The packers and movers' car came earlier than usual. Nick and his wife, Jennie, were still back at their rented home, talking with the owner and thanking him for the patience and hospitality he had shown them.

"No, no, it's nothing," The owner said with a huge grin. "You guys were the best tenants I ever had."

"And you were the best owner we ever had," Nick chuckled, and the two shook hands for the final time.

They waved the owner goodbye and left the street they had gotten accustomed to. It was a strange feeling, really. A feeling of excitement, a feeling of anxiety and dread. They hated changing places, but they had no choice. Nick's job was just a fifteen-minute drive away from their new home, and although the grocery stores weren't near, word was that the society was as safe as a prison.

Jennie hated the idea of shifting into a new house at first, but she knew that Nick couldn't commute so far every day either. He would be tired and hungry, and they would barely have any time to spend together.

As any good wife would do, Jennie eventually agreed but on one condition: that Nick bring her flowers every Sunday. It was just a silly little condition she put in place so that Nick would have something to look forward to--either amusingly or fearfully.

Nick and Jennie reached their new place around midnight. The neighborhood was silent. There were only a couple of street lights that were turned on; one of them was flickering. The atmosphere was eerie, sending chills down Jennie's spine.

"Hon, you sure there aren't any serial killers around here?" Jennie asked as they walked over to their front door.

Nick chuckled, "Jen, trust me, this place can't get any safer than it already is. Sure, it's dark, but you just wait and see in the morning; it's beautiful."

Nick opened the door, and the two went inside.

"Lock the door," She croaked as she turned on all the lights.

"Yes, ma'am," Without forgetting, Nick locked the door and walked over to his hesitant wife. He back-hugged her as they both stared at the house. There were boxes everywhere; small to medium, to large. There were white sheets covering the furniture, but some of them seemed to have already been in their designated places, as if the packers and movers guys knew where to put them.

"Hey," Nick nudged her, "It's going to be alright."

Jennie pursed her lips. She didn't have anything to say at the moment. All she cared about was settling in first and then thinking about the rest later. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, but she didn't want to worry Nick unnecessarily.

The two freshened up, ordered a take-out, and slept around two in the morning. Fortunately, Nick's first day at his new job would start a day after, so he and Jennie had time to unpack their boxes and set everything in its respective places.

Jennie couldn't sleep, though; just as she had expected.

She tried, but to no avail. Her eyelids were heavy, but her mind was wide awake as loud thoughts screamed at her. She looked at Nick, but he was snoring softly. Out like a light.

She slowly got out of bed, grabbed her robe, and walked over to the window. She looked outside and noticed the stillness that surrounded her. Not even the leaves swayed from the trees. It wasn't even summer. It was mid-autumn so there should be some kind of wind, but there wasn't.

Jennie wore her robe and left the bedroom. She went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. As she sipped, she suddenly heard the floorboard behind her creak. She glanced back, but saw nothing.

Jennie frowned, unknowing of what the sound could have been, and went back upstairs to her room. This time, her gut told her to lock her bedroom door. Just in case.

She tried to sleep, and although it wasn't a deep sleep, as soon as she closed her eyes, the world around her faded, and her thoughts were finally put to rest.