Snake Face presents...

THE CANNIBAL



THEME SONG m.youtube.com/watch?v=uwNTQO50bQE

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NORTHERN ALASKA, WEST OF DEADHORSE
SPINELLI FAMILY LODGE
SUNDAY, 5:30 P.M. DECEMBER 27, 2015

Mark Spinelli delicately stepped down the broad wooden staircase that lead up to the second floor.The fire place was ablaze with a warm comforting fire, the lights were on all over the entire lodge, it had been swept and mopped and Mark had done a fine job of straightening up and ensuring the lodge looked it's finest.
He clapped his hands once as he admired the comforting feel of the lodge and headed over toward the telephone hanging from the wall by the kitchen doorway.
He grabbed up the receiver and rapidly punched in a number as he began whistling to himself, the dial tone picked up as he continued to whistle away Yankee Doodle.
After five rings an older man's voice answered.
"Hello?"
Mark responded,"Hey pops, just calling to let you know everything's doing good.I got the whole place cleaned up and looking crisper than a pine cone in the spring time."

"Okay,"his dad replied,"have your friends arrived yet?"

"Not yet.They all said they were catching their flights around the afternoon so they'll probably be here around seven or so.Local time."

"Did you give them good directions?"Asked Mr.Spinelli.
"Yep,emailed them all a map with a highlighted route to the lodge."Mark responded.

"Okay good,"Mr.Spinelli said,"well you kids have fun, Ive got to go now, I've got patients to deal with.Call me on Sunday."
Mark responded,"Sure thing pops, call you on Wednesday.Bye."

"Bye."
The phone clicked as Mark hung up.
He headed over to the door and made sure it was unlocked,which it was, he snapped his fingers and skipped off toward the kitchen.
A fresh pot of coffee was made and a tray of pizza rolls was heating in the oven, he slipped on a pair of oven mitts and slid the tray out, they were soft and well cooked and the smell of pepperoni and melted mozzarella made his stomach rumble.
"Perfect."He said as he sat the tray stop the stove and closed the oven door.

As he was taking the oven mitts off the phone rang, he tossed the mitts onto the counter and whirled around and headed out of the kitchen to answer it, not even noticing the dark figure standing just outside the window wearing a black coat with the hood pulled over their head, the ominous figure stared into the window for a minute, then turned and went traipsing off into the dense forest behind them, crunching through the thick layer of snow on the ground.

"Okay thanks, I will mom, love you too."Mark said as he hung up the phone.
He looked at the massive grandfather clock sitting against the far wall, which said it was ten till six.
I hope everyone gets here soon, the sooner the better.He thought to himself.
He dropped down onto the massive seven foot couch and began playing Angry Birds on his phone as he waited for everyone to arrive.

Hazel's plane ride had been uneventful. She browsed through a book she brought. She had listened to some music. She had regretted not buying chewing gum, and bought some as soon as she found a convenience store inside the airport, along with an Earl Grey tea a drink she could never resist. It was longer than she expected to get her luggage. She was afraid it had been lost after 25 minutes of standing and watching, but there it was, gently spinning around on the conveyor belt. Feeling a little ridiculous for having stood there so long without grabbing it- how many times must it have spun past her?- Hazel heaved the suitcase to her side, adjusted her gloves, hat and scarf, and picked up her warm, steaming cup for the taxi ride.

It was a while to get a taxi, as well. People were unloading, yes, and the weather was clear, but it was cold and those unaccustomed to the temperatures of Alaska were moving slowly. All of the other people hailing taxis seemed to have been hauling far more luggage than she was, and some with children, so Hazel stepped back and allowed them taxis first.

When she finally got into a taxi for herself, her tea had been thoroughly cooled, as had her hands. She was shivering as she hefted the suitcase into the trunk before climbing in and rubbing her hands together for warmth. She handed over the map to the driver, too cold to speak, and settled back into her seat. The drive was calm and quiet, the driver just as happy not to speak as she was. When they got within sight of the house, the driver pointed.

"We're nearly there." Hazel sat forward, looking out the window to see the place. It was beautiful. Covered in snow with trees glistening around it, she couldn't help smiling. She couldn't believe she got to stay here! She looked carefully on the drive, hoping to see someone else.

