Maya’s POV
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LOVE ISLAND RESORT UP AHEAD-Open since 2013.
The old billboard flickered as we sped down the isolated highway.
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“Chase, I need to pee,” Emma groaned for the third time now.
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“I need to stretch my legs” Ty grumbled trying to stretch but hit his head on the cupboard above him. “Ow.”
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“We passed a gas station twenty minutes ago, You could've just stopped.” Lila snapped.
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“Please,” Emma muttered weakly. “My bladder is about to explode.”
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“Guys, chill,” Chase said, his eyes locked on the road. “We’re almost there. You can all pee when we get to the resort.”
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“Chaseeee, it’s been hours,” I cried out, leaning against the window, watching the trees blur.
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“Babe, we’ve been sitting for three hours,” Riley added, rubbing her neck. “Pull over before my spine dies.”
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“Okay, okay,” Chase finally gave in. “ I'll stop at the next convenience store.”
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As if on cue, Emma pointed out the window.
“There!!!” She yelled pointing towards a dimly lit convenience store sign.
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Chase sighed pulling into the parking lot beside an old, rusting pickup truck.
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“Alright,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelts. “Tyler, Maya…you two come with me.” He announced as we stepped down.
“Everyone else do whatever you wanna, go pee or stretch, whatever..”
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Emma bolted toward the restroom before he even finished.
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Inside, the store looked…old. It wasn't dirty though, just stuck old. The air smelled of canned goods and dust. A tiny bell clinked as the door closed behind us.
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Tyler headed straight for the snacks line,
Chase grabbed packs of water bottles. They left the actual important shopping to me, which was a good idea otherwise we’d end up with only chips and energy drinks.
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I scanned the shelves, picking out vital things enough to survive a few days at the cottage; canned beans, instant noodles, tuna, soda, canned meat, lighters, flashlights, batteries.
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After loading my arms, I met the boys at the counter, where an elderly woman stood watching us with an expression I couldn't read.
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She scanned our items slowly. “Where are you kids headed?” She asked without looking up.
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“Blackwater Lake,” Chase answered. “Love Island Resort.”
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The woman froze mid-scan finally looking up. “You kids shouldn’t be up there.”
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“Why not?” Tyler laughed. “We’re just staying for spring break.”
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She pointed towards a board behind the counter. We followed her fingers to a row of faded Missing people posters.
U swallowed when I saw the recent ones, a smiling couple…
Missing since April 2022.
Last seen at Blackwater Lake.
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“That place isn’t for visitors,” the woman continued. “People go up there and don’t come back.”
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Chase rolled his eyes. “Ma’am, it’s just ghost stories. We’re not scared of that made up bullshit. We’re here to prove the rumors wrong.”
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“Maybe ghosts aren’t what you should be worried about.” she whispered.
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Those words stuck with me. I quietly pulled out my phone and took a picture of the poster for the investigation.
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Chase paid, we gathered the bags and headed out.
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------
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“What took you guys so long?” Jay asked the moment we climbed back into the RV, dragging me towards him.
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“Some creepy old lady” Chase muttered, taking his seat at the front..
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“Yeah, she warned us about Love Island.” Ty added
“And she had like, twenty missing people posters. Show em, Maya.” He said, tapping my shoulder.
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I opened my camera roll and turned the screen toward the group. For the first time, the RV went silent.
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“Guys, you sure we should still…..go?” Emma whispered shakily.
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“Seriously, babe?” Logan sighed. “Don’t tell me you’re buying these ghost stories. Missing people disappear for all kinds of reasons. None of them are supernatural.”
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“Then explain the missing people, explain that. Ghost aren't real but what happened to those people. They didn't just vanish into thin air, something happened to them.” Jay reasoned.
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“Whatever happened, we’re gonna find out,” Chase said confidently. “We’re eight people. What’s gonna happen?”
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“I agree with Chase and Logan. Besides we're already halfway there, and most importantly, already got the RV” Riley said.
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Jay exhaled in defeat. “Fine.”
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Meanwhile, the woman’s words kept echoing in my mind.
Maybe ghosts aren’t what you should be worried about…
“ What did she mean by that?”
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“Good, can I concentrate on my driving now?”
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“Yeah, yeah. Go”
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The road narrowed the deeper we drove. Trees thickened on both sides, blocking the sunlight.
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“Great, perfect timing,” Chase muttered.
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“What’s wrong?” I asked, lifting my head from Jay’s shoulder.
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“The GPS.” Chase tapped the mounted tablet. “It froze.”
