Harold's dirty silver car pulled into the drive-thru of a nearby burger joint, lit up only by a solitary streetlamp. It made its way over to the speaker and giant menu board before coming to a stop. Half of the menu was covered by a glossy ad for a brand new burger boasting five huge meat patties instead of the usual one. The Meat Shower Tower, it was called.

Trent pulled a face when he saw the picture. "Who on earth would order that?" He wrinkled his nose. "It looks so…greasy."

"I'm getting it!" Cody said. "I'm starving, man!"

"Are they still doing those Easter Egg shakes?" Ezekiel asked.

"Dude, it's July. Of course they won't be." Trent told him.

"I'm gonna ask, just in case."

Just then, the speaker crackled into life. The female voice that came out of it was drab, monotone, and very clearly bored out of her mind. "Hi, welcome to Burger Paradise, may I take your order…"

Ezekiel stuck his head as far out the window as he could. "Do you still have those Easter Egg shakes?"

The voice sighed. "It's July. We're not doing them any more."

"Oh. Uh, do you still do your normal chocolate ones?"

"Uh-huh. Anything else you want?"

Then, Cody rolled down his window and leaned out. "Can I get The Meat Shower Tower combo please? A large one, with a cola. And a side of chicken nuggets. Actually, could you double the nuggets? And can I get a caramel sundae with that as well?"

"Jesus," Trent murmured under his breath.

"You better not drip ice cream all over my seat, Cody!" Harold warned.

"I won't, I promise! How clumsy do you think I am?"

"Just yesterday you dropped an entire glass of water on my sister's shoes!"

"That was an accident! That weird lumpy rug in your living room tripped me up!"

"Are you gonna order anything else?" The irritated voice from the speaker cut in loudly.

"Oh, uh, we're good, thanks."

"'Kay. Now come up to the window and pay." Then the speaker fell silent.

The car rolled forward as instructed, pulling up level with the window. The lights from inside shone so brightly that the view of the girl at the register was briefly obscured. But when the boys' eyes adjusted, they all gave a collective gasp at the familiar face.

"Gwen!"

Her own eyes, underlined with heavy purple bags, widened in surprise and recognition, as well. "You guys!" Her previously sullen face lit up with a smile. "Long time, no see!"

"How've you been?" Trent asked.

"I've been better." Gwen sighed. "I've had to pull double shifts here for the past three days since one of my coworkers went on vacation. So now I have to waste twelve hours of my day serving ungrateful jerks." She paused. "I wasn't referring to you guys, just so you know."

Cody grimaced. "That sounds awful. I never want to work in fast food."

"You'll have to get a job eventually," Harold told him. "And like it or not, fast food is one of the only jobs a teenager with very little work experience could get."

"I wouldn't wanna work in fast food, either," Ezekiel added.

Gwen shrugged one shoulder. "Eh, I'm only here to save up for art school. And my shift tonight ends in fifteen minutes. I just have to hold out for a little longer, and then I'll be free. Until tomorrow, at least." She shuddered. "Anyway, what are you all up to?"

"We're going over to Zeke's house to get his stuff back." Trent said. "The others here want to try and lure his parents out before breaking into their house like it's some kind of spy movie."

"You guys are gonna go break into Zeke's house?" Gwen's mouth fell open before pulling itself into a mischievous smirk. "Dudes. You have to let me come with."

"What? Why?" Ezekiel was confused.

"It'll be fun! And I can totally help you out. Plus…I'm really curious to see what your home life was like."

Ezekiel didn't even get the chance to answer before Cody answered for him. "Yeah! You can totally come! We can use the extra hands."

"Awesome!"

Just then, a sharp voice from inside called, "Gwen! Enough chit-chat! You have other customers to serve!"

Gwen groaned. "I'd better get back to work."

"We'll wait for you in the parking lot," Harold promised. Ezekiel nodded. Trent fell silent.

Cody paid for his food and, after picking it up at the next window, Harold pulled around the building and parked the car in a quiet section of the lot, far away from the others. It was so quiet that not even the wind made a sound. Aside from one streetlamp and the light from inside the car, it was pitch black.

Cody reclined in his seat and took a sip of his cola. "Ahhh…that hits the spot."

Ezekiel did the same with his chocolate milkshake, but with a slightly different reaction. "Ow, my teeth hurt."

"It's probably because your teeth are more sensitive," Harold said.

"I wish they weren't. Hey Cody, can I have a couple fries?"

"Sure!" Cody handed him the carton, letting Zeke grab what he wanted.

"Don't tell me you're gonna dip them in your milkshake," Trent wrinkled his nose. "I don't understand why people do that."

"Because it's delicious, Trent!" Cody retorted.

Trent rolled his eyes. "Look, you guys are good friends and all, but sometimes your eating habits gross me out." He pointedly looked down at Cody's massive burger, straining against its tiny cardboard carton.

"Says the guy who ate bull testicles!" Harold shot back.

"That's different! That was for a challenge!" Trent's face went red.

