Amber and Jill stepped outside the mall and into a light drizzle. From the look of the wet parking lot, a heavy downpour had just passed. It wasn't until then that Amber remembered her mother had said something about expecting a thunderstorm tonight. She was glad she was far inside the mall where she didn't hear or see it. Some people liked thunderstorms, but Amber definitely wasn't one of them.

The pair dodged the puddles on the way to Jill's blue sedan. Her car was practically new. She'd bought it with money she'd earned from her first modeling gig a month ago. Amber had tried out for the job, too, but she didn't have 'the look' they wanted. She didn't really want to get all prettied up like a plastic doll anyway. She'd much rather try out to be a zombie extra on the set of Zombie World, but she'd gone anyway, because Jill was nervous to go alone.

The storm had made the early autumn night chilly. Jill turned on the heater inside the car, then cranked the stereo way up. They both liked loud music. Jill drove a little too fast as they left the parking lot and got on Main Street. It wasn't long before they saw the lights.

Red and blue police strobes flashed ahead. The girls narrowed their eyes. Jill slowed and turned down the radio. An officer stood in the light rain wearing a reflective yellow poncho. He had a huge flashlight and a stop sign in his hand that reminded Amber of a big ping pong paddle. Jill pulled up in front of him and stopped.

He was quite young for a cop, Amber noted. They probably stuck him doing this because he was new. He was probably ten times more physically fit than the others, who'd spent their years on the force scarfing down jelly filled pastries. His eyes were stony and his chest was proud. It was clear that he was taking this job very seriously. Jill pushed the window button, and the glass barrier slid down with a mechanical hum.

"Hey officer," she said. Amber recognized her friend was using her flirty voice.

"Miss," he said with a nod. He lifted his police hat slightly as he bowed. Amber's mom would call that a gentlemanly gesture.

"What's going on down there?" Jill asked, nodding toward the congregation of people and parked police cruisers.

"Just a downed tree from the storm, miss," he answered.

Jill nodded. "Any chance of it being cleared out before eight forty-five?"

"Doubt that. It's a pretty big sequoia. We're still waiting on a truck big enough to tie a chain to it to drag it out of the road."

"There's not an tiny, bitty space that we could fit around anywhere?" Jill asked.

"No can do," he said shaking his head.

Jill's face fell and so did Amber's. It was looking like they would miss an episode after all. After six seasons of devotion. An older officer came up then.

"What's the problem, Donahue?" he asked the younger officer.

"These gals are wanting through, Officer Carter."

Carter took a look at them. "Ah, the new Zombie World episode is calling your names?" he said with a knowing grin.

"How'd you know?" Jill said.

"Got a daughter and a son. They never miss it. Listen, I know it's a big episode tonight. You can always take the old route around Laughing Hollow."

The girls shared a look. Laughing Hollow was creepy. Cell phone reception was crap there. The road was long, dark, and just had an overall spooky vibe to it. On the other hand, it would get them back in time to catch Zombie World--even if it may be a little after the opening scene.

"What do you say," Jill asked her in a low voice.

Amber sighed and said, "Go for it."

"We'll do that," Jill called back to Carter. "Thanks a lot officers!"

She drove until they were out of sight before she cranked her radio up again. They only quieted down a moment, long enough to go through a coffee shop drive through and get two iced coffees. It took a little longer than usual, which set them on edge. They were going to miss a little more of the show, but Jill insisted she needed a mocha coffee boost. Amber had to admit, she could use one too. Rain always made her feel drowsy. Finally, they pulled away with large cold coffees, wide smiles, and began singing their hearts out to a new pop song that blared out of the speakers.

Just as expected, the country road looked eerie illuminated by Jill's headlights. They had just left the main road and were driving on Laughing Hollow. Woods lined both sides of the road for about six miles.

Amber tried to ignore the dark woods and focused on the music pouring out of the speakers and the icy beverage, calming her edgy nerves. She had completely forgotten the message from Hacker and when one of her favorite songs came on, she forgot about the woods, too. She sang loud and smiled. She mimicked Jill and danced around in her seat, feeling a little better. Just when Amber felt the tension leaving her body, a loud noise made her tighten every muscle. The car swerved this way and that. Jill shrieked and she tried to keep control of the steering wheel as they spun wildly on the blacktop.