Chapter 4 - THE CABINThe cabin looked almost unreal.
Tall pines surrounded it on every side.
There were no neighboring houses.
No traffic.
No city noise.
Just wind moving through branches and the occasional cry of an unseen bird.
For three days, Helen barely slept.
But slowly, something changed.
Sarah began laughing again.
They cooked together.
They chopped wood.
They played cards beside the fireplace.
They drank hot chocolate from chipped ceramic mugs.
For the first time in months, the silence felt peaceful.
Not dangerous.
Peaceful.
On the sixth night, a storm arrived.
Rain hammered the roof.
Wind shook the windows.
Then the lights went out.
Sarah froze.
“Mom?”
“It's okay.”
Helen grabbed a flashlight.
She checked the breaker.
Everything was still on.
Her heart sank.
“That's not good.”
“What?”
Helen looked toward the back window.
“If the breakers didn't trip…”
She didn't finish.
A sound came from the porch.
Creak.
Sarah's face went white.
Another step.
Creak.
Someone was walking outside.
Then came three slow knocks.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A man's voice followed.
“Helen.”
Her blood turned cold.
“We need to talk about Richard's debt.”
Sarah grabbed her arm.
“How did they find us?”
Helen suddenly understood.
The Volvo.
Someone had tracked the car.
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The cabin was no longer a fortress.
It was a trap.
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