My hands gripped the steering wheel of the borrowed vehicle as I started to drive home. Somehow during the party at Ashley's, someone stole my keys, and apparently my car as well. My best guess was that I had left my purse in the wrong hiding spot. It should have been safe, since it was sitting in a pile with other purses and sets of keys.

It didn't matter much now. I only needed a way to get home, and my friend was nice enough to lend me his car for the night. The feel of the engine under my power was strange. I was so used to the silent purr of my Mercedes that the roar of the truck constantly startled me. My foot was always hesitant to push the gas, but it obeyed my silent commands. Heavy rain splattered my windshield at a constant speed, the windshield wipers trying rapidly to dispense the liquid.

The blur of the midnight trees gave me a grave feeling. Already, small homes were coming into my view as I turned off of the highway to my home. When I hit the patch of darkness in front of the neighborhood, a thought raced through my head, "Where was the moon? Where was any light?" As I passed the supposedly working street lamps, they seemed to start to flicker. After a second or two, they completely vanished.

Panic started to rush through me. My foot eased on the gas, taking it slowly through the black of the night. My headlights could only see about four or five feet in front of me, a flaw of my friend's truck since he bought it. I was tempted to flicker on the high-beams, but remembered that a cop lived in the neighborhood, and another was always another patrolling around here. My finger still hovered over the switch, ready to press it at any time's notice.

Out of the middle of nowhere, a sudden flashing beam of light struck my eyes, causing my foot to stomp on the brake, and a small scream to escape my throat. My eyes stayed closed for a couple of seconds, wondering where the light has possibly come from. They dared themselves to open, one centimeter at a time. As the view in front of me became clear, I found the source of my light.

A man stood there, a flashlight in his right hand. I tried to look at his face, but the darkness of the night surrounded him. The rain didn't help much either, always covering my view for a couple of seconds before being pushed away.

The man's left hand moved a little, causing what I thought was a silent jingle. I tried to look more closely at what was in his left hand, and caught the sight of a shiny reflection. As I looked at it closer, a thought registered itself into my brain; it was my switch knife, and my keys were on the same chain. A sudden shock worked its way through my veins. He was the person who stole my keys. My foot braced itself on the gas pedal, ready for the command of a single thought.

Then the light flashed across my vision again, causing my arm to raise itself in defense of my sight. I couldn't understand what exactly was going on. Who was this guy? Where did he come from? I had heard something about a man that was stalking random people around this neighborhood, but could this be him?

With a sudden burst of bravery, I felt my foot push the gas, the vehicle lurking forward. I was braced for a menacing sound; bones cracking, a large bump rolled over by the mass of metal. None of that happened. All I could hear was the small crunch of glass. I shifted the gear into park, opening the door slowly. I kept the lights on, but it wouldn't help me. I couldn't see anything in the back, and that was my destination. I hesitated while opening the door, the sound of the rain being outdone by the rumbling of the engine.

I kept both of my hands on the side of the truck, wishing that I had a flashlight of my own. I tried to keep my entire body as close to it as possible, fear being clear in all of my movements. They were shaky, causing my foot falls to be inaccurate. My pace was kept slow, and a little unsteady. My hands started to feel the truck taking a different direction, telling me that I was at the back of it.

I slowly crouched to the ground, putting my hands on the cold wet ground. I couldn't see anything. My hands searched the pavement, and a sharp pain went through my finger. I yelped a little, bringing my hand to my chest. I put it in front of me, feeling a little blood running onto the other hand that was gripping it. I traced my hand to the source, finding a sharp object secured into my first finger. Finding the source of the pain, my other hand yanked it out. Another cry escaped my throat, and sharp pains ran down my arm.

I looked as close to the ground as I could, seeing brief outlines of the flashlight that the man had held. I searched around me for anything else that could read as movement. My ears picked up the sound of small foot steps. With a sudden panic, I left for the truck behind me, racing along its body to the open door. I jumped into it, yanking the door closed. My fingers pressed the lock button, a small sense of security filling me instantly. Inside it was dark, causing my fright to slightly return.