"We know!" The trio responded, teasing grins on their faces. Cody nudged him playfully with his elbow. Ezekiel proceeded to scoop up some of his milkshake with his fries and shove them into his mouth. Harold laughed at Trent's face.

"You guys are the worst friends ever!" Trent folded his arms.

"Oh, come on. We're still better than Justin."

"Yeah. You're miles better." Finally, Trent cracked a smile.

Harold groaned. "Remember that time we all got pizza and Cody wanted Hawaiian but Justin kept arguing with him about it?"

"We nearly had a food fight right there in the restaurant!" Cody laughed with a mouthful of chewed-up fries.

"Man. A food fight sounds awesome." Ezekiel said.

"And messy." Trent added.

"Aw, but that's part of the fun!" Cody finished off his fries, crumpled the carton and dropped it on the floor, amidst a sea of other old food wrappers and rubbish. "Besides, Trent, when did you become such a neat freak?"

"Well, after appearing on two whole seasons of Total Drama and dealing with a lot of messes I never thought I'd ever have to deal with…I guess you could say I've become more cautious of what goes on around me."

"Okay, that's fair." Cody turned his attention to his burger. As he lifted it out of the carton, it looked as if the bun was only barely holding everything together. Grease dripped from the meat inside, running down Cody's fingers. Harold shot him a warning glare.

Cody scoffed at him. "Oh come on, Harold, your car's already a total mess!"

"Grease stains are significantly harder to clean than plain rubbish. Gosh!"

"How are you even gonna fit that in your mouth, eh?" Ezekiel craned his head and neck around to watch him.

But before Cody could even take a bite, there came a sudden knock at the window. Ezekiel yelped in fright and hit his head on the roof.

The back door opened. Gwen stuck her head in. "Hey, guys. I couldn't wait, so I snuck out."

"Won't you get fired for that?" Trent was concerned.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I'll just get a job at that new sandwich place. I've heard the hours are very flexible. Now, where am I gonna sit?"

Cody cleared away his rubbish and patted the empty middle seat. "Here!"

Gwen had no choice but to squeeze into that seat so she was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Cody and Trent. "Well," she began, placing her hands on her knees, "this is cozy."

"Right in between your ex and the guy who used to hit on you!" Ezekiel said cheerfully. "That must be pretty awkward, eh?" Harold lightly punched him in the arm.

Gwen and Trent, pointedly, didn't even so much as glance at each other. "If I can share living quarters with someone like Heather for four seasons, then this is no big deal." An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air, before Gwen turned to Cody. "So, Cody…Speaking of relationships, how are you and Noah going?"

Cody instantly brightened up. "Great! We haven't seen each other in person for ages, but we call each other every second day, pretty much." He sighed dreamily. "I'd love to go visit him one day."

"How are your parents treating you?" Ezekiel asked.

Cody's smile dropped away. "It's been…okay. They're just choosing to ignore it and pretend like I didn't make out with another guy on international TV. But at least they're not kicking me out."

"That's…something…" Gwen responded.

The car was silent once again for another painful moment. Then Harold reached for the ignition and flicked it on.

"Okay, if we wanna get to Zeke's house and back before our parents start to miss us, then we should probably go now."

As Gwen put on her seatbelt, she asked, "Wait, where does Zeke even live, anyway?"

"Near Greenhead!" Zeke chimed in instantly.

"Where's that? I've never heard of it."

"It's a hundred and fifty kilometers north of Saskatoon," Harold answered.

"A hundred and fifty kilometers?!" Trent was aghast. "That's like, a two hour drive!"

"Actually, it'd be a four hour round trip, plus all the time we'd be spending packing up Zeke's stuff." Cody corrected.

"You guys are all nuts! We can't seriously be going through with this!"

But by the time Trent said that, Harold was already pulling out of the parking lot, and it was much too late for any objections. He was stuck along for the ride, whether he liked it or not.

"Come on," Gwen smiled, a little nervously, and gently elbowed him. "It'll be an adventure."

As Harold turned onto the main highway, slipping a hip hop tape into the tape player, Trent was already regretting every life decision that had led to this very moment.

Despite the long drive, everyone found a way to entertain themselves.

Harold and Ezekiel sang along to Harold's tapes. Cody finished the rest of his food, and was now furiously scribbling something in his notebook. Gwen had borrowed a few pieces of paper and a pencil, and was working on an elaborate drawing of an octopus destroying a skyscraper. Trent simply resorted to reading all the geeky magazines that had been left on the car floor for goodness knows how long.

Everyone was off in their own little world. Even though it was very late, no one felt particularly tired. Yet.

The lights of passing cars briefly lit them up as they continued on their journey. But when the clock on the dashboard struck midnight, the number of cars dropped down significantly. And when Harold got off the highway and turned onto a quiet country road, they saw no other cars at all. At that point, Greenhead was about twenty minutes away.

Gwen put down her drawing and stared out the window. "Wow, it's really quiet out here in the countryside…"

"Wait til you see what it's like on the farm," Ezekiel told her.

Cody shuffled about restlessly. "I hope we'll be getting out soon. My butt's getting sore."

"We will. And hey, if we have time to, I'll even show you my pet cows."

