It was a dark and stormy night, perfect for a horror story. I was walking back to my apartment from my friend’s house, where we had been celebrating the release of our new album. The night had been awesome, except for a nagging little voice in the back of my head that was driving me crazy. It was because of Matt’s girlfriend’s death, I knew. Just a few weeks ago, he had come home from recording and found her dead on the floor, in her own pool of blood. Ironically, the police arrived just as he picked an abandoned butcher’s knife up off the floor. At least, that’s what we told everyone...

In actuality, I knew who had killed her. Matt had killed her.

He had come home and found men’s clothing on the floor. Clothing that wasn’t his or any of our friends’. So, he had gotten a knife out of the kitchen and gone into the bedroom. There were two people in the bed. His girlfriend and a man in just his boxers. I felt rage boiling in my blood at the memory of him telling me this. When the bloody crime was done, he threw the man’s body in the river and, while he was gone, I got to the apartment and called the cops when I found his girlfriend dead. He showed up just before the police did and explained everything, so I did what any good friend would do. I covered for him. I managed to fake that Matt and I had just walked in on the scene, so he got off the hook, but I faced jail time.

Matt and Jimmy had bailed me out, I had stayed with Zacky while my apartment was examined by the cops, and no one had any idea that Matt had been the man that killed her. I went straight to the couch once I got home, not having the energy to go into my bedroom. It was beginning to rain, when there was a sudden knock on my door. I got up and opened it, seeing Matt standing there, soaked. Johnny, Jimmy, Zacky, and Zacky’s sister, Hunter, where standing behind him, looking worried and scared.

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

“My family’s dead,” Jimmy said shakily.

“What?!”

“Some...some guy just came in with a gun and started shooting everyone. We managed to get out, but...”

“Rev, I’m sorry,” I said, pulling him into a hug. ”Come on in, guys.” I moved aside and let them all inside, where they all sat down silently. The phone rang, making all of us jump. I picked it up, but a crash of thunder made me drop it. It must’ve gone onto speaker, because a loud, computerized voice buzzed loudly, “One down.”

“O-One down what?” Matt asked, but whoever it was had hung up.

“Syn, I’m worried about my family, now,” Zacky said. As if on cue, the phone rang again.

“Oh, no way. I’m not answering it again,” I said.

“Me, either.” Everyone stared at the phone for a moment, before Jimmy picked it up and put it on speaker.

“Mr. Haner, is there a Zachary Baker staying with you tonight?” Cops.

“Yes, sir,” I said, a strange dread gripping my heart.

“Tell him that his household has been found completely destroyed. There was a fire that we think originated in their basement. We suspect foul play, so I suggest he stay right where he is.”

“Alright, sir.”

“Good evening,” the cop said before hanging up. We all looked at Zacky, who was paralyzed. He was bone-white, gripping tightly onto a pillow and staring at the phone as if it was about to explode.

“Zacky, I-” I was cut off as he held up his hand and shook his head. Zacky was never one to take pity-parties, preferring to hide his emotions about everything. I looked over at Hunter. Tears were falling down her face, but she hadn't moved or said anything.

“Don’t worry about me. At least you guys’ families are safe,” Zacky said, motioning to Matt and Johnny. We all knew that their parents were having a dinner party together. While it brought peace of mind to everyone else, I still wasn’t quite at ease. The time slowly ticked by in silence as the rain continued to pound on the roof. Matt stood by the window, looking out into the gloom. Zacky was in his same spot, rocking back and forward a little as he continued to hug his pillow. Jimmy was sitting on the floor with Hunter, who was running her fingers through Johnny’s hair as he slept restlessly on her lap. This entire time, I was pacing behind the couch, glancing at the door occasionally.

“Syn?” I heard Hunter’s quiet voice ask.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think that...that we’re going to die?” she asked shakily. I crouched down in front of her, taking her face gently in my hands.

“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep you guys safe,” I promised her. She nodded and looked down at Johnny, who was moving in his sleep. She leaned down and began whispering in his ear. The phone rang again and everyone looked at it.

“I’m not getting it this time,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. No one approached it and it went to voicemail.

