There's something about fear that makes the mind and the body react in unpredictable ways. And when that fear originates from the thought of being chopped to pieces by an axe murderer, I guess it's safe to say nothing is logical anymore.

I feel like we've been running forever, but barely going anywhere. It's like being in a dream. You can run, but not really move. You can scream, but no one can hear you.

Someone was in that house. They were there the whole time, probably watching us. It was probably their axe we found.

When we make it to the street, I cry out in relief. I bend over, resting my hands on my knees and trying to catch my breath. That was intense.

"I'm never coming back to this place again!" Mark pants.

"Me either," Pria agrees, fixing her ponytail.

"Who do you think was in there?" Mark asks.

"I don't know," Milo says, looking back over his shoulder at the house. "Let's get out of here before we find out."

He takes Andi's hand and they quickly start walking. The rest of us hurry behind them.

For a while, none of us say a word. We're too winded and terrified to speak. I'm sure once we all calm down and sober up, we will be able to list off many possible explanations. For now though, I don't want to even think about it. I don't think my heart can take it.

I look down at my shoes as I walk, wondering if it was my bloody sneaker that Pria saw in her dream. What if she's a psychic dreamer and has some kind of premonition before something happens?

I don't think I'll ever wear these shoes again.

When we make it to the main road, Milo hails us a cab. Since Mark and I live a few blocks away from everyone else, we decide to take our own cab. I think we've both had enough of this night and can't wait for it to end.

"When I said I wanted to come out of my shell, this isn't exactly the type of situation I imagined," Mark says once we're alone.

"What happened tonight is enough to make me go back into my shell."

He laughs, though it sounds forced.

An uncomfortable silence settles between us and I get a sense of something looming. Not anything dangerous; at least, not physically.

I feel his eyes on me, but I can't bring myself to look at him. I have a feeling I know what he wants to say and I'm in no shape to have that conversation with him.

Finally, our cab pulls up to our apartment building and I breathe a sigh of relief. We get out and wordlessly make our way up to our floor.

"Do you have plans tomorrow?" Mark asks just as I reach my door.

"I have to work, but other than that, no plans," I reply.

"Do you want to do something? Maybe just...us?" he asks, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Oh no.

Maybe it's time I tell Mark about Tyler. It feels like he may be interested in me, and while I think he's great, he should know I'm taken. Or at least, I think I'm taken.

I sigh, knowing I need to do this now. I can't keep putting it off. "I can't. I have a boyfriend and I don't think he likes that the closest friend I have here is...a guy."

"Oh," he replies in stunned surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Is he here? Or is he back home?"

"He's back home. It's kind of a long, complicated story."

He nods, hanging his head. "I understand."

Great. Now I feel bad. I shouldn't. I don't feel like I led him on, but maybe he saw things differently? I never mentioned a boyfriend before now, so maybe it did seem like something it wasn't.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea," I say because I feel like I need to.

"It's okay," he shrugs, looking up at me. "You didn't give me the wrong idea. And I hope me asking you out doesn't make things weird between us now."

"It's only weird if we make it weird."

He smiles. "Right. Then I promise not to make it weird. You're taken and I will respect that. Your boyfriend has nothing to worry about, so I hope that doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Of course we can, are you kidding? I never would've made it through my first month here without you."

"Same," he chuckles.

"I'll see you around, okay? I need to go sleep off this alcohol before my grandma wakes up," I say, making him laugh.

"That's probably a good idea. Good night, Sessy."

"Good night, Mark."

I go inside my apartment and toss all my things to the floor. I sit down on the sofa and take my shoes off, tossing them across the room. I plan to get rid of them tomorrow. I don't usually believe in prophetic dreams, but for some reason, this really bothers me.

And I think I know why.

Instead of washing my face like I know I should, I lay back on the plush, leather cushions and close my eyes. Tonight was wild and it may take some serious recovery time.

After what only feels like minutes, my eyes pop open. I sense a strange presence in the room. I sit up and look around, but there's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Sessy," I hear a man's voice whisper.

While I should be afraid, I'm not. I know that voice. I've never heard it before, but for some reason, it sounds familiar.

Then I see his face appear out of the shadows.

"Daddy?" I whimper.

He smiles, and it's like looking at my own reflection in the mirror. He's so handsome. More handsome than any photo I've ever seen if him. He looks so young, only a few years older than me.

I know I'm dreaming, but I've never dreamed of my parents before. This dream is so vivid and clear. I notice everything about him, like he's right here with me.

"You know, you look just like a younger version of your grandma," he says, coming to sit next to me.

