Chapter One

I finally felt at peace with the town I had reached. The town was small, quiet and peaceful. The people that lived here seemed to want nothing more than the simpler things in life. They worked, laughed, played and just generally took life easy, or at least that was how it appeared to me. I was the last person to climb off the bus at the end of its route. I had actually been asleep when the driver had pulled to a stop in the town. He had to walk down the aisle to where I had been sitting to wake me and tell me that this was the final stop. I climbed off the bus alone and watched it drive away. After it pulled away I stumbled across a small cafe that was still open. I walked in and asked about some local accommodation, which was when I was directed to the motel that I had been staying in for the last two weeks now.

It wasn't flash or fancy but it was definitely comfortable enough. There was a double bed up against one wall with a bed head that had a clock in it. On the opposite wall was a cupboard with a television sitting on it and next to that was the wardrobe that held my suite case. I hadn't unpacked it. I didn't know how long I would be staying so it made sense to leave it packed. The bathroom was small but sufficient. There was a shower, a toilet and basin set inside a small cupboard. There was a mirror attached to the wall above the basin. I had even left my bathroom stuff packed, instead of putting it on the basin. It might feel peaceful here but you never know when your past can find you...

My past had a way of finding me everywhere I went. The last town I was in, I managed to stay for three months before they found me. The place before that was a city. That time it only took a week. It felt like I would be running for the rest of my life at this rate. Nowhere was safe. No where could be home for me. I had been running ever since my mother died. I was safe while she lived, but the moment she was gone so was the safety that I had felt. My mother was the mistress of some powerful guy I had never met. She had warned me long before she died that I would one day be seen as a threat to his wife. She had told me no matter what, that if anything was to happen to her that I had to run. I was to run and never stop or try to head back to her. So when the cancer that had been in remission came back and she started to fade, we began to prepare everything for the inevitable. We put as much money away as we could and picked up a few things to help make life easier for me. I didn't want to run. I didn't want to leave my mother for any reason, but every time I talked to her about it, her heart would break at the idea of me being in danger. So this new life I had was for her. I ran and lived for her.

I sat on the edge of the bed looking at my hands as I thought of her. I looked a lot like my mum I think, with a few differences obviously. She was a small built lady, with long brown hair that was completely straight. It had reached her waist before the chemo treatment, which took it from her. Her eyes had been almost like an icy blue, that used to glitter with love every time she looked at me. Even when she was mad at me for one reason or another, there was always that soft look underneath that let me know she would forgive me. Her skin was always fair even before she got sick but her complexion was almost flawless until the end, minus a couple of small freckles that were on her nose. And when she smiled, it was like the world lit up. Her eyes would brighten and the dimples in her cheeks stood out. It wasn't hard to see why anyone wouldn't fall in love with her.

I was as small built as my mother. We both were only just over 5 foot tall. My frame was as small as mum's too, but my hair was much darker than my mothers. It was as black as ebony, which made my fair skin look paler than her's as well, which it wasn't really. We were the same complexion. My eyes were also the same colour as mum's. I also had her dimples, but not the small amount of freckles. She always said to me that I was a more perfect version of her. I always disagreed. Whenever I stood next to my mother I felt small and ugly compared to her. In my eyes she was the perfect one. From her smile to her gentle and loving personality. I thought she was completely flawless. Then again, I was her daughter so in some ways I guess maybe I was biased.

Tears started to roll gently down my face. I couldn't help it. I wasn't even able to attend my own mother's funeral. The day she passed away in the hospital, the nurses had contacted my father to notify him. A few hours later I heard a nurse arguing out near the nurses' station with some men. When I looked out of my mother's room I saw five very big, rough and terrifying looking men trying to find out where her room was. I had closed the door quickly and glanced back at my mother. She had looked so peaceful lying in the bed. I knew I had to leave before they finally got the information they were after. I had put my jacket on and pulled the hood up over my head before sneaking out of the room and down the hallway in the opposite direction to them all. That's when the running really started and I had been running ever since. Four years in total. I started when I was sixteen and now I was merely three days from my twentieth birthday.

