked.

    Loralai gasped, a light blush coming to her cheeks. "The kind that doesn't involve two idiots!" she countered with a huff. She yanked her hand from him, walking past him as well as Alex, muttering to herself..

    Alex leaned over to Corey, whispering obnoxiously loud. “Oi, Corey, isn’t Loralai so adorable when she’s angry?” he asked teasingly.

    Lora frowned deeply, keeping her pace ahead of the two boys.

    The blonde chuckled, nodding slightly. “Indeed she is, Alex. It makes a blush come to my cheeks whenever I hear her yell…” the boy smiled slyly. “And you should hear her when she cusses… it’s so s-“

    Lora whipped around, her hair flying over her shoulders. “I swear, if you say another word, Corey, I will tear every single strand of hair from that empty head of yours.” She said darkly, a light pink blush settled on her cheeks.

    Corey chuckled as she continued her stop towards the cabin. Alex smiled slightly. “Dude, she’ll kill you before we even get a chance to get back to the car.”

    The blond shook his head. “Nah, she’s got a soft spot for me… If any of us are gonna get killed, it’s gonna be you, Alex.” He said with a smile.

    The brunette frowned, staring back at Lora for a few moments before resuming his march towards the cabin.

    A minute or so later, the trio reached the small house. The trees almost completely blocked the sunlight from reaching the house, save for a few stray rays of sunlight that broke through. The wood of the outside walls of the cabin was rotting, and the paint had been almost completely chipped off. All the windows were covered with pieces of plywood; glass from the broken windows lay under the them, reflecting the rare streams of light that hit them. The door was boarded up with two spare boards. A sign hung from one of the boards that read: ‘condemned’.

    “Dude, talk about creepy…” Alex muttered, his brown eyes locked on the cabin.

    Loralai frowned some. “You guys, lets go back.” She said quietly, looking a bit nervous.

    Corey took a few steps towards the house, whistling. “Lets go in.” he said, completely ignoring the girl.

    “Are you nuts?” the girl yelled, her emerald eyes widening. “That sign probably says ‘Condemned’ for a reason!”

    Corey had the bad habit of letting his curiosity get the best of him. In more then one situation, the blonde had found himself in trouble for being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. Once or twice he had even involved the authorities. This gave him somewhat of a bad reputation. That, of course, only made the girls love him more.

    Loralai grasped the boy’s forearm tightly, tugging gently. “Corey, are you listening to me?”

    The blonde blinked a few times, looking back down at her. He cocked his head to the side. “Why? I mean, obviously no one live here… and we’re miles from civilization… I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

    “Isn’t it obvious, dude? Lora’s scared.” He teased, playfully prodding her side.

    The girl huffed. “Say what you will, I don’t feel comfortable going in there…” she said, still staring up at Corey, who was quite a bit taller then she.

    Corey stayed quiet for a few moments. “Ok, Lora, we can go back.” He said calmly, turning back to their camp. “I’ll just wait until you’re all sleeping and come back.” He finished with a small shrug as he gently pulled away from her.

    The girl sighed heavy sigh, running a hand through her raven hair. She followed after him, muttering to herself.

    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Loralai tossed restlessly in her sleeping bag, not being able to find a comfortable spot. Alex’s loud snoring could be heard from the other side of the tent. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the crickets outside the tent, but found it hard to focus. The gentle sound of Corey’s steady breathing had her attention more then anything else. She figured that he was sleeping; soundly at that. She probably didn’t have to worry about him getting up in the middle of the night. But somehow, that didn’t put her at ease.

    A quiet rustling noise came from just outside the tent cause the girl’s breath to hitch. She sat up, her trembling hand reaching up and opening the flap to the tent. She took a deep breath and peeked her head out to see what the noise had been, praying that it was an animal.

    A faint light in the distance caught her eye. She watched as a shadowy figure holding what looked like a candle made it’s way to the cabin that the trio had come across earlier. The shadow faded into the figure of the cabin. ‘But I thought the door was boarded up…’ she thought to herself as she huddled back into the tent.

    She sat there and thought for a few moments, not knowing whether or not to investigate it by herself, wake one of the boy’s up, or to just forget about it completely.

    Loralai inwardly cussed at herself as she gently nudged Corey who in turn shifted a bit, rolling over to look up at her. “Loralai?” he asked quietly, reaching up and rubbing his eye. “Is something the matter?”

    The girl tried her hardest not to smile. Most other guys in his position would first yell at her before wondering what was going on. “I-I… I heard something outside the tent, and when I got up to look I saw someone going into that cabin we saw earlier…”

    Corey frowned some, sitting up. “Darn… someone beat me to it…” he said in jest. “Do you want to go look into it, Lora?” he asked, looking down at her. The girl nodded faintly.

    The blonde turned and roughly shook Alex. “Hey, Alex, Lora and I are going to go check out that cabin, keep a close watch on the tent, ok?”

    Alex, in turn, swatted at Corey. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He said, a stream of drool sliding down his jawline.

    Lora and Corey crawled out of the tent, being sure to grab a flashlight before leaving. They were walking for a few minutes before the blonde finally spoke up. “Why did you get me up? Normally you could’ve just ignored it…”

    Loralai frowned deeply, looking back up at Corey for a few moments. “Well… I…” he struggled for words. She knew that it would be the end of her if she just came out and said that she wanted to be with him. She couldn't tell him that she was scared and wanted someone to look into it with her (Preferably him). “I don’t feel comfortable knowing that there is a not-so-abandoned abandoned house just a few hundred yards away from where I’m trying to sleep.”

    Corey couldn’t help but smile. “Well then, I’m glad you woke me up.” He said quietly as they came to a stop at the cabin.

