Illusions of Fear - 1. Chapter 1

Illusions of Fear

It was Thursday night in a small bar on the edge of town. The summer heat was slowly subsiding. The bar was filled with blue-collar workers, a few young professionals, and college kids form the neighboring town. They melted into bar stools and cooled themselves with beer. Some just stared at the TV while others were already making plans for the weekend.

A group of five friends sat at one end. Devon, the oldest, had barely graduated from high school and had gone to work for a construction company. He had been promoted several times and was now overseeing a large project. As he took a sip of beer, he looked over at Eric. Eric was the exact opposite of Devon. He was a student and a self proclaimed nerd. He was talking to Sarah who was his friend and classmate. As they sat together Devon wondered if they were more than friends. He had never seen Eric involved in a serious relationship with anyone.

Devon's musings were interrupted by Pete who asked him to pass a bowl of peanuts. They had been friends since high school. Pete was now a mechanic. His girlfriend Sheree sat by his side. She had met him at Pete's garage. They were now pinching each other and giggling.

After ordering another round of drinks they began to talk about the upcoming weekend. No one had any plans. Sheree suggested that they do something together. They considered a camping or hiking trip but it was too hot. Skinny-dipping in the river was suggested and rejected. The Pete said, "We could spend a night in the house on the hill."

"What's that?" asked Sarah.

"You haven't heard of it!" exclaimed Sheree, "It's legendary. I thought everyone knew about it."

Sarah shook her head. She was from the neighboring town and had only lived there a few years. The local lore had not reached her. Her four friends were happy to tell her all bout it.

The house was perched on the top of the town's tallest hill. It was old and weather beaten now, but it had once been a charming Victorian. Its first and only owner had been an old spiritualist. Different accounts described her as either single or widowed but either way she lived alone. She was known for having frequent séances. Her neighbors would often come to her wanting to communicate with deceased loved ones or for advice from beyond. She would oblige them and to the degree that it could be checked her information was reliable.

The old woman happily communicated with the dead until one night something went wrong. She was found the next day dead on the floor of her séance room. There was a deep gash in her forehead and a look of terror on her face. Her heavy wooden ouija board was shattered like glass. Shards of it were scattered all over the room. The woman lay in a pool of blood with her eyes staring at the ceiling.

The police investigation failed to find a killer. It was rumored that the woman had released an evil spirit into her home. After she was buried and the house was locked up, the neighbors claimed to have seen strange lights flashing in the windows. The house was never occupied again. Neighborhood children broke many of the first floor windows. A drifter once tried to sleep inside. He was found later that night running through the streets screaming. He never told anyone what he had seen. Since then a few brave souls venture to the house every Halloween. Some of the more cocky teenagers claim to have touched to front door, but no one ever goes inside.

The five friends were slightly drunk by the time they had finished telling the story. They decided that they were going to be the first people to spend the night in the house. This campout would go down in local history. They would have a little party in the house and videotape the adventure so that no one would doubt them.

Normally such an idea would loose its appeal in the sober light of day, but the prospect of instant fame was too much to resist. On Friday night they met again. They reviewed their plans over an early dinner. They had three camcorders between them, hours of tape, and batteries. They had sleeping bags, a radio, snacks, and plenty of beer. They went over the list of supplies and toasted their future success.

They arrived at the house half an hour before sunset. The house was at a dead end far from its neighbors. They parked their cars in the dirt yard in front of the house. Devon was the first to arrive. He got out of his car and went to the front door. As he was reaching for the doorknob he heard Pete's pickup pull onto the gravel. Devon turned the knob and the door opened easily as if the hinges had just been oiled.

Inside, the house was dusty but mostly undamaged. Most of the windows on the first floor were broken. They were flanked by tattered faded curtains. The old furniture was still there. No one had dared to claim it. Despite the constant drafts the house smelled musty.

Pete and Sheree now joined Devon inside the foyer. They looked around the old room. It was dim and had only two windows to let in the fading light. There were three ornate display cases placed along the walls. Two were next to the windows and contained pottery. The third was near the door. It housed a collection of knives. Two doors on either side of a graceful staircase led to other rooms.

As Eric and Sarah arrived Pete put his arms around Devon and Sheree. "Are we gonna just stand here or are we gonna get this party started?"