I reached over and grabbed the remote for the television hoping to distract myself from all the thoughts running through my head. I hated dwelling on the past. All it did was make me depressed and want to give up. I couldn't give up though. I had no idea what would be facing me if I did and that was enough to keep pushing me forward. I wondered though if there would one day be a chance that I could stop and actually settle down finally. I mean I wasn't too fazed if I ever had a family or partner, or anything to be honest. I just wanted a place that I could call my own and where I could walk through the front door comfortably knowing that I didn't have to just pack up and run. I flicked through the channels and settled on some forensic show that happened to be on. I sighed and flopped back on the bed. I really should have a shower. I pushed myself up again and heaved myself to my feet. Walking over to the wardrobe I grabbed out my suite case and opened it on the bed.

I placed the clothes I had settled on up on the basin cupboard so that I could dress in the bathroom after. I didn't share the room with anyone but there was always the chance that someone may come to clean the room thinking I was out. So I always dressed in the bathroom before opening the door. I turned the hot tap on in the shower and waited for the water to heat up before turning the cold on. Once the temperature was just right I climbed in and sucked in a quick breath as the hot water hit my back. I liked my showers hot... And I mean hot. I always climbed out looking like a freshly cooked lobster. It was so soothing and refreshing all at the same time and when you climb out it's like you can literally feel the cold air pulling your skin tighter. I squeezed some of the shampoo I had bought earlier that day out onto my hand and started rubbing it into my hair, moaning gently as I massaged my scalp with my finger tips. Nothing felt better than massaging a head that was sore from over thinking. I washed the rest of my body while letting the shampoo sit in my hair for a minute and once I was done I washed my hair out and rinsed my body at the same time. I grabbed the condition next and repeated the same steps. Once my hair was done and I felt clean I turned the taps off and climbed out. I grabbed the closest towel and wrapped it around me before grabbing another to dry my hair. Once I was satisfied that I was dry enough I got dressed and walked out of the bathroom. I climbed up onto the bed and sat crossed legged thinking about food.

After awhile I decided to order some take out that could be delivered because I was now to comfortable and lazy to go out to get it. I grabbed the take out list provided and read it before settling on pizza. I don't know why I even look half the time because I usually always settle on pizza when I don't want to go out. I decided on a basic meat lover's pizza with a thin crust and chocolate lava cake. I had no idea what that was but it sounded delicious and well it had chocolate in its name so who can go wrong there right? I made the order over the phone and they said it should be delivered in about twenty minutes. Cool that gave me twenty minutes to brush my hair and hopefully find something decent to watch on television. I grabbed my hair brush and two lackey bands out to do my hair and climbed back onto the bed. Sitting crossed legged in the middle of the bed I grabbed the remote again and started flicking through the channels again. I found what looked like a romance film and scoffed to myself. I decided to leave it on while I did my hair at least. I put the remote down next to me and grabbed my hair brush. Flicking my hair off to one side I gently twisted it at the base of my head. I started brushing from the bottom of my hair first and worked my way up to where I had twisted it slightly. I let my hair fall back into place and continued to work my way through the rest of my hair. Brushing such long hair was a pain but my mother always loved my hair long so I had decided not to cut it again except for when it was absolutely necessary. I was just starting to part my hair when I heard a knock at the door. I put the brush down and climbed of the bed quietly. I crept over to the door and looked through the viewing hole to make sure it was just the delivery guy. I saw a thin geeky looking guy standing there reading an order slip which was sitting on top of a pizza box. I sighed feeling relieved and opened the door. He looked up and smiled at me. "Hi I have an order for 1 meat lover's pizza and chocolate lava cake?" I smiled back at the guy and nodded. "Yep that's for me thanks. Two seconds while I grab the cash for you." I stepped back towards the cupboard and grabbed my wallet so I could grab the money out for him. He took the money and passed me the boxes.

