Disclaimer: I don't own the Lost Boys. I only desperately wish I did.

July 31, 1987

They barely made it inside the house, the black swirling masses in the sky bearing down on them until they were through the door and into the safety of the house. At least, that's what they hoped. Sam refused to show her where he had been earlier and insisted that they go straight home where it would be safe so they could call the police and potentially the pope. At first, she was furious. Michael was potentially in serious danger - she couldn't be wasting time with silly games. However, when she glanced in her rearview mirror and noticed that they were being pursued by several swirling black masses, after nearly wrecking the car, she wasted no time in getting them home. Pedal to the metal, the hatchback stood no chance in outrunning whatever they were, but it seemed that she was able to keep just out of their reach. She wasn't a believer before, but this certainly added credence to Sam's concerns.

They parked the car in the driveway, unsure of how they would make it into the house with those monsters on top of them. However, things had become oddly quiet. Were they being lulled into a false sense of security, or were they somehow being warded away from the property? She saw no reason why they wouldn't simply tear the car apart to get to them. In case there was any sort of time limit, she decided to get them moving.

"Sammy, sweetie?" She placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke to him, but he was glued to his window, likely searching for any signs of the...She might as well admit it - vampires. "Sammy, we need to get inside now." He nodded, confirming he had heard what she said. "Let's count to three and then we need to run, ok?" Another nod. "Ok. One, tw-" Sam bolted early and Lucy had to clamber out of her seat just to get to the front door before he locked her out. The two immediately split. She dove for the phone while Sam checked doors and windows. She couldn't be positive of what it was she told the police, her thoughts and words were far too jumbled, but they seemed to take her seriously and ensured her that they would send a squad car to their location. Once finished, she found Sam curled into a ball in the corner of the living room. With nothing else to do but wait, she decided to join him there.

There was a quick knocking at the door, but the two hadn't noticed any sirens. They shared a glance. Sam rapidly shook his head "no."

"Lucy, darling," a male voice called sweetly. "Are you home? Maria said you had to rush home – that there was an emergency?"

"Oh God, Max!" she charged from her place on the floor toward the door.

"Mom! It's not safe!" Sam pushed himself onto his feet quickly. "It could be a trick! They could get in!"

"I can't just leave him outside!" She whipped open the door, not wasting any time. "Quickly! Get in!" She ushered him before slamming the door shut once more.

"What on Earth is all the fuss about?" Max embraced Lucy. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"I imagine you wouldn't believe us if we told you." Lucy clutched the man tightly, attempting to catch her breath. "Sam told me something happened to Michael. He wouldn't tell me where he was – he insisted that we go straight home – but there's these…monsters outside. They chased us the whole way home." Max peeked into the yard, pulling a curtain back.

"I don't see anyone out there, Lucy. Are you two feeling alright?"

"I-I know what I saw, Max." It was clear that even she was doubting her sanity, though. Did she really know what she saw? "I don't understand it, but I know...It wasn't normal."

"Well, how about I just go out and take a look around for you?"

"Max, I really don't think that's a good idea." Lucy protested, refusing to let go of him.

"Really, I insist!"

"No, Max. It's ok. I've already called the authorities. We can let them handle this...Just in case…" She cautiously peered out the window once more. Max's face seemed to harden a little.

"You…Did what?"

"Oh, I'm sure it seems silly, but…I didn't know who else to call!" Max slowly removed his glasses, tucking them away in his suit jacket as he began to walk toward her.

"Now, why would you go and do a thing like that?"

"Max, I-I don't like the tone you're taking with me." The way he was advancing, while not necessarily menacing on its own, now gave her a very distinct feeling of being boxed in.

"Lucy," he softened his voice considerably as he stopped in front of her, lifting his hands to caress her face. "You know, this is all very silly."

"Y-yes." She seemed hesitant but did agree with him. Sam's stomach sank. Something wasn't right.

"Mom?" Sam tried to cut in, but Max subtly adjusted her face so that her attention was back on him.

"You said yourself – there's no such thing as vampires."

"There's no such thing as vampires…" She repeated. Sam's eyes widened. It's like he was putting her in a trance. But that would mean that he a vampire after all! Even after he passed the tests! How?