HALEY HESTERMAN

Haley stood calmly leaned against a small oak tree at the edge of the drive.
She wore a yellow beanie hat with a little red ball on top and had an all gray winter outfit consisting of a fluffy jacket, leggings, Ugg boots, and tight fit red mittens.
Her bags were set down by her feet in a little clear spot she had swept open when she first arrived.
Her arms were crossed and her phone was in her right hand held tightly, it's hot pink case standing out next to her gray outfit.
Her long beautiful brunette hair was in a bun which was tucked underneath her beanie.

Her eyes were scanning through the woods just across the thin icey road when she saw the cab come cruising up.
She uncrossed her arms and stood on her tiptoes to see who it was.

Is that you James?She thought, a little too hopefully as she quickly saw it wasn't him.
As the cab closed in she saw who it was, at firsy not recognizing her, but then she immediately pinned her as the Native Anerican girl who was friends with Mark, the one that none of the rest of them had met.
She looks nice.She thought.

She picked up her bags and shouldered them, putting away her phone.
She stood waiting for the girl to get out so she could meet her.

Hazel did see a figure standing on the drive after a moment of squinting through the window. It took a moment. Whoever it was, they dressed totally in grey topped with yellow, hard to see with the dimming light.

The taxi pulled to a stop and Hazel paid. "Thank you!" She said cheerfully, finding some energy coming back to her after the trip. She was suddenly finding herself nervous to meet so many new people, but she hopped out of the car with her usual enthusiasm. She met with new with a smile and a wave as she walked to the trunk to get her bag.

"Hi! I'm -oof!- Hazel." She said, throwing herself off balance a little as the suitcase hit her legs. "Cold out here, huh?" Hazel said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you." She said, holding her gloved hand out.

Haley flashed a pearly while smile in return and gently shook the new girl's hand.
"Hi!I'm Haley Hesterman.Mark's friend from the school track team.He's told us about you, it's nice to finally get to meet you."She said smiling bright as possible.
A twig snapped, causing Haley to spin around.

Nothing.
Haley's face twisted slightly in confusion before she turned back to Hazel.
"I guess it was a squirrel, or a rabbit, either or."She laughed lightly.
She turned and motioned for Hazel to follow her.
"Come on,"she said,"Mark's waiting at the cabin for us, Terrence and Paulie are already there with him.You'll get to meet them too.Their both really nice guys, Terrence is really sweet and Paulie is...um, well, Paulie."
She motioned again for Hazel to follow her as she began walking.

Nearby, a pair of gloved hands lightly pulled away a pine branch covered in frost.The sudden movement causing the chilled water to dribble off and hit the ground.
A figure in a black coat peered over the branch at the two girls, watching them head up the path toward the lodge.

Hazel looked in the direction of the snapped twig only for a second. Twigs snapped. It wasn't anything to worry about. It could even be something snapping from the weight of the snow on it.

"What's up with Paulie?" She asked, worried about that statement. She would be the newbie in a group that was well acquainted with each other. She didn't want to be put off by anyone. The more she could expect, the better.

The suitcase caught on a rock, forcing Hazel to pause and turn around to yank it free. A slight movement caught her eye, but it was so fleeting she could barely catch where it had really been. She raised an eyebrow at the dark treeline.

Immediately she internally chastised herself. This was not how she was going to start this break. Everything would be great. She turned back to Haley, increasing her pace to catch up, her suitcase free from the obstruction.

@Inda

Haley spoke over her shoulder to Hazel.
"I mean he's not mean or rude or anything, he's really polite and respectful.
But there's something about him that makes me nervous.Not like 'oh he's gonna' try to rape me nervous', he's just a little peculiar.I know he carries around and uses enough meds for an entire pharmacy.And I have never seen him smile."

The two were now in view of the massive lodge.
It was only two floors true, but it was very widely built, it also had a massive garage to go with it, which was open.
There was a snowmobile and a yellow dirt bike in the front of the wide open garage.

Haley spoke again,"All I know is he and Mark are really close and take a lot of computer classes together and whatnot.Just be polite to him, that's all, that's all I do."

