Okay, here's the next chapter. I've still got one more after this, but I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll be continuing this story. You'll probably notice the big problem I'm having with it while reading this chapter. I'll mention it at the end since I don't want to give anything away beforehand.

Also, I'd just like to state that I don't really know much about Fresno. I live in New York City and don't really know about anything that's not on the east coast. I did some mapquesting and a bit of research, but I'm ot sure how accurate my descriptions are. Pleas try and bear with me.

Well, that's all I have to say. Read and hopefully enjoy.

Susan wasn't sure how far or for how long she ran after escaping the facility. She almost couldn't believe they'd pulled it off, and was so afraid that they were not yet in the clear that she simply willed her legs to keep moving. And move they did. Susan was faintly aware that she was moving much more quickly than an average person and, at her speed, would actually appear rather blurred to the human eye. It was several miles later, panting slightly but none too worse for the wear, that she finally stopped to get a better look at her surroundings.

Luckily Susan had detoured through the less populated areas and didn't seem to have been spotted. She had chosen to pause on a deserted side street that was protected on both sides by the cover of tall trees.

Stooping down, she gently lowered her three friends to the ground. Link and Dr. Cockroach both stumbled off, looking a bit dizzy and disheveled. Bob oozed through Susan's fingers, taking a few moments to regroup on the other side.

"That was some marvelously quick thinking Susan," Dr. Cockroach said, though his words sounded somewhat less than heartfelt as he clutched his head in an attempt to stop the world from spinning quite so quickly.

Seeing the disoriented state the sudden escape had left her friends in, Susan blushed a bit and apologized, "I'm sorry guys. It was kind of a split second decision. I didn't realize-"

"Eh, don't worry about it," said Link, waving his hand as if to say the whole affair was no big deal. Glancing around he asked, "So, uh…where are we anyway?"

Susan rose up to full height to better survey the area. "Well, I didn't really get a great look around while I was running, but I know for sure we're still in California."

"I take it you're from here then?" asked Doctor Cockroach.

"Mhmm," Susan replied, "Modesto. Well…Fresno actually. I suppose it's all the same anyway."

"I see. I'm a Georgia man myself. Came over from London quite a few years back," Dr. Cockroach said. He smirked a bit when Susan fixed him with a quizzical look. "Well don't look so shocked," he said, "I was human once myself you know."

Susan looked utterly baffled by the news. "You were?" she asked, "What happened?"

"Ah, laboratory accidents, science experiment gone wrong, it really is a story for another day," Dr. Cockroach replied off-handedly.

Susan was still trying to take in the fact that she was not the only monster who had once been human. The knowledge changed the way she looked at her friends ever so slightly. Turning to Bob and Link, Susan asked, "And what about you two? Were you ever…"

"Human?" Link finished, "Nah, not me. Frozen in ice. I'm the Missing Link, remember?"

"I was a duck once!" Bob piped in, "Or was it that I saw a duck once?" The blob looked so utterly perplexed by his own question that Susan did not inquire further.

Tucking this new revelation away for a more appropriate time, Susan returned to the matter at hand. "I can kind of see a city nearby," she said, squinting her eyes in the darkness as she gazed over the treetops, "I think we're somewhere near San Jose."

"So, what's the plan exactly?" asked Link.

"I'm not sure," Susan admitted, "I really hadn't planned this far in advance. I'm honestly still surprised we made it out of there."

"I know what you mean," Link agreed, gazing back in the direction they'd come from.

Susan continued, "Well, I need to go home and talk to my family. I need to see my daughter and try to convince my husband that I'm not really a monster. God only knows what he thinks of me after what happened the last time he saw me. You guys don't have to come with me if you don't want to. Would you rather we split up?"

"And go where?" Dr. Cockroach asked, "No, I think it would be best if we all stayed together. Especially since we're all wanted fugitives now. There is strength in numbers after all."

"I guess you're right," Susan said. In truth it had really just hit her that the four of them were outlawed. It was going to be extremely difficult to keep hidden and not cause a commotion. Susan really hoped they wouldn't run into trouble. Susan wasn't in the mood for more fighting and she really wasn't in the mood to be dragged back to Area 51 after all of the hard work that had gone into escaping. She continued, "Well, we're not too far from Fresno. Especially not if we move quickly. The trick is going to be staying hidden once we get there. We need to go now, while we still have the cover of darkness."

The other three monsters nodded in agreement. With that, Susan scooped her friends back up and began moving at a more cautious pace than before.

The group drew close to Fresno in a relatively short period of time. Susan was careful not to even draw close to any cities or towns, but instead took a bit more time on a detoured route that kept them well hidden. By the time they reached Fresno it was somewhere around two thirty in the morning, and the streetlights blazed dimly on an otherwise dark night.

Susan said a short prayer before creeping closer to the city. She was silently thankful that the jumpsuit she was wearing was black, as it afforded more camouflage. She was extremely careful not to make a sound as she made her way down the darkened streets. Fresno was not exactly known for its bustling nightlife, and the streets were nearly deserted at the late hour. Whenever Susan spied an oncoming car in the distance, she made certain to duck out of sight until it passed. She sincerely hoped that none of the local residents decided to glance out their windows.

Finally she made it to her destination: Roeding Park. Susan was very familiar with it, as she had often visited with Derek and Chloe. It was not gigantic but it was large enough to hide the small group. A bonus was that it was closed at this hour and guaranteed to be deserted. If anything it would at least afford the monsters a hiding place for the night. The treetops did a decent job of casting shadows and at least provided the cover of darkness.