"So when the authorities arrive, you will tell them that you were sorry to disturb them." It didn't matter how Max had tricked them, Sam was in real trouble if he was all alone in this.

"Of course…"

"H-hey!" Sam yelled trying to turn their attention. Maybe if he could distract Max, the trance would be broken. "Hey!" When noise didn't work, Sam grabbed a nearby stuffed groundhog, the closest and heaviest thing available, chucking it at the back of Max's head. It connected solidly, but Lucy seemed just as out of it as she as before and Max...He immediately rounded on Sam, face transforming to reveal the demon within. With a hiss, he charged the boy. Max was in front of him before Sam could even blink.

"Listen, brat," he growled. "I've had enough of your meddling!" He grabbed Sam by the shirt collar, lifting him to eye level. "It was going to be SO perfect! One big HAPPY family! So WHY do I let you keep RUINING things?" He tossed Sam across the room, sending him skidding on the wood floor. Sam curled himself into a ball when he realized Max wasn't through with him yet. "It was Lucy that I was after all along. She would never have agreed on her own, so first, I needed Michael." He crouched in front of the boy. "Which was a great success, in my opinion, even if it got a little hairy at the end." He appeared to beckon behind himself for something. "And then, like a good little brother, you would follow, and Lucy would have no other choice."

"How about it, Sammy?" He didn't need to look to know it was his brother that had appeared behind himself out of seemingly nowhere. "Don't you wanna be a family again?"

"Don't make me be the bad guy, Samuel," Max cautioned.

Sam was in the process of weighing his options when they all heard the pounding on the door.

"Santa Carla police! Open up!" In a split second, he had made his choice. Even with their supernatural speed, the vampires didn't have enough time to react. Sam opened his mouth and he screamed bloody murder. It was the last thing that he would ever do.

I cracked my eyes open, again filled with the feeling of a drugged sleep. It was dark, but just enough light filtered through the ceiling that I could locate my phone. Turning on the screen, the time read 7:00 – plenty of time to call off work, thankfully. I unlocked the device to do just that but began to notice that maybe I didn't have the right perception. For instance, there were a number of notifications indicating that I had missed my alarms. And the weather on the home screen was only displaying the Monday evening forecast. I had drastically overslept.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," I muttered to myself, noticing that my voice echoed a little more than it would have in my bedroom. The fact that I could see through the ceiling and into a starry sky was suddenly making less sense. My ceiling did not have holes in it the last I checked. Surveying what I was laying on, I determined that it was a mostly unfamiliar couch, but as I began to sit up, recognition washed across me: the cave. Why was I still here? I thought Jay took me home?

Apparently, I dreamed it. Besides, that was the least of my problems. I didn't call off work – I was going to be fired. I wouldn't be able to keep the apartment. I couldn't afford to stay in school. I was completely, fully, one hundred percent, certifiably fucked. And where the hell was everyone? They just left me here? I was about to bury my hands in my face in frustration when I noticed something was covering my right palm, stopping me. I powered up my phone's screen to illuminate a very pretty script scrawled on my skin.

"Brenna," it started. "Try not to freak. Went to get food. Be back soon. Will explain then. Take it easy." I recognized the handwriting as Marko's. So, they really had just left me here to sleep all day, those assholes! I told them I couldn't stay here! And now I was stuck again because they were gone. Damn it...They were always disappearing, and always at the worst times! "PS – Called off work for you. Boss very understanding." I finished reading. This new bit of information somewhat quelled my temper. Maybe they were slightly more considerate assholes than I pegged them as. I could only imagine what kind of excuse the group came up with for my boss...On second thought...Maybe I preferred not to know.

I sat up fully, de-cocooning myself from the three blankets I was bundled in and sliding on my boots that had been so considerately removed and set next to the couch. I took a breath. Okay, okay. They hadn't done a terrible job looking after me, I supposed. It was truly my fault for going out in the first place – I couldn't take it all out on the boys. so, now what? Sit and wait for their return? I wasn't exactly comfortable in the cave on my own. It was dark and full of unfamiliar sounds which were starting to give me the heebie jeebies without any of the fires lit, and I couldn't find any lighters laying around. The weather was mild enough and I figured I would move outside to where it was a little better lit and I might feel more comfortable. However, as I stood and stretched, my ankle began to ache and I was reminded of the fresh tattoo. I would need to get that cleaned soon, too. I couldn't wait to see how it was healing!

