Denis was kind enough to drive the drained Mr. Mildfred home. Mr. Milfred was going to be for once, able see his daughter come home school. Lucy was worried for him. She dropped her back pack at the front of the door and wrapped her arms around him. “Dad why are you home??”

He didn’t want to tell the curious girl. He just hugged her, his hands tenderly stroking her thick black curly hair. After her thirty minutes of begging, he was fed and told her the tale. Her face was just as drained as his. “How strange.” She whispered. “The police should do something at once!”

Mr. Milfred shook his head. He sighed getting another beer and chugging it down like the last three he had in only thirty minutes. “No, I want a break from all of this.”

Lucy’s eyes grew firm. “So you’re going to over drink for another case again?”

“Chief says tomorrow is best.” Slurred Mr. Milfred.

Lucy’s face grew hot. “Your saying, a serial killer is on the loose and they decided to wait?”

“Lucy I’m not in charge of the department. I just take orders, now leave me alone.” Mr. Milfred snapped laying his feet over the couch as she stood up from it.

She stormed in the other room not believing, how the world was coming too this. She picked up her phone from the kitchen and called Timothy and Don, her best friends. Like her, they were dorky and often they studied at the library together. If all three were ever alone she would talk about the cases that she managed to pull out of her father. All three of them, would always would try to solve cases before the police.

Although her father was a good detective, the drinking made it harder for him to perform correctly. Espeically after losing her mother, who never even contacted her. She felt like it was her job with her friends to do something. She was furious with the police station, furious of her father’s unruly habits, furious that she was considered still a child.

“Calm down.” Tim said, Lucy could hear Don in the back saying how now the world was really going into chaos since the police were waiting.

“Look, that is what my dad said, someone has to do something!” Lucy said taking a bag out of a closet adding flash light, matches and her pocket knife.

“Give me the phone.” Don said ripping it from Tim who protested. “Lu, we know how much you want to save the world but this isn’t the best way. I know your packing I can hear you.”

Lucy sighed heavily at the phone. She picked up with her bag in the other hand and marched to the kitchen to look for her favorite peanut, dried fruit trail mix. “Yeah, I get it, but I want to aleast scope it out more. The police don’t have guts anymore to do things like that, not even my father."

She now heard Tim and Don sighing. “We’re coming, since we know you aren’t stopping.” They almost said this in union which made her laugh. She could always count on them.

They all met at the subway, in the very gloomy mood. They travelled on a packed train for at least an hour before getting off. Don who is often clasarophic took a deep breath and smelled the fresh dead leaves of fall. Lucy kicked them around, as they made it to their stop. She remembered how she tricked her father for the location right before she left for this little adventure. She was clever that way, Don was the logical one and Tim was the one who kept the peace…most of the time.

The sun was settled west with the shadows of the trees growing, their branches like arms once in a while trying to cling on each of their shoulders.

“What a big, house!” Don said wide eyed. He and Tim looked at it from the distance as Lucy grew closer. The wind blew softly making her hair blow with it. She walked in the drive way, since the fence was already pushed open.

The boys followed her quietly, as she made the first dangerous steps at the house and too the broken porch. “My father was right, it really is beautiful.” She said softly smiling at them. She peered in the window with her eyebrows furrowing.

Tim kept watch as Don peered over her shoulders. His breath smelled like garlic bread and her nose curled. “Candles.” She said distracting herself from him leaning over her. “He said there was candles all over the floor, he was right.

“Let’s go in then.” Tim said, Lucy’s heart jumped a beat as he pushed the door open. It creaked loudly as the hinges moved with effort to make it swing.

The three ventured inside staying very close. Lucy pulled out her flash light since it was dusty and dark. It didn’t even seem to have a built in electrical system. It made sense why the candles were all over the floor.

White sheets covered the furniture some were stained with blood, but what was spotless was the piano.

Tim’s pudgy fingers pressed on it. It played a key loudly making Don jump and Lucy slap Tim’s hand. “Shhh!” She hissed.

Tim winced biting his chapped cold lips making a whining squeal. Don rolled his eyes pushing past him whispering; “Stop it, if we’re caught, we’re all dead.”

Don always stayed by Lucy’s side, especially as they went deeper in the house. The rooms seemed to make a maze each one connecting with double doors, with furniture covered in white sheets. Although the candles were only in the first room. The blood on the sheets became more frequent in each, some even splattered on the walls. Lucy began to feel very dumb, as the cobwebs seemed to stretch out more but there was no spiders.

“Funny we don’t see rats or mice.” Tim said quietly pointing out the mouse holes.

“Maybe they are afraid.” Lucy said leaning closer to Don who looked down at her tenderly. Tim glared at the too who didn’t notice him very much.

It was the noise that made all their instincts turn on. This noise, was the light steps of boots clicking on the plank wood, where once rich carpets laid out. Tim yelped which made them all have to run. Tim rushed into one room. Don or Lucy never saw if he shut the door but it defiantly did slam, maybe there was even a clicking lock, but those moments were blurry.