It did not take them long to bring their things into the foyer. With Pete videotaping the event they went exploring. They first found the kitchen. Sarah playfully flipped the old light switch and joked that someone had forgotten to pay the electric bill. There was some evidence that animals had once ransacked the cabinets. There were pieces of a broken jar in one corner and some debris from outdoors but otherwise the kitchen was untouched. A few bottles of wine still occupied their places on an old wine rack.

The door out of the kitchen led to the dining room. Except for a broken window and a thick layer of dust the room was untouched. Next-door was a library that had served as the woman's study. Miraculously the large windows had survived years of abuse. The library was an enormous elegant room with towering bookshelves and a heavy wooden desk. The only other room on the floor was a bathroom.

Having seen the first floor the group proceeded upstairs. The old staircase groaned under them and they teased each other about their weights. Sheree was the first to reach the top. As she twirled around to face the others Pete shouted, "Shake it baby!" She did a short dance before they started inspecting the rooms.

There was only one broken window upstairs. It was in the master bathroom. There were six bedrooms and two bathrooms. The largest of the rooms had belonged to the former owner. There were still some of the woman's cloths lying on a chair. Her hairbrush lay on the vanity with a few of her silver hairs trapped in it. "This room gives me the creeps. Let's move on," said Sarah leading the way.

The next room was one of several guest rooms. The small room looked cheerful even in the in light of their flashlights. The walls were a sunny yellow and it had two twin beds, a large white dresser, and a large window. It looked perfectly suited for children. The room next door was the exact opposite. It was dominated by a large carved four-poster bed. Its padded headboard was directly under the room's one window. A wool rug lay at the foot of the bed and on either side of it were a vanity and a dresser. "Wow! Look at that bed!" gasped Sheree as she ran her hand over the old quilt.

She lay down on it and Pete followed her with the camera. "Looking for some company?" he asked mischievously.

"Hey! We're not making that kind of video," shouted Eric making everyone laugh.

Moving on to the next room they found something unexpected. There was no bed in it. A table and chairs stood in the center. It was the séance room where the old woman had met her end. The walls were lined with cabinets containing all types of oddities including animal skulls, strange potions, and daggers. "So this is where all the oogie boogie happens," said Pete running his fingers over a cow's skull.

"I thought you were going to keep the oogie boogie in the other room," teased Devon.

They burst out laughing again and moved onto the next room. It was small like the children's room. In the center was a bed with a heavy canopy. The final bedroom was opposite the master bedroom. It also had a canopy bed but the canopy was much thinner and lighter. The two windows let in plenty of moonlight giving the room an ethereal feel. The group of friends stopped to admire it for a moment and then moved on to the bathroom. It was large but plain except for the claw foot bathtub, which was the centerpiece.

After the tour of the house they returned to the foyer. The hallway between the bedrooms was open, giving a view of the foyer below. It was guarded by a railing. As they approached the stairs Devon leaned his muscular arm on it. It creaked loudly. "Be careful," warned Eric pulling him away from the rail.

"Yeah Devon, you're gonna break it," teased Sheree.

When they got back to the first floor, Sarah began to light some candles she had brought. Sheree turned on the radio while Pete set the camera on its tripod. Devon walked over to one of the display cabinets and started looking at the knives. Eric followed him over, but not to look at the daggers. "Hey, wasn't this up against the wall when we got here?" he asked, "It looks like someone moved it."

Devon wasn't sure but he could tell that the other two cases had been moved. "You're right. Look. Why would someone move those in front of the windows?"

"To keep the draft out," suggested Eric.

"We were all together. Who could have done it?"

They asked their friends but no one admitted to moving the furniture. Then Sarah asked the obvious question, "If we didn't do it then who did?"

They exchanged worried looks and decided to search the house. Pete and Sheree stayed in the foyer incase whoever moved the furniture would return. The others cautiously opened the kitchen door. They found that a shelf unit was now in front of the window. In the dining room a china cabinet was blocking the window. In the library two bookshelves were moved in front of the window.

Every downstairs window was blocked but no one was there. The search continued upstairs. Nothing had been moved in any of the bedrooms. They checked the closets and under the beds but no one was there. The bathrooms were untouched. In the séance room a dagger had been placed on the table. "That wasn't there when we left," Said Sarah.

"I bet Pete left that here. It's just like him," answered Devon.