"So you're the new girl in town hey?" He said while stuffing the cash in his back pocket. I looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks for the food." He nodded and smiled at me again. He took a couple of steps away before he glanced back at me. "Hey you wouldn't be interested in any of the local parties or anything would you?" I thought about it for second. I hadn't been out or really socialised in a while. What could be the harm in it? "Actually yeah I would. Not tonight but maybe in the next couple of days if there is any." His grin widened and he almost bounced on the spot. "Cool! If any come up I'll stop by and let you know!" I laughed softly at him as he almost danced down the stairs to the parking lot. I didn't like the guy but his enthusiasm was a little contagious and I really wanted to do something other than hide in some motel room. I closed the door and placed my food on the bed before climbing on myself. I got comfortable again as I pulled my food onto my lap. I could smell the chocolate and wanted to drool. So I opened the little box first and smiled widely. Inside was this little chocolate cake that looked divine. It was warm and I wondered why. I gently lifted the unsteady cake out of the box and brought it to my mouth. I bit down into and my eyes widened in surprise as melted chocolate oozed down my throat and chin. Oh my god it was heaven! I should have order two of these instead of pizza. I did my best to carefully finish off the rest of the oozy chocolate goodness before I started on my pizza. After the chocolate lava cake the pizza felt a little deflating to be honest.

After finishing off three pieces of pizza I was done. I leant back against the head board and rubbed my stomach. I felt so bloated after eating so much but it was all worth it. Contented and feeling a little fuzzy I dragged myself up to put the boxes on the cupboard before climbing under the blankets and snuggling down. I lay on my side and stared at the television not fully registering the movie that was still playing. I didn't usually go to sleep with stuff playing but tonight I didn't care. I was more than happy to leave it playing for now maybe if I woke during the night I might turn it off but until then it was fine. I closed my eyes slowly and let myself start to drift off dreaming of myself in a different life. One where my mother was still alive and I had something of a normal life. A boyfriend, a home, a pet dog and even school. I never finished school but I would have liked to. I would have liked a lot of different things but here I was so the only place I could have these things was in my dreams.

I woke to loud voices outside the motel room. I could hear the lady that checked me in initially yelling at people telling them to leave and saying that she would call the cops if they didn't stop. Men voices were yelling back at her. I couldn't quiet catch what they were saying but I strained to hear in case I had to grab and run. I swung my legs out of bed and rushed to start getting dressed when there was a frantic knock on my door. I stopped for a second and heard the yelling still happening outside. The knocking happened again as I yanked my pants into place and rushed over to the door cautiously. I looked out through the peep hole and saw a familiar girl as she turned to go quickly. I opened and she spun around looking at me frightened. She rushed passed me and I closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't mean to wake anyone!" she paced frantically. I put the latch on the door and looked back at her. "It's ok I was already awake." She looked at me and scoffed slightly. "Really? I can see that I woke you. Still, I'm sorry. Do you have a phone by any chance?" I tilted my head slight then nodded. "Sure. It's here. I grabbed my phone off the bedside table and passed it to her. "Is everything ok? Are those guys out there for you?" she nodded as she started to dial a number. "Yeah, I just need to call my dad. Can I use your bathroom?" I nodded. "Go for it." She walked away and into the bathroom before closing the door behind her. I couldn't hear her so I assumed she was after privacy. I walked back to the door and looked through the hole again trying to see what was going on outside. The voices had faded but I could hear footsteps walking along outside the doors. I stepped back as it approached my door. Whoever it was stopped directly outside my door. What ever happened I was not going to open that door.

