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this house.
    â€œI think we should check it out,” Chuck said, reaching for the door handle.
    â€œChuck!” Jade cried.
    â€œIt’s probably just some homeless person who’s moved in,” Chuck said, ignoring Jade’s panic.
    â€œChuck—you promised,” Jade said shrilly. “You promised we wouldn’t stay. You said—”
    But he pushed open the car door and slid out. “Back in a second.”
    Deena and Jade called to him to come back. But Chuck started jogging across the front yard, up to the front porch.
    â€œI don’t believe him!” Deena cried. “He’s crazy. He’s just crazy! He promised—”
    â€œDeena—look!” Jade shrieked. She pointed to the house.
    Deena raised her eyes to the upstairs window. To her surprise, the pale light had moved.
    The house lay in darkness. Then, as she stared up at the house, she saw the light flicker in a downstairs window.
    â€œWhoever has the light—came downstairs!” Jade whispered.
    â€œWe’ve got to warn Chuck!” Deena cried.
    Where was Chuck?
    Deena squinted into the hazy twilight. “Oh, no!” she shouted.
    Chuck had climbed onto the front porch. Did he plan to go in?
    Deena and Jade shoved open their car doors and screamed a desperate warning. “Chuck! Chuck! Don’t go in!”

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    â€œO h, no!” Jade shrieked. “He’s going in! I’ve got to get him!”
    â€œJade, no—!” Deena pleaded. But her friend had already climbed out of the car and was running up the lawn toward the porch. She slipped once on a patch of icy snow, but kept on going, calling Chuck’s name.
    Chuck turned around and said something Deena couldn’t hear.
    Jade pointed upstairs and said something back. They seemed to be arguing.
    Hurry up, you two, Deena urged silently. We’ve got to get out of here!
    And then she saw something else, something Chuck and Jade couldn’t see.
    Another light.
    A light flickering from behind the house.
    And then Deena heard the grind and cough of an engine starting up.
    She turned her head and searched the empty street.
    No. The sound didn’t come from the street.
    It came from behind the house.
    â€œJade! Chuck!” she yelled. “Someone’s coming!”
    Jade and Chuck stopped arguing and turned toward the street. They must have heard the engine too, Deena realized.
    She saw Chuck leap off the porch and start toward the back of the house. Jade grabbed his hand and began pulling him in the opposite direction.
    â€œCome back! Hurry!” Deena shouted frantically. Her heart pounding, she dived back into the car. After sliding behind the wheel, she turned the key and revved the engine.
    Deena stared out at Jade and Chuck. Jade won the argument, Deena decided. She watched the two of them jog to the car.
    The engine behind the house roared louder.
    Jade and Chuck were halfway across the yard, when Jade slipped again. This time she fell into the snow.
    Chuck bent over her.
    â€œMy ankle, my ankle!” Deena heard Jade cry.
    â€œHurry! Please! Hurry!” Deena screamed.
    The light behind the house had faded. The yard was bathed in a blue-gray darkness now.
    Deena watched Chuck tenderly put his arm aroundJade’s waist. She seemed to be having trouble getting to her feet in the snow.
    Hurry, hurry, hurry. Deena repeated her silent plea.
    The engine roar faded. Changed. No longer the sound of an engine revving up.
    Now it became the steady hum of a moving car—a car rolling down the driveway.
    â€œChuck! Jade!” Deena’s voice came out choked and frightened.
    Chuck still had his arm around Jade’s waist. Jade took a hobbling step—and then froze, staring at the side of the house.
    As Deena squinted into the darkness, a car came bouncing out from behind the house.
    Its headlights had been off, Deena realized.
    It wheeled off the driveway. Onto the front lawn.
    Picking