"I hope Mom doesn't freak out about us going missing," Harold said.

"My mom won't notice." Gwen shrugged. "She works most nights and sleeps through most of the day. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

As they grew closer to Greenhead, Ezekiel felt a mixture of dread and excitement at the prospect of storming his old house. It'll be good to take back what was his, but the idea of his dad greeting them with his gun or pitchfork was too distressing to dwell on for too long.

But the others were smart. And Harold knew like five different martial arts. They'd figure something out.

Everything was going to be fine.

Right?

At long last, the headlights lit up an old, mossy sign that read, "Welcome to Greenhead".

Cody exhaled sharply. "Finally!"

Harold slowed down as they cruised the main street. The others all peered out the windows. The first thing they noticed was the complete lack of cars anywhere. There were no people, and no lights coming from any of the buildings. Hell, there wasn't even a single streetlamp.

"Gee, this place is spooky…" Trent murmured.

They passed a greengrocer, a butcher, a tiny library, and a farm supplies store. All of them were interspersed between rows of rundown houses and overgrown lawns. Ezekiel looked out over it impassively. "Yep…just like how I remember it."

"Which street do you live on?" Harold asked.

"Morris Road."

It took awhile to locate it, due to the lack of streetlamps to light the way. But luckily Ezekiel recognized the turn-off point and guided the way.

"Just keep going until I tell you to stop," he instructed.

Almost immediately, the row of buildings stopped, leaving only open fields and patches of trees for as far as the eye could see. By this point, everyone had stopped what they were doing and were watching the countryside roll by.

The road stretched ahead of them for what felt like forever, fading away into the darkness. It was clearly rarely traveled and poorly maintained. There were large cracks in the asphalt, through which weeds grew. Harold's knuckles turned white from his grip on the steering wheel.

For Ezekiel, this was an uncomfortable trip down memory lane. He never traveled these roads very often himself - his parents didn't let him accompany them on their trips into town that often - but he could still remember almost everything about them. It had been imprinted into his brain.

But the others were heading into unknown territory. It was basically No Man's Land for city folk like them. Yet another thing that divided them from his parents.

After another ten minutes of driving down the seemingly endless road, Harold spied a fork. Slowing right down, he caught a glimpse of the sign. Miller Road. Miller was Zeke's last name.

"Turn here." Ezekiel told him.

"How much longer?" Gwen asked.

"Uhh…maybe another ten minutes or so?"

"Jesus," Trent brushed his fringe out of his eyes. "I promise to never make fun of you for not knowing anything about the outside world ever again."

Miller road, it turned out, was completely unpaved. The car shook to and fro with just the slightest bump. And in near total darkness, it made it just that tiny bit more terrifying.

But Harold persevered. They'd come way too far to just turn back now. They were going to get Zeke's rightful belongings, come hell or high water.

Cody clutched at his belly. "Urgh, all this bumping is starting to make me feel car-sick…"

"Watch out, or Harold will tell you off for vomiting all over his precious car," Trent said starkly. Harold didn't respond.

"That was a big burger you ate," Gwen laid a comforting hand on Cody's shoulder. "Just keep taking deep breaths, and you should be fine."

After maybe five minutes of stomach-churning travel, they arrived at another fork in the road. This time, there wasn't a road sign to help them out. The path on the left, while still unpaved, seemed clear of debris and at least somewhat maintained. The path on the right was overgrown with waist-high grass. It was impossible to tell where either one led to.

Once again, everyone turned to Ezekiel for answers.

It took a minute for him to speak up, as he was clearly lost in thought about something. "The road on the left leads directly to the house. Except my parents would see us if we just drove straight up, because there's nothing blocking their view, so we shouldn't do that. The road on the right…" He gave a brief pause. "The road on the right goes to Old Johnny's place. It cuts through his property and loops around to the back of Mom and Dad's house. But they won't be able to see us at Old Johnny's place because of all the trees between us, so we should go there first, okay?"

Harold started the car down the right road, traveling just above a snail's pace. "This Old Johnny guy won't rat us out to you parents, right?"

Ezekiel only shook his head. His dreams thankfully hadn't been haunted by Old Johnny in a while.

Now everyone's senses were heightened. They were all out of their depth. They were just a bunch of teenagers foolish enough to make this journey. And yet, they were not about to turn back. Not without completing their goal. From their fear, they would find the courage to keep going.

Trees towered out of the darkness, immediately obscuring their view of the other road. Although it shielded them from the looming threat of the Miller parents, it also made everyone feel more cut off from the safety of busy towns and bustling streets.

So open. So…exposed. Who knew what was out there, lying in wait in the darkness.

On the right side of the road, the trees dropped away to reveal a large paddock. Situated within this paddock, set back a little from the road, was a house. A very clearly old and abandoned and decaying house. The roof was half gone, having probably caved in long ago. The door was leaning haphazardly, only kept upright by a single hinge. Grass was quickly reclaiming the porch, as well as the rusted shell of a truck parked right next to it.

"Stop here," Ezekiel ordered.

Harold did so, putting the car in park. "Is this Old Johnny's house?"

