1.

The rain was coming down fast and ferocious, soaking everything in its path, including the lonely empty road in the middle of nowhere. It was already dark outside and the temperature was cold, which was no surprise due to the rain. However the empty road wasn't empty for long before car lights appear a distance away. A young man stood on the side of the road and probably looked like a soaked cat, but it didn't matter because he had been waiting for the car to appear for a while now. He held up his hand, gesturing a typical hitchhiking signal, and hoped that the car would stop to help him. When the car came closer and closer to his location, it slowed down and stopped in front of him.

"Do you need a ride?" the driver asked. He was an older man, but very skinny and was dressed formal like he had just gotten off work. The young man silently nodded and didn't say or do anything else other than opening the passenger door and sat down on the seat next to the driver. Shortly after that the driver started the car and began driving on the empty road. The driver looked awkward and uncomfortable in the young man's presence, but didn't comment on it instead asked where he wanted do be dropped off, but the young man didn't answer his question instead turned to stare at the driver and said bluntly, "You are dead."

Instantly the driver stepped hard on the brakes, almost running the car off the road, but managed somehow to stop the car. The driver turned to look at him and was shocked and more importantly terrified over the words, which was why he stuttered confused, "W-what a-are you talking about? I need to get home to my wife, she is waiting for me."

The young man shook his head, but his eyes remained strong and determined as he fished up a soaked newspaper from his jacket pocket.

"There is no wife back home, she died in a car accident three months ago," the young man held up the newspaper and showed him the article about the car accident that killed a newly wed-couple. Seeing the picture and reading the headline of the article made the driver snapped as his face changed from an ordinary humane face to a grim and haunting expression that no one would mistake as a living human.

"You are wrong!" the driver yelled. He flung his arm against the young man's throat, making it very difficult for him to breathe. "How dare you say something like that, my wife is not gone!"

"Look at the pictures!" the young man said forceful, yet in a choking voice. "Look and see the truth!"

The driver did so and saw the picture of his wife as well as a picture of himself next to her. Then he remembered that it was true. They had been driving on an empty road similar to this one when he drove them off the road in order to avoid running over a stray animal that was wandering on the road. The car crashed and they were killed instantly.

"N-n-no…" the driver said. He removed his arm away from the young man's throat. "Why?"

"It is time for you to move on," the young man answered. "Return to your wife's side."

Then a shimmer appeared outside the car and the figure of a mid-thirty woman stood there, reaching out her hand. The driver turned to see her and his face changed once again, but this time it grew calm and peaceful. Shortly after that he disappeared from the car and appeared next to the woman. The young man got out of the car and saw the couple taking each other's hands and disappeared, like nothing had really happened.

Alan Tracy sighed deeply. This always happened with him; no matter where he was it was always the same. Strange hauntings would happen somewhere and somehow he always seemed to get caught in the middle of it all, but that wasn't really surprising since it is just another part of his life. The truth is he saw ghosts, who were generally not visible to others, and got visions of their deaths. The hauntings were generally malevolent, and it was up to him to determine the spirits motives and thwart their goals. Sound simple enough?

No, not really. Because of his ability or what he would call a curse to see the dead, he is unfortunately considered a basket case around his peers, probably even more so by his friends and family. That is why he had spent some time in mental institutions during in his childhood and teenage years in order to stabilize and make seemingly him normal again. However it is impossible for him to be a normal person since he had never been normal and was never going to be normal no matter how much he tried or how many pills he took or how often he was hospitalized. The dead always found him and requested his presence, even if he didn't want to be there.

As he readjusted his soaking wet leather jacket, out of nowhere his phone began to ping and vibrated in his jeans' pocket. Speak of devil, Alan thought to himself as he fished his phone out of his pocket to check the incoming message. He assumed it was his dad or Scott, his oldest brother, sending him a message to call them as soon as he got the message. Normally it was to reprimand or nag about something he has done, in which case is almost everything at least to him, but was surprised to find it was a message from an unknown number. But that wasn't the most surprising thing about the text message; it was the message itself that was strange. Because it only contained one sentence:

Danger is approaching, save them.

Alan didn't understand. Was this some kind of a prank? Did Gordon decide to make fun of him?

No, he knew his older brother. Gordon might be a huge prankster and an annoying brother most of the time, but there was no way he would joke about life and death matters especially considering what he and the rest did for a living. So what did this text message mean? What danger was approaching and whom was he supposed to save? Before he had the chance to gather his thoughts his phone started to ping again and the same message came again and again, warning and telling him that he needed to save someone. But it didn't make any sense. His family was saviors on a daily basis, not him. His dad founded and ran the secret, non-profit organization, International Rescue, who was dedicated to assisting any who found himself in danger. His brothers were pilots of their self-made aircrafts and other rescue equipment. They were professionals who dealt with dangers every day, so why was he receiving these text messages?

He wasn't part of International Rescue, despite his deepest wish that he was, so what was the use to send him the messages. He wasn't anyone's hero or savior, no matter what other people might think, and he wasn't going to try and pretend that he was because he had learned quickly that no one cared or wanted his help.

The text messages continued to arrive on his phone, and his previous thought about it being a prank was starting to diminish more and more, replacing it with fear. He couldn't shrug this off, whatever was going on he was desperately needed somewhere and there was nothing that was going to stop him from at least try and get into the bottom of this mystery. So he got back into the care and drove back on the road with a clear destination in his mind where he could start searching for clues.

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This story had been released the 4th of May, but I deleted it because of two things. One, I felt it was sort of incomplete and I wanted to make it better. Two, I wouldn't have been able to update the story until I was done with my exams, which would mean a long time for you guys to wait. And it was something I wasn't willing to do right then, but anyways here it is hope you guys like it.

Disclaim ownership, the only thing I own is the storyline. And for those of you who cares, I was inspired by the TV show from 2011, Bedlam.

But please give me reviews, favorite and/or followings. And I hope to release the chapter next week.

xXrebelgirl07Xx