With the flick of another finger, lights came on throughout the truck. I sighed heavily, shaking a little. I glanced at the cut in my finger. I knew that I would have to drive to the hospital now, and my parents would not like that. They would probably think that it was an accident at the party. How would I explain it? Mom, dad, I had to borrow my friend's truck since someone stole my car, and when I was driving home, I almost ran over a maniac who disappeared and left his flashlight on the ground. I ran over it, and was dumb enough to leave the vehicle and I cut myself on the glass that was on the ground.

I smiled to myself a little. I shifted the gear into drive, and looked out the window. My eyes stared into another set. They were green, and menacing. I couldn't see the his face, now realizing that it was covered by a hood. A hand started to bang on the door, getting a scream in response from my lungs. My shaky body couldn't find the right pedal to push as I continued to scream.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted, finally pushing the gas as hard as my foot would allow. I lurched forward so quickly that I couldn't tell where I was going. Only panic kept my foot pushing the pedal, my eyes alert and searching. I looked in the rear view mirror, letting out a large sigh.

The man was just standing where the truck had been previously, seeming stuck in place. I continued forward, eager for the safety of my home.



As the light of the front porch reached my sight, I instantly felt relieved. Unfortunately, my parent's car was missing. Where were they? Then my mind remembered that they were out with my brother at some cheesy movie that had just been released.

The truck pulled itself into the driveway, and my hand removed the key from its ignition. I opened the door slowly, still looking around me for any sign of the man from before. Only darkness could be seen. Though, it was enough for me to get out of the truck and walk calmly to my front porch. I reached for the key hiding underneath the mahogany stairs, and pulled it out. Within what seemed like a split second, the door was unlocked, and I was safely inside.

As I walked into the lonely hallway, I realized that there was a note by the nightstand next to the stairs. I went over to it, picking it up.



Amelia, remember to call us as soon as you get home. We heard about that maniac that is stalking our neighborhood, and we want to know if you got home safely. From now on, we will be taking you anywhere. We will probably be home by ten. We love you!

I whipped out my cell phone and dialed my dad's number. The dial tone kept ringing, so I waited impatiently for the message beep. “This is Bob, leave a message at the beep.”

“Hey dad, it's Amelia. I'm back safely, but someone stole my car. I don't know how or when, but
I might call the police later to have them look for it. Call as soon as you get this message. I'm going to try and call mom. Love you, bye." I clicked the end button, and dialed my mom's number.

As the ringing started, I heard a faint noise from the living room. I didn't think of it for a second, but I started to walk towards it anyway. As I got closer to the reds and browns of the wall of the room, I realized exactly what the sound was. I stopped at the end of the hallway, knowing that the noise came

from around the corner.

I pulled the phone from my ear, not letting it shut. The ringing continued as I crouched to the ground, and slowly approached the entrance of the living room. I put my hand on the wall, my head next to it. I slowly pushed around the corner. My shriek filled the air.

The bodies of my parents and brother lay in a pile on the floor, my mom's cell phone still in her hand. I threw mine to the ground, running back down the hallway. My hand grabbed the railing of the stairs, my feet racing over them like they weren't there at all. As I approached the top floor, my ears picked up the sound of the front door; someone was opening it.

I raced across the next hall, searching for my room. As I approached it, I could hear foot steps starting to ascend the stairway. Panic completely filled my body and I slammed the door to my room open, diving for the dark under my bed, Crawling underneath with all the dust and shoes caused loud coughs. My arms pushed everything out of the way as I put my head under my arms, attempting to slow my breathing.

I tried to listen for sounds that didn't belong, but the house was completely silent. I happened to be facing away from the door, so I slowly turned my body towards it. As I did, I glanced upon a set of feet in front of my bed.

I held my breath, closing my eyes. A million scenarios were running though my head; the bed listing under the man's hands, and him trying to get a hold of me. Him crawling under the bed, grabbing my neck. I opened my eyes slowly, trying to keep a whimper from forming. As they fully opened, green eyes gazed at me.