"Yep."

"Who even is Old Johnny, anyway?" Gwen asked.

Ezekiel didn't immediately respond. The sight of the house made all the hairs on his neck and arms stand up straight, rubbing uncomforting against his clothes. Even in the pitch black, his eyes still traced every detail. Especially the door. A big wine red-colored block of a thing with an enormous grey bolt attached to it. He remembered standing on that sagging porch and rapping his knuckles the polite way his mother had taught him. Time and time again.

And then there was the boot print…

"Zeke?" A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of it.

"Huh? Oh, sorry dudes, just got lost in thought for a minute."

"As I was asking," Gwen continued, "Who even is Old Johnny? Was he your neighbour?"

"...Yeah. He was."

"Is something wrong?" Trent leaned forward. "I've never known you to be this quiet, man. And you were so happy before."

Ezekiel spared another glance at the door. "This…it's just bringin' back some crappy memories. That's all."

"Well…" Cody began. "What do we do now? Zeke, you know the layout of the land. What do you think we should do?"

"Well…" Ezekiel gestured into the dark ahead of them. "This path will take us through the trees, and it leads to the back yard. We can park the car in the trees so we won't be seen."

"Okay, but how are we gonna go about getting into the house with your parents there?" Trent asked, arms folded. "Didn't you say your dad has a gun?"

Ezekiel bit his lip. Now he couldn't hide behind the veneer of 'they can figure it out later!' No. They had to figure it out now.

But what should they do? The idea of facing his parents scared him now, more than ever. Especially since they were literally planning to break the law. And his dad didn't take too kindly to criminals. He remembered the rage-fest his dad had after Old Johnny…

"Trent," Harold spoke up. "Could you reach under my seat and get my nunchucks?"

"You keep nunchucks in your car?" Gwen was incredulous.

"What? You never know when they might come in handy! Gosh!"

Trent pulled out the nunchucks. "Dude, how long have they been under there?"

"It doesn't matter! Idiots!"

Gwen snorted. "What are you gonna do, wave it slowly in his direction and hope he cowers in your presence?" She and Trent both snickered.

"You guys," Cody said, "Shouldn't we focus on Zeke right now?"

"Maybe we won't have to fight them," Zeke said, uncertainly. "Maybe we can just…sneak in. Like ninjas."

"Then I'm putting the nunchucks back," Trent replied. But Harold reached around and snatched them from his grasp.

"I know where the spare key is," Zeke continued. "And my parents are pretty heavy sleepers. We can just let ourselves in and grab what we need."

"Are you sure?" Gwen asked.

Ezekiel shook his head. "No. But I really don't wanna come face to face with my parents right now, eh. Besides, I don't know what else to do." He sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"Everyone ready?" Harold called to the others. He received three nervous yeses.

Well. It was time.

Harold started the car and pulled away from Old Johnny's house. As soon as they were away from the paddock, they were swallowed up by the trees. Not wanting to be spotted early on and ruin the whole plan, Harold set his headlights to the dimmest setting. But not only did this make traversing the forested path very difficult and slow-going, it also made it ten times more creepy. Cody cowered away from the window, clutching Gwen's arm. For once, she didn't shove him off.

The trip through the woods took maybe five minutes, but it felt like way longer. Harold hunched over the steering wheel, hoping the tires wouldn't become stuck in mud or entangled in overgrown shrubbery. Ezekiel crossed his fingers, hoping that everything would turn out okay. Even Trent decided to stop with the snide comments and get himself ready for whatever may come next.

Finally, they spotted an opening in the trees ahead. They drove through them and stopped. They were greeted with the sight of a large stretch of open green grass, which looked like it had been mowed recently. The one thing that dominated the new landscape was the house. It wasn't anything special; just an ordinary wooden two-storey thing surrounded by neatly manicured flowerbeds. The glass pane in the back door, which was partially shielded by a wrap-around porch, twinkled at them in the moonlight. Every other window was dark.

Ezekiel pointed to a small window on the second floor. "That's my parents' bedroom window." He thought hard for a minute. "Someone should stay with the car and keep lookout."

"I'll do it." Trent offered.

Cody suddenly gasped. "Wait, you guys, I just realized something! We didn't bring any boxes to put Ezekiel's stuff in! How are we gonna carry it all out to the car?"

"That's okay. My mom loves to hoard boxes. We can just get some from inside."

The five teenagers got out of the car. It was the first time they'd been able to stretch their legs for a couple of hours, and they relished being able to move freely again.

"Alright, Trent," Harold slapped him on the shoulder, "Text us if you see movement upstairs. And don't let anything happen to my car!"

"I won't," Trent responded, his hands held palm up.

"Everyone ready?" Harold asked the others. "Let's go. Lead the way, Zeke."

With Ezekiel leading the way, the four of them stole across the lawn, crouching down as they did so to make themselves less visible. Being so close to the lion's den had them all on edge. When they reached the wall of the house, they flattened themselves against it, taking care not to trample the flowers. They edged along it quickly but quietly. When they rounded the corner, they found themselves facing the front porch.

