SOMETHING ROAMS THE NIGHT...

TWENTY FOUR

"Insane? Like...wacko?" I watched Ezra as he drove. His jaw was clenched, and he gripped the steering wheel so tight I could see the veins in his hand.

"They hear voices in their head, and they are overcome by this...fear. It drives them insane."

"You're worried that it might happen to me? Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Hope so," he kept his eyes on the road.

"Ezra, something else is bothering you," I said after noticing his brief reply.

"Wha-" he turned a little to look at me. "No, I'm-"

"You're not fine," I intervened. "There's something else."

"I can't talk about it now," he finally admitted. "One thing at a time, Hale."

I had never seen Ezra this serious before. It made him both attractive and also annoyingly hard to read. I had no idea what he was thinking about, or what was worrying him so much.

"We're here," he said when we approached the house. It wasn't exactly a proper house anymore, it was more like a death house.

I got out of the car, the morning sun beating down on my bare face. There was a police car parked in front of us- the police were probably here for more thorough investigation.

We entered the house slowly, and I tried to take in the scene before me. The walls seemed to be originally painted crimson, and everything seemed more broken than they had been last night. The house was simply beyond repair.

"The one thing I need to know is how did a dead man's body end up in the closet?" I inched over a shattered flower vase.

"That...I don't know. Probably just some...random victim they came across?" Ezra said, observing the place. "I don't think you'd want to live here anymore."

"Where else could I go?"

"Somewhere other than here. Or, I could help clean it up for you. I know some people who might want to take on the job," Ezra shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Haley?" I turned when I heard a familiar voice.

"Mum? Dad? Are you guys okay?" I pulled my mother into a tight embrace, then my father. "I was planning to go over to Aunt May's after this."

"Yes we are, honey, thanks to Ezra," Mum said, smiling at my already-beaming best friend. "Are you alright? Where's Andy?"

"He's in good hands, Mum. And I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just glad you guys are safe."

"Thank God everyone is okay," Dad said. I noticed he was limping a little. "We were so worried."

"We can't live here any longer," I told Dad. "We have to find some place safe."

"Where do you want us to go, Haley?" my father looked distressed. "We can't leave, we can't afford it."

"Dad," I inhaled a sharp breath. "Think about Andy, think about Mum. It's not safe for you guys here. You have to leave, please."

"What do you mean, Hale? You want us to leave town? But we can't, we..."

"You're all going to die if you don't leave," I said, and I felt tears slipping down my face. "Dad, I want you to take Mum and Andy some place safe. They know who we are, and they won't stop until they kill us."

"Wait, Hale-" Dad started to say, but I didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence.

"You're going to have to leave me behind, Dad. I'm going to fight them, until everyone in this town is safe."

"Haley, are you crazy?" Mum shrieked. "Why would you think that we'd leave you here? If we're going, you're coming with us. If not, we're going to stay."

"Please. They're after me, not you guys. Please, do this for me."

"No, absolutely not," Dad shook his head. "We're not leaving town, especially when you're not coming with us."

"Dad-"

"No excuses, Hale. If you want to fight them, we'll fight them together."

"As a family."