My friend was spending that night alone, her parents having left to visit her aunt in Kentucky and weren't going to be back till the next day. Therefore, she'd chosen to curl up on the couch, watch "Interview with a Vampire", and enjoy her quiet evening.

However, my friend's movie was going to be interrupted very shortly. My friend's name is Libby Torrance. She is also 15 and very sensible. That's why when I appeared at her door ten o'clock at night, she rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're trick-or-treating," she said, not even letting me in.

"No, no," I said gasping for air. I had sprinted down to her house after all. "I need water-WATER!"

"Ok, ok," she said, letting me in. She quickly filled a tall glass with water and handed it to me.

Grateful, I mouthed thank you and began drinking the water. Libby led me into the living room and ordered me to sit down. She then turned the movie off and turned to face me, clutching the remote.

"Well?" she asked. "Why did you come up this late at night?"

Maybe when I'd ran up there, I'd forgotten what I had ran away from so the fear that had filled me had disappeared for a bit. Suddenly, it shot back through me and I pictured that masked face I had looked into. I screamed again and it startled Libby.

"What the- you've cracked haven't you?" asked Libby.

"No, no," I muttered through gasps. "Well, maybe. Listen- there's a murderer out there on the loose. He's killed my brothers, my sister, my mother, and my grandparents, and now-"

Then suddenly, I blinked and looked toward the kitchen where her front door was.

"Did you lock the front door?" I asked.

"Wait-what?" She apparently was still trying to take in everything. My face was turning paler and clammier.

"Did you lock the front door before we came in here?" I asked again, paying no mind to what she was muttering.

"No."

Without a word, I took off for the front door. When I got there I found the masked man facing me. Before he could make a move or I could scream, I slammed the front door shut and locked it.

"Who is that?" asked Libby.

"I'll explain later. Is there any other way out of your house?"

It seemed that all we did was ask questions that night. She nodded and pointed toward what I suppose was a back door.

"Is there any weapons in your house?"

"Yeah. A few guns and knives."

"Can you get two knives and two guns?"

"Sure."

The sure echoed in my head as she left to get them. That was the last thing Lexi had said to me before I'd gone to the garage. Silent tears started down my face again, but I brushed them away. I, Christy James, had to be strong.

Libby returned with two guns; a bebe gun and a 12-gage. Neither one of us knew how to use a gun, but we knew it was our only chance to defend ourselves if the knives failed us.

"They're both loaded, I checked," said Libby. "Who gets the bebe gun and who gets the 12-gage."

Suddenly, the glass part of door gave way. It fell all over the floor. The masked man stuck his arm in, trying to reach the lock.

"We'll worry about that later," I said, grabbing her hand and opening the back door.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry the chapter's short, but that's when I decided to cut this chapter off. One more chapter left!