Ezekiel lifted a cautious finger and pointed it at a tree some distance away from them. "See that tree?" he whispered. "The spare key's hidden over there. I'm gonna go grab it, eh."

With a quick glance around, Ezekiel made a mad dash for the tree, stumbling a little on the way there. He knew exactly where he was looking, even in total darkness. He bent down for only a few seconds before straightening again. When he did, he took another look around…

…And stopped.

"What is he doing?" Gwen hissed.

To their surprise, they heard Ezekiel giggle. He walked right out into the open and waved them over. Reluctantly, they did as he directed.

"Look!" he cried, pointing at a rickety building. In the moonlight, they could see that it was completely empty.

Gwen raised an eyebrow. 'What are we looking at, exactly?"

"That's the garage. Can't you see? Both cars are gone! They're not even home!"

Just like that, the tension broke. All four of them descended into a future of laughter.

"We were worried about nothing!" Cody giggled.

"I was so scared Dad was gonna shoot us, but he's not even here!" Ezekiel exclaimed.

Harold's phone buzzed. It was a text from Trent. I can hear laughing. Is that you?

Yes, Harold responded. Turns out Zeke's parents aren't even home.

"Okay, okay," Gwen calmed herself down. "We should probably go inside and get Zeke's stuff before his parents decide to come back."

"I'll text Trent and tell him to keep watch out front instead," Harold said, doing just that.

"I got the key," Ezekiel showed it to them. "Let's go."

They jogged up to the front porch. Ezekiel unlocked the door and swung it open. The stench of unwashed clothes and undusted rooms hit them in the face. The other three recoiled, covering their noses.

Ezekiel, on the other hand, stood there and breathed it in deeply. It was a smell he never thought he'd miss. The unmistakable smell of home.

His eyes misted up. He wiped them with his sleeve and stepped inside.

The four found themselves in a narrow hallway. To the left was a cramped kitchen. To the right was a sunroom. Straight ahead was a rickety staircase.

Ezekiel headed for the staircase, or, more specifically, the cupboard underneath it. He opened the door, and several mice came charging out, disturbed by the movement.

"Whoa!" Gwen cried, jumping out of the way.

"Don't worry, they're friendly. Ah, here they are, eh." Ezekiel reached inside and pulled out four huge cardboard boxes. Handing one each to the others, he then began making his way up the stairs. "I'll show you to my room."

Although Ezekiel marched onwards with confidence, the others still cringed at the loud creaks their footsteps produced, even though they were the only ones there.

"How old is this house?" Cody asked.

"Uhhh, at least a hundred years, I think."

"This place is screaming to be renovated," Gwen glanced with slight disgust at the peeling wallpaper on the stairwell.

"Yeah I know, but Mom and Dad's don't have the money for it, eh."

They reached the top of the stairs. Ezekiel led them down yet another hallway. Several small windows higher up shone boxes of moonlight on the wall opposite them. It was the only thing lighting their path. With the minimal light, creaky floor, and utter silence, the whole place felt like something out of a horror movie.

Ezekiel's room was at the very end of the hallway. He opened the door and led the way inside.

Harold, Gwen and Cody were now getting a first-hand glimpse into the kind of life Ezekiel had led up to that point.

A single bed was shoved into the corner, completely unmade, with the duvet and blanket kicked back and rumpled. There was a large bookshelf in the opposite corner. It was filled to the brim with big, thick volumes. Next to that was a small desk covered in pieces of paper, pens, photographs, and empty jam jars being used as makeshift flower pots with dead flowers in them, alongside various other knick-knacks. The desk had no chair to go with it. A wooden shelf ran along one wall. It was also cluttered, but the centerpiece was very clearly the enormous gold trophy. It was covered in a coating of dust.

As Ezekiel stood in the middle, a wave of memories came flooding back. Seeing everything he'd left behind brought forth a stab of regret for the way things were now. Once upon a time, this room was his haven, his safe place where he could hide away from the world. But now, being here felt so unspeakably wrong.

His eyes welled up with tears again. And again, he wiped them away. He didn't mean to upset his parents. He never intended to make them turn on him the way they had. Everything he did was because he didn't know any better.

Why couldn't his parents see that?

Hell…it was their fault he'd turned out the way he had.

Yes, it was, Zeke remembered. They were the ones that taught him that men are stronger than women and that gay people deserve to go to hell and that the outside world was dangerous.

Being stuck in the cargo hold of Chris' plane, trying not to lose his mind, had given him a lot of time to think. Especially after that blowout with Noah and the talk Cody had with him afterwards about what he did wrong. That was what made him realize just what his parents' teachings had done to him. They were poisoning his relationships with others.

And then they kicked him out for embarrassing him. They turned on him. Just like that.

Just like they turned on Damaris.

Oh god. The anger that was suddenly spiking Ezekiel's veins was terrifying.

"Zeke?" Gwen's voice was soft. "Are you okay?"

"No." His own voice was gruff. "No, I'm not. I shouldn't have to break into my own house, eh. And for what? Just to get my stuff? They should have at least let me get my things before ditching me." He swung his foot at a pile of dirty laundry, sending a shirt flying across the floor. "And besides, it's their fault I embarrassed them! They're the ones who made me be embarrassing!"