    The girl gasped, seeing the door still boarded. “I swear I saw someone walk into the house!” she whispered in a distressed manor.

    “Shh…” Corey said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry… I believe you… lets just worry about figuring out a way to get into the house for now, ok?” he asked, taking a few steps closer to the door.

    Lora followed closely behind Corey, her emerald eyes darting around.

    Corey leaned down to look at the boards, his blue eyes glancing back at Lora. “Strange, these boards look brand new.” He said to himself, idly.

    A quiet creaking noise jolted the pair. “What was that?” Loralai asked, a hint of distress in her voice.

    The blonde covered her mouth. “Shh…” he shushed her again. The creaking noise came again as the two shifted. They both looked down, the sound now coming from below them.

    They stood still for a few moments before the ground beneath them collapsed. Loralai let out a shriek as the both fell into the pit below them.

    The ground came quickly, Lora landing roughly on her back. Another loud thud came from right above her. She opened her eyes, only to have them met by Corey’s icy blue ones. He had one hand on either side of her head, obviously to stop him from falling on top of her. A few strands of his dirty blonde hair tickled her cheeks and forehead.

    The blonde smiled slyly. “Why, hello there, Loralai, fancy meeting you here.” he teased, the sweet scent of pepermint on his breath.

    Her emerald eyes widened, a deep pink blush settling on her cheeks. It took her a few moments to realize their position. “G-G-Get off me!” she exclaimed, pushing at his chest.

    Corey chuckled, standing up and extending a hand to her. “Are you ok, Loralai?”

    She nodded some, standing up without his help. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re so lucky you didn’t try anything fu-“

    “Lora, you seriously think I would try something like that with you?” Corey asked, flashing the flashlight around the room.

    The room was completely black, save for the meager light of the flashlight in Corey’s hand. The stonewalls were damp, and a faint dripping noise could be heard from the other side of the room. A few boxes and other small storage items were in the corners. A dank smell lingered in the air, causing Lora to make a face.

    Loralai frowned, knowing that he wouldn’t have done anything; especially not with her. “It looks like a basement…” she said absently.

    Corey nodded in agreement. “I agree…” he said quietly, looking around for the stairs. “Shall we go then?” he asked, looking back at her.

    Lora nodded some, still shaken from the fall. She followed after him.

    Corey began his trudge up the steps before stopping dead. Lora looked past him, trying to see what made him stop. The only sight she got was that a foot walking past the doorway.

    Loralai’s knees began to shake. “Corey… I want to get out of here…” she said with a deep frown.

    The blonde nodded. “Don’t worry, Lora… I’ll get you out of here…” he said with a reassuring smile.

    The both peeked around after reaching the top of the stair well. A floorboard creaked with every step they took. “I wonder who was up here earlier…” Lora muttered absently.

    Corey shook his head slightly, not believing that what they had seen was a person. They began walking again, peeking into every room and every hallway. The cabin somehow felt much bigger from the inside.

    The blonde stopped suddenly, causing Loralai to bump into him. “Corey…?” she looked up at him, only to be shushed again.

    A faint sound of footsteps sounded from the room at the end of the hallway. Corey’s eyes darted around as a light appeared under the door. He quickly took Loralai’s hand and pulled her into a nearby closet.

    The girl squeaked as Corey pulled her down next to him. The confined space caused the two of them to have to sit uncomfortably close. Corey’s arm was wrapped around her neck and shoulder so he could easily cover her mouth. “Shhh…” The girl wiggled around slightly, the blush rising in her cheeks.

    The footsteps grew louder as the light grew nearer and nearer to the closet. The girl tried her hardest to try and keep her calm.

    “Come out, come out wherever you are…” the voice was coming from right in front of them, through the door. The footsteps came to a rest right outside the closet, the light of a candle flickering under the door. The voice sounded strange; maybe even non-human. It echoed whithin itself, as if it were more then on person talking at once.

    Loralai’s trembling was getting worse. Corey gently wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

    The footsteps began again, walking back down the hallway. “What a shame… no company tonight…” the voice came again, followed by the sound of a door shutting. "And that girl was so cute..."

    After a few minutes, Corey stood up, quietly opening the door and helping Loralai out. “C’mon...” he whispered.

    She nodded faintly, stumbling slightly as she stood. Corey quickly led her to the nearest window. “It’s already morning…” he said to himself as he opened the window. “Here…” he said, hoisting her up to the window seal.

    Loralai jump out, landing safely on the ground. She looked up at Corey as he made his way out. The two joined hands, Corey leading her as far away from the cabin as they could before she asked him to stop. “Are you ok?” he asked, looking at her. A look of concern washed over his face as their eyes met.

    Lora nodded. “T-thank you, Corey…” she said, looking down. She suddenly missed the feel of his arms around her. “I was so scared… I can’t thank you enough…”

    Corey, as if nothing had happened, chuckle quietly. “You could do your savior a favor and give him a kiss.” He said, only half teasing.

    Unexpectedly, the girl stood up on her tiptoes and kisses the blonde on the lips.

    The blonde blinked, his cyan eyes widening a great deal. “You actually did it…” he said muttered, as if doubting what had just happened.

    Loralai smiled. “I don’t hate you… that much…” she said quietly, blushing some.

    Corey wrapped his arms around her, smiling widely. “God, I love you…” he said to himself, his words coming before his thoughts.

    The two stayed like that for what seemed like hours before a loud banging noise jolted them. The both looked back up at the house. They could hear the wheezing of the figure ringing through the hallways. Lora clinged to the blonde, suddenly going pale.

    “Lo…ra…. Lo…ra… Lo…ra…lai… Loralai…”



    The end…?