My room is emptier than I have ever seen it before. All of my personal belongings that I want to take along with me are in the duffel bag I packed a few days ago, so the room seems cleaner; with only a bed, nightstand, dresser, and cleared-off desk to fill the space.

I grab the only bag that is lying on my neatly tucked-in bedspread. I feel like I'm about to cry, but I have no tears left to shed. The funeral had completely drained me and now, I finally feel the stinging from the shards of glass that I had fallen into while having my mini freak out in the bathroom. My legs are bandaged from my ankles to my upper thighs, almost like stockings. Luckily, there had been a paramedic at the funeral, so they checked me out quickly and helped pull the shards out of my skin. The pain was horrible, but I got through it, almost like I have to get through leaving the only home I've ever known.

Agent Callaway had taken both of our cell phones and gave us those cheap pay-as-you-go phones. He thinks changing our numbers will minimize contact with my stalker, but I know better. He'll know my new number by the end of the day.

Before I leave my room for the last time for God only knows how long, I draw my curtains closed, like I have done for the past week before I have gone to sleep. It's a precaution, like many other things I do nowadays.

"Melanie, we have to go," Mom calls from the other room, jarring my senses. Taking one last look at the room, I sigh and close the door.

When I saunter downstairs with my heavy duffel bag in my arms, Mom is waiting with Agent Callaway and Officer Jenkins. By now, I think they both have been officially assigned to my case considering how many time I've seen them at my house now.

"Are you ready?" She asks, glancing at my bag. I purse my lips together and nod, "Yeah."

Callaway gives me a small smile that I don't return. "Ms. Larkin, I just spoke to your mom, but I will tell you as well. You will drive yourselves to your new location, but I'll have cruisers around the car, just for precaution."

I nod again, thinking about what he had just said. "Is this normal for you to put families into witness protection like this?"

Agent Callaway gives me a tight-lipped smile, probably figuring out how much he should reveal. Finally, he says, "I wouldn't say it's incredibly usual, no."

I watch Jenkins step outside and walk over to the officers standing around a few cruisers. My heart beats harder in my chest as everything that is happening finally begins to sink in. We're leaving. We're taking refuge in a new town, with new identities and no ties to our old lives. As far as the world is concerned, Melanie Larkin doesn't exist anymore.

I pull out my new credit card that Callaway had given me, looking down at the name in disgust. Skyler Ann, my new name.

My new identity.

My new life.

"Melanie, it's time to go," Mom calls. I realize she is no longer standing beside me, but outside by the car. Callaway is also there, but standing a few feet away, watching. Pursing my lips together, I tuck the credit card back into my pocket and step outside, locking the door behind me.

As I climb into the passenger's side, I notice the officers getting into the cruisers behind and ahead of us. It reminds me of one of those kiddie parades, except this isn't a parade. This is an escort; a police escort.

Now, how many people can cross that off of their bucket lists?

With one more glance at my old home, we pull out and head down the street. The farther we drive from the house, the heavier the feeling in my chest gets.

"Goodbye Laura," I whisper.

•••

I fall asleep around an hour into the three-hour drive to our (new) home. We aren't going to live in a huge town; we are being relocated to a small neighborhood that I've never heard of before. I guess if I don't know where the place is, my stalker won't either. At least, that's my hope.

I don't really dream of anything, just of a black room in which I'm trapped and cannot move my legs. It's a nightmare I have every once in a while, mostly when I feel alone. I've learned instead of panicking while I'm in it, just to stand there and relax because I know that it will be over soon.

I feel like I'm in that dark place forever before I finally regain consciousness. However, when my eyes open, I immediately smell smoke. The car, I notice, is in a patch of grass. No, scratch that, we're in a ditch.

My heart pounds in my chest as I figure out what had happened. By the looks of the car, we've crashed. I try to turn my head, but I can't seem to move my neck.

Oh my god.

When my eyes are able to shift towards the driver's side, I see my mom's slumped body. Blood is soaked into her shirt, staining the fabric crimson. Long shards of glass, most likely from the window, stick out of her chest like knives. I let an earth shattering scream when I see her eyes, lifeless and rolled into the back of her head. I realize that she's dead; gone, just like that.

"Help," I scream as loud as I can. I don't hear anyone outside; it's like the police had left without us. Then, I get a glimpse of something sticking out of my gut. Another long shard of glass protrudes from my stomach, and I begin to scream louder than ever.

"Help," I cry, trying to pry the glass out with my bloodstained fingers. How did this happen? I try not to think about Mom slumped in the seat across from me as I wait for someone, anyone to answer. Where are the cops when you need them?

Just as I am about to call for help again, someone comes up to the window, his face covered with a hood. I feel a ringing in my ears as I look at him closer. It's him, my stalker.

Before I can scream for help, his finger rises to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet. I swallow slowly, feeling the hot blood gush through my fingers as I keep trying to pry the glass out of my body, all while keeping an eye on the hooded man, who opens the door to the car. I freeze; my hands still against the cold glass. His head drops a couple of centimeters to the wound, as if examining it.

Then, without warning, he grabs the glass from between my fingers and rips it out of my body with one big jerk. I let out a terrible scream that reverberates off of the interior of the car and out through the open door. I hear him laugh a little as he contemplates the shard in his gloved hand.

Then, I see him raise the piece of glass up with one hand, like he is about to stab down, this time at my heart.

"No!" I scream, trying to move in the seat. "Don't, please!"

My words are cut off when he strikes down. The shard enters my heart, sending my blood splattering against the broken windshield in a cascade of red.

•••

"Melanie! Melanie, wake up!"

I scream as I am awoken by Mom, who has a petrified look in her eyes. "Melanie, are you alright?"

My hand immediately goes to my stomach, which is dry and bloodless, unlike a few moments before. There isn't even a speck of crimson on my clothes. My shoulders relax against the seat when I realize that I had been dreaming. Mom is here, and I'm alive.

I nod, breathing out slowly through my lips. "Yes, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

Mom's eyebrows furrow in worry. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shudder at the thought of Mom being dead in the seat across from me, and of my stalker stabbing me. "It...it was nothing. I'm okay."

Mom nods slowly, but keeps her eyes glued on to the road. Her knuckles are white against the steering wheel. I think the nerves are finally getting to her.

Glancing behind us to make sure the police are still following our car, I ask, "How much longer?"

She doesn't take her eyes off of the road when she answers. "Five minutes."

________________________________________________________________________

I really got you all with that dream didn't I? XD

Well, my other book Stalker had been completed last night. I wanted to thank you guys once again for your support!

New update comes Wednesday!

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