Dylan Butler grinned. "Chill out, Rocky. What were you planning to do, go trick-or-treating? Maybe chaperone your brothers and sisters?"

Rocky groaned. "Yeah, right! Pedro's taking the little monsters around, thank you very much! I was going to party! Rebecca Lewis is having that big Halloween bash, and I was gonna sweep her off her feet!"

"Only if you dressed as a janitor," Dylan teased. Rocky punched him in the shoulder good-naturedly. "Seriously, Rock, this'll be fun. We have to take our survival test sometime, if we're ever going to pass that Living course. Besides, it's not like we're stuck with drooling infants or something. These people look like they might be pretty cool."

Rocky snorted. "Sure, Dylan. Look at them. That guy's so shy, I don't even know his name! And those two girls over there spend more time gossiping in class than they do paying attention!"

"The blonde's name is Daria," Dylan told him with obvious interest. "I don't know who the other one is."

"Do you ever think about anything but romance?" Rocky asked in mock irritation.

"What else is there?"

Rocky opened his backpack with a flourish, presenting its contents- enough snack food to feed an army. "Voila!"

Aisha Campbell looked at the two jocks in the corner with disdain. They were laughing about something and punching each other in the shoulder, which had to be the stupidest male ritual that she had ever run across. "Well, there's no doubt that we mature faster," Aisha sighed. "What I want to know is how did they stay the dominant sex for so long?"

Daria Conroy shrugged. "Testosterone builds muscle mass," she replied, pushing a strand of ash-blond hair out of her green eyes. "What do you think of him?" she changed the subject, pointing at the fifth member of her group. The five of them were in the lobby of Stone Canyon High, getting ready to take their survival test for their Survival course. The course was a relic of the sixties, when the school board had decided that every kid should know how to survive out in the wilds of Stone Canyon. All of the kids had to take it, but none of them liked it much. The survival test was generally considered to be the most useless and annoying assignment of the entire sophomore year.

"He's kind of cute, but he looks really shy," Aisha analyzed. "And do you see how he keeps looking at you? I think he likes you!"

"Me?" Daria replied. "No way. Really?"

"Yes! Go up and talk to him, girl! I mean, the guy is hot! What have you got to lose?"

Over in his corner, Adam Park was wishing he were anywhere else. Home handing out candy, taking his younger brother Franklin trick-or-treating, or down at the gym practicing martial arts. Anywhere but with four people he barely knew, who were already friends with each other and would want nothing to do with him.

Suddenly, Adam realized that the two girls were looking at him and giggling, and the short, black girl was pushing her friend towards him. His face flamed red as she walked toward him.

"Hi, I'm Daria," the blond girl said, smiling.

"Um, I- I'm Adam. Adam Park," he stammered. He knew who Daria was, of course. After all, she was one of the prettiest girls in school. He'd had a crush on her ever since he'd seen her, but he'd never had the courage to actually talk to her before.

"Nice to meet you, Adam. Are you looking forward to the test?" Daria tried her best to get Adam to relax, but he just flushed red and stammered more. Finally, she gave up and headed back to Aisha.

"I don't think he likes me, Aisha. He didn't even want to talk to me."

"He's just shy," Aisha reassured her. "Oh, here comes Anderson." Mr. Anderson, the instructor for the Survival course, walked down the hall and checked his clipboard.

"Butler, Dylan?"

"Here."

"Campbell, Aisha?"

"Here."

"Conroy, Daria?"

"Here, sir."

"De Santos, Rockford?"

"Present," Rocky muttered, drawing his head into his shirt like a turtle. Dylan turned to look at him.

"Rockford? Man, I'm your best friend and I didn't know that was your name."

"Yeah, well I don't spread it around," Rocky replied, wishing he could disappear.

"Park, Adam?"

"É"

"What?"

"Here," Adam repeated, slightly louder.

"All right, load up. Let's get your stuff into the car. You've got a long night ahead of you."

_Somebody kill me. Just kill me dead,_ Adam muttered to himself. Of all places to end up, he was smashed against Daria's body in the back seat of Mr. Anderson 's blazer. _At least she's got Aisha to talk to, and isn't trying to start a conversation with me... Why couldn't Rex have come? I can at least talk to him without stumbling over words or embarrassing myself._

"Earth to Adam," Daria said. "You still with us?"

"Huh?" Adam asked, jerking out of his near self-induced coma.

"She's trying to talk to you," Rocky said, his voice thick with contempt for the younger teen.

Adam frowned at the back of Rocky's head but let the incident slide. "I'm sorry," Adam whispered to Daria. "I wasn't really paying much attention."

"That's okay," Daria whispered back. "I was asking if I had seen you at the gym in town. Aren't you one of those karate guys or something."

"Well, martial arts in general," he answered back. He was thankful for the darkness of the vehicle. His face was blood red, just at the mere thought of talking to Daria Conroy. Here she was, trying to start a conversation in him.

"That's pretty cool," Daria said.

"I like it. Uhm, aren't you a cheerleader?" _Yeah, I've just saved every single picture of you ever in the Stone Canyon High Gazette._

"I sure am," Daria answered with a smile. "I hope to make squad captain any time now."

"Aren't tryouts next week?" Aisha asked from Daria's other side.

"They sure are," Daria said. Turning back to Adam, she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, "Think you might wanna come... watch?"

"Yeah!" he shouted happily, causing everyone in the front seat to jump in alarm.

"Geeze!" Rocky shouted angrily.

"Settle down, Rocko," Dylan said. "And get your elbow out of my ribs."

"Sorry," Adam murmured.

"I take it that's a yes?" Daria asked.

"Yeah," Adam said with a grin.

"We're here," Mr. Anderson announced.