I realized my phone battery, deprived of a night of charging, was now nearly dead. I hoped I had enough juice to power a flashlight for the minute it would take me to get out and that it wouldn't die in the middle of the darkest portion of the cave lying between the outdoors and the inner chamber. As an added safety measure, I flipped the device into airplane mode before turning the light on, hoping to ensure its survival. I was careful of my footing, analyzing every step before I took it and that turned out to be very fortunate, although not for the reasons I anticipated. I forgot how easily I was able to see in this section recently, but if it hadn't been for my added care, I might have never noticed the small silver bangle on the ground. I recognized it immediately as an Alex and Ani bracelet by its style and plucked it up, pocketing the jewelry with the intent of figuring out who its owner was. These things didn't come cheap and I was sure someone would be missing it. However, I scrunched my face in thought as I proceeded. David said they didn't invite many people over - just the special ones. Did one of the boys have a girlfriend I wasn't aware of?

I extinguished the phone light once outside, trying to shake the odd scowl I had manifested as I seated myself on some rocks by the entrance of the caves. What was with the mood swings and me lately? And what was it that was even bothering me? Was I...Jealous? No, that would be ridiculous. I was not romantically interested. Ok, that was a lie. I was interested in at least one of them. A more accurate statement would be that I wasn't allowing myself to be romantically interested. There was no way any of them were interested in me in that way - I wasn't their type. Besides, I already tried dating the bad boy. It ended with me getting cheated on with my best friend. So, no. Never again. Not happening. No way. My brain seemed to have other ideas, broadcasting some less than chaste images to the forefront of my mind.

Frustrated, I stood up, peeking around for any sign of the boys or their bikes. They typically hid them pretty well, so I couldn't be sure if they were really gone or just out for a stroll. I kicked at some rocks, paced a bit, and when they still didn't appear to have shown up, I didn't know what else to do but to continue sitting on my rock. I was too pussy to go for my own stroll at night, so I would just stay put. My hands were itching to play with my phone, but I held myself off to conserve the battery. Instead, my hand found the bracelet in my pocket. I decided to examine it a little further. It was too dim to really make out the design on the main pendant. I could really only tell that it was made up of a number of swirls and something that looked like an eight. Even in the low lighting, it looked familiar, but I couldn't place it.

A scream pierced the stillness of the night, interrupting my thoughts. I wanted to play it off as a prank, but it had a certain indescribable tone to it that told me this was anything but a joke. There was actual horror in the pitch of that wail, and the way that it was abruptly silenced did not ease my nerves. It sounded like it was far off, but how could I be sure? Noises often echoed strangely in these hills. I regretted coming outside at all, but I wasn't sure if this was better or worse than being inside. In the cave, I was shielded unlike I was outside. But, if whatever was causing the screaming stumbled upon the cave, I had no way out. At least I had some options if I chose to stay outside...But this park was huge and easy to get lost in.

Then there was the nagging feeling that I should just go see what was going on. I wasn't sure what I would do once there, but my gut told me to just follow the sound despite my head shrieking at me to start moving in the opposite direction. All these thoughts tugged at me in both directions, the resulting indecision ultimately preventing me from going anywhere. That's when I started to hear it: branches snapping. Were they actually coming toward me, or was it my imagination? I dug into my purse, retrieving the steak knife I had tucked away there before leaving the apartment.

Bpatrol - CW/A

I saw things moving over the hill in the other direction. They might have been people. It was difficult to tell until they began lighting the fire, and even then I couldn't make out features. I began to slide from my place on the rock, back toward the cave, but I just couldn't rip my eyes away. I could count at least three, possibly more before I saw another emerge from the woods, dragging something behind them. As they scooped the object up into their arms, I couldn't help but notice how remarkably body-like it was. Then, unceremoniously, it was dumped into the flames. Now I could see the object...Its...Their figure much more clearly. That was absolutely a person they had just dragged out of the woods. I could feel my heart climbing into my throat. It looked too slender to be one of the boys, but what if...? No, the truth of the situation was much worse. One of the group let out a cheer and I had no difficulty determining it was the unmistakable howl of Paul. I thought I was going to be sick.

