Short Thriller Stories

2. Wedding

Ben and Amanda were newlyweds. They had just gotten married and were staying in a chalet high in the mountains. It was snowing outside, and as they drove through the snow capped mountains, they couldn't help but feel excited. The perfect way to celebrate their wedding. Or so they thought...

When they pulled up at the chalet near the brightly lit road, a woman opened the door. She looked to be in her mid-forties, and came out to greet them. She introduced herself and motioned for them to come in.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Sinclair, but you can call me Hana. I'm the owner of the chalet. Come inside. I'll give you a tour." Amanda and Ben followed her inside, along with their dog, Max. They liked the chalet, even if it was just for a night. It was their home away from home. For now. 

Hana showed them their room. It had a king sized bed and a beautiful view of the window. They could see the snowy mountains in the distance and pine trees that doted the landscape. At first, everything was fine. Normal. They had a romantic candlelit dinner, but at around 3:30, they began to hear strange sounds, almost like a door slamming, scratching sounds, even what they thought was a pair of footsteps. They decided to go downstairs and see where it was coming from. Amanda turned on the light, but there was nothing there. All of a sudden, the room grew quiet. The noises stopped. Maybe it was just a dream?...

The next morning, they woke up and saw Hana in the kitchen, making breakfast. 

"Good morning. Did you guys sleep well?"

"Yeah." Amanda said, hesitantly. "We did hear some weird noises, though. Almost like scratching."

"Well, this is an old house. It was probably just the wind or the wood creaking."

"Yeah, you're right. It was probably just nothing."

Ben and Amanda sat down, and after breakfast, they noticed that Max was missing. They hadn't seen him all morning, and they became increasingly worried. They looked around the whole chalet, but they couldn't find him. 

"Ms. Sinclair--Hana? Have you seen Max? He's our dog and we can't find him anywhere." Ben asked, a growing expression of concern on his face. 

"Your dog? No, sorry. I haven't seen him."

"Oh. Well if you do, let us know."

"I will..."

Later, Hana went outside to do some gardening. Amanda and Ben stayed inside and tried to process everything. 

"I'm really worried about Max. He wouldn't run off like this."

"We'll find him. He probably just got lost in the woods. Speaking of things disappearing, I can't find my phone."

"You know, Hana seems a little suspicious. Always snooping around, wanting to know what we're doing. The other day, I found her earring in my room, the one she always wears. Maybe it was her who made those sounds. She probably took your phone, too."

"You know what? Let's search her room. She won't know."

They entered Hana's room and started looking for Ben's phone, or any other clue. Amanda was walking around, trying to find something, when she noticed something on the floor, under the carpet. They lifted up the tarp and found a trapdoor. What was she hiding? They opened the hatch and went down the stairs, not knowing what they would find. The cellar was so dark, they couldn't see a thing. They lit a torch and ventured futher down. This was supposed to be the best night of their lives, but all they wanted to do in that moment was leave. But they had to find out her secret. A nauseating smell penetrated the air. They turned on the light, and what they saw completely horrified them. 

They saw bags filled with blood and dead bodies. A cold shiver ran down their spines. They were her victims. People who had also come here to celebrate, but never made it out alive. And they were next. On the table, they saw Max dead, and a bunch of surgical tools used to dismember him. They were horrifed. Amanda screamed and started to cry, and Ben was terrified. They were about to turn back, when the door slammed shut behind them. 

"Where do you think you're going..." a voice said to them. 

They turned around, petrified, and they saw her. Hana, just standing there, a menacing look on her face. Her silhouette took shape in the doorframe. They saw her for who she really was. She was holding a knife, and was going to kill them. 

"Hana...don't do this. Please. We won't tell anyone."

"It's too late for that, Amanda. You see, I knew you were coming from the start. I had to get everything ready for you. I wasn't planning to kill you, but you figured me out. You discovered my little secret."

"Hana, please. I'm sorry. It was all my fault. Just let us go and you won't ever see us again."

But it was too late. She plunged the kife into Ben's chest. He fell to the floor, dead. Amanda was next. She grabbed an ax on the table and tried to break down the door, but it was no use. Hana stabbed Amanda too, and soon, she was dead. 

Hana disposed of their bodies just like she did with her other victims. No one ever knew what happened to them. They just assumed they had gone on a permanent vacation. Hana cleaned everything up and went back to the chalet, waiting for her next victims.