I was getting ready to fight as best I could when I heard tires squealing outside before more yelling then something that confused me completely. I heard howling. Snarls broke out not long behind that and I hesitated even more. What the hell? The girl come back out of the bathroom and stepped up beside me. "Hey? Thanks for that." She held my phone back out to me. "It's all good. Are you sure everything is ok? It sounds like a war zone out there." She smiled sadly at me. "Yeah my dad is here now and he kind of gets a little protective over me." I nodded feeling a little sad for a moment. If only I had a dad like that then maybe I wouldn't be running from his wife. "Hey you're the new girl in town aren't you? I've seen you come into the cafe a few times. What's your name?" I looked at her surprised she remembered me. "Ah, yeah. I'm Serenity." I said holding my hand out to her. She smiled brightly "Nice to meet you Serenity. I'm Stephanie." She shook my hand." I should probably get out of your room now. Thanks again. And hey, your next meal at the cafe is on me ok?" I smiled at her. "Ok. Thanks Stephanie." She opened the door and stepped out. I walked up and watched as she descended the stairs to who I assumed was her father. He pulled her into a tight hug and then they climbed into a car and started reversing out of the parking area.

Closing the door I sighed grateful that for once I didn't have to run. The drama actually had nothing to do with me for a change. That was actually kind of refreshing and well hey I even got a free meal out of it. I didn't really need to worry too much about money but I still tried to save where I could. I pulled my pants back off and climbed back into bed. I lay there starring at the ceiling for I don't know how long but I realised I wasn't going to sleep any time soon. The adrenaline was still running through me I guess. I gave up and sat back up in the bed. Maybe I should try a run? I went into my suitcase and pulled out a pair of my work out pants and a tank top. I got changed and laced up my running shoes. I stood up and stretched out all my joints and muscles before opening the door and walking out. I locked the door behind me and jogged down the stairs. I knew this wasn't the best idea in the world after what had just happened but the guys weren't after me they were after Stephanie. So I jogged out the motel parking area and looked up and down the street before deciding to head towards the forest. I already knew there were some beautiful paths that wound through the forest. I had run them before over the last couple of weeks. So I headed for my favourite one.

I felt myself fall into a nice steady and relaxing pace as I reached the edge of the forest. I continued winding my way through at the same pace I had entered the forest in. It wasn't long before I reached the cliffs that over looked the ocean. Stopping, I placed my hands on my thighs as I allowed my breathing to slow back down. I sighed contentedly and stood back up before taking a couple of steps closer to the edge. I looked out over the water and listened to the waves as they crashed against the base of the cliff face. It was so beautiful here, and quiet... So quiet. I relaxed more as I stood there just staring off into the distance. The sun slowly rose as I watched the waves, setting the sky alight with different red and orange hues. Smiling to myself I decided it might be time to head back to the motel. So reluctantly I turned around and started a gentle jog back to the motel. The forest seemed to have woken up while I was at the cliffs because as I ran along I could see small animals darting away from me into the undergrowth. I reached the road and continued my jog all the way back to the motel entrance. I slowed myself to a walk as I entered the parking lot and climbed the stairs to my room.

Opening the door to my room I walked in needing a shower. I could almost smell myself after the run so I knew I needed one badly. I locked the door and grabbed my suitcase again. I settled on a pair of shirts and a simple looking white t-shirt. I kicked my shoes off without even untying them and walked into the bathroom. I closed the door and started the water while I took my clothes off. I stepped into the shower welcoming the heat over my now aching muscles. Maybe I shouldn't have run so far, but it had definitely been worth it. I washed and scrubbed myself clean then climbed back out of the shower. Fresh towels had been put in the bathroom already while I was gone. I'm guessing the lady at the counter, her name was Sharon I think? Had noticed me jogging out of the motel. She was a very perceptive woman. I smiled and wrapped my hair up so I could get dried and dressed. Once I was dressed I walked back out into the room and made my bed. I know I didn't have to but it kind of felt a little disrespectful after the towels. I finished and decided I need a good breakfast. Pancakes maybe, or toast with eggs and bacon. They both sounded good to be honest especial after my run. Pancakes though would be less heavy on my stomach after a run like that. So pancakes it is. I grabbed my wallet and headed out.