I shouldn't have ever wondered where they went. All those times they disappeared, it probably had something to do with this. Everything they had ever said or done took on a new meaning for me. They were the reason for all the missing people, of that I was becoming more and more certain. But, why? They had no reason to be killing anyone – they didn't have any vendettas against humanity as far as I could tell, and they didn't seem crazy. Well…Not in a murderous way. I had a brief flashback of the night I met Marko.

"He's fine," the blonde boy with the innocent smile and the young face had promised me not so long ago. "He just needs to sleep it off a bit." Knowing Marko and his friends now, the kid on the ground wasn't anyone I recognized as associating with them. What if I had stumbled into a murder scene that very night? I could feel the bile rising up in my throat. Marko had stood there, cool as a cucumber, and even flirted with me while I kicked at a fucking corpse. And then I remembered Miriam. I looked down at the bracelet still in my hand. I was clutching it so hard I half expected it to snap under the pressure. I knew exactly why this bangle looked familiar. I had complimented Miriam on wearing a similar one just four days ago. Could they have…?

What about the jacket they got me? I was reminded that I didn't see any tags, a thought that hadn't even crossed my mind just hours ago. Had they...What if they took it off of someone they murdered? I hurriedly tore it from myself, flinging it away as though it were diseased. I did a quick survey of my pockets and discovered that I had everything on me that I needed: phone, wallet, keys, ID. I was ready to run if I had to, but first, I pulled out my phone, fumbling to turn off airplane mode. As I waited for bars to light up, my hands began to shake a little. I prayed, for the first time in years, to anything or anyone listening that I had enough battery for this. I input the three digits and tried to keep my breathing calm, determining what I needed to say while the call was still connecting so that I could get out all the information I had the moment they answered in case the phone died.

"Nine-one-one, what's your…" And, just like that, my hopes were dashed. My phone was dead, like something out of a goddamn horror movie. It was time to run.

"Brenna!" I froze after just a few steps. My knife clattered to the ground as my body locked into place. Stupid! How do you drop your only defense? And of course, it had to be him. It had to be David. Had he noticed? "You're up!" I kept myself pointed away for a moment, trying to compose myself and rid my face of emotion. If I could play this right, he would have no idea of what I had seen and I could walk away from this. So far he just sounded happy to see me. But I knew, if he had reason to believe for even a second that I was suspicious, or worse, had been armed…

I pivoted, placing a smile on my face as close to natural as I could muster. But with David's eyes boring into me, I wasn't sure how long I would be keeping that up.

"Yeah, I was wondering where you guys went!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," David saw me lower the cell phone. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Nah, I was just trying to make a call, but" I held the phone up and pressed the power button a few times as proof. "It died on me anyway." Shit, why would I say that? I was very much in the "no-one can hear you scream" area of town and I just showed him I had no way of contacting the outside world. Think fast… "I thought my roommates would be looking for me." There. Now he would know someone would be checking up on me. He smiled slyly and I already knew he had a counter.

'Don't lie…'

"I figured they had given up on your curfew by now. They hardly seemed to care at all when you disappeared on them the past couple of nights. I'm sure they'll be fine." He was right. They wouldn't notice for days, and it was like he wanted me to know that he was aware of this fact. I made another attempt at a smile. "Why don't you join us by the fire, Brenna? Food's probably still warm."

"Sure!" He had to know that I knew. I could feel myself quake a little, but kept that smile glued to my face as though it were the only thing keeping me alive. I guessed those many years of dance competitions when I was a kid finally paid off. That expression wasn't budging like it was permanently adhered there.

"Oh, here," I heard him say, picking up something from the ground. "You almost forgot your coat!" He held the garment out expectantly, assisting me in sliding my arms into the sleeves and I wanted to scream.

'Can you feel the death on it, Brenna?'

As I slid the leather across my skin, and I felt every damn centimeter of it as it slithered across, I realized I had a couple options here: I could stick it out and hope beyond all hope that they didn't murder me and voluntarily took me home, or I could try and get a jump on David and make a run for it. But then what? I didn't know where I was to get out of here on foot and I was an exceptionally slow runner. Even if I made it to a road, I wouldn't trust anyone I got in a car with to not kill me themselves – this was Youth Haven, after all. The realization sunk in that I was in it for the long haul. There was really no choice to make.

