Mallory slowly eased to a stop next to the other car. She glanced over at Eliza, who had sunk far down into the seat, her eyes wide and her entire face flushed a deep red. “They’re not in the car. They must’ve gone inside.”

“Let’s just go! Please, Mallory!”

Mallory shut the engine off and began to calmly reason with her friend. “Listen, let’s just go inside. We can act surprised to see them here and tell them we wanted to explore the place – we’ve done it before. And it gives you a chance to get to know this Isaac guy outside of school.”

Eliza looked halfway convinced, but still hesitated. “You know I’m awful at lying. How am I going to act surprised?”

Mallory shrugged. “How many words have you even said to this guy since the beginning of school?” Eliza frowned. “Come on. If he’s so perfect, let’s go change that.” Mallory opened her car door and stepped out, glancing back at Eliza as she shut it behind her. Eliza scrunched her face and begrudgingly exited the car as well.

From experience, Mallory knew that the inside of the Miller house got quite dark because all the windows were boarded up. Luckily, she kept a flashlight in the trunk of her car. Her father had always lectured her to keep a toolbox, a blanket, and a few emergency supplies with her at all times. “It’s better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it,” he had always warned her. She popped the trunk open and grabbed the large flashlight, handing it over to Eliza. As Eliza fiddled with it, she also grabbed a folding knife she kept in the toolbox, slipping it into her pocket surreptitiously. She wasn’t expecting any sort of trouble, but at the same time… better to have something you didn’t need, after all.

Together, they approached the house and made their way up the steps onto the large ranch-style porch that wrapped around the building. Mallory opened the door and Eliza shone a beacon of light in through the doorway. They both paused for a moment and exchanged nervous looks. “Clear so far,” Eliza said, ending her sentence on a nervous titter. She was still bright red with embarrassment, but Mallory knew the Miller house itself also made Eliza nervous.

They entered what had once been a large and spacious country style kitchen. The wallpaper was faded and peeling, but had once had a floral pattern that was still visible in some places. Some of the cupboard doors had been broken off or stood ajar at odd angles. There was a large arched entryway that led into a formal dining room off to the right, and a smaller arched entry that led to the living area straight ahead. The last time Mallory had been in the house, a half-sized swinging door had occupied the living area entrance, but it had disappeared since then. The kitchen also had a large walk-in pantry, its door slightly ajar, set next to the stairs leading to the basement. They both stopped for a moment to shine the light at the basement entrance – it no longer had its door, so the stairs descended below into a dark gaping maw.

Another shared glance, and they turned away.