I had just finished locking my door and turned around to head for the stairs when I almost bumped into Stephanie. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry" She just laughed lightly. "It's ok. How are you?" I smiled at her. "Hungry actually. I just got back from a run so my stomach is ordering me to go get some food." She smiled brightly. "Great! I'll come with you...If that's ok of course? I just figured I still owe you one from last night." She dropped her head slightly obviously feeling a little bad. "That would be really awesome actually. It would be nice to have some company for breakfast for a change." She looked back at me happily. "Ok so let's go!" We walked down the stairs as she started telling me all about the breakfast menu available at the cafe and what the best to eat was. I smiled and listened to her ramble comfortably. I liked Stephanie. She seemed bright and cheery which was kind of addictive to be around. If I was able to settle down here I could actually see us being friends. She was sweet.

We finally reached the cafe and walked through the door. "Hi there Luna...Ah, sorry. Who's your young friend there?" A big guy asked as we sat down in a booth. He was a big man with no hair and an apron tied around his waist. I took a guess that he must have been the cook. I had seen him in the kitchen preparing food before but I had also seen a young thin guy back there too. "Please Dave? This is Serenity. She helped me out last night so I've brought her in for breakfast if that's ok?" She smiled brightly at him. She rushed over with a bottle of water with the biggest grin on his face. "Well then she can eat for free here any time she would like!" I looked up at him shocked. I mean breakfast was one thing but whenever I wanted was another completely. "It's ok really. I am happy to pay especially with how nice the food has been here." I smiled at him. "Absolutely not! Anyone who helps out our sweet Lu...I mean Stephanie gets special privileges in my place." I conceded for now with a smile. "Ok then, could I please start with a plate of your delicious pancakes please?" his smiled proudly. "Of course! One plate of special blueberry pancakes on their way." He disappeared back to the kitchen and I looked over at Stephanie to see her smiling.

"You know if you compliment his food too much he is likely to feed you everything he as in the cafe right?" She laughed. I laughed with her. "Yeah but if he is going to insist on feeding me for free I have to do something." She nodded in understanding. "So I need to ask. Why did he call you Luna? Is it some kind of nickname or something?" Her smile dropped for just a second before she replaced it quickly. "Yeah it is kind of a nickname. It's all a little hard to explain but I'm sure if you stay around long enough you will learn the story." I nodded knowing when not to push things further. Some people you can push for more information, others you can't. Stephanie was one of the latter. "So what's your story Serenity? You just passing through or do you plan on staying in our gorgeous little town?" I took a sip of water. "I'm just passing through at this point. I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay at this point but I will definitely be moving on." She nodded as her smile faded. "That's sad to hear. It would have been nice to get to know you more." I half smiled sadly. "Yeah same with you, but my life doesn't really leave much open for the chance to stay anywhere for too long." I took another sip of water as I realised I had just said a little too much. I noticed something in Stephanie's eyes that said she read between those lines. Damn. Just then before Stephanie could question further Dave walked up with two big plates of pancakes. Thank the heavens.

We sat and ate in a comfortable silence, as we savoured every bite of the pancakes. They really were to die for. I couldn't help but hope that Stephanie would forget about some of the earlier conversation. I didn't really want to go into details with a stranger about my life. They would think they could help and they can't. I also didn't want to put Stephanie in a position where she could or would get hurt. Stephanie finished just before me. She leaned back on the set and exhaled deeply looking bloated. I smiled at her. "Do you think Dave would take offence if I can't finish mine?" I laughed gently. "No I don't think he would. I think he would feel satisfied that he had stuffed another person to their brim." We both laughed. "I put my fork down and sat back myself. "I am more than done!" she giggled at me. "I'm so full I think I could go and hibernate like a bear!" Stephanie said laughing. "Oh I don't believe that for a second my love." I nearly jumped out of my skin as the man that made the voice lid into the booth next to Stephanie.