I was terrified to turn my back on David, but he made it clear that I was to walk first. His hands had never left my shoulders, I discovered, and he began to push me forward.

"Throw some more logs on the fire!" He yelled ahead. "Sleeping beauty is up!" They were probably trying to completely hide the body from my view. This was their heads up.

I joined everyone else at the bottom of the hill, not able to hold the manic expression on my face any longer. The proximity to a burning corpse was just too much. David remained at my side, an arm draped lazily around my shoulders. I wasn't sure that my shaky knees would be able to support the weight.

"Oh, I'm sorry," David pulled me closer to his chest. "I didn't realize you were so cold. Let's get you closer to that fire…"

"Brenna, are you ok?" It was one of the only times I ever heard Marco's voice take a serious edge.

"Just…Not quite feeling back to myself." I pulled a twitchy half smile. I tried to look anywhere but in front of me at what very well might be the final resting place of some poor soul. "I'm still tired, I think."

"You slept the whole day, girl." Paul pointed out. "That's, what? Eleven hours?"

"Eh…" I kicked at the ground. "Time's a social construct." The boys laughed lightly at the inside joke, but things were still tense. I couldn't devote any more thought power to keeping up an act while simultaneously breathing as little as possible, afraid I might catch a whiff of whatever burnt bodies smelled like.

"Hey, Jay," Marko tried to catch the attention of his friend, but Jay didn't seem to be paying attention to anything other than me. I was starting to sweat under the intensity of his gaze. I was going to blow it. Fuck. Marko shoved him a little. "Josh!" And now, as I slowly returned the stare of the boy across from me, I began to feel like I was being submerged in an ice bath. I didn't hear whatever Marko was saying after that. It didn't matter. All thoughts of hiding my emotions were lost as things began to slide into place. I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping wide open.

"I think we're going to take it to go." Apparently, they were discussing the Arby's food piled next to Paul. Jay began to stand, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, taking me out of David's grasp and steering me away from the fire. My skin crawled. I didn't want him anywhere near me. "Brenna doesn't seem very comfortable. I'm going to give her a ride home." Quieter, as his eyes began to bore into mine, "Say goodnight, Brenna."

"Goodnight." My voice was soft and weak. They waved their goodbyes. Paul and Marko appeared confused, Dwayne was as stoic as ever, and David…David was grinning like a madman, the flames causing shadows to dance across his face, contorting it into something frightening.

"So," the man escorting me waited until we were well out of earshot of the others. "I guess the cat's out of the bag."

"I hadn't noticed that you looked like…" My voice was monotone and numb. "You always had your face covered..." I fell silent, processing the information a while longer as he steered me toward his bike. "You were dead." But as he turned to look at me, even in the moonlight, now I could see it. He had ditched the glasses I used to call dorky, grown out his hair, and now sported a small amount of scruff. He had also bulked up, it seemed. But I refused to meet his gaze, satisfied with staring over his shoulder. We stood like this for a while.

"The last time I saw you, you were twelve." His voice was hardly above a whisper. "You really grew up, Bren."

"Why didn't you say something?" I cut him off. My tone was hardly questioning.

"I didn't even recognize you either. Not until the other night when you took your makeup off, then you pulled your hair up like you always used to and you mentioned your birthday, and it couldn't be a coincidence then. But I was afraid if they knew…" He faltered, clearly not thinking through what to say next.

"It would complicate things." I locked onto his gaze at that point, and he knew that I had seen and understood what took place at the fire. He nodded.

"And by then you had already been dragged in. But there's more to it than that. I tried to stop you from-"

"Do you know they blamed me, Josh?" I cut him off again, not interested in anything else he had to say about tonight. I wasn't ready to process that yet, so I was going to find other ways to hurt him. "Our family? Your friends? Most of all, Mom and Dad. They said it was my fault that you were dead. And the worst part of it all was that I started to believe them." My tongue was moving faster than my brain. This man – my brother - could easily kill me. I was on very thin ice. Fuck it. He needed to hear this. "And, what, you used that as your cover to run away? Faked your death on the phone with your own God damn sister? Do you know how fucked up that is? Never mind where the body they stuffed in the coffin came from…" I had to fight to keep my voice from becoming shrilly and carrying back to the fire. Now it was his turn to be unable to look at me. "I should have never come here," I concluded.

