The Ring in the Coffin

Chapter Three

Annie's POV

"Death. It is so final. There is no going back. There is no escaping it. Perhaps it is possible to dodge it for awhile, but it always comes back. As so well put in Final Destination, 'In death there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes'. Sometimes Death can come sooner than we think. Sometimes people wait for it to take them away from their terrible life."

"Miss Erikson, daydreaming on you first day back?" Mrs. Armstrong asked…snapping me out of my memory.

"Um, yeah, sorry Mrs. Armstrong. Won't happen again."

"Be sure it doesn't…"

Maggie's POV

"She just seems so different and distant." I explained to Jasper. We were outside waiting for Henry and Annie to show up.

"I don't know what you mean." He expressed. Ugh, sometimes he can be completely… oblivious!

"Did you not see the Mrs. Armstrong incident?"

"Yeah, of course,"

"She totally zoned out! She never has done that before!"

"Yes, she has!"

"Not in history class!"

"I guess you're right,"

"When am I not?" I scoffed.

"Well, I mean she has been through a lot. Her father…" He started. Just then Annie and Henry showed up.

"Hey-Hey, so Maggie what's this amazing thing you wanted to show us?" Annie questioned.

"I never said it was amazing."

Jasper's POV

Maggie reached into her purse and pulled out a box. The box was gold with white designs and a red lid. Slowly she took off the lid and pulled out a rusted silver key with a red jewel. I looked over at Annie and she gasped.

"Where did you find this?" Annie demanded, grabbing the key from Maggie and studying it. I'd never seen Annie like this. Maggie was right…she is different.

"I don't know! It was in a package for me yesterday. No letter…nothing. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yeah,"

Henry's POV

We all waited for an answer from Annie. Instead she just stared at the key.

"Well?" Maggie finally asked. Annie cleared her throat.

"I know where to find what it opens." She murmured.

"Where can we find it?" I asked.

"Anyone have a car? Or shall we walk?"

"My car wouldn't fit all of us," Jasper explained.

"Walk it is then!"

"Where are we going?" Maggie asked.

"To the basement," Annie uttered.

Annie's POV

I couldn't believe where I was going! I hadn't been there since… since never mind. I was praying that I wouldn't tear up as we walked there. Silence the whole way there. Only the sound of our feet hitting the pavement and the occasional crunch of leaves. Dead…leaves. I felt burning tears well up in my eyes. I pushed them down. "No you've cried too much! Stop!" I yelled internally. Finally, after an eternity, we reached my house.

Maggie's POV

I recognized the house as soon as I saw it. It was red brick with black shutters and it was Annie's house. I hadn't been here for a whole year. I didn't think they would even stay in the house.

"No one will be home. Mom's at work, Matt has chess club, and Helen is staying at a friend's house." Annie explained as she unlocked the front door. I understood where she was taking us…the basement, her dad's "Secret Lair". Annie and I use to call it that when we were younger to make people think that her dad was some sort of criminal mastermind or something. In all truth, he was a historian. He kept the things he was studying in their basement. Annie led us down the stairs and once there, I realized nothing had been moved since last time I was here. Everything in its place…as it always was with Mr. Erickson. The air was different now, it was stiff and unwelcoming. A complete change from the warm and fuzzy feeling I used to get. A lot has changed since I was last in this house.

Yeah, I have a million reasons why this hasn't been updated in forever, but you don't want to hear them! Thanks, to my beta-reader, Lexer047! Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show only this idea!