The man looked like a frigging giant! And all Stephanie did was laugh and snuggle into his side. My god she could disappear next to this guy. "Serenity this is my partner Blake. Blake this is Serenity. I met her last night. She was kind enough to lend me her phone so I could call dad." His eyes turned on me and the intensity in them made me feel like I wanted to slide down under the table. "Hi Serenity it's nice to meet you." He reached his hand out for me to shake. I was afraid the size of his hand would break mine but figured it would be impolite not to shake it. "Hi, it's nice to meet you too." He smiled at me like he knew I wanted to run for the hills. "It's ok, I promise I don't bite...Much." Stephanie slapped him playfully. "Blake stop it you big oaf you're going to scare my new friend right out of town." She giggled as he looked away from me and down to her. His looked changed instantly to one that was so gentle. It was beautiful really. You could see they were so in love. I smiled more to myself than anyone else. I glanced down at the table and back up as the door bell jingled. Three more guys almost as big as Blake walked in and looked around. They spotted Blake and walked over. Two of them grabbed chairs and dragged them over to sit on while the smallest out of the three eyed me up and walked cockily over to the seat I was on. Oh hell no! I cleared my throat and started sliding towards the edge of the seat. "I'm sorry guys, but I really have t get going now. I have a few things I have to go and sort out in town before heading back to the motel." Stephanie smiled at me and so did Blake. "It's ok Serenity, thanks for having breakfast with me." I smiled as I stood up. "It was nice so thank you. Maybe we can catch up again at some point if your free." She smiled broadly and nodded.

I stepped passed the guy that had no chair and noticed how he seemed to look a little disappointed. I smiled politely at him and the others. One of them raised an eye brow at me curiously as I continued to the door. I stepped out into the fresh air and took a deep breath in. Thank god for that. I had already slipped up to Stephanie because I felt so comfortable with her so there was no way I was going to risk doing that in front of guys that looked like they could eat me in one bite. I really did have stuff to sort out in town too. I had to go to the bank to grab out some more cash. I didn't use cards because they could be traced. So I always made sure to have enough cash on me to get where I needed too. I looked up and down the street trying to work out which way the bank was. I couldn't really tell so I shrugged my shoulders and went right. I knew it wasn't near the motel or forest so that only left going right. I walked casually down the side walk in my own thoughts until I spotted the sign across the road for the bank. Well that was damn lucky. Looking in both directions I crossed and walked into the bank.

There wasn't anyone in there besides the lady behind the counter so walked over and up to her. "Hold on hun I will be with you in just a minute. I just...Need to...finish...This...Ok done." She looked up and smiled. "So how can I help?" I smiled back at her and grabbed out my mum's check book. "I need to withdraw some cash." She grabbed the book and checked the information. "Not a problem sweetie. How much did you want to take out today?" I thought about it for a minute. I still had 600 on me so if I grabbed another 400 that should keep me covered for awhile. "400 please." She nodded and started typing away on the computer. A few minutes later she counted out the cash and handed it to me with a smile. "Was that all for today or could I help you with anything else?" I smiled at her and shook my head. "No, that's all thank you." She nodded and I walked out stuffing the cash into my wallet.

I stopped on the side walk and looked around. I didn't really need anything else at that point. I had picked up most of my toiletries in the last own so I was still stocked up on those. The motel also covered anything else that I could need. So I figured I should just head back to the motel. It was kind of boring living on the run. I didn't really go out and do much because if I need to run then I need to be able to grab my stuff. So I started walking back to the motel. I was passing the cafe again when four dark cars drove slowly past me. I used my peripheral vision to watch them so it didn't look like I was looking at them. I was on edge now because I didn't know if they were going to stop for me or not. I really needed to reach the motel. Suddenly they turned down the street just in front of me. My heart rate picked up a little and I crossed the road hoping they weren't right on the corner. They weren't. I stopped a little frightened. I heard noises coming from behind the cafe. This made me a little nervous. I wonder if maybe they are the guys from the other night that were after Stephanie. This was going to drive me mad. Not only were people after me but in this town people were after Stephanie and I couldn't tell the difference between the two. I stood frozen on the spot unsure of what to do.