"No, you shouldn't have." Joshua agreed. After what felt like ages of awkward silence, he finally met my gaze and we stared at each other - both sets of eyes narrowed, both sets of arms crossed, neither willing to budge from their stubborn stance.

"Just take me home." I tried to keep all pleading out of my voice. If I sounded like I was in control of the situation, maybe I would be. "I'll forget all about this and all about you."

"I'll take you home, but if you think we're just going to let you go now, you're wrong." I could feel the color draining out of my face. "There's more you don't know," he insisted, motioning for me to follow him.

Every Breath You Take (Major to Minor) - Chase Holfelder

As I sat down on the bike, I avoided touching him for as long as possible. When we started to move, I held onto anything that wasn't part of my brother, nearly falling off in the process. He didn't seem too concerned. It would probably be easier for him if I just took a tumble, anyway. I considered it one more sign that I wasn't safe with him. We parked and he walked me into the apartment and to my suite's door rather than just watch me on my way inside, gesturing once there to indicate I should proceed before him. I begrudgingly held it open when it was clear he would be following me in.

He was clearly on a mission. Within seconds he located the wall phone, walked over, and yanked its cord out. He demanded the cell phone from my pocket next.

"What the fuck, Josh?"

"I don't want any temptations around." He explained beginning to pat me down for the device when I didn't immediately offer it to him. "Call the police and we'll hunt you down right after we finish off every last person who ever knew your name in this town." He waved the cell phone at me. "We'll know who they are."

"You hurt a single one of them," I threatened. It was frightening hearing words like that coming from my own flesh and blood, but more-so that I hadn't even noticed Jack's knife in my hand until I held it at Josh's throat. "You hurt one of them to get to me and the police will be the last of your worries." I rephrased.

"I doubt that." He laughed dismissively, pushing the knife away with ease, calling my bluff. "We'll be watching for you, Brenna." His tone turned serious. "I'll buy you what time I can, but eventually, you're going to slip up." He made it sound inevitable like he had done this countless times before. He probably had, I realized. "They will be watching you like hawks. If you leave your room, or if one of us manages to get in…" He looked like he was searching for the right words. "You're going to know the truth about us firsthand." I swallowed hard, trying to keep a brave face. "If you run, if you call the cops, if you alert anyone to what's going on, we will start killing the people closest to you. When you've had enough, or when you start asking questions you can't seem to find answers to, all you have to do is walk out the front door. We'll be waiting." I hadn't noticed how he seemed to tower over me, or how my feet no longer wanted to hold me up. "I never wanted it to be this way…" He trailed off as though it was some sort of apology.

"I know…" and, although it didn't excuse any of this, I believed him. Truly. I didn't think that if he had known I was his sister that he would have put me in harm's way, deranged lunatic or not.

"Talk to me, Brenna." Josh tried to make eye contact with me, but I avoided it, knowing my walls wouldn't hold up if I had to confront him. "Tell me you understand what's at risk here." My rage was letting up little by little and all the other emotions that were waiting until this moment began to make themselves known. Fear. Regret. Loneliness.

"I understand." He turned to leave, but I grabbed his sleeve, holding him in place. "You know, Jay, I'm really fucking pissed at you."

"But that's not all, is it?" He always did have that ability to see right through me. Time apart hadn't dulled that particular skill.

"I'm…confused," I admitted. "Just…Help me understand. Why would you feel the need to fake your death? You had such a great life. You had everything for you. Why cut it off there? And why are you killing these people? None of this adds up. And I just…" My eyes had fallen to the floor by this point. "I missed you so much. You were my best friend, my idol, and then you were gone, and…This is so fucked up. Half of me wants to run away from you screaming bloody murder, and the other…Is it weird that I just want a hug?" My nostrils flared a little as tears began to well up. I saw that he opened his arms, offering me the choice if I wanted to go to him. He wasn't going to make the first move. I could feel the pull again, a little tug at my core, bringing me to him. Bringing me home. I decided to just go with it, wrapping my arms around him fiercely as though I was afraid he would disappear again.