@Snake Face

Hazel nodded. She was only half listening as the whole house came into view. She was a little overwhelmed by it. She couldn't believe Mark's dad let him use this place! It was enormous! No wonder he was able to invite so many people. She grinned. She had never gotten to do anything like this. When she was on break, she was always with her family. She loved them, but it was time to do something it seemed that most students did. It was time to go on a trip with friends. She hoped her family wouldn't be upset about her taking this trip. She highly doubted they would, and even if they were, she would make it up to them. She didn't want anything to ruin this trip!

"That sounds easy enough! Mark has good taste in people. Obviously, I mean, he's friends with me." Hazel said, joking around. She hoped that would come across instead of just sounding conceited.

Haley looked at Hazel and jokingly rolled her eyes and laughed.
As they closed in on the door it came creaking opened and out stepped a tall beefy African guy with a well trimmed mustache.
He wore a gray wool sweater with a sky blue stripe across the chest and some khaki pants.
He smiled and said,"Hey."
Haley replied back with a smile,"Hey!Where are Mark and Paulie at?"
The guy responded,"Paulies upstairs doing something and Mark's in the kitchen baking more pizza rolls."

Haley laughed,"Leave it to you two to eat them all up."
He responded by dramatically placing his hands on his chest and saying,"I am appalled.You know I like to watch the carb intake."

Haley laughed once more and nodded, she glanced at Hazel then looked back at the tall guy and said,"This is Hazel, Mark's other friend,"she turned back to Hazel,"Hazel this is Terrence Washington.Wide receiver for our football team and NFL wannabe."
Terrence shot Haley a look of joking disapproval then extended his hand to Hazel,"Nice to meet you."

Hazel shook Terrance's hands. The smell of pizza rolls sent a sudden gurgle through her stomach, and she wished she hadn't skipped lunch. She was quite thoroughly starving.

"Nice to meet you!" She smiled up at him. He was a good eight inches taller than her! "I've not gone to see any of the games. Now that I know one of the players, I guess I have to, huh?"

What she could see of the room beyond Terrance was just as impressive as the outside of the house. It was gorgeous inside. What would the kitchen look like? Hazel hoped Mark wouldn't mind her using it. There were so many people here, how could they not want someone who was willing to cook for them?

"Shall we go in? It's colder than a walk in freezer."

Haley and Terrence both agreed and in they headed.
The lights were all dim, but were still on nonetheless, there was a blazing fire in the fireplace, and the TV was tuned to the nature channel, there was a special on about killer whales, or orcas.

Mark came stepping out of the kitchen with a big glass bowl piled with pepperoni pizza rolls dripping with cheese.
As he sat it down on the coffee table he turned and saw the three in the doorway.
"Hey Hazel, Haley!"He said excitedly as he rushed over.

Terrence reached around and closed the door, while Mark rushed up and gave them both a big three person hug, lifting them off the ground.
As he sat them down, after virtually compacting them, he smiled and spoke again,"Glad to see you both!Now all we're waiting on are James, Makaya, Courtney, and Abby."

Terrence snorted and said,"Smoothie will probably roll in with all three of them in tow."
Mark laughed lightly, however a brief flash of annoyance flashes across Haley's face, although neither guys saw it.
Mark headed for the couch and waved for everyone to come join him as he sat down.

Up at the top of the staircase stood Paulie.
He was wearing black sweatpants and a white T-Shirt.
He stood leaned against the railing looking down at everyone, twirling his hair with one finger while doing so.
He turned his gaze to Hazel, eyeing her thoroughly from his spot.

Hazel pulled off her hat and shaking out her hair, trying her best to combat the static that make snow-hat hair so bad. She stood to the side awkwardly, watching and listening as all the people who knew each other caught up.

She slowly took off her gloves and coat, thankful that the weather had been clear, just cold. She would have been mortified to drip snow all over this room. As it was, she had spent a little longer than necessary tapping her feet on the porch so she wouldn't track snow everywhere with her boots.

After a moment, she walked behind Mark on the couch and leaned over to speak quietly to him. "Mark, would it be ok if I brought my bag up to the room? I'd like to change into some fresh clothes."

