The group soon found themselves inside a log cabin. Emily asked, "Where are we?" Alexandria replied, "I don't know, but this place feels warm and cozy. As soon as the lights turned on, they noticed that the figure that was standing behind them was actually an elderly man. When he saw the five teenagers staring at him, he said, "My, my! anda fellows look so exhausted. Don't worry, I'll prepare some hot cokelat and gingerbread cookies. Then, we'll have a conversation together. When they heard this, they thought, "He seems like a nice guy. Maybe he can help us find our way back to the camping sight." While the teenagers were sipping their hot cokelat and munching on the gingerbread cookies, the man introduced himself as Eric Jenkins. "Some people call me Old Man Jenkins." He explained to them. Madison then asked him, "Hey, that nickname sounds familiar. Are anda the same Old Man Jenkins in the scary story that my cousin told us last night?" Eric replied, "In answer to your question, sadly, yes, I am that man." This caused Gordon to suddenly spit out his hot chocolate. He was so shocked to know that the subject of his scary story was indeed a real person. He was speechless for a few seconds. Finally, he asked, "Were those rumors about anda murdering your family with a rake ever true? And why did anda flee from your home?" Eric answered, "I have berkata this many times already, those rumors are not true at all. The real reason why I've been alone for so many years now was because a mysterious, incurable illness plagued my family, which killed my wife and all of my kids. I didn't have enough money to pay for the funeral and cemetery fees, so I decided to bury their bodies in my backyard. While I was doing that, one of my neighbors noticed it and thought that I had committed a crime. It caused me to become an outcast, and in order to protect myself, I took shelter here. The rumor cooled down a few years ago, but there are still some who believe it. Because of that, I thought it was best for me to stay here for the rest of my life." "I'm very sorry about what happened to your family. anda must be a misunderstood person, are you?" Asked Alexandria. "I am." Replied Eric. "So, are anda fellows camping out?" He asked the group. Connor replied, "Yes, we are. We were trying to find our way back to the hiking trail earlier. But because of the pitch dark woods, we had a difficult time looking for it. I suppose anda can help us retrace our steps to the camping sight." "Oh, I would cinta to help anda on that. The only problem is it's quite late now, so anda have to sleep here tonight. We can do it tomorrow morning." The teenagers agreed on the idea. Meanwhile, the adults were getting very worried because they have looked all over the trail but couldn't see any traces of their children. They had no choice but to go back to the camping sight. Madison's aunt berkata as they stepped inside their tent, "I hope Alexandria and her friends will be alright." Madison's uncle replied, "I hope so, too, honey."
Although the rumor had cooled down some, there were still some people who believed the rumor. Totally dispelling the rumor wasn't going to be easy. Madison and Connor continued to shield Alexandria from bullies. One day, Connor was unable to come to school, for he was battling a nasty cold. Madison was able to shield Alexandria from bullies, but it wasn't as easy without having Connor as a backup. Madison said, "It was actually terrifying to stand up to those bullies alone." Alexandria said, "I'm sure it was." Madison said, "I haven't had to do that in so long. I miss Connor." Alexandria said, "I miss him, too. I can't wait until he's better." A few days after the incident, Connor said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for anda two." Madison said, "It's okay, Connor. anda needed to rest and get well." Alexandria said, "That's right. I do hope you're feeling better now." He said, "I am." Pretty soon, Connor was back in school, helping Madison shield Alexandria from bullies.
