A couple who stayed at a rented cabin in the Appalachian Mountains described a night that grew increasingly unsettling after they returned from kayaking. Diana, who posts on TikTok as @dianaelsatravels, shared the account in a series of videos, with the first installment drawing 560,100 views. She explained that the pair arrived later than planned and found the cabin without working Wi-Fi or electricity.
In her first video, Diana said they dropped their belongings and left to kayak for several hours before heading back. On the return drive, their GPS stopped providing turn distances, which she stated caused them to miss a highway exit and added roughly half an hour. She noted that the delay left them arriving after dark, which she said made cooking outdoors impossible given the conditions.
She described the cabin as sitting atop a steep hill, so they parked in a field-like area a quarter mile away, crossed a creek, and hiked up. Diana stated that the spot felt extremely secluded with no one else around and very little sound. She added that they cooked dinner inside on a propane stovetop before going outside to start a fire.
Late-night lights and sounds prompt the couple to head indoors
Diana said that outside by the fire, they noticed two flashlights moving to the left of the cabin. She explained that the lights appeared to flash toward their campfire, and her boyfriend George confirmed the same when she asked. She stated that the lights then grew closer, prompting George to pick up a small hand-held axe the cabin had provided while the pair watched.
She also said they eventually went inside around 10 p.m., turned off the lights, and closed the blinds while leaving the windows open so they could listen. She described hearing the flashlights stop approaching and return to whatever structure was nearby. After some time, they went back outside, she stated, and continued the evening until George mentioned not talking about skinwalkers.
She said that immediately afterward they heard about four heavy steps over sticks behind them. Diana explained that the night was nearly pitch black with almost no moonlight and a storm rolling in, and that she struggled to find their flashlight while George urged her to locate it and look for nocturnal eyes. She stated that they saw nothing and considered the possibility of an animal, though the timing felt odd to both of them.
Diana said in the video that they then heard a car start in the same area as the earlier flashlights. She described a large truck coming past their campsite, with the driver staring toward the fire before continuing down the hill.
She added that one flashlight remained and continued flashing at them after the truck left, which she said left them uncomfortable enough to head inside for the night.
In her second TikTok video, Diana stated that they were inside after midnight playing a board game when someone threw a rock hard against a large uncovered window. She said that before they could react, three fast knocks came at the front door followed by scuffling along the wooden porch. George looked at her and said quietly, “Pack your stuff, we are getting out of here,” she recounted.
Diana explained that she began to break down, thought of the movie The Strangers, and started praying. She said she grabbed a knife from the counter while they turned the lights off again in near-total darkness. She described hearing sticks breaking and movement outside, noting that the earlier truck driver never returned and that no flashlight remained visible. She added, “My heart is racing.”
She stated that the cabin offered little protection and that they decided they had to leave even though their car sat a quarter mile away down the hill. Diana said they gathered two coolers, three bags, a backpack, and her cast iron pan for a single trip. She explained that George checked outside with the flashlight while she held the pan. Then they locked the door and left the keys, then ran down the hill as fast as they could with the load.
Diana said in the video that George nearly fell while carrying most of the items and that she kept the flashlight aimed at the path. She described reaching the field, finding the car unharmed, and driving away after a brief mix-up with the keys. She stated that the farther they got, the lighter they both felt, and that they arrived back at her apartment around 3 a.m.
She added that the experience bonded them and that she viewed leaving with only the pan and themselves as necessary given what they had heard and seen. Diana posted a few more videos on this incident to cover the rest of the night. Like Diana and George, another TikToker shared her unusual experience in the mountains as she stumbled upon a mysterious door.
Viewers reacted to the first video with a range of responses. One commenter questioned the couple’s choices to go back outside and discuss scary stories, writing, “YOU WENT BACK OUTSIDE?? SCARY STORIES?? Self preservation instincts where???” Another warned about the area after dark, stating, “Girl don’t you know you don’t go outside after dark in those mountains.”
A third suggested a practical explanation for the lights, writing, “did u leave the fire lit when you went inside? it could have been the owner or neighbor checking that the fire is out. forest fires are a big deal there.”
One viewer compared the decisions to a movie plot, saying, “I’m not going to lie this sounds like a movie where you’re wondering why the main characters are making crazy decisions lol.” A local resident pushed back on the reactions, writing, “As someone who lives in the area, these comments are cracking me up. You’re in the mountains. There are wild animals lol.”
Published: Oct 13, 2026 02:15 pm