What Han saw after opening the door wasn't what he was expecting. Chaos and people screaming in the streets, along with fires breaking out, was what he anticipated. Silence and the darkness was all he saw.

"Is there something wrong?" Grace, the police officer asked. Her voice trembled, expecting only horrible news, as the screams were still heard down the hallway.

A rattling of chains was heard, causing Han to look down the hallway.

"What was that?" Jennifer whispered to the group.

"I think someone touched the handcuffs at the beginning of the hallway," Grace answered while slowly pulling out her gun.

Hearing the snap of the metal button on the gun holster, Han said, "Don't bother with that. At best you'll slow it down for a second based on the noises we heard, and at worst you'll attract others from both inside the station and outside if there are any."

Grace still seemed to pull out her gun.

"I'm not joking, and that isn't a suggestion," Han sternly said. When Grace turned her head to him, a look of annoyance and anger crossed her face. "You heard the voices. Even if your co-workers are incompetent, I would think they would be able to make a head shot at such a close range. I don't need to explain what that means, do I?"

There was a long pause, as Grace seemed to run through the words that Han had said. Grace looked down in embarrassment and nodded her head before inserting her weapon back into its holster.

"Isn't that the woman at the front?" His mother asked in confusion.

Around the corner came the woman he had seen when coming into the station. From the look of her appearance, she looked terrified and was cautious in her movements. It took her a moment before realizing they were at the end of the hallway. Relief crossed her face upon knowing that there were others.

Seeing that she was still cautious, Han waved for her to hurry up and come towards them.

With a sense of urgency, the secretary quickly made her way over to them. When she got close enough, Han could see that she had tears streaming down her face causing her makeup to run.

"Harmony, what happened and how did you get here?" Grace asked.

"We don't have time for this," Han said to the two of them. Looking back at the two women, he said, "With what just happened, seeing what I saw outside, I think we need to be even more careful. We need to go to someplace that is safe where we can take a breather." Seeing the look on their faces, he shook his head. "You'll see in a second, and it should look just as odd to you. Do either of you know a place that's outside of the city but may have food?"

"My parents live on a farm just outside the city limits," the secretary told them. She first looked at Grace, but then turned towards him waiting for approval.

"That works. Once we're outside, none of you say a word. Just accept that everything seems off and if you do see something, then just tap on my shoulder and point to it." He looked at each one of them. Looking to the secretary, he said, "Since you know how to get there we'll be following you. Keep in mind that we need to avoid others and stay off the roads or anyplace where people are likely to be, really." Han waited until the woman nodded her head in understanding.

Placing a finger on his lips to remind them, he slowly opened the door again and stepped out of the station.

Again, Han saw the eerily quiet night scenery that would look normal in everyday life, but in a situation where some creature came into the station, it was disconcerting. Instead of trying to look sneaky while walking away from the building, Han walked out casually like he usually would. Glancing behind him, Han observed everyone following after him. Unlike the way he was standing, all of them were crouching.

"Just walk like you normally would. You're going to make yourself more tired if you're crouching the whole time and then you won't be able to react properly." He kept his voice lower instead of whispering.

One by one, they stood up and looked around at everything. It took them a while to understand what Han was telling them. Jennifer was the first one whose eyes widened when the connection was made. She looked at him, and he nodded his head to confirm her suspicions.

Walking towards Harmony, he gently laid his hand on her arm. She was slightly startled by the contact but seeing him tilt his head to indicate a direction she understood. It took her a moment to orient herself, but soon after she was walking away from where they were.

Han followed after her, wondering if where they were heading was safer. Instead of staying inside of the city, Han knew that leaving the place was better. This was especially true with how unusual the neighborhood was.

-------

They had been walking for a while, passing by houses and small stores, trying to observe anything similar to what they had heard. In order to prevent themselves from being noticed, they successfully kept quiet and didn't talk amongst themselves.

As the houses slowly dwindled and the number of trees increased, Han understood that they were likely near the city's limits.

Off in the distance, gunshots were going off and causing them to turn around to look. Due to how far away they were, hearing any sounds were unlikely. In a different direction, there was another shot being fired. The creatures were likely just making their way into the homes. It would be nice to know if they used sight, sound, or both for finding their prey.

"Let's keep going," Han said to them.

Harmony affirmed his words by heading in the direction they were going. Behind them, the number of gun fires was rapidly increasing.

Crunching of leaves and cracking of twigs reverberated through the forest as they continued their journey. Han wondered whether the neighborhood before the chaos erupted or the woods they were traveling through was worse.

"If any of them are in the woods, then we should be able to hear them with all the foliage," Han thought to himself.

Harmony turned her head and pointed in front of them.

"What is it? Trouble?" He asked.

