"𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝚒𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

Reaching her car around the bend of trees, Anna slammed the door and plugged her keys into the ignition. The engine of her wrangler wouldn't turn over as it made a slight ticking sound, acknowledging that the battery was dead.

She has been asking her father for weeks to change it, but his schedule and hers couldn't a lot for the time to get it done. That's what she got for taking his hammy downs. 

Quickly checking her phone, she noticed the black screen, indicating it was also dead. She was officially cut off from anyone that could get her out of the sticky situation.

It seemed to be a good night for all things dead.

Including her friendship with Claire, which seemed the most lifeless of all.

Letting her head fall to the hard leather of the steering wheel, Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was drenched, clothes soaked from the heavy downpour she was standing in just moments ago and no way to get dry.

It seems the shelter of her car would only do her so much good.

The last thing she wanted was to go back into Reese's house, only to ask for help or a ride home.

Listening to the to rain falling against the windshield, Anna knew she'd have to wait out the storm before she could attempt to hike home. It was her only option given the circumstances.

But the more her mind replayed the events of the night, the quieter the rain became. The crackles of it against the car was dulling to a light tap as it fell gently from the sky.

Lifting her head, she opened her car door to test the intensity of the rain. It was now just a slight mist as she stepped out onto the glistening pavement.

The loud banter and raging music resonated in the background as she moved away from her car, careful not to attract attention from the people who had just banished her for the night. She huffed to herself as she began her walk down the empty road.

She had been walking for what felt like miles, and from the street sign she glared up at, she knew it had been around two.

The tall bright green sign for Cold Creek Lane stood tall on the corner of the street, a welcome for most people.

A warning for Anna.

Along the left side of the road, was a blanket of trees that was one of many entrances that led into the woods.

The woods where Molly was found.

Opposite of them, were rows of wealthy homes nestled on well-maintained lawns. A perfect example of knowing never to judge a book by its cover. For inside are detailed pages of a heinous murder beyond the forest.

Anna felt a pit on her stomach as she crossed over into the street. The faint whistle of hidden crickets guided her path along the sidewalk. Her footsteps radiated behind her, tricking her into thinking she wasn't alone. An eerie feeling fell over her as the air became so thin, it was difficult to suck in a breath. 

A sudden fear of being watched fell over her.

Stopping abruptly, she turned around to the darkened street that was just as empty as before. The darkened windows of each home gave her both comfort and distress, knowing that the residents were sound asleep in their beds.

It meant no one in the neighborhood was outside, but it also opened up the possibility of there being no witness or heroes in the case that someone had been following her.

Taking note of her surroundings, she slowly turned to resume her walking, this time her pace began to quicken. Her clothes were still damp from the rain earlier and all she wanted was to be in her bed, warm, dry and safe.

During her two-mile hike, she hadn't encountered a single person. It was as if the town shut down after the sunset. And with a murderer on the loose, she couldn't blame the public for keeping safe.

Anna wondered if Reese or any of the other party-goers would notice her care parked at the end of the driveway. Would he be upset?

It was likely and for that reason, Anna knew she had to make sure her car was gone by morning.

The roar of a car's engine zipped around the corner behind her and she didn't bother to look back. It was likely some drunken idiot from the party and the more she blended in with the night, the better chance that it would be that the car would just roll on past her.

But seconds ticked by and no car had passed her.

Anna frowned and peered over her shoulder but continued to walk. The driver had slowed, creeping behind her with no intention of blowing past. The headlights beamed in her eyes, blocking out the shape of the vehicle and the driver behind the wheel.

Putting her hands in front of her eyes, she attempted to block some of the light from disorienting her even further. Her feet stopped moving and she noticed the car did too. Her heart fluttered, realizing that it wasn't exactly normal for someone to be driving in such a sketchy manner.

A thought crossed her mind that maybe it would be best to keep walking, or perhaps make a run for the woods.

Before she could act, the car slowly crept towards her until it stopped near the edge of the curb.

The tinted windows concealed the inside until it rolled down, giving Anna the slightest piece of mind.