I can only stare at him in awe. I can't believe he's here, that I'm hearing his voice.

"She was a sight to see when she was your age, from the stories I heard as I kid. She wasn't just beautiful though, she was smart and strong. It looks like you took on a lot of her traits yourself. Look at you. My baby girl, a student a John Hopkins. The first in our family to go to college. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Thanks," I smile through my tears. "I wish you could've been around for it."

"I do too. You have no idea how much I wish that," he says, pulling me into his arms and kissing the top of my head.

"Why are you here? I mean, why now?" I ask, looking up at him.

"Would you believe that I was in the neighborhood?" he smirks.

Grandma always told me that my dad was the class clown. He was known for his comedic personality and award winning smile. Everyone who knew him, loved him. So it's not that hard to believe that he would toss a joke into my dream.

"Life is full of unexpected twists and turns," he says, brushing his fingers through my hair. "Sometimes, you may feel like you can't find your way. You may not be able to figure out who is real and who is fake, at first. But you keep that pretty head of yours up. You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can see inside a person's soul. It's a skill you inherited from your grandma. She didn't just see the good in people, she brought it out of them. You do too, Sessy. Don't ever give up on anyone you see good in, no matter what the world tells you."

"You sound just like grandma," I chuckle.

"We were raised by a good woman. She taught us a lot in life. She believed in us when no one else did. She taught us things we couldn't have learned in school. You are a lucky girl. You got her headstrong personality and a college education to go along with it. A young, strong, beautiful woman with a bright future."

"If you would've caught me about an hour ago, you would probably think a lot different of me. I got drunk and ran a quarter mile because I thought an axe murderer was trying to kill me."

He gives me a look before bursting into a fit of laughter.

I raise a brow, wondering what part of that he could find funny.

"And that's the part of you that comes from your mama," he laughs. "She knew how to have fun and live life to the fullest. She was a daredevil. I think that's what I loved most about her."

I smile. "It seems as if I'm a mixture of some really great people."

"The best," he smiles back. "And even if we aren't here with you, you will always have the best parts of us."

"It's like you know just what I needed to hear right now."

"Of course I do. No matter how old you get, you will always be my little girl," he says, hugging me tight. "Now, you need to get some rest. You need it."

"Okay," I whisper, laying back down and letting him pull the covers over me.

"Sweet dreams, Sessy. I love you," he says, kissing my cheek.

"I love you too," I whisper, drifting back off to sleep.

When I wake up, the sunlight is streaming through the blinds. I sit up and rub my eyes, groaning at the pounding in my head.

I will definitely never drink tequila again.

I get up and drag myself into the kitchen and dig around in the cabinets, looking for something to take for this raging headache.

"Grandma!" I call out when I can't seem to find anything. "Grandma, do we have anything to take for a headache?"

When she doesn't answer me, I go to her bedroom door and peek inside. She's still sleeping, which is strange for her. She's always up early.

"Grandma?" I whisper, walking over to her bed.

I place my hand on top of hers and gasp when I feel how cold she is. "Grandma, it's time to wake up," I whisper, giving her a gentle shake.

When she still doesn't respond, I start to panic. I feel her neck for a pulse, but there's nothing...

No. No, no, no.

"Grandma?" I cry, shaking her again.

I hurry back into the living room and grab my phone. I quickly call for an ambulance, hoping I'm not too late. Maybe they can still save her. Maybe she will be okay.

She has to be.

She's all I have left.

Within only minutes, paramedics arrive and I lead them into the bedroom. I watch on anxiously as they check for a pulse and attempt to resuscitate her.

Time seems to slow down as reality sets in. She's not coming back this time.

"I'm sorry, she's gone," one of the paramedics say, frowning.

I fall to my knees in despair as a pain I've never felt before consumes me from the inside out.

Two more paramedics wheel in a stretcher and they begin to load her onto it to take her away.

"No!" I scream out, trying to stand, but my grief weighing my body down like an anchor. "No! Don't take her from me!"

The single female paramedic in the room pulls me into her arms and hugs me tight, even though I try my best to resist her. "It's okay, sweetie. You can come with us."

I nod and let her lead me behind them. On the way out, several of my neighbors have gathered around to see what all the commotion is about.

"Sessy!"

Mark emerges from the crowd and fights his way over to me. I gladly let him pull me into his arms. He doesn't say anything, just holds me while I cry.

There's so many emotions fighting for dominance inside me right now that it makes me feel out of control. I want to scream and punch something. But I also just want to lock myself away from the world and let my grief have its way with me.

My whole world, my lifeline, my best friend...

My only family...

She's gone...