(Synopsis) The Cabin Ch. 01 (Patreon)

Clare splits off from her middle school hiking trip, tired of listening to the other girls complain about it. In her searching, she comes upon a new scent that leads her into a small clearing, with an unusual flower at its centre. It makes her feel odd, almost safe even. She starts talking about the girls that were complaining, bemoaning how they’re much better than her. When she hears rustling, she turns and sees the girls approaching. When they see Clare with the flower, they just making jokes of her and go to crush the flower. Clare goes to defend it, but vines whip out to stop the girls. They’re dragged away and Clare’s mind goes blank. When she comes to, she’s on the bus. Days later, she hears that some girls from her school vanished, seemingly after going to look for her. But she doesn’t even remember them. The police leave her alone. Unfortunately, the stigma of it leads her family to move away.

Years later, Clare is back in her home town for college. Unfortunately, it’s not a good feeling as she was just dumped by her partner. Her friends are there to cheer her up, taking her to a local cabin far from tech and any reminders of her ex. When they arrive, all five notice an odd fragrance, one that is vaguely familiar to Clare. They ignore it and head inside. Sian, however, doesn’t let them settle for long and insists on a hike, pushing hard after having driven them for three hours straight. They relent.

As they go through the woods, Delilah is even more flirtatious than normal, to the point that it arouses Clare more than a little. The same for Pat, who is overly attentive to Penny. Sian, meanwhile, keeps to herself as she leads the way. They decide to turn back when the sun starts setting, plus it’s summer and they’re all drenched in sweat. Sian agrees, but lingers, looking into a clearing where a large, peculiar flower sits in full bloom. As she leaves, tiny vines follow.