“Hello, again. Let me see...that’s all the families now. Oh, right, you don’t know yet. Well, just turn your TV to channel 18 and you’ll see what I’m talking about.” The computerized voice stopped and the message ended, leaving us all in shock.

“W-Well, let’s see what they’re talking about,” Hunter suggested. I nodded and turned the TV on, the volume low.

“In other news, at a local household, several people were found dead of cyanide poisoning. Apparently these people were having a party of some kind and we suspect foul play. New news, we’ve just learned that the house belongs to a family called...Sanders. Yes, the bodies have been identified as the Sanders family and the...the Seward family. More on the story, after a few brief messages.” I quickly turned off the TV and looked at Johnny. He was still asleep, gripping onto Hunter’s hand relentlessly. ‘He must be having a nightmare,’ I thought. I looked over at Matt and found him motioning for me to come into the bedroom. I followed him in there and closed the door.

“Matt, what the hell do you think is happening?” I asked, my voice hardly heard over the force of the rain outside.

“I...I think it might be Jackson.”

“Who the fuck is Jackson?”

“Mia’s brother.”

“Oh, shit,” I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Matt, why did you have to kill her? Why couldn’t you have yelled at her, like a normal person!”

“I was in shock. I did the first thing I could think of.”

“So you killed them both! Now our families are paying for it! The only family left is mine, and thank fuck they’re out of town!” I shouted. “Zack and Hunter’s parents are dead, Matt! Johnny’s sister and Jimmy’s mom, all dead! They’re not coming back! Your parents would be ashamed, but they’re dead, too!” I shouted. “You just act like you don’t know, but the guys have the right to know! Their families are dead and they don’t know why. They deserve to know!” I shouted angrily. Matt looked down at the floor, not being able to look me in the eyes.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” he asked quietly. The rain wasn’t nearly as powerful as it had been two minutes ago.

“Go out there and tell them the truth. Tell them why their families are gone,” I said. He nodded and returned to the living room. I groaned and collapsed onto the bed, throwing one of my arms over my face. I could hear yelling and raised voices from the living room and I was vaguely aware of someone opening the door and coming in. Opening my eyes, I saw Hunter, looking forlorn. She sat next to me and sighed, gently running her fingers through my hair. I sat up, against the headboard, and pulled her so that she was sitting with her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and took her hands in mine.

“I can’t believe Matt could kill someone,” she finally sighed.

“I think it was just him overreacting, as usual. I feel like I should be more upset about it.”

“Me, too, but...I can’t make myself resent him. She cheated and he overreacted, just like he always does. But, I still think of him as a brother. My idiot, hot-headed older brother,” she sighed.

“Well, I wish he would think things through. He’s gonna get us all killed if he ever does something like this again,” I said, shaking my head. “I mean, I know my family is out of state, but what if this psycho gets to them, too? What about my mom and my sister and-” She silenced my babbling, pressing her lips against mine.

“Syn, we’re gonna be okay. You said it yourself. Besides, you’re big, strong guys. I’m sure you can handle just one guy. I have faith in you,” she said, her hand resting on my arm. I gulped and nodded, putting my hand on the back of her head and dragging her lips back to mine. She turned, so that she was facing me, and straddled me, running her hands up and down my chest. My hands traveled down her back, coming to rest in her back pockets, just as I ran my tongue along her lower lip. She slowly opened her mouth, allowing me to explore and savor her unique taste.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” I breathed when we parted for air.

“Don’t you think we should go in the other room, before we get carried away?” she asked reluctantly. I nodded and stood up, taking her hand as we headed back into the living room. Johnny was sitting in the corner, his knees pulled up to his chest and Zacky sitting next to him with an arm around him comfortingly. Jimmy was sitting on the couch, glaring at Matt, who was on the floor with a black eye quickly forming. Looking again at Zacky, I saw his knuckles were red, so he must’ve been the one that punched Matt. Hunter sat on the other side of Johnny, hugging him tightly. He leaned against her, letting a tear escape. Who knew Johnny was the sensitive one?...of course, he had just found out that his sister was dead. After his mom and dad died, she had been all the family he had left. I sat next to Jimmy, breaking his glare at Matt.