Harmony shook her head. "My parents' farm will soon be in sight," she explained.

"Before we get any closer, I think it's important to say something which you may not like to hear," Han said to her.

"What do you mean?" Harmony asked.

"There isn't an easy way to say this, so I'll just say it straight. On the off chance that those things have reached this location, there's a chance that your parents are dead or one of them." He said. Han tried to see anything on her face to betray any emotions. For everyone else, the moonlight made it hard for them.

The expected angry expression wasn't seen, but instead, Han saw grief and sadness on her face. "It's something I didn't want to think about, but seeing that thing in the station, I think I understood that everything was going to change." She laughed a bitter laugh. "I had watched the same movie that Harold had watched, those ridiculous B-rated horror movies where those people come back from the dead."

Seeing that Harmony was beginning to unravel, Han reached out and gently held her hand. At first she seemed to fight it, but eventually, her hand relaxed and accepted the feeling his intertwined with hers.

Looking at the hand that was holding her hand, she said, "I saw that man come in and I knew that something was wrong with him. Instead of thinking that they could handle it, I scrambled over the divider and made my way to where prisoners left out in the back. When I heard the words Harold had said... I hoped that it was going to work. I waited. I really did wait! Until I saw the bullet go through that man's head and nothing happened! We might as well have thrown pencils at him for all the good bullets did!" Her voice slowly increased in volume.

Han used his other hand and carefully guided her head towards his chest.

"I just left them behind and just thought about getting out of there! My parents are probably dead inside!" Her voice was muffled by his shirt. She reached around his back with her other arm to feel that reassurance, after experiencing such things and having to keep it bottled up for necessity sake.

-------

Out of the forest, they saw a lone house with acres of land cleared around the place. It was a typical looking farm with silos, barns, and supply buildings off in the distance. Moonlight fell on the open area, giving the scene a deceptively tranquil feel.

As the group stepped out of the forest, the lack of sound was off-putting. "Remember," Han told Harmony.

She slowly nodded her head.

Next to the forest was a long driveway that went along the cleared land. It felt like a divider between the natural world and society's imprint on the world.

When their foots hit the asphalt, everyone's bodies tensed in reflex. There was a feeling of danger being near civilization, not the proof of culture but the occupants were the source of the fear. Looking to the house, Han was curious about what would be seen inside of the picturesque home.

He allowed Harmony to continue to lead the way, observing her actions and seeing how she would react to the new reality. There was a juxtaposition of haste and delay in her movements.

"Is she going to be okay," Jennifer asked him, breaking the silence.

"Possibilities are going through her mind, which won't be answered until she reaches her destination. The test is how she will react to facing reality." Han said.

"What are we going to do if...," Grace left the words hanging.

Glancing over to Grace, he saw her touching her pistol, though her fingers didn't seem to have the same confidence they had before when touching the formerly reassuring tool.

His lack of an answer weighed on her body, as she nervously followed along next to him.

Though there was a feeling of worry about the immediate future, both Jennifer and his mother looked calm compared to Grace. Seeing them overcoming their inner fears made him feel proud of them. Unlike with Grace, they didn't waste time asking questions they knew the answers to. Their situation would immediately fall through if Harmony's parents had turned to those creatures, considering they had no effective weapons.

Han watched as Harmony went up the brick path to the house. She stopped before continuing, and it wasn't until they came closer that they understood why.

"The door is open," Grace commented.

"We should get ready for something to happen. Jennifer, you take mom away from here if there are any of those creatures inside." Han ordered.

Both of them shook their heads, refusing his words. "I'm not going to leave you behind," his mom said adamantly.

"That's right. Unless we can all escape, we'll stay next to you, Han." Jennifer reinforced their mother's words.

Han sighed at their stubborn behavior. Even though he thought it was silly, their attitude about facing danger together was heartwarming.

"One of these days, you guys are going to have to make difficult decisions. I may not be with you, and I would hate for you guys to be taken advantage of with your stubbornness." Han lectured them. Looking at the two of them, he tried to get them to understand the seriousness of his words.

Both of them looked at one another and nodded their heads. "We understand that the world is different now, but we won't compromise this family in order to save ourselves," Jennifer and his mother forcefully stared back at him.

Putting up both hands, Han walked over to where Harmony was standing. She hadn't moved from her spot in front of the door, her face a mixture of fear and determination.

"If you want, I can go into the house first and see if there are any of those things inside?" Han said to her, causing her to jump from his sudden question.

After calming down from her surprise, she shook her head. "I should go into the house and see if they are inside. It's the least I can do for them as their daughter." Still facing away from him, she asked, "Could you come inside with me?"

Han could tell from her shaking hands that she was terrified of going inside for multiple reasons. Being one of the first to see the creatures was likely still weighing on her mind. Reaching out, Han carefully intertwined his fingers with hers. Though his right hand still could feel her shaking, Harmony seemed to relax more from his gesture.