Mark nodded,"Yeah, sure, come on I'll show you the way young traveller."
He stood and motioned for her to follow, as he headed for the stairs, Paulie turned away from the railing and headed back towards his room.

Terrence stood up at the same time and spoke aloud,"Hey ima' go back down the trail and wait for the lovebirds and the other two to arrive."
At the word "lovebirds" another annoyed look flashed over Haley's face, she had taken her boots off and sat cross legged on the couch watching the nature show.

"Okay,"Mark responded,"hey Haley want to bring your stuff up too?"
Haley shook her head and said,"No I'll do that later."
She stretched out on the couch and took out her phone while Terrence slipped on his jacket and headed out the door into the cold.

Mark turned back to Hazel,"Now then, come along young madam, allow me to take you to thine winter sweat-er...suite."He said with a laugh as he headed up the stairs.
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Terrence stepped briskly down the small dirt path which was collecting falling snowflakes.
A rustling sound to the right caught his attention.
As he turned his head a small rabbit came bounding out and crossed his path and went into the adjacent woods.
He chuckled,"Good luck."He said aloud.
He continued walking, as a pair of unseen eyes watched him from a thicket nearby.

Hazel grabbed a pizza roll and popped it into her mouth before grabbing her suitcase. "Thanks." She followed Mark closely, rolling her eyes at his joke with a chuckle, the suitcase banging against her legs as she carried hefted it up each stair.

"Thanks for setting all this up. I didn't think the house would be so isolated, but I guess that's just Alaska for you. I've never been before. The plane ride was easy, at least. I was worried I'd get stuck on a delayed flight." Hazel chatted cheerfully as she ascended the stairs, looking forward to changing into something more comfortable.

"So, tell me the relationships between everyone. Terrance said something about 'the lovebirds'. Who's dating whom? I don't want to shove my foot in my mouth or anything."

As they ascended the stairs Mark smiled and replied.
"Well, James and Haley dated for about two years, but James, however, dumped her this past summer and like two weeks later started dating Courtney Akira, the part Japanese girl.Why James and Haley split up, well, we don't know, they won't talk about it.And now of course there's some friction between Haley and Courtney, like seriously, all it's gonna' take is one misunderstood statement or one smart remark, and look out, World War Three."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Mark continued,"Then there's Abby, who has a hard crush on Terrence.Like seriously, I snuck a peak in her diary once before, I found poetry about him.Kinda' cute actually."He chuckled.

They were halfway down the hall when Mark stopped and turned to Hazel,"And then you've got my man Paulie, who has a thing for Abby, which is another reason Paulie doesn't interact much with Terrence.Jealousy of course."

Mark then pointed down the hallway.
"The two rooms at the very end of this hall are open.The one on the left is next door to me and the one on the right is next door to Paulie.Pick whichever one you want.The door at the very end of the hallway connects to another hallway, which contains all the other upstairs rooms."

Hazel nodded, listening and trying to keep the names straight. It didn't help that she hadn't met most of those people yet. Paulie was the one that was here but was up here somewhere doing something. All of the other names were just words floating in space for the moment without any faces to attach to them.

"I'll remember that! And try not to get in anyone's way, of course. I admire your courage, inviting a love triangle on the trip. I can't blame Abby, whoever she is, for being into Terrance, though. He's gorgeous, isn't he?" She smiled at Mark, elbowing him in the ribs. "Not to worry, though, I won't get in Abby's way. I have a feeling I'm going to fall in love with the appliances in the kitchen at first sight, if the rest of the house is anything to judge by."

Hazel walked down the hallway and thought for a moment before choosing the room on the left. "I'll be back downstairs in a moment. See you soon!" She disappeared into the room, shut the door, and lifted her suitcase onto the bed. With a sigh, she peered around the room, admiring everything about it.