Something was trying to separate them, because now Lucy felt herself being pulled from Don and the direction he was running in the maze of rooms. The sound of steps were everywhere and echoed from wall to wall. She didn’t want to get caught so she turned into another hall than him.

The most close door near her, was on at the side of a stair case. She opened and shut it quietly as Don looked for her and called. She could hear Tim somewhere else as well.

She was too frightened to go back. She looked ahead of her, thankful she still had the flash light. When she flipped the flash light's switch, she saw she was standing on top on old wooden stair case with nails sticking out of it. Going down, she was careful where she stepped there was no rails to support herself if she tripped.

It was a large bare cement paved room and very empty too. She did though see something, as she went deeper in the room. She saw on one of the walls, hung tools. They were knife, spoon, fork like but all of them, were sharp and were stained with old blood. As if they weren't cleaned in ages.

As she backed away from the wall horrified, bumping into a table in the middle of the room. The table had straps and seemed drilled to the ground, and it looked, little bent as if heavy people have even laid there. “Pyscopath.” She whispered holding in her breath.

“Not quite psychopath.” Said a slithering voice. “That is a term for a human, who does my form of work.”

Lucy screamed and she spun around to see nothing. She kept turning all directions to match a face with the wicked laughter. Her heart was racing and she was sweating her fears out, gnashing her teeth in panic. She had seen the images in her father's suit case, when he was asleep on the couch earlier that day. She did not want to be placed on that table. “Who are you?! Where are my friends!!!” She shrieked.

The boots clicked again and ruffling of cloth became louder. “The little and precious girl, Hank Milfred’s daughter correct? I can see the resemblance. Once I meet one family member, I can detect all. You should be more worried about yourself than your friends. Of course you fell for the intended trap. I was eager to meet you. Your father’s love for you, lite up in his eyes when he spoke of you when we had an 'surprising' encounter. Although he never knew it was I, the monster behind the recent murders. It….fascinated me how much he loved you. I wanted to kill him that night, for the collection, but when he started to talk about you, I wanted both of you in passionate lust. So I watched you the past few days, and saw your interests in this case of my beautiful left overs from my décor.” He said tauntingly.

None of this made sense to Lucy, as she felt something right behind her. She grew stiff as she turned around and screamed in horror. The flashlight beamed at an ugly monster in a tux suit. He had pure yellow eyes with black silted pupils, his skin was scarred and white. It was like his face was stitched on, since there was stitches at the jaw line and low neck. Other than that, he looked enchanting. His ears were pointed and his lips were very thin and the black wavy hair was just perfectly slicked back like a charmer’s.

But when he reached his white gloved hand to grab her, she fell into totally darkness with the sound of Don’s urgent voice awakening her. Lucy's eyes fluttered open, to see her self in the front yard of the victorian house. She laid in the muggy grass with twigs poking her back.

She sat up, her light tan skin was smudged with dirt. Don was at her side his strong hand was at her tiny shoulder. “You okay Lu?” He said in a soft whisper.

Lucy began to shake in confusion. “What happened?” She blurted out. “And where is Tim?”

Don’s face seemed drained and a bit pale by the tone of her voice. “In the house, you past out when a shadow flew across us in the hall, I was able to carry you out safely.” Don replied.

“You left Tim?? In there with a….” Lucy looked back at the house tears forming in her eyes. The house was now casting shadows, east, west, north and south. The shadows showed a picture of a haunted version of the house with a man on the porch but in reality the porch was just as bare looking and empty.

“I’m calling the police.” Lucy said frantically. She dialed the police walking a little distance from Don who stared back at the house.

Lucy looked back towards Don finding him approaching the house again. “DON’T GO IN.” She snapped as she kept replying to the operator’s questions. She was frustrated with all the fear. She contained the anxious tears but the sweat in her palms were dripping.

Tim was always the third wheel, the odd one in the group, but that didn’t mean he should be left behind. Lucy glared a little at Don, but she understood. It was a lot for Don to keep track of the both of her and Tim.

“We need to keep moving Lu.” Don said. “The police are coming, most likely bringing your father, But if we stick around any longer we may fall for some hidden traps this killer has in store!"

Lucy was fazing out, remembering the Operator’s cautious words to, not go on the road just in case of a car. They had to move toward the woods and find a safe hidden spot.

Was she ever in the basement? Not a psychopath he said? What was this collection?The yellow eyes with the thin pupil slits, the stiches at the jaw line and neck…the kissable lips with a slithering snake inside. Thoughts like these, haunted Lucy. In fact the thoughts were swimming into her emotions and her fear for Tim.

She looked back at Don, who overheard the conversation with the Operator, moved towards the woods. “Come on Lu we have no time for analyzing or thinking. Do that, when were asked for a stinking long report.”

“Go on with out me.” Lucy whispered. She took a step closer to the house, crunching the leaves underneath her.