I never asked to come on this stupid vacation. In fact, I was thoroughly opposed to the idea of going to Colorado to visit some relatives whom I`d never met before.

But it turns out; it`s not so bad here.

Sure, it`s wintertime so it`s cold as fuck, but I made sure to bring shit-tons of warm clothes.

The drive was fucking long. It took around fifteen hours or so to drive from my home in Arkansas to Colorado, and another one or two to reach my relatives` house.

We`ve been here for about a week so far, and I think we`re planning on staying at least another week. I figured out very quickly that my relatives` house is fucking boring.

No video game consoles, shitty Wi-Fi, limited access on the TV. I don`t understand how they survive.

I just thank the Lord that I remembered to pack my laptop.

That`s what I`m on right now, just watching some YouTube videos, with several breaks for buffering because of this stupid fucking Wi-Fi connection.

Finally the Wi-Fi just cuts out, and my second cousin fifteen time removed or whoever the fuck she is apologizes, but says it`s going to be out for the rest of the day while they try to fix it.

I sigh. "Really? That sucks." I close my laptop and look around. "Can I borrow your car?"

She curls her lip at me. "Hell no. I have to get to work soon."

I sigh again, and pull myself out of bed. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do all day?"

She shrugs. "I don`t care. Why don`t you go make snowmen with Angela and Marcus?" She suggests.

I shrugs back. "Maybe I will, Becky. Maybe I fucking will."

Becky glares at me. "Don`t use that terrible language around them, okay?"

I make a weird hand gesture. "Whatever."

"And don`t 'whatever' me, Oliver."

I look at her, and sigh yet again. "Yeah, okay, Becky. Just go to work or something."

Becky scoffs, and pushes off of the doorframe, walking off to the kitchen to, I`m guessing, get her keys and get her ass to work.

I shake my head. That woman is so infuriating sometimes. I shake it off and scavenge around for some clean, warm clothes.

I finally throw on an outfit that matches... quite well, actually. Hm. I admire myself in the mirror for a moment, and then pull my almost-ever-present moose hat on. I love moose.

I trudge through the house, past Mom and Dad chilling on the couch, and Sophia , my sister, coloring in one of her coloring books.

Sophia glances up as I pass, and grins at me, her missing front tooth making her that much more adorable, and then quickly hides her drawing.

I crouch next to her, and ruffle her hair lightly. "What`s up, buttercup?"

She grins again at the nickname, and then, almost shyly, says, "Nothing."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? What were you coloring there?"

Sophia giggles, and it brings a warm smile to my face. "Just something for you."

I raise my other eyebrow, and look surprised. "For me? Oh, you didn`t have to, sweetheart."

She whips out her drawing, which is of a pink moose, and it`s drinking from purple water. Her name is scrawled in the corner, with a heart next to it.

I take the flimsy sheet of paper, and chuckle. "Thank you so much, Soph."

She grins broadly, and throws her arms around my neck in a hug.

I take her hand, and lead her into my current bedroom, where I put it into the space in between the mirror and the frame of it. I smile down at her, and then she scurries off to do who-knows-what.

After she leaves, I stare at the moose for a few moments, and I can feel the tears threatening me. No. I won`t fucking cry. I rub at my eyes furiously, until it hurts, and then I stop and take a breather.

Everyone has taken notice of Sophia`s declining health. Sometimes she`ll be just fine. The perfect, happy four-year-old she should be, but other times... you can really tell that she`s sick. And what really blows is that we don`t have enough money for treatment.

My sister has cancer. It doesn`t even matter what kind, it just matters that it`s there, and that it`s untreatable. The doctors say that she may only have a few months to live. That`s why we`re even on this vacation. So that... if the worst happens, at least she`ll have been able to have a bit of fun before... you know.

I hate thinking about this kind of stuff, but I can`t help it. She`s such a loving, happy girl. She doesn`t deserve this shit!

And yes, this is very typical and cliché... but I really, truly wish it was me instead of her. I haven`t had the best life... but she still can. She still has her entire fucking life ahead of her. My life has already been screwed over.

I don`t even feel the tears running down my face, until I glance at myself in the mirror.

I angrily wipe them away, muttering, "Damn it." When I`ve wiped them all away, I walk into the bathroom adjoining this guest bedroom, and splash a bit of water on my face. Fuck.

My phone beeps at me, alerting me to the fact that someone has texted me. I pull it out of my coat pocket, and check the name. Tyler. Good, I wanted to talk to him.

I grab my messenger bag, which hold my laptop and my camera and other shit like that, and head for the front door, yelling over my shoulder, "I`m going out for a while! Call me if you need me!"

I hear a few mumbles in response, and then I`m out the door, walking down the sidewalk.

I check Tyler`s message. It says that he wants to talk.

I feel a tightening in my gut. Oh shit. He`s going to want to talk about what went down right before I left.

With cold fingers, I type a response.

There`s nothing to talk about.

I`m not like my other idiotic friends, who use text speak, or whatever the hell it`s called. I actually despise it, being semi-OCD like I am.

Tyler texts me back, saying that there is indeed something we need to talk about, and that I know what it is.

My fingers tighten around the phone, and I stop walking. Thumbs shaking, I type out: I know.

It takes a few moments until he replies. Why did you do it?

I swallow, and say, I don`t know. I was just caught up in the moment. I thought that that was what you wanted.

His message is almost immediate this time. It wasn`t.

And just like that, I feel my heart break. I feel tears welling up in my eyes, but force them back. I might accidentally cry in the safety of a house, but I will never, ever cry on a sidewalk in an unfamiliar town, where anyone might see.

Another text. Oliver... we can`t be friends anymore. It`s just too weird.

And now he`s ripped my heart out and stomped on it.

You can probably tell what`s happened, but if you somehow can`t, then here it is.

For years Tyler has been my best friend, and recently I`ve started harboring more... err... intimate feeling towards him. Before I left on the trip to Colorado, when he hugged me goodbye, it felt like he lingered for a moment, and then he just looked at me. I kissed him, and he was very surprised. He was just standing there, staring at me, and then he just... walked away. I wished I could take it back, but there isn`t any repairing whatever damage had been done. And now I`m paying for it by losing my best friend, one of my very few friends, actually.

Yet another text. Oliver? Well... I guess you don`t have to respond, but I would like to know that you`re at least getting these messages.

I stare down at my phone, and with trembling fingers, tap out, Yeah... I get it. Goodbye, Tyler.

I pocket my phone, and just stand there for a second, before continuing down the street.

I walk for a while, until I realize that I have no fucking clue where I am.

I glance around, and see that I`m standing in front of a huge house.

I start to turn around, but something about the house strikes me as familiar.

I stare at the house for a while, until it hits me, right in the face. With a snowball.

An average-height man is standing in the yard, his eyes displaying curiosity, but his face a blank slate.

"Why the hell are you just standing there?" The man asks, and I recognize that voice. I recognize his face. I recognize this house.

This is the Creature house.