When they checked every room they joined their friends down stairs. Devon announced, "It's all clear!"

"Did you check the attic?" asked Pete with a grin.

"This place has an attic?" asked Eric.

"No, he's just full of it," answered Devon.
"It still doesn't make sense," complained Sarah.

"Sure it does," explained Pete, "Some one saw our cars and decided to mess with us. They moved the furniture and went out the door. Now let's quit worrying about it and have some fun."

Sarah went back to lighting her candles. Sheree and Pete began dancing. Devin opened a beer and joined Eric who was sitting on the stairs. They watched Sarah light what must have been her fiftieth candle.

"Are you sure you brought enough candles?" asked Devon.

"Why? Did you two want to dance in the dark?"

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Well that's too bad. You'll have to show us your moves in the light," she said grabbing their hands, "Come on get your lazy butts of the stairs."

They did as they were told. The first hours of their small party went well. They changed the battery and the tapes in the camera twice and got plenty of footage of their silly dance moves. When they got tired they brought some chairs form the dining room and settled down with some beer and playing cards.

As midnight approached Pete complained that he was sleepy. The original plan had been to have a slumber party in the foyer but with clean beds available it made no sense. Pete took his sleeping bag up stairs and Sheree followed him with hers. They announced that they would take the first room on the left.

"Lovebirds," said Devon shaking his head.

"What do you guys want to do now?" asked Eric.

"We could play strip poker," joked Devon.

"Go right ahead you two," answered Sarah, "I'm going to bed."

She took her sleeping bag and claimed the smaller room with the canopy bed for herself. Devon shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't help noticing the slight blush that had come over Eric's face. To avoid an awkward silence he changed the subject. "I don't understand why this house doesn't have a parlor. I thought all these old houses had parlors," he said.

"Maybe that's what the library was supposed to be," suggested Eric.

"What does an old lady need a library for anyway?"

"Spell books, maybe. You wanna go look?"

"Sure."

They took their flashlights and, leaving the pleasant glow of the candles, went to the library. They browsed the old books finding a variety of subjects. Not surprisingly a large section was devoted to spiritualism and spectral phenomena. There were also books on plants, insects, and alchemy. There were historical texts and reference books. Looking through the yellowed pages gave them a picture of the beliefs of world when the house was occupied. In time the novelty wore off and the two became sleepy.

"Man, I'm tired," complained Devon, "We should've brought coffee not beer."

"I'm tired too. Let's go to bed."

As they walked out of the room, Devon asked Eric if he wanted the kid's room or the larger one. Before he could answer they saw that the candles in the foyer were out. As they scanned the room their flashlight beams reflected off the knifes that had been in the display case. They were now driven into the floor. "I think we'll both stay in the kid's room," whispered Eric.

They grabbed their things and began to run up the stairs. Then they saw Pete at the top of the stairs with an evil grin on his face. "Jerk!" said Devon as they reached the second floor.

Pete did not reply. He just stood there. Devon and Eric ignored him and went to their room. When they were in their beds Devon was still annoyed. "Can you believe that guy?"

"I know. He didn't even say anything. He just kept smiling."

They fell asleep quickly but it was not long before they were awakened by the sound of Sheree screaming. They ran out with their flashlights just in time to see Pete chasing Sheree with a knife. He grabbed at her with one hand and raised the knife with the other. To avoid him she pressed her body up against the railing that guarded the part of the second floor overlooking the foyer. The old rail gave way with a loud dry crack and she fell. Pete ran past Sarah who had come out of her room also. He ran into the unused bedroom.

"Pete! What the hell!" shouted Devon.

"What?" came a voice from right behind him.

It was Pete. He was not holding a knife and was obviously sleepy. Meanwhile Eric had run downstairs. Sheree had landed on her head. A large pool of blood was forming around her. "Oh my God! She's not breathing!" shouted Eric.

They all ran down. Sarah got her telephone but it could not get a signal. "My phone's not working! Someone else try."

No one's telephone worked. Eric and Devon desperately searched for some sign of life but found none. The pool of blood was no longer widening. They shone their flashlights in her eyes. There was no response. Pete who had been staring in shock now bent over her. "No!" he cried, "She can't be dead! Wake up, honey. Wake up! Please baby," he pleaded and shaking her as her blood seeped into his cloths.

Sarah and Eric pulled him off the body. "We gotta get out of here," said Devon taking a step towards the door.

