Red Herring ✔️

20. Cabins, Cobwebs, and Cadavers

The door swung open on rusty hinges. The smell of damp wood and moldy walls greeted them on the other side of the threshold. Unsure of what lie on the inside, Christian slowly and cautiously entered the cabin at 500 Hemingway Lane.

Acting as his shadow, Mazie clung to his back, creeping into the cabin behind him.

There were no lights, or electricity, for that matter. This cabin probably existed longer than Mazie had been alive. It smelled like it too. The walls were erected in one single layer, no insulation or drywall. There were holes in the wood floors that peaked through to the ground. Even though the cabin blocked the wind, it was no warmer than the outside.

Her gaze followed the arc of light, sweeping from left to right. Both of them found their bearings inside, figuring out their surroundings.

The space was void of furniture, and instead, was cluttered with soiled boxes, leftover belongings, and forgotten household items that were poorly protected by black and blue tarps weighted down by other boxes or chunky textured rocks. Some of the piles towered over her head and tilted threateningly like the Tower of Piazza.

"Storage unit," Christian mumbled under his breath.

"Think there's any animals in here?" She asked, half joking half not.

Christian kicked a sturdy box. "Definitely."

She didn't hear any scurrying four legged animals but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't there. Maybe they just hadn't disturbed them yet. After all, the humans were the intruders at this derelict location, not the other way around.

"Got your phone?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yeah."

"Use your flashlight. Take a look around. I'm gonna look outside."

She didn't want to be left alone but she sucked it up and just nodded. Before he departed, Mazie took out her phone to light her path. He scooted past her, barely touching, and descended the steps. The night swallowed him up immediately.

With gloved fingers, Mazie lifted tarps and opened boxes. Nothing seemed worth investigating.

All of her senses heightened in the ominous darkness. Even though Christian didn't venture far and she knew he would come running if she yelled, the current circumstances still made her heart race and the hairs on the back of her neck to prick at any little noise or disturbance.

Watching her step, Mazie shined the light to illuminate the walls. She also was afraid of tripping on an exposed nail or falling through a hole, so she frequently glanced down at the ground. She shuffled through the disorganized mess, nudging things out of the way with her feet.

Mazie circled around the cabin, breathing slowly to calm herself down and to stop her hands from shaking. She listened closely for pests and Christian's return as she lifted a tarp from covering an antique kitchen table with two chairs stored away underneath and two stacked on top of the table. Having found nothing interesting, Mazie laid the tarp down and kept moving.

She was really hoping to find something here that would tell them who owned the property. It would make their life a lot easier and more simple if they didn't have to go hunting online for it. As of right now, it seemed like a dead end.

As a cold draft swept over her body from the open door, Mazie ducked her head into her scarf and shifted away from the doorway to avoid the breeze. Outside, Christian's flashlight briefly flitted through the cabin from the window directly across from the door.

Mazie noticed the large dusty painting hung on the wall beside the window. As she drew closer, she angled the light on her phone to properly illuminate the framed painting. Leaning over a stack of boxes, Mazie swiped her hand through the dust to clean the glass.