"Why?" It was all I could choke out before I began to openly weep into his chest. I felt him return the hug, his own arms loosely curling around me, rubbing my back lightly and just letting me get everything out.

"It's…" He exhaled in a frustrated fashion. "I didn't want you guys getting involved. You would have wound up dead. Or worse." I decided then that I didn't want to ask any more questions. I could surmise what he likely meant.

He let me cry it out for a bit, patting my back occasionally, reassuringly. I finally pulled myself away, eyes puffy and face bright red.

"Did you hear about dad?"

"Yeah." His voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Was it worth the consequences?"

"Yes." His answer was immediate. "You and mom are still..." He didn't seem to be able to complete the sentence, but I didn't want to get into that now.

"What happened to you, Josh?" I searched his face for answers I was certain he wouldn't give me. "What kind of trouble did you get yourself into here?" When he didn't answer, I decided to press on. "We could leave together. Just us. Vanish off the map. It doesn't have to end this way."

"It has to, Bren." His eyes met mine, filled with years of collected regrets. "They're my family now. I can't just "get out." And…There's so much more you just don't understand yet." Yet. He wasn't going to let this go. What about us? Weren't we family anymore? "And…" he stopped, clearly debating if he should continue. "I'm torn. I want you to run away and never look back at this hell-hole; to be kept safe and…innocent." He began to shake his head and my stomach fell. "And, at the same time, I know it's too late, and you're already in too deep." My head spun. Please, no… "And I keep feeling this pull..." I had taken a few steps backward without realizing it. "I know you feel it too." He advanced on me. I was disgusted by what I was hearing, yet I couldn't deny what he was saying. That ever present tug, from the moment I arrived in Young Haven. "Just let me help you."

"Goodbye, Josh." They weren't the words I wanted to say, but I needed to say them. I refused to entertain the half of me screaming to just say yes. The half that had been missing for nine years, begging to be reconnected. Not at this cost. He nodded to himself, knowing that this was the verdict I would come to. We both knew it had to happen this way, regardless of feelings or instincts or anything else.

"You just have to come to us, Bren. Everything will make sense. Good luck."

As he pulled the door shut behind him, the click of the latch echoed with finality, as though I had been entombed. I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding, beginning to hyperventilate a little. I thought over what he had said, and I wondered just how long I could hold out. I had enough food to last me for a while if I rationed it, but what about my roommates letting one of them in while they were moving? I scrambled to grab as many supplies as I could so I could book it back to my room. I had food, I had water, and I had entertainment. But what about class and work? My heart sunk. I couldn't hold them off forever. I could take some classes online after this semester, but without going to work, I was going to run out of money to keep the apartment. New strategy: I just needed to make sure I never went anywhere alone and I would be fine. They wouldn't try anything if I was around people, right? But…What friends did I even have anymore? I had shoved everyone else out of my life when I met them.

I called off work for the next day and sat up most of the night watching reruns of Robot Chicken, unable to bring myself to sleep. It struck me that a week ago I looked forward to this nightly routine while now I couldn't be more miserable. I cried myself to sleep, wishing that I would have just walked past Marko that Halloween night. None of this would have happened. I thought back to my second introduction to "Jay" when I had to rescue him from my vampire slaying neighbors. Maybe the Darts really weren't that far off from the truth? Maybe they could actually be my knights in shining armor? No. If I even pretended to validate their theories, who knew what repercussions that could have down the road.

Regardless, the whole situation nagged at me until the sun was starting to break over the horizon. Something still wasn't right. Why would they have treated me like they did only to kill me? It didn't seem like a scenario in which fattening the pig for slaughter made much sense. Serial killers didn't typically hang out with their future victims - it started to look suspicious. Unless that whole "one of us" song and dance from the other night was about me joining some fucked up serial killer club – that seemed to be what Josh was hinting at, but that didn't sound quite right either. And, while it didn't make any sense, I also didn't want to find out any more about the boys than I already did. With them it seemed like the deeper I dug, the less I wanted to know. My eyes were beginning to feel so heavy. Dealing with the stress of what I learned was draining the life out of me…

Author's Note: Hey all! Hopefully two updates this week will make up for my absence. :P Once again I gotta trim this one in half as it got a little tot long. I'll probably update again on Wednesday unless there's an outcry for an update faster than that. :)