As soon as he made his move the display case that once held the knives moved. It slid in front of the door. The friends huddled together afraid of what would come next. When nothing happened they cautiously approached the cabinet. They tried to move it but it refused. They tried to move the other pieces of furniture that blocked the windows but no matter how hard they tried they could not get the objects to move. Next they went upstairs. They tried to open the windows and then to break them. They hit panes with chairs and lamps and anything else they could find but the windows refused to break.

"We're trapped. Something doesn't want us to leave," said Devon breathless from his attempt to smash the window.

They all looked at each other. Pete was crying. Everyone else was close to tears.

"Why were you chasing her?" asked Eric.

"What?" Pete asked whipping his eyes.

"Why were you chasing Sheree?"

"I wasn't chasing her," he sobbed, "I came out to see what was happening."

"But we all saw you with the knife," said Sarah with a shaking voice.

"I didn't have a knife," said Pete.

"It doesn't really make sense," said Devon, "I saw him chasing Sheree. Then he ran into the room. Then a second later he was behind me. Even if there was a way to go from room to room no one could have moved that fast."

"You guys think I came after her with a knife?" gasped Pete finally understanding.

"There must have been someone else here with us," said Eric, "It was dark. The guy just looked like Pete. That's all."

Afraid of what might be sharing the house with them, they decided that two of them would cover the body and return immediately. Then they would stay together in one room. Devon and Eric took a sheet off a bed and went to cover the body. They tried not to look at her. She had been a good friend to both of them. Then they took some of the candles and returned to the large room opposite the master bedroom.

The flickering light made the scene look more surreal. Devon tried opening the window again but it reused to move. "What are we gonna do?" asked Eric.

After a long silence Devon said, "Don't these things go away in daylight? Maybe we just have to wait until morning."

No one was sure of that but there was nothing else they could do. Pete sat on the chair in front of the vanity crying quietly. Sarah sat on the bed across from him staring at the floor. There were faint bloody footprints there. Eric and Devon sat next to Sarah. Eric watched Pete, still trying to understand what had happened. Devon watched Eric. The candlelight played with the shadows on his frightened worried face. The soft lighting complemented his pale skin.

They sat like statues until they heard a faint sound outside the door. It was like someone sighing. They all turned to look. Instinctively Sarah grabbed Eric's hand and he grabbed Devon's. Then they heard the voice say Pete's name. It was quiet but clear and familiar.

Pete was the first to recognize it. "Its Sheree! Sheree! She's alive!"

He ran to the door and flung it open. Sheree was standing there. She was not bleeding or even injured. She was smiling. "You're OK! How did you survive? We all thought you hit your head," Pete exclaimed hardly believing what he was seeing.

She motioned for Pete to follow her out of the room. He did and the others followed. Sheree walked over to the railing where she had fallen. The broken splinters off wood still jutted out of the floor like crooked teeth. She looked Pete in the eye and said, "I have something for you."

She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a tarantula. Pete immediately stepped back. She took a step towards him with a wicked smile. As Pete backed away he tripped. He fell near the spot where Sheree had fallen. He tried to catch himself but was impaled on a sharp thin sliver of wood. Blood shot out of his chest as he struggled to free himself. Sheree stood over him laughing. Blood poured out of him and drenched the floor below like an evil rain. It soaked into the sheet that covered Sheree's remains. The three friends stared in horror as the apparition they thought was Sheree burst into flame and vanished.

The flow of blood slowed to a trickle. No one tried to save Pete. They knew it was too late. Sarah held onto Eric's arm and looked away. Her two remaining friends slowly turned away. They returned to the room and propped a chair under the doorknob. It was the middle of August but the house was now numbingly cold. They got on the bed and covered themselves with a blanket. Devon and Eric sat on either side of Sarah like protective parents. They leaned against the headboard not daring to take their eyes off the door. Sarah was crying. The other two just stared in shock. "I really thought it was her," sobbed Sarah.

"Whatever it was it must be able to make itself look like whatever it wants. That explains Pete running with the knife," said Devon.

"I don't think it was him when we found the knives in the floor either," pointed out Eric.

"We were so stupid to come here," said Devon.