Suddenly Stephanie comes running out of the ally terrified. She spots me and her eyes widen as she looks back. She runs towards me and grabs my hand. "Serenity run!" I turn and run with her. We run straight towards the motel. We reached the parking lot and stopped for a second. "My...Room..." I say to her breathlessly. She nods. We make a run for the stairs and run straight up them. We reach my door as we hear tires squealing and something odd again. Howling. I ignore as I pull my keys out of my pocket and stuff them in to the door as quick as I can. I turn the lock and we both rush inside. I lock the door. "Stephanie open the wardrobe, in there is my suitcase. Grab it out and put it on the bed." I turn and walk over as she puts it down. I open it and stuff all my clothes off to one side. I pull my small hand gun out and pass it to Stephanie. Her eyes widen in shock and surprise as she takes it. I pull my other hand gun out and eject the cartridge to make sure it still held some bullets. I already knew my main gun did. I practiced with it whenever I could. It was still full so I reloaded it and turned back to the door. Stephanie stepped up beside me. "We need to have a serious talk if we make it through this Serenity." I nodded while concentrating on the door. "Yeah we really do. Hey can you call your dad again?" She smiled wickedly. "I can do one better... I called Blake already." Holy shit. These guys were going to die if they saw the size of him never mind what he would do to them.

Everything was silent as we waited. I knew it was only the calm before the storm. I had been through it before. We stood ready and just as I expected we heard heavy feet rushing the stairs. I flicked the safety off and ready myself but before the door was hit someone screamed. We jumped slightly but stayed focused. More screams began to follow then howling, snarls and deep growling. This went on for what felt like forever but would have really been about five minutes. Suddenly everything went silent."Stephanie!! Are you alright?" We both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was Blake's voice. We lowered the guns and I walked over to the door. I unlocked it and let Stephanie walk out first. "Yeah Blake I'm ok." I stepped through the door behind her and took in the scene below us. Stephanie descended the stairs to Blake's side and I slowly followed down behind her looking at the massacre. All up it looked like about twenty or so guys had died. I saw Blake hug Stephanie to him. He kissed her head gently before looking up at me.

"We need to talk Serenity." He said it firmly and simply. Stephanie looked up at him then at me before looking back at Blake questioningly. "Blake?" I looked away from him uncomfortably and spotted something... Or more specifically, someone. My eyes widened and I looked around at more of the dead men. A lot of them I didn't recognise but there were also few that I did. It couldn't be. How the hell did Blake and the others kill them? It wasn't possible. I had shot some of them more than once over the last couple of years and yet they still kept coming. I looked back up at Blake and he had stepped away from Stephanie and closer to me. "Do you recognise these men?" I gulped audibly. "Yeah, I do." Stephanie looked surprised behind Blake. He just nodded. "You need to come with us for now so we can talk ok?" I nodded. I wasn't going to argue with him right now. I just wanted out and away. I needed to get away and fast. Blake walked back to Stephanie and spoke softly to her. Stephanie then come over and grabbed my hand. "Come on Serenity. There's a car out front for us." I nodded and let her lead me out of the parking lot of the motel.

She led me to a dark blue sedan and opened the back door. I slid into the back seat and Stephanie climbed in next to me. We just sat there in silence for a couple of minutes before Stephanie cleared her throat. "Are you ok Serenity? I know I didn't push at breakfast but given everything that's happened..." I looked up at her kind of shocked out of my trance. "Umm, yeah. I'm sort of ok, I think." I said shaking my head. She looked at me a little concerned. "I've shot that guy before...more than once..." I said and looked back out the window towards the motel. I felt Stephanie put her hand gently against my back. The driver's door opened and a guy sat down making me jump. I looked at him and registered his face. He was one of the guys from the cafe earlier. Blake then climbed into the passenger seat and looked back at me and Stephanie. Stephanie shook her head at him as I looked back out the window. The car then started and we drove off towards the out skirts of town.