Cody and Harold shared a concerned glance. Gwen purses her lips. They remained silent.

Ezekiel folded his arms and kicked another shirt. He stomped his foot on the hardwood floor.

It wasn't fair. It never was fair.

His parents brought shame onto themselves. But then they dare to punish him for it? How could they? Who did they think they were?

Well, fine. If they wanted to get rid of him so badly, then so be it. So fucking be it.

Ezekiel picked up a box and headed over to his bookshelf. "C'mon, you guys. Let's just get this over with."

Finally, they moved. Harold joined him at the bookshelf. Cody went for the desk. Gwen decided to do the shelf.

Harold knelt beside him, scanning his eyes over the titles of the books. "Woah, you have a lot of language books."

"Mom and Dad made me read them," Ezekiel explained, sliding them off the shelf and into the box. "They said learning languages is good for the brain."

Harold grabbed some books and began stacking them neatly. He couldn't help but take note of their titles. "Withered Heights? The Call of the Weird? The Raisins of Wrath? I didn't know you liked reading classics."

"Again, Mom and Dad made me read them. They said modern books and comics rot your brain, like TV."

"Uh, Zeke?" Cody piped up. "There's like, a lot of junk on your desk. What do you want to take with you?"

"Oh! I'll do that, eh." Ezekiel jumped up. "You can go through my drawers and empty them out. I wanna take all my clothes with me."

"Roger that!" Cody mockingly saluted before doing what was asked of him.

Ezekiel began sorting through the papers scattered on his desk. Most of them contained half-scribbled song lyrics back from when he was a solo harmonica rap artist. Speaking of his harmonica, he found it underneath a folder with old drawings inside. He discarded the folder, but lovingly placed the harmonica inside the box.

He went back to gathering up the old lyrics into a pile, then set about looking for the binder that he usually kept them in. He opened the first drawer of the desk and found it inside. When he lifted it out, he saw a pile of photos hidden underneath it.

It pulled him up short. He'd actually kinda forgotten that they were in there.

All those smiling faces, frozen in time, stared up at him from the shadows. Most of them were of him throughout the years. There were some of his parents. A few with Old Johnny, before the break-in. And a few more with Damaris…

But before he could pull them out, he heard Gwen say, "Ezekiel, did you win the national spelling bee?"

Ezekiel spun around. Gwen was holding the enormous hold trophy, reading the inscription with amazement. "Oh, uh, yeah. I did."

"Really?" Cody and Harold stared up at him.

"Yeah. I saw it being advertised on TV and my parents let me sign up. Before Total Drama, it was the only time I left the farm and Greenhead. Hell, it was the first time I left the province." Ezekiel gingerly took the trophy from Gwen and stared down at his warped reflection on the gold curve. "My mom took me to the finals in Toronto. She was constantly worried about everyone judging us. She wouldn't let me hang out with the other kids. Said that they wouldn't understand us or our lives."

The others seemed to contemplate that. Ezekiel placed the trophy into a box and sighed. Turning back to the desk, he continued talking. "I kinda miss those days, you know. The days when I could run around outside, climb trees, chase the cows… My parents never let me get away with anything really naughty, but they let me do what I wanted most days. I never really remember feeling sad as a kid. Until…"

He glanced down at the top photo on the desk. It hurt to look at the smiling faces. He quickly averted his gaze.

"So, what was it like, being homeschooled?" Cody asked. "...you don't have to say anything if you don't want to…"

Ezekiel went back to shuffling through the stuff on his desks, momentarily setting the photos aside. "It was fun, I guess. I still had to do schoolwork. My mom used to order these big workbooks online and she made me do them. That was how I spent most mornings. But afternoons were free time. I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I didn't get into trouble, eh. Even after I was made to start helping out on the farm, the afternoons were mine. When I got older, I spent most of my time reading and watching documentaries. Oh, and playing music. Hey, speaking of which, have you guys found my kazoo?"

Gwen picked it up from where it was placed on the shelf. It was covered in an inch of dust. "This one?"

Ezekiel grabbed it. "Thanks!" He wiped off the dust and played a short tune on the kazoo, before dropping it into the box. "If I left that behind again, I woulda kicked myself, eh." After a moment, he continued: "It used to belong to Old Johnny."

Cody perked up. "Your neighbour?"

"Yeah. He let me have it once he got too old to play it without getting short of breath. Actually, that was another thing I had to do as a kid: hang out with Old Johnny."

"Why?"

"'Cuz he was old. Had no wife or kids. No one to visit him. Mom felt bad for him, so she sent me over once or twice a week to keep him company. I helped him with farm stuff, mostly. I think I was his only friend."

"Did he move away?" Gwen asked. "His house looked abandoned."

Ezekiel visibly stiffened up. "That's 'cuz it is." Then he clamped his mouth shut. The image of the boot print on the door made him squeeze his eyes shut in a futile attempt to escape it.

Gwen, Cody and Harold all shared a curious glance.