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He hit the screen. The map flickered, recalculated twice, then died completely.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chase groaned at the dead screen.
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“Just keep driving down this path,” Lila said calmly. “There’s literally no other road.”
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We kept moving until the forest swallowed the road.
“Look,” I whispered.
An old wooden sign stood crooked at the side of the road.
WELCOME TO BLACKWATER COUNTY
Population: ???
The number below had been scratched out.
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Below it was another sign:
LOVE ISLAND RESORT →
But the words were also crossed out with black spray paint.
We stared at each prolly wondering if coming here was a mistake.
“Probably someone mad about their customer service” Ty joked…..no, tried to joke because no one laughed.
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Chase kept driving until we reached a small dirt clearing marked:
PARKING AREA – LAKE ACCESS ONLY
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He turned off the engine. From here a narrow path led into the forest.
“This is it,” he said. “The RV stays here.”
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“Oooooh this is gonna be good.” Riley squealed, hopping down the RV.
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“Here, Lemme help you.” Jay said, extending his hand to me. “Careful.”
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“Thanks.” I took hold of them and jumped down.
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The forest was really slient. No rustling, no birds chirping, no insects noises, Just our foot crunching on dried leaves. The air was colder than it should be, since it was already spring.
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“Okay,” Logan said, adjusting his backpack. “Let’s move.”
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After a few minutes, the forest opened , revealing the lake.
Blackwater Lake spread out before us, fog curling over its surface. The water reflected the pale sky like a mirror. It was…. beautiful. We could sight the cottage, a short distance away. A small boat rocked gently at the dock in front of us.
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“Wow…” Emma whispered.
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“Welcome to Love Island resort…” Chase said with a grin, spreading his arms. “Where romance goes to die, apparently.”
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“Not funny,” Emma glared at him.
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“It’s beautiful,” Riley said, immediately lifting her phone for pictures.
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“ Who else isn't getting a signal?” Lila aaked, walking around the dock, trying to get a signal.
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“ Me neither” Emma said.
“Am not getting any signal too, I need to call my mom. She'd be worried.” I said nervously.
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“ It's probably because of the lake, am sure it would be better up at the cottage.” Logan reassured.
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“Okay,” I said, refocusing. “Some people need to stay here and take multiple trips from here to the cottage, to get our stuffs while the rest would go open and clean up the cottage..”
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“That makes sense,” Lila agreed.
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“Uh…Emma, Tyler, and I would stay here. Maya, Lila, Chase, and Logan take care of the cottage.”
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“Deal,” we all said in unison.
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---
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I don’t know what I expected when we finally reached the old cottage, but it definitely wasn’t this.
The place looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. Trees crowded around it, their branches scraping along the roof with every gust of wind. Ivy crawled up the stone walls, and the wooden porch creaked under our steps.
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Lila stood beside me, hugging her arms.
“Are we sure this is the right place?” she whispered.
Chase, who was carrying two huge boxes of supplies, kicked the door lightly.
“Yep. This is what's left of the famous Patterson Cottage” he muttered.
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The door swung open, releasing a wave of dust and the faint smell of old wood. We slowly stepped in, looking around.
The living room was dark, the only light coming from the windows. White sheets covered the furniture like ghost silhouettes and cobwebs hung in the corners.
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Lila coughed. “Yeah… this place needs serious help.”
“Understatement,” Chase said, dropping his boxes with a thud. “Where do we even start?”
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I moved toward the covered couch, brushed off a few cobwebs, and tugged the sheet away. Dust rose in a cloud, making me sneeze. Underneath, the couch was surprisingly intact old-fashioned floral print but clean once you wiped off the grime.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I said. “Just dusty.”
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Logan walked into the kitchen. “The lights work too” he called out as the bulbs flickered on.
“But the fridge is empty and smells like something died in it… great.”
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“Let’s unload the things we've got here before the guys bring more.” I said. “We’ll clean as we go.”
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Lila nodded and carried the bag of groceries into the kitchen. She started unloading cans onto the counter.
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Chase started sweeping the living room, stirring up even more dust. “Hope I don't see a spider here, I hate those.”
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I walked toward the fireplace. Someone had left old firewood stacked neatly beside it. I traced my hand along the mantel. There were carvings there, maybe names or initials. Memories from whoever stayed here befor
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e us.
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Lila opened the curtains. Sunlight spilled in, revealing the true colors of the place.
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“It’s actually kinda cute,” she whispered.
“Give us a few hours,” I said. “We’ll make it better.”
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and then Add to home screen.