"This will do nicely," Doctor Cockroach stated as he surveyed the hiding place, "At least for the night."

"Okay, you guys stay here. I need to get to my house now. I can't wait until morning or I won't be able to get there without being seen."

"We'll come with you," Link suggested, hopping off the small rock he'd been sitting on.

"No, just wait here. It'll be hard enough for me to get around by myself. Not to mention you might freak out Derek and Chloe. No offence," she stammered, feeling bad for having said it.

"Oh, alright," Link said, deflating a bit.

"Aw, come on," Susan said, "You know I don't mean it that way. This is just something I need to do on my own."

"We understand perfectly," Dr. Cockroach responded cheerily. Throwing a pointed looking in Link's direction, he added, "Don't we Link?"

"Huh?" Link said, confused. Seeing the look on Dr. Cockroach's face, he stammered, "Oh, right. No it's fine Susan really."

"Okay," Susan replied, grateful to her friends for being understanding, "I'll be back after I get this sorted out."

With that Susan turned and began to walk in the direction of her house. In truth she was a bit worried about what Chloe would think of her, and extremely nervous about how Derek would react. She really hoped it wouldn't be with fear. She didn't know if she could bear it if her own family turned their backs on her.

"Give Derek a kiss from me!" Bob called at her retreating back. She pretended she hadn't heard.

Susan tried to move even more carefully than before as she made her way toward her house. It was a quiet suburban neighborhood and not too densely populated, but the very familiarity of everything set her on edge. Being back in her old neighborhood had really set things in perspective. It was one thing to tower over the treetops, but to have an aerial view of your daughter's preschool was measurably more disconcerting.

Susan paused for a moment by a house a few blocks down from her own. It was a regular sized home, and the roof came up to somewhere just above Susan's waist. It was all so surreal that for a few moments Susan felt she was lost in a dream. Kneeling, she gazed at her reflection in the second story window.

She was a bit startled by how different she looked. Susan hadn't been able to look into a mirror since the day of her accident, as there were a limited number of reflective surfaces available at Area 51. It wasn't just the physical appearance that differed either, though her now silver hair was a strange sight. Of course Susan had known about the change; it had been a tad startling when she'd caught a glimpse of her new hair color when she'd brushed a few stray locks from her face. No, it wasn't just this that made Susan appear different to her own eyes. It was something deeper; something she couldn't quit put her finger on at the moment.

Breaking out of her daze, Susan stood and turned to go. Not paying enough attention, she stumbled as her foot connected with the blue mini van parked in the driveway. In a panic, Susan threw all of her weight onto her other foot to avoid crushing the vehicle. She was successful, but even the slight tap from her other foot was enough to set off the car's alarm.

"Crap!" Susan mumbled under her breath as she caught her footing. She darted away as quickly as possible, hoping desperately that the car's owner hadn't been awakened in enough time to see the giant woman fleeing the scene.

Susan finally stopped in front of her own house, clutching her chest as the adrenaline ebbed. Carefully, she crouched down in the backyard in order to obtain the cover of the trees. If seeing her neighbor's house had stunned Susan, it was nothing compared to the strange new view of her own home. Being back where the whole nightmare had started had suddenly made everything all too real for Susan, and she could feel tears stinging her eyes as she sidled up to her daughter's window.

Edging closer, Susan brought one eye up to the window and peered into her daughter's room. It looked just as it had the last time she had seen it. Susan's heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she caught sight of the small girl curled up in her bed across the room.

Moving as if in a trance, Susan placed a hand against the windowpane. The window was locked, but broke open easily under her fingertips. Rising onto the balls of her feet, she reached her hand through the gap and gently lifted the small girl from her bed.

However, Susan was broken from her trance-like state quit abruptly when said small girl let out an ear-piercing shriek. Unsure of what was going on and knowing only that she was being taken from her bed in the middle of the night, Chloe had reacted accordingly.

Susan froze in place for a moment, unsure of what to do. In honesty she wasn't sure why she had chosen this particular course of action in the first place. She hadn't really been thinking clearly. She felt like a cornered animal. She didn't want to run without seeing her family, but she couldn't stand here with Chloe shrieking or someone was bound to notice.

Susan turned as a frantic male voice floated down the hall. "Chloe honey? Are you alright?" A light came one and Susan could hear footsteps fast approaching.

Susan's heart began to beat quickly. She wanted to see Derek, but a part of her was absolutely terrified now that she was so close. She also didn't want him to see her like this, holding a terrified and crying Chloe. It certainly wouldn't do wonders for her anti-monster image.

And so, as Derek's footsteps grew ever closer, Susan made a split second decision: she bolted from the scene. Hardly paying attention to where she was going, she tried to be as careful as possible not to draw any attention to herself. She barely registered that a terrified Chloe was still cupped in her massive hands.

Okay, so are you seeing the issue? It is extremely hard to hide a 50ft tall fugitive in plain sight. You'll probably have to suspend disbelief to accept that no one saw Susan wandering around Fresno at 2:30 in the morning. That's why I may not continue, because I hate having little plot holes like that.

I guess review and let me know what you think. If you like to story enough that you'll accept my little discrepancies I can take a shot at continuing. If it's going to bother the readers I won't do it. So review and let me know what you think.