The four continued packing, as quickly as possible. Despite it being unlikely, the idea of the Miller parents showing up and catching them red-handed made them move faster. But with four pairs of hands, it was easier. Especially since they stopped talking, aside from the occasional comment. Less talking meant less distractions.

After another ten minutes, every box was stuffed full of Ezekiel's belongings. The bookshelf had been cleared. The drawers had been emptied. The blankets had been stripped from the bed. Even the bow and arrows had been included. Seven boxes worth of Zeke's stuff were now lying in the middle of the floor as they stood around them, exhausted. The late hour was slowly starting to catch up to them. But nevertheless, they were satisfied.

Ezekiel looked around his near-barren room. This was really happening. He was really doing this. Everything he'd ever known as a kid, everything that had once made up his world, seemed to be fracturing. A big ugly gash was forming, right down the middle. Before and After. The Before was rapidly fading in front of his eyes. The After was misty and murky. Nowhere else to move but forward.

"All done!" Cody stretched his back and arms. "Man, I hope I don't have to pack up all my stuff anytime soon."

"Thanks for helping, guys." Ezekiel said, taking the photos from his desk and shoving them into his hoodie's pocket. "I couldn't have done it without you, eh."

Harold put his hands on his hips. "No need to thank us. There was no way we would have just left you hanging like that."

"Yeah," Gwen added. "No one deserves…this." She swept her arm across the room.

Just then, Harold's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket. As soon as he saw the screen, his face blanched. "Uh-oh…"

"What's uh-oh?"

"Trent says that he can see headlights coming up the road!"

"We gotta get outta here!" Cody reached out and grabbed a box. "I don't wanna get shot!" As soon as the last word left his mouth, he was out the door, his sneakers thudding against the floorboards.

Ezekiel was quick to follow suit. He picked up a box - with his folded blanket on top - and darted out the door, his body kicking into overdrive. He flew down the hallway and down the stairs at breakneck speed. More footsteps behind him confirmed that Gwen and Harold were hot on his heels.

The idea of confronting his parents was bad enough already. But being caught in the act of breaking and entering and stealing - even though it was all technically his stuff - was downright terrifying. Despite his hard feelings towards everything that had happened, he knew he just had to get out of there.

As he burst out the front door, he could see two circles of light gradually getting closer and closer. His heart leapt straight into his mouth.

Taking immense care not to trip over his own two feet, he sprinted for the treeline. Harold's car came into view; the trunk already open and Trent behind the wheel. Cody was already inside.

Ezekiel more or less tossed his box into the back before getting into the front passenger seat. The car bounced up and down from the force of Gwen and Harold dumping the rest of the boxes inside and then shutting the trunk. They practically dove into the backseat, Harold shouting, "Drive! Drive! Drive!"

Trent fired the ignition and reversed back beyond the treeline, just as the glint of the approaching headlights lit up the front of the house. The car backed up until the house disappeared among the thick branches. Luckily, the path didn't have that many twists and turns, and Trent was able to navigate through the forest until they backed up onto Old Johnny's property. Only then did the car stop.

It was silent for a minute as everyone caught their breath. The fright of such a narrow escape had probably taken ten years off each of their lives. Hell, they might have dropped dead of a heart attack if they'd been even a tiny bit slower.

But they had succeeded. Ezekiel had his rightful possessions back. Now his parents had lost him, maybe for good.

As the adrenaline rush slowed to a halt, Ezekiel gazed out the window at Old Johnny's house. And almost immediately, he felt his heartbeat start to pick up again. Yep, he might end up dying of a heart attack after all.

The scene laid itself out before him: overcast sky, dry but soft grass, a slight breeze. Old Johnny's house nestled amongst the bushes he cultivated. Those same bushes were choking what remained of his property now.

He walked along, as carefree as the sparrows chirping in the trees.

The walk up to the porch. The door. Inside…

"Hey. Zeke."

Trent stared at him from the driver's seat. He seemed concerned. "You were staring off into space."

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. Lotsa…bad memories around here, eh."

"Is this about Old Johnny?" Cody's voice was careful.

Ezekiel didn't even try to hide the tiny nod he gave.

"What happened to him?"

Ezekiel looked out the windshield. It was pitch black, yet the sky was still overcast in his mind. And it had been, for a long, long time.

"It was the twentieth of May." He couldn't control the words slipping from his mouth. But just like that, the other four were dead silent, listening in earnest.

"It was around seven or eight in the morning. I remember the time 'cuz my mom woke me up and told me to go help Old Johnny shoo the cows in for milking. He hurt his hip yesterday and couldn't walk properly. He was really old; I think around seventy. I was eight. I put on my favourite boots and started walking through the trees. The sky was completely grey. The birds were singing. Everything was peaceful.

"But when I reached his house, I could tell somethin' was off. The door. It was ajar. Old Johnny always kept it shut and bolted. But there it was, half open. When I saw it, I had this feeling of dread come over me. I felt that if I stepped inside that house, I was gonna see somethin' I didn't wanna see. But I kept thinking about Old Johnny, and how naughty I would be if I didn't at least check on him first."