"What happened to you? You look like shit," Isaac stated flatly, leaning over the center console to speak through the window. Though his tone showed no emotion, he looked amused. Likely from Anna's frumpy and wet dog-like appearance.

She was surprised to see that Layla wasn't in the car with him. 

"My car wouldn't start and my phone died, thought some fresh air might do me good," looking back towards Isaac her face fell even further.

A faint lift perked his lips, he was smirking at her situation. 

"It's cold tonight, with the storm passing through and all," his eyes glanced down to the passenger seat next to him, then slowly back up at Anna, "Get in, I'll give you a ride. Maybe you'll be a little less wet by the time you get home. But I can't make any promises," the smirk grew wider as he was pleased with his joke.

Anna could feel the skin on cheeks turn fiery red, a nice contrast from the bitter nip that was in the air. But also a humiliating one.

Did he actually expect her to jump into his car and ride off into the night with him?

After what happened back at the house, she didn't exactly feel comfortable getting into a car with someone who might have hidden intentions. Especially after he seemed to be coming onto her in the kitchen.

"I'm good," she replied confidently, "I'm almost home anyway."

A low rumbled fell from his lips as he chuckled, the slight sign of amusement was more of a scoff than a offense. Anna watched as he Isaac put the car in park and slowly got out. The rapid heartbeat she once felt was back again as he rounded the hood of the car.

Confusion set in as he rested himself against the car in front of her, "Look, based on what I was hearing about you back at the house, you don't have any more friends," crossing his large arms, he peered down at Anna, "So, I'd taken my offer while it's still hot. Unless you want to burn this bridge too."

Anna had to force down a laugh, the fact that Isaac thought she cared about having any sort of relationship with him was laughable. He and Emmett were the least important people that had ever entered her life. 

"Consider it torched, go home Isaac," Anna spit, turning to walk away.

A second rumble came from his lips, "You really are the dumb bitch Emmett thinks you are."

Face dropping, Anna took a step back from his words, "I'm sorry, what the fuck did you just say to me?"

Isaac dropped his arms and took a step onto the curb, inching his way towards her. His eyes searched hers, perhaps feeding off the hurt inside of them, "He thinks you need to be ripped off that high horse you've been on since you moved here. Who do you think you are coming into that party like you did and stirring up shit that should have stayed dead?"

Anna couldn't understand why everyone was so angered about her questioning the friendship of Molly and Claire.

"Isaac, you need to get away from me," she warned, pointing a finger as his body inching towards her, "I'm serious!" She yelled, sure that her voice would grab the attention of the sleeping neighborhood.

"Or what?" He spat curiously as he glared down at her, "You going to call your daddy?" He pouted.

Anna's hand was still stretched towards him as he slapped it away, her skin stinging from the blow.

Anger rose inside of her she pushed at his chest, but he continued to knock her hands away. Unphased by her attempts to stop him. With one swift motion, he grabbed her by her upper arms, twirling her around and place her against the car.

She was shocked that the force he used wasn't enough to actually hurt her as she glued herself to the metal, "Listen to me you stuck up little girl and listen well," he prompted, his voice dropping in tone, "Cut your Nancy Drew bullshit before you wake the dead. Digging up the past and speaking on something you know absolutely nothing about is going to ruin you. Are you prepared for that?" He asked, his arms still grasping her, but with enough leeway that she could easily escape.

But she was too afraid.

"Anna dear," the strangely familiar voice called out against the cool thin air.

Looking to her right, a shadowy figure emerged from the cloak of darkness surrounding the neighborhood. Isaac slowly pushed away from Anna, allowing her to stand on her own. And as the fresh moonlight illuminated the face beyond the voice, she wished Issacs hands were still supporting her.

The pearls she wore gleamed against the black suit fitted to her body and Anna watched as she threw the butt end of a cigarette to her feet, stepping on it until it was nothing more than steaming ash.

Her eyes squinted for a moment, for good measure as she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Grandma?" Her question was barely a whisper. But Isaac heard it as turned his attention back to Anna.

Taking a step out of the darkness, the light of the moon kindled her facial expressions as her mouth lifted into a smirk, "It's time to go home now."