A visceral horror thriller that follows a group of women on a weekend Bachelorette party excursion to an expensive and secluded cabin in Crosby Creek (locals call it Crossbow Creek). Yvonne Mara is a single mother and best friend to the bride, Rose, who reluctantly joins the group of elitist and vindictive bridesmaids to celebrate their queen. Lead by the despicably cruel Maid-of-Honor, Amelia, on their naughty night of adult festivities, Yvonne finds herself, once again, the black sheep of the group. After several hidden cameras are found in the house, Yvonne discovers human traffickers are holding a dark web auction - and they are the prize. Adapted from the award-winning mystery horror screenplay, Crossbow Creek is a fast-paced, page-turning thriller that will make you think twice about renting an Airbnb.
A visceral horror thriller that follows a group of women on a weekend Bachelorette party excursion to an expensive and secluded cabin in Crosby Creek (locals call it Crossbow Creek). Yvonne Mara is a single mother and best friend to the bride, Rose, who reluctantly joins the group of elitist and vindictive bridesmaids to celebrate their queen. Lead by the despicably cruel Maid-of-Honor, Amelia, on their naughty night of adult festivities, Yvonne finds herself, once again, the black sheep of the group. After several hidden cameras are found in the house, Yvonne discovers human traffickers are holding a dark web auction - and they are the prize. Adapted from the award-winning mystery horror screenplay, Crossbow Creek is a fast-paced, page-turning thriller that will make you think twice about renting an Airbnb.
āPenis straws or condom veil?ā Natalie pondered the tabletop decor as she stood by the stone !replace.
Natalie was one of the youngest professional planners at Party Plans, Inc. She had a gift for composition dating back to her locker in middle school. Each week she would
have clips from the latest fashion, entertainment, and gossip magazines mosaicked onto its inner walls in a vibrant collage of teen angst. Her clan of bridesmaids had entrusted Natalie to the crucial task of decorations for Roseās bachelorette party.
Natalie called herself a perfectionist, but she was a notorious procrastinator. She should have planned the details months ago. She had time. Her clock was hijacked most nights by online shopping, video-on-demand, and sexting her equestrian polo player fling named Paulo. She convinced herself at an early age that she worked better under pressure. This !xed mindset hadnāt failed her yet. Tonight, her head felt a thousand leagues below sea level.
Natalie feigned food poisoning with her company Wednesday evening and booked her red-eye to California. Her plane landed in Bakersfield, which, to her disappointment, did not smell of cookies.
She found the nearest party store and loaded her rental car with props, adult games, balloons, and helium tanks. Then hightailed it to the private Airbnb in Crosby Creek.
Once she arrived at the house, she slept dead for nine hours. She woke and decorated at six in the evening and refused to stop until midnight. After the condom veil won the debate and lay upright on the oak bar table, Natalie rewarded herself with a long hot shower.
Since her friend Rose said yes to her manās proposal, doubt about her taste in men plagued Natalie. She had yet to achieve a year-long relationship with her gentleman callers, much less a proposal. It was her choice, she told herself. She just hadnāt met the right guy. Or girl. But her track record in her relationships would not qualify for any medal.
She doused her glorious mane in the warm water from the LED rainfall shower head and rinsed the last remnants of soap and conditioner. Steam lifted off Natalieās perfect toffee-colored skin as she exited the shower. She wrapped a body-sized, soft cotton towel around herself and squeezed her breasts together, tightening the towel under her left arm. She caught her re"ection in the fogged mirror of the bedroom vanity, leaned over to examine her ample cleavage, then opened her towel and flashed herself.
It was no secret that she loved her body.
It vexed Natalie that she would lose her soft skin, blonde hair, and thin figure one day. Replace it with saggy breasts, gray locks, and pounds of unwanted body fat. Her grandmotherās photo was a cold reminder of the future that awaited her. Unfortunately, Natalieās genes were not as steadfast as her friends. Especially Amelia, Tina, and Kaylee. As genetically gifted as they were, they each, at one time or another, had asked the same question of the Universe:
Why canāt we stay this young and beautiful forever?
Maybe sheād skip the midnight whiskey and Diet Coke cocktail she had planned for tonight.
āFuck that,ā Natalie said. āIām on vacation.ā
Self-restraint was not Natalieās most notable character trait.
The cabin was practically brand new after its renovation, built over a century ago and recently modernized with a pool, copper plumbing, carpet, and tile !oors. A month ago, new furniture had arrived with a large sofa and matching love seat made from Corinthian leather. The oak and brick used to make the cabin were solid. They lasted more than their share of storms and floods over the years. At close examination, one could find minor cracks due to the earthquake in 1906. But, for the most part, the masonry was flawless.
The cabin rested one mile from the highway in the middle of a thick patch of forest. But the locals called it Crossbow Creek.
A dirt path ran from cabin to highway through a thick patch of trees. Finally, there was a small hill that ran alongside a dried-up river. The property sat on top of a Kentucky bluegrass patch that had never met a lawn mower. There were slots of decomposed granite where people could park. The covered wooden patio had two rocking chairs collecting dust and gently swaying in the warm summer breeze.
The place was clean, with secure locks on the windows and doors. It would be perfect for Roseās upcoming celebration. More than anything, Rose loved the forest. There was an enormous living room. Natalie had rolled back the rug so it would make an excellent dance floor. A moon roof allowed the pale blue disc in the sky to illuminate the entire space. The wall on the west side of the room was mostly a window. It displayed the forestās trees through its oak pane.