As they sat watching the door the room slowly became warm again. Sarah cried herself to sleep. Devon continued to watch the door determined to do battle with whatever was on the other side. Eric watched him trying to guess his thoughts. There were no sound or movements and as the room became warm again they fell asleep. Being in the house had taken all the energy out of them. Even the tragedy that had unfolded did not keep them awake.

After sleeping for half an hour Sarah awoke. She was disoriented and looked around the room to see what had awakened her. She was surprised to see an exact duplicate of herself standing by the vanity. "Hi, Sarah," it whispered in her own voice.

She crawled out of bed careful not to wake her friends. She was not sure if she was dreaming or if the whole night had been one long nightmare. She approached her double and looked the girl over carefully. They were exactly alike. "We're twins," said the other girl smiling warmly, "Let's be friends."

"OK," Sarah said still not sure if it was a dream.

"As a friend I have to tell you something," said the girl.

Her body began to morph. Its stomach became bloated and her whole figure warped. It was unproportional and almost grotesque. Sarah shrunk back from it as it spoke. "You know, Sarah, you're fat and ugly," said the girl, "You think all that diet and exercise works? Your doctors lied to you. Look at your self! You're ready for a heart attach. What did the kids used to call you? Oh yes, fatso. That's what you are."

Sarah plugged her ears trying not to listen but she could still hear. "Fatso! Fatso! Fatso!" chanted the girl smiling sadistically.

She laughed as she picked up a dagger from the vanity. "We can make it all better can't we, Sarah?" she said as she dragged the sharp blade across her arm. Thick dark drops of blood dripped on the floor as she bit her lip.

"Oh yes, that's much better," she sighed, "There's one for you too." She pointed to a dagger on the vanity. "Go ahead, take it."

There was a slight hint of anger in the voice but as soon as Sarah took the knife a smile returned to the girl's face. Sarah cut her arm like the girl had done. An old familiar sense of relief came over her. The other girl lifted the knife to her distorted face. Sarah mirrored her movements. The other girl cut her cheek and Sarah did the same. Then the girl put the knife to her neck. Sarah hesitated. She was scared but something compelled her to follow the movements. Blood dripped from her cheek like red tears but she could not stop herself.

"Its OK we'll do it together. We're friends," reassured the girl.

As Sarah raised the knife to her neck Eric woke up. Seeing her he screamed, "No! Sarah don't!" but she did not hear him.

Devon woke up too. They jumped out of bed but they were too late to stop her. She cut herself too fast and too deep. The other girl vanished immediately. They put pressure on the wound trying to stop the bleeding. It slowed a little but not enough. The daemon had claimed another life. Devon ripped the chair out from under the doorknob and threw it at the window. It bounced off and landed harmlessly on the bed. Whatever had so mercilessly killed his friends was guarding their escape. Devon cursed the house and its spirits. He would have torn apart everything in the room but Eric begged him to calm down.

"Please Devon, just stop," he pleaded still holding a hand over Sarah's neck.

"I'm sorry," Devon said seeing the wounded look on Eric's face, "I just didn't want to loose anyone else. Why did I have to fall asleep?"

"It's not your fault. We were all exhausted," answered Eric looking at Sarah's pale face.

Devon took Eric's hand off of Sarah's neck and gently helped him up. "Lets go to another room."

They carefully opened the door and then walked past Pete trying not to look. Eric was shaking all over. Devon's warm hand on his shoulder was his only comfort. They passed the room where Sarah had slept and then past the séance room. They went into the room where Pete and Sheree had slept.

As they walked in, the moonlight caught something on the dresser. They walked over to see what it was. It was an open jewelry box with two wedding rings inside. Devon picked up one of the rings and a tear ran down his smooth dark sun tanned cheek. "I always thought they were joking when they talked about running off together," he said. Eric picked up the other ring. It was small and smooth and perfect, untainted by the nightmare that unfolded around it. He started to cry when he thought about how the ring would never be used. He put it back in the box. Devon returned the other one. They closed the lid and left it on the dresser like a little casket. They sat on the bed drawn there by the moonlight.

"Why did she cut her own throat?" asked Devon.

"She was a cutter," Eric explained, "Cutting herself was her way of dealing with stress. She didn't talk about it much. I don't think most of her friends knew."

"I didn't," admitted Devon, "but who was that girl she was talking too? It looked like her only somehow mutilated."

"It was from a picture she drew. It was how she used to see herself. She had some problems
before she met us. I think that thing was something she was afraid of becoming."

