New chapter...hope you guys like it. Thanks to Amy for reviewing.

Chapter 9- Rats

As Danny drove along the last stretch of road towards the Hamilton house, something on the road ahead caught his eye. A person, like the first time they'd ever driven through. And he wasn't moving. Danny beeped the horn, but he remained right on the line.

'Danny, stop!' Tom exclaimed, gripping the seat. Danny slammed the brakes on, upsetting Dougie's stomach. With no time to get out, he grabbed the container at his feet. Danny turned to check on Dougie, but as soon as he looked back, the figure was gone.

'Alright, that's too much like déjà vu for my liking...' Tom muttered, looking around.

'I'll agree with that...' Danny whispered, looking evidently shaken.

'You're saying you've seen that before?' Harriet asked curiously.

'Yeah. We were driving along this road in the rain and dark and we saw that. I tried pulling over, but we ended up in a ditch and the car wouldn't start. That's how we found the house and all the perks that go with it, like the fact that Dougie got choked and we all got told to get out,' Tom said with false enthusiasm.

'Wow,' Harriet muttered, 'sounds fun.'

'Totally,' Tom sighed.

'Come on, let's just get home and put some dinner on before it gets completely dark,' Harriet smiled and Danny nodded, putting the car into gear, and parking it out the front of the house. Harry taking Dougie's arm, and Danny helping Tom out of the car, Harriet taking the shopping, the five walked back into the house.

'Girls, we're home!' Harriet exclaimed. Melanie bounded up the hallway, giggling brightly as Margaret and Abigail followed with wide grins on their faces.

'What have you three been up to?' Harriet called behind her as she took the bags into the kitchen.

'Come see the living room!' Melanie exclaimed brightly, bouncing back up the corridor again. Harry, who was carrying Dougie's vomit container, gave Dougie's arm to Danny, while he set about taking it outside to dump it. As he used the tap in the garden to wash it out, a cold, eerie feeling came over him, colder than the evening air. He shivered and looked around. There was nothing, other than a slight breeze rustling the branches on the tall cypress pine trees and the gate creaking softly. He shrugged to himself and went back inside to the living room, where everyone else was admiring the girls' work. They'd obviously had some time on their hands, and had drawn pictures of everyone and stuck them on the walls, also making streamers and hanging things.

'It looks great girls!' Harriet exclaimed as three proud smiles filled their faces. 'Im gonna go get dinner on,' Harriet smiled, leaving the room, Danny following her.

'What's going on with those two then?' Melanie asked with a childish giggle, 'are they in looooveeee?'

'I'd reckon so,' Harry giggled, just as childlike. Melanie laughed and went and sat next to Harry, smiling at him.

'So what happened with Dougie then?' Margaret asked Tom. Dougie was lying on the couch, already asleep.

'He's just got a stomach bug,' Tom shrugged, using a fork to scratch down his cast.

'You sure? He seems to have gotten sicker while he's been here,' Melanie said quietly.

'Why would being here make any difference? He'd probably get sicker at home anyway,' Tom said with another shrug.

'I know, but what if there's something about here making him sick?'

'I wouldn't know Melanie. Would there be a reason for that to happen?'

'I don't know.'

Tom stared at her for a minute, then went back to the newspaper him and Harry had bought.

'How was your trip to town then?' Abigail asked.

'Surprisingly uneventful,' Harry shrugged.

'Except we met Rosemary again, and nearly hit something in the middle of the road,' Tom added quickly.

'Really? Where?' Abigail asked in interest.

'Near the house, just a yard or so back,' Harry replied.

'Hmm... what do you think it was?'

'It looked like the thing that got us stranded here last time. A person.'

'Man or woman?'

'Man by the looks.'

'I wouldn't know what or who it was then...' Abigail said, thinking about it, the other two trying too.

'I have no idea,' Melanie shrugged again.

'Hmmm... oh well then,' Tom sighed, rubbing Dougie's forehead as he slept. There was silence.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and a shower of ash fell from the chimney, with something wrapped in a piece of cloth, covered in soot. There was thumping on the roof loudly, then nothing, until the entire house shook like in an earthquake, then fell completely silent, until a few seconds later when the wind picked up, banging against the windows and shaking them in their panes. Dougie was sitting bolt upright under his blanket, and everyone was staring around, before staring at the lump of cloth in the fireplace. Harriet and Danny both raced into the room.

'What the hell was that?' Harriet shrieked, her face white.

'What's that...?' Danny asked quietly, pointing to the cloth in the soot that everyone was staring at. No one answered him.

'Should...er should we open it?' Harry asked nervously.

'I will...' Danny said quietly, walking forwards and using the fire poker to pull it out of the soot and ash. Everyone moved forwards, watching over his shoulder, as he took the corner of the cloth and pulled. A horrible stench of rotting flesh made everyone dive back and clap a hand over their mouth and nose. The contents of the package rolled onto the floorboards. Dougie sprinted out of the room, Harriet following him with her hand tightly over her mouth as well.

A rat. Very much dead. And very much mouldy. Its patchy fur was falling out in patches and it was missing a leg. It was covered in black mould, with insects and carrion beetles crawling all over the decaying body, green sludge covering its small head. Harry, Tom and Danny made a run for the door to get out of it, the girls following behind, them not caring as they couldn't smell. In the kitchen they closed the door behind them, sitting in the chairs around the table, panting.

'Who the hell would put that down someone's chimney?' Danny screeched, standing at the sink and scrubbing his hands with the soap. Tom just shook his head slowly, staring at the floor.

'Who's gonna get rid of it?' Harry asked quietly.

'We'll figure that out in a minute. Harry, go and check on Harriet and Dougie,' Danny said a bit more calmly, still scrubbing his hands as Melanie, Margaret and Abigail took their seats at the table. Harry nodded feebly and made his way to the upstairs bathroom and quietly knocking on the door before entering. Dougie and Harriet were sitting on the floor beside the bath, looking sick.

'You guys alright?' Harry asked, sitting beside Dougie.

'Where did it come from?' Harriet asked shakily.

'We don't know,' Harry said gently, reaching around Dougie and rubbing her knee. She was trembling. 'You alright Doug?' he asked quietly. Dougie nodded silently and rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes. 'You alright to come back down then?'

The two nodded and stood carefully up, each taking one of Harry's arms as he took them down the stairs to the kitchen.