They headed up the steps onto the wraparound porch, wincing from the creaking boards. The house looked very old, so it was expected for any weight placed on it to make noises. "It'll be okay. I'm here." Han said to her.

With the welcome mat in front of the door, along with two lawn chairs and a table between them that had half eaten food on the plates, it gave the impression of time being frozen. Dust hadn't had the time to cover things yet, so it still looked like it had only been a few moments since they were here.

Stepping over the threshold, the hallway was dark. It was like stepping into a void, one that seemed to hide a sinister secret and enjoyed new prey.

"I think my dad kept a flashlight in the desk inside of the living room," Harmony said. Still holding his hand, Harmony turned to her right and entered a room that had partial moonlight streaming in through the window. Illumination from the moon seemed to enhance the darkness, creating a malevolent sensation.

"It's over here," Harmony seemed to say to herself, as she waded deeper into the dark.

Staring back at the moonlight, Han viewed the lone, isolated patch encroached on all side by darkness and thought it mirrored their own predicament. A groan and footsteps could at any moment signal the inevitability of danger, as they struggled to find light to pave their path.

Creaking and groaning could be heard in the darkness, from Harmony pulling open a drawer. The sound seemed to be absorbed into the void, feeding the feeling of isolation and danger. "Sorry," Harmony said to Han as the sound of rummaging could be heard.

A sword of light seemed to pierce the darkness after a loud click was heard. Waving a cone of salvation, Harmony looked back at Han and smiled. "I found it," she shyly smiled. A small victory helped to push back the anxiety in her expression from earlier.

Guided by the circle of light that danced across the floor, walls, and ceiling, the two of them began to explore the house. Just from the light of the flashlight, Han could see that her parents' home was substantial in size. Looking around the living room, Han saw bookshelves against the wall and packed with books. Instead of a TV, there was a small piano set aside in the corner.

Diagonal to where they had entered, there was a doorway. Going through the door, the sight of an average size kitchen was seen. A large refrigerator, stove, and standard kitchen appliances were seen.

"No...," Harmony's voice was low and filled with despair.

Looking to where she was facing, Han saw several dishes broken on the floor. Scraps of food seemed to be scattered away from the kitchen into what looked like a family dining area. By the amount of food that littered the ground, Han figured that there were several people.

"I guess they were feeding the hired hands," Harmony said out loud to herself.

Han was about to voice words of encouragement until his eyes followed the trail of silverware and broken dishes to where he noticed several drag marks in red. Such a sight could only mean a conflict had existed in that room.

The feeling of her grip tightening let him know of her intent to stay by his side instead of running through the house. "You should head back to where the others are," Han said gently.

"I'm not going anywhere," she firmly stated. Stepping over the scattered remnant of what was likely dinner, she forged ahead with conviction.

Seeing everything illuminated with only the flashlight gave the experience a sense of detachment. Though the light flashed over the trail of blood, Harmony seemed to avoid the sight and just used it to provide direction. There was a hallway after the dining area. Looking to his left, Han saw the open door leading to where the others were waiting. Passing by an opened door on their right, the flashlight lighted up the image of a bloody hand mark on the doorknob.

With his foot, Han opened the door further for them to see an electric washer and dryer. Caked on the floor and walls were blood, like someone tried to run into the laundry room to hide but was followed by something.

Han checked on Harmony to see how she was digesting everything around her. Her eyes were slightly wide, but seemed resolute and not influenced by the madness being displayed.

Making their way through the hallway, they passed by a door that had a hole punched through it. The ravaged door demonstrated the amount of power used. Harmony reached for the doorknob and looked surprised when it opened. Inside was a full-sized bathroom that was lacking any signs of the carnage outside.

"One of those creatures likely made that hole to see if anyone was inside. Maybe this means that the creatures hunt with visual senses instead of relying on sound?" Han hypothesized for himself and Harmony.

Harmony nodded her head numbly, the circle of light trailing across the room.

He led the way out of the bathroom, looking up and down the hallway. Though the room had a hole through the door, the cleanliness of the interior seemed to contrast the reality.

At the end of the hallway, there was a lounge room with several chairs and two sofas. In one of the corners was a rocking chair with a basket next to it. The flashlight illuminated the balls of yarn and two large needles. After seeing such a homely sight, Han slowly noticed that the beam of light began to shake. He wondered what was wrong with Harmony.

On Harmony's face, her lips were trembling as she tried to fight the need to cry.

Looking back at the illuminated basket, his eyes followed the circle as it lowered to the floor and revealed the trail of blood. Slowly the light went along the path and eventually showed an open sliding door with the blood continuing out into the eery night.