"I guess it makes sense," said Devon as he rubbed the drying blood from his hands and arms. "They all died scared. Pete had a phobia of spiders. Sheree had once been attacked by a guy she was dating."

Eric also began to rub away the blood. "That's so awful," he said, "They were all killed by the things they were most afraid of," then giving Devon a vulnerable look he added, "We all have fears."

Devon pulled off his blood stained t-shirt revealing a flawless physique. For the first time he saw a glimmer of hope. "You're right. We all have fears. As long as we know ours we know what to expect."

"But that's still not gonna stop it from coming after us."

"Yeah, but maybe if we know each other's fears we can protect each other or at least help each other. Eric, I really don't want to loose you. I just can't," Devon said as he wrapped a blanket around them both.

"I don't want to loose you either. What should we do?"

"We have to tell each other all our fears, everything that we were ever scared of, all the bad memories," as Devon said these words, Eric looked away but Devon continued, "We can't have any secrets. Anyway there's nothing we could tell each other that would be worse than what happen to us tonight."

"I know," said Eric knowing that Devon was right, "Who starts?" he asked pushing a strand of blond hair out of his face.

"I'll start. I'll tell you something about me. Then you tell me something about you. OK?"

"OK."

"OK, when I was a kid the scariest thing was the monster under the bed."

"I was scared of that too," admitted Eric, "and the monster in the closet."

"I had a closet monster too. Then when I got older I was scared that my parents would die and I would be left all alone."

"I was scared of the school bully."

"I have a fear of public speaking."

"I get spooked by lightning."

"I used to be scared of the old man next door. He didn't like me."

"I was scared of my old man," Eric could not look at Devon when he said it.

"Why? You can tell me," said Devon putting his arm around Eric who had the expression of a scared little boy.

Eric still did not look up but he continued his story, "He used to be really proud of me but then when I was in high school he caught me doing something. After that he beat me every night until I moved out."

"What did you do?"

A look of complete terror came over him. He was sure he would go crazy if Devon turned on him now but there was no way to avoid the truth. He would just have to hope that Devon would not hate him. "I kissed one of my classmates, another boy. My dad saw us."

"Do you regret it?" asked Devon.

"No," he said quietly bracing himself for the worst.

"Well, I didn't kiss any boys when I was in high school and I do regret it."

A hint of a smile touched Eric's lips. "I was afraid to tell you," he said.

Devon gave him a hug and they continued telling each other their fears. When they were sure they had not forgotten anything it was getting close to sunrise. The sky was starting to get lighter on the horizon. For a moment they dared to hope. They looked out the window holding each other. They could see the light of the approaching dawn in each other's eyes. For a brief moment their lips touched gently but fearlessly.

Then they heard the closet door creak open. Devon thought he saw his childhood monster peering out. He held on to Eric and told himself that monsters do not exist. As the door opened the monster was now a man. "It's my dad," gasped Eric as a wave of bad memories swept over him.

"No its not!" shouted Devon, "He's not real!"

It did little to ease their fears. The man began to walk towards them. There was a look of pure hate in his eyes as he began to curs them. Eric and Devon held on to each other. The man jumped on the bed. His eyes were now glowing with the fires of hell itself. Eric and Devon ran for the door but it slammed shut in front of them. The man laughed demonically. "Come here and take your punishment!" shouted the spirit pointing at Eric but Devon approached him instead.

He was not afraid any more. He was angry. There was a small statue of cupid on the dresser. Devon threw it at the daemon. It passed right through him but it shattered the window behind him. As a shower of glass fell on the bed the daemon disappeared. Somehow they had slipped out of his control. Devon began to pull the sheets off the bed and tied them together to make a rope. Eric helped him. They tied the sheets to the bedposts and climbed out the window. The old sheets and blankets made sound like they would tear but they held together. As soon as they were on the ground Eric and Devon ran to Devon's car. At first the car slipped on the gravel but then the tires caught. Devon drove quickly down the hill and up the next one.

Then he slowed down. He pulled the car over. "What's wrong?" asked Eric.

"Nothing. We're safe and together and the sun's about to rise. I just want it to last a little longer, that's all."

They sat at the top of the hill and let the moment last as long as it could. They held each other and let the rest of the world slip away until the sun came up and brought it all back.