“You okay, man?” I asked. Stupid question, but still.

“I can’t believe this dumbass was the one that killed Mia. I mean, come on. You could’ve been reasonable and just talked to her about it, but no! You have to go and fuckin’ stab her! What the fuck is wrong with you, Matt?!”

“I said I was sorry!” Matt shouted, standing up. Jimmy stood up, fists clenched, three inches taller than Matt. I quickly jumped between them.

“Guys, stop! This isn’t getting us anywhere! We shouldn’t be standing around here, arguing. I think the best bet is to go up to Big Bear. No one knows about that except our families, and I doubt the murderer stayed around asking them questions.” Jimmy gave Matt one last glare before sighing.

“You’re right. Let’s get some supplies and head up there.”

“Good. Let’s get going.” I said, walking over to the other three and offering my hand to Johnny. He let me help him up, then I offered my hand to Zacky. He pointed to Hunter and stood up on his own. I shrugged and helped Hunter to her feet. By this point, Jimmy was in the kitchen, putting some drinks in the cooler. We quietly made our way out of the apartment building and to Matt’s van. To keep Jimmy from murdering Matt, we got Matt to drive and Jimmy to sit in the back seat with Zacky. Hunter and I sat in the middle seat, giving Matt plenty of space. We drove for some time, but Hunter requested that Matt pull over as we passed a Dollar Store.

“I’m sorry, I have to get some girl stuff.” She said, blushing.

“It’s okay, I’ll get some food stuff since we’re here.” I said, following her out. I heard Jimmy quietly sing, “Syn loves Hunter!” I rolled my eyes and followed her into the store.

“I’ll go get my stuff and meet you on the...oh, candy aisle!” I chuckled and nodded, watching as she hurried off to the appropriate aisle. I got a few containers of instant noodles and some chips and a bag of M&Ms, to keep Johnny and Hunter happy. Hunter soon found me and dropped her ‘girl supplies’ into my basket and began to talk about something. I wasn’t really listening as I examined what kind of beers they had. I decided against beer: we all needed to be vigilant and alert. Just as we were paying, I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. Acting instinctively, I grabbed Hunter and dragged her to the floor. Not a moment too soon, a glass display case behind us shattered mere seconds later. I saw an unfamiliar guy, bearing a gun and a sadistic grin, disappear down an aisle. The cashier, a teenage girl, was screaming her head off and I threw my money at her, snatching our bags and dragging Hunter toward the car. There was the sound of another shot and a car beside us began tilting to one side as air gusted from a tire.

“Open the door!” Hunter screamed at the van. Zacky, panic on his face, threw open the door and ducked as a bullet flew past his head. It wasn’t quite fast enough, brushing across his cheek and leaving a shallow cut. Hunter and I jumped in as Matt slammed on the gas pedal. I had to grab onto the back of Hunter’s shirt to keep her from falling back out of the van, being assisted as Jimmy dragged us further onto the seat and Zacky slammed the van door shut.

“What the hell happened?!” Matt asked.

“Some psycho started shooting at us.” I said through my gasping breaths.

“I saw him get into a black Charger. Now we know what to look for.” I had sunk into a sullen silence, coming to a cruel realization: he had predicted us. He knew where we were going, and he intended to kill all of us, one by one, until Matt was the only one left. My guess of his next to last victim was obvious; he hadn’t been aiming the gun at me.

“Matt, turn right here.” I said suddenly, pointing to a road ahead. Matt turned without hesitation.

“Wait, where are we going? Big Bear isn’t this way.” Jimmy acknowledged.

“That guy found us at a convenience store. He had to have known we were going to Big Bear. That’s exactly where we can’t go now.” I said.

“Then, where are we going?”

“Let’s just keep driving and see where we end up.” I shrugged. “We can switch drivers every hour and a half and stop every three hours.”

“Okay, let’s drive!” I sighed and sat back in my seat, Hunter leaning against me and gently rubbing my chest. I prayed that this plan would work. Hopefully, it would.