Natalie needed this weekend. Her ex-boyfriend, Justin, had left her for some busty coed named Casi, whom he had met in Aruba on one of his surf lessons. The fact that Natalie had not only met Casi but complimented her hair only amplified the betrayal. Her admiration for her hairstyle was a lie, anyway. Bangs were over. Had she known Justin was already knocking boots with the young girl, she would have ensured neither would ever surf again. Paulo could not swim. It was one of many things she adored about him.
This party would get her through to her next spring break when her Portuguese lover would be off from his tour with his polo team. He would stop in, now and again, for surprised, unannounced visits. But being the Latin lover he was, he never announced his arrival for those. She thought about his hand over her body. The softness of his kiss. The smell of his hair and skin. Peppery musk with a hint of tobacco. She couldnāt wait to see him.
She dried her hair and gazed out the window, which overlooked the pool in the backyard. Sheād have to wait until everyone arrived tomorrow to use it. Maybe a midnight dip. Nude. After dropping her towel, she applied an ample amount of body oil and lotion to every crevasse of her body, then lay naked on the queen- sized bed to air-dry. Stretched and purred like her orange tabby Spunky. She grabbed her cell phone to peruse her social media pages.
No living soul was allowed to view the pictures, especially her work associates. That is until after Tina posted her vlog. Tina forced Natalie to sign a non-disclosure agreement. She would forgo her social media updates for an invite to the most exclusive party this year. It was a small price to pay to be a part of history. This party would be the event of the year. Natalie sent a picture of the setup to Amelia, the maid of honor.
āLooking good, no?ā Natalie texted.
She had sent images of the food-filled kitchen, booze-filled bar, and balloon-filled living room. Amelia didnāt reply. But, with her alpha-female friend, no response meant the job was satisfactory. Had Natalieās decorative instincts failed, she would receive swift correction. Amelia had been clear she wanted the dĆ©cor, and the weekend, to be perfect.
After her skin had absorbed the lotion and maintained a dew- free glow, Natalie slid into one of Justinās stolen silk pajama tops. The emerald fabric brought out the gold flecks in her eyes. She hooked the Bluetooth on her phone to the stereo and blasted her favorite song. As āI Want Your Sexā played for the one-hundredth time that day, Natalie moseyed through the finished living room area where her mad skills were on point. In front of the !replace, sixteen golden Mylar balloons spelled out:
ONE PENIS FOREVER!
The thought of having one husband secretly terrified Natalie to no end. Rose was the smartest woman she had met since college graduation, but her waiting until her honeymoon to experience such an event was mind-boggling. Not to mention settling for one guy for the rest of her life. Natalie had yet to meet Roseās fiancĆ©. She wasnāt sure if sheād be jealous or furious with him when she shook his hand.
Rose was only going to sleep with one man her entire life. Natalieās mind could not comprehend the notion. It angered her to no end. Natalie blamed institutional patriarchy, college rape culture, and Roseās religion for her foolish decision.
Natalie needed a reminder of her power as a woman. A photo. For his eyes only. One that would make him squirm with lust. She switched the camera to self-portrait and inspected her image. She could rival Amelia. Or at least Kaylee.
Natalie lifted her arm to a forty-five-degree angle. So far, so good. Maybe a little more cleavage. She slipped open two buttons on her shirt. Too tame. Paulo had topless beaches in his country. Sheād have to push her comfort if she wanted to make an impact on her guy. She shimmied off the blouse from her shoulders, and her garment landed softly on the hardwood floor. She stood in front of the fireplace, wearing nothing but soft moonlight on her skin. The frame of the lens stopped just below her belly button.
Natalie stood near the door opposite the large wall window and aimed again. She clicked the little red button forever, archiving this moment in time. She was her cell phoneās muse. The photo was perfect. More so than the last. Satisfied, she strutted to the stairway, collected her top, and reviewed the image.
Natalieās heart ruptured when she glanced at the photo. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, unable to move. Her mouth was now salt dry as she glanced over her shoulder and back at the window that held the background of the photo. In the frame of the window stood a figure.
Someone was watching her.
Rose is soon to be married and celebratingĀ Ā her bachelorette party with a group of friends in Crosby Creek. Among those friends is her best friend Yvonne, a single and hard working mother who doesnāt exactly fit in with the others joining in on the celebration. She is especially not looking forward to spending time with one person in particular - Amelia, a boisterous woman who is obviously jealous of Rose and Yvonneās friendship.Ā
Yvonne anticipates that she wonāt enjoy the weekend due to drama, but wonāt she and the other women never see coming is the unexpected intruders and the dark and twisted turn that their celebrations quickly take.Ā
A few pages into the book, you get a slight glimpse of the horrors that these women are walking into, so I was already on the edge of my seat before the story really even got started. Iām not one to usually get creeped out by reading thrillers, but I found myself getting goosebumps and an extremely unsettled feeling throughout the entire book - but I loved it.Ā
The reason behind the purpose of the intruders is extremely disturbing and sickening to think about. But human trafficking is all too real, and itās terrifying to think that things like this happen in reality.Ā
I canāt say that I felt a connection with any of the characters in particular. I also felt like the ending was pretty predictable with who would survive. But overall, I found myself not being able to put this down because I NEEDED to know how it all played out. But I did only read it while it was light out because it gave me the heebie jeebies. So that should be enough to tell you what type of thriller this is!Ā
There were a few minor grammar errors, but not enough to distract from focusing on the story.Ā