Trying to get the dexterity back in her fingers, Hazel unzipped her suitcase and rummaged through her clothes. She chose a dark pair of jeans and a fitted green t-shirt with the words "Spread kindness around like confetti" on printed on it in aged grey text. She brushed her hair and fixed her minimal make up, reapplying the eyeliner that had long since faded during the trip. A pair of thick socks went on her feet, a couple of Earl Grey tea bags she kept in her luggage went in her pocket, and she picked up her boots to carry back downstairs to leave by the door. Her style was easily meant for comfort. Sometimes she wished she dressed up a little more, though. If the other girls were like Haley, then Hazel would end up feeling more like the outsider than she already did.

A last look in the mirror showed that she nearly forgot her necklace after taking it off to change. It was something she wore almost everyday, a wooden pendant of a tree with four roots reaching down. The hemp cord had six turquoise beads on either side of it. It was a gift her parents had given her before going off to college. It was definitely a security blanket, so to speak. She picked it up and walked back out into the hallway. Frustratingly, while trying to balance the boots she was bringing downstairs and put the necklace on, her hair got caught in the clasp. Muttering a curse, Hazel set the boots down and set about trying to free her hair.

8:20 P.M

Mark descended from the bottom of the stairs as the front door creaked open.
In stepped the final four, James, Courtney, Makaya, and Abby, with Terrence in tow.
Terrence called out,"Hey, their here."He said the word "here" in a drawn out and ominous way.
"Yes I can see that."Mark said calmly.
"Oh, my bad."Terrence said, having just seen Mark.

"It's all good."Mark replied.
Mark shook hands with James and gave the three girls nice big hugs, other than Courtney of course.

Terrence headed back for the couch while Mark addressed the others,"Alright, welcome to Casa De' Spinelli.I am your friendly house host Mark Sp-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, could you just show us to our rooms?"Courtney rudely cut in.
Mark looked puzzled, however James quickly explained,"Courtney is a little cranky cause she napped all the way from the Deadhorse airport."
Courtney gave James an elbow to the ribs while Mark chuckled away,"Oh, I see.Well now, anyway, head on up the stairs.The first hallway there is where all of the bedrooms are.Take whatever is available."

James stayed behind to chat while the three girls went upstairs to get their rooms.
Courtney and Abby took the two rooms right at the edge of the stairs, while Makaya headed down the hall.
She knocked to make sure it was free, then opened the door to step on inside.

Hazel had just gotten the necklace free from her hair when she saw three girls walk up the stairs and into the rooms nearby.

"Hey, how are-!" Hazel was cut off from her greeting to the newest arrivals by doors shutting. She raised an eyebrow as she finally got the necklace on and picked up her boots. Maybe they just hadn't seen her. They were probably tired. Trying to shrug off the not-quite-encounter, Hazel made her way down the stairs and to the living room, adjusting the pendant to sit right below her throat and running her fingers over the beads- one on each side for each family member. Hazel smiled.

"Thanks, Mark! I feel much more human now." She smiled around at everyone, set her boots by the door, and grabbed another pizza roll. Holding her hand out to the new person downstairs, she said "Hi! I'm Hazel. You must be James? Or maybe you're Abby, I don't know. No judgement."

Gods, her jokes sounded so lame once they came out of her mouth! She kept the smile on her face, though, trying not to seem as awkward as she felt. This was a weird experience for her, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why she felt so strange. She was normally so at ease with meeting new people!

James' handsome became rigid as he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"It's-uh James.Nice to meet you Harris, I mean Hazel."He said, then quickly gave her a big grin.

Terrence was sitting on one end of the couch, while Haley was stretched out, between her shortness and the couch being seven feet long, she and Terrence had plenty of room.She was playing on her phone and Terrence was still watching the tv.

Mark approached and spoke to Hazel,"I have a suspicion that everyone will want showers and or baths tonight.Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the hot water boiler on earlier.Even with the lights on in the basement it's still going to be dark, I'll need someone to hold a light for me while I get it cranked up and running.You up for it?"
James piped up,"Hey, I can do it."

"Yeah, I guess you could."Mark said with a slight smile clarifying it as a joke.
He turned back to Hazel,"Would you rather him or do you want to come help?"

"I'll come and help! I'd love to see more of the house. The basement can't be that bad, can it? The worst that happens is we summon a demon or something. No big deal." Hazel grinned at Mark.

"Let's do it! Adventure time!"