It took Kaydence the strength she had left to muster in order to walk up to the front door. She was grateful for the concrete archway above her head that was protecting her from the rain. She raised her finger to ring the doorbell, but she stopped it just as it grazed the button. Why was she doing this, anyway? Hadn't she been taught to not go up to random strangers' doors and knock on them? I must be going insane, she thought to herself.

It was then that she noticed an envelope taped to the door. She took a closer look. It was addressed to her.

Now I'm really going insane.

Curious, Kaydence took the envelope, opened it up, and emptied it of its contents: a wadded-up piece of loose leaf paper and a pocket knife. She gingerly put the knife in her bag, suddenly aware of the damage that could be done with it. Then she took the paper and unfolded it. The ink was staring to run from the drops of rain that found their way through a small crack on top of the archway. Kaydence backed up a few inches to get out of the way of the leaky part of the covering, and read the letter as quickly as she could:

Everything is real. The only way out is at the end.

Kaydence stared at the paper, her mind going blank. What in the world did that mean? She re-read the note. Everything is real. "Well, yeah, duh," she said to herself aloud, "I'm soaking wet from the rain. And I'm all gross from the dirt on the ground." But the second part seemed like trying to read another language. The only way out is at the end. The end of what? She shook her head. Something wasn't quite right. She couldn't put her finger on it. All she knew was that something deep down inside her, whether it was the bad side of her intuition or her true gut feeling, felt that doing what she was going to do in the first place was necessary to solve this new puzzle bestowed upon her. What harm could ringing a doorbell do, anyway?

She drew in a deep breath, shut her eyes, and jabbed the button.

A few moments later the giant wooden door creaked open, revealing a hump-shouldered man with a balding head. What remained of his lightning blonde hair draped over his shoulders, pin straight and wispy. He wore a weathered black suit. Kaydence's gaze fell to his shoes. His eerie eyes made it hard for Kaydence to look at him. A short quiver ran down her back as those eyes shifted from side to side, and he croaked, "Hello."

She became speechless. Her eyes widened. Riff Raff? She wasn't sure if she wanted to reveal that she knew who he was or not. She swallowed hard and replied, "Uhm… hi…?"

Riff Raff stayed silent, staring at Kaydence with a blank face.

"See, uhm, I don't know why…there's…maybe…—"

"—Are you alone?"

Her eyebrows rose. She took a step back, needing a moment to think of how to answer. Slowly, she tried, "I think I'd better get going. Sorry to bother you." She spun on her heel, but not before Riff Raff's bony hand grabbed her shoulder to stop her. A crack of thunder echoed through the yard.

"Where are you going," he asked, "and in such indecent… conditions?"

She fought him. Despite that his grip was strong, his fingers slipped, and Kaydence bolted across the lawn, headed for the side of the house where the gate was, forgetting about the pathway leading up to the front door. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there – and fast. She slipped on the wet grass and slid a few feet. When she looked up, she saw she had reached one of the front corners of the building. It was dark, far from any light source. Horrified, she turned around to see if he was following her. He wasn't there. She sat a moment longer, making sure the coast was clear. After what seemed like hours, she got up and headed around the side of the mansion.

As she searched for answers, her mind echoed the words of the letter: "The only way out is at the end."