A gust of wind blew through the trees and past the tiny silver car. Something inside the house creaked. Trent and Harold gave simultaneous shivers. Cody clutched at Gwen's knee. She didn't bother prying his hand off. Instead, she clasped his hand with her own.

"I stood up on that porch…and on the door," Ezekiel gulped. "There was this massive muddy bootprint."

Now it was the other's turns to gulp fearfully.

"I remember thinking that it was humongous; bigger than any bootprint I'd ever seen before. Right there, in the middle of the door. Then I saw that the bolt had snapped off. Seeing it was what made me realize just how serious the whole situation was. But I still felt the need to check on Old Johnny. I had to go see if he was okay.

"I pushed the door open just enough to squeeze through. The first thing I noticed was how quiet everything was. Usually Old Johnny would come stompin' his way down the hall whenever he heard me come in, but not that time. I went into the kitchen first. It was a total mess. All the food from the fridge and pantry had been thrown all over the place. All the dishes and utensils were everywhere, as well. Even the table was flipped over. It was just chaos.

"But when I went into the living room, it was also a mess. The sofa was in the center of the room and the armchairs were overturned. The big display cabinet he had in there was on the floor. All the china was smashed. Someone had put their foot through a photo frame. There was broken glass everywhere. Seeing the glass on the floor, twinkling in the light…it scared me even more than I already was. I dunno why. Old Johnny was nowhere to be found. I knew I'd hafta go looking for him in his bedroom, but I really didn't want to."

"Oh my god," Gwen whispered.

"It seemed like time was stopped for a few minutes. The wind wasn't blowing anymore. The birds weren't even singing. It felt like even the whole world knew something was wrong. The floorboards in the hallway were creaking. I mean, they always creak, but that time it felt extra menacing, somehow. Old Johnny's bedroom was at the end of the hall. There were shadows everywhere, but I could still see. Even so, I felt like something terrible was awaiting me, just behind that door. It was so quiet. I could hear my heartbeat, so loud it hurt my ears. I don't think I was even breathing. I was moving so slowly; I kept thinking that someone was gonna jump out of the shadows and kill me. When I got to the door, I honestly thought I was gonna pass out. That feeling of dread came back, stronger than ever. I reached out to grasp the doorknob, but it felt like some invisible force was stopping me. I felt like if I opened that door, I'd see something I never wanted to see."

It was still so quiet, both in his memories and in reality. He was still feeling the irregular thump of his heart in his ears, pounding and pounding and pounding. He was still feeling the terrifying tingle in his hand.

"I don't really remember running back outside and back home. But I must've, because next thing I knew, I was back in bed with all the covers pulled up to my chin. I think my dad called the police, but I don't really remember that either. Actually, I don't remember the rest of the day. But one thing I do remember is the next morning. I crept down the stairs into the kitchen while my parents were making breakfast. I worked up the nerve to ask them what happened to Old Johnny. They didn't say anything. They just…gave each other this…look. I don't really know how to describe it. But I knew that they had bad news they didn't wanna tell me. And that was enough for me to put the pieces together."

For a horribly long while, nobody said anything.

There was no other way to describe it. It was just a godawful silence.

"...I…" Trent began tentatively. "I am so sorry, dude. That sounds horrible."

"I take back every mean thought I ever had about you," Gwen said.

"Your life sounds messed up." Harold said, pausing, before quickly adding, "No offense."

"No. None taken." Ezekiel gave a tiny sigh. "I know my upbringing is pretty wack, eh. I can't help it."

"Don't blame yourself, dude," Cody said encouragingly. "You're not with your parents anymore. You're with us. And we'll help you with any issues that crop up. Won't we?"

Four enthusiastic yeses were given in response. Even Gwen said so.

"You'll be fine," Cody continued. "Your parents can control you anymore."

Ezekiel smiled at that. It was true. Despite his apprehension at leaving behind all he'd ever known on the farm, he couldn't deny that life would be so much better without his parents feeding him malicious misinformation.

Trent put the car in gear. "Let's go home, shall we?"

Ezekiel stared in the sideview mirror as Old Johnny's house disappeared into the darkness. Hopefully the old man was at peace, wherever he was. And hopefully whoever left that bootprint on the door never terrorized anyone ever again.

He turned back to the road in front of him. This was it. He was leaving Old Johnny and his parents behind for good. And the creaky house and messy bedroom. And the moose that hung out in the woods. And his pet cows - oh crap, he never got to say goodbye to them. Too late for that now.

It all felt so surreal still. But a good kind of surreal. He was gonna go back to Harold's house, unpack his stuff, then maybe he and the others could watch a movie and pig out on Chez Curls. Yeah, that sounded like fun. He really needed demeaning to take his mind off of everything.

The car trundled along, making the turn off Miller Road and onto the road that would eventually lead them back to Greenhead, and eventually home.

But the bumpy unpaved road soon proved too much for Cody to bear.

"Dudes," Cody groaned dangerously, bent over double and clutching his stomach, "I think I'm gonna puke…"

"Not in my car, you're not!" Harold shouted. "Trent, pull over!"