"I need to use the bathroom," Rocky protested. "Move Dylan. Move!"

"Slow down, Rocky," Dylan said. "Don't stand too close behind the cactus!"

"Ha ha," Rocky rumbled as he ran into the darkness.

"So, what exactly are we going to do?" Aisha asked as she opened the door and jumped out of the blazer.

"Didn't you read the handbook and disclaimer?" Mr. Anderson asked.

"Of course, I did," Aisha lied. "I just meant, is there like...."

"We build a fire and put up our tents," Daria said. "Then, Mr. Anderson here leaves us overnight, and we get picked up in the morning."

"What would we have done if our parents hadn't signed the release forms?" Dylan asked.

"Write a book report on... something," Mr. Anderson said.

"I would've rather read a book," Aisha muttered.

"Oh come on," Daria said. "This is gonna be fun!"

"It's too damn cold to be fun," Rocky grumbled as he walked back up to the group.

"Chop chop," Mr. Anderson said. "You all build a fire and put your tents up so I can go back home."

"Why don't us men take care of the tents, and you ladies build the fire?" Rocky suggested, motioning to Daria, Aisha, and Adam, who was standing near the golden-haired teen. He hadn't really meant to include Adam with the girls, it had just sort of happened. He personally didn't have a whole lot of use for the kid, but he certainly didn't mean to call him a girl.

"What is your problem?" Daria asked, feeling a sudden urge to defend her new-found, although still overly shy, friend.

"It was just an oversight," Adam chided. "Don't worry about it."

Rocky looked uncomfortable for a moment, and then ran to catch up with Dylan who was walking off to find a campsite.

"Just ignore him," Daria said to Adam. "He's just a dumb jock."

"Don't worry about it," Adam rebutted, although Rocky's unintended insult had struck him pretty deeply. He zipped his jacket up, jammed his hands in the pockets, and walked toward Rocky and Dylan. The other three were close behind.

As the girls worked to build the fire, the boys began unrolling the tents and putting them up. Adam was just pounding the last peg into the ground when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he saw Rocky standing behind him, hands raised in the "truce" gesture.

"Hey, look," Rocky told him quietly. "I didn't mean to include you with the girls, earlier. You just happened to be standing there. I'm sorry."

Adam looked at him a long moment, then shrugged. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it."

Rocky smiled. "Great. Well, the girls have the fire going, so let's go see Mr. Anderson off." They headed back to the campsite.

"Here's your radio, kids. If there's any trouble, call the Ranger station. I've already set the radio to the correct frequency, so you shouldn't have any trouble with that. Be careful, and I'll see you in the morning." With that, Mr. Anderson headed back to his car. The five teens looked at each other for a long time.

"Well," Aisha sighed, "what do we do now?"

"Now," Rocky declared with a flourish, "is the time for dinner!" Pulling out his backpack, he began digging through it.

"We can't take your food," Daria protested. Dylan cut her off.

"Yes you can. It's why he brought it. Even Rocky doesn't eat THAT much at a single

sitting.""Ha ha, Dylan," Rocky shot back sarcastically. "Here we go! Toasted marshmallows and hot dogs! And roasting sticks, too!" Rocky passed out the food, and for a while, the five sat around the fire in silence. Then Dylan grinned.

"Hey, how about a ghost story?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Adam frowned. For some reason, ever since he'd arrived in the desert, his nerves had been stretched tight. "I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you," he said quietly.

Rocky opened his mouth to make a smart comment, then changed his mind as the wind came howling up through the rocks nearby. Suddenly he could sympathize with Adam's feelings. Then a grin crossed his face. "I got one," he chuckled, getting to his feet. "This really happened to my Aunt Luisa, back in Mexico."

Daria groaned. "Didn't we just say no ghost stories?"

Rocky ignored her, launching into his tale. By the time he was done, all four of his companions were rolling on the ground laughing, as Rocky finished the most outrageously silly ghost story they had ever heard. Dylan caught his breath and sat up, wiping his streaming eyes.

"I've got to hand it to you, Rocko," Dylan sighed. "You certainly know how to kill the mood of doom."

Rocky bowed with a flourish. "Thank you, thank you. No applause, just throw money."

"Hey! Did you guys hear about what Susan Clark and Drew Perelli did when they took this trip?!" Rocky suddenly cried.

"Isn't Susan the town-?" Dylan began.

"Yep," Daria and Aisha said in unison.

"What are you getting at, Rocky?" Dylan asked with a weird look on his face.

"Just trying to make small talk," he muttered.

"What about the other three people?" Aisha asked. "What did they do? Stand around and watch?"

"That's sick," Daria said. Adam found himself unconsciously nodding in agreement.

"We could play truth or dare?" Rocky suggested.

"Why not," Dylan relented.

"I think it sounds like fun!" Aisha cried happily, smacking her hands together.

"May as well," Adam muttered.

"Who goes first?" Dylan asked.

The five teens sat in silence for a few minutes, when Aisha finally volunteered. "Okay. I ask ... Rocky. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Rocky? What is ... Hmm. Somebody help me."

Daria leaned over to Aisha and whispered in her ear. Both girls broke out laughing, but Aisha quickly said, "There's no way he'd tell the truth."

"Ask him," Daria said.

"I'll tell the truth," Rocky defended himself. "I have nothing to hide."

Aisha blushed beet red and giggled. "Okay. We've heard that the distance from the tip of a guy's thumb to the tip of his index finger, held in the L-position, is the same length as his ... well..."

"That's not a question," Rocky said defensively.

"I want to know if it's true or not," Aisha spat out before bursting into laughter. On the other side of Daria, Adam turned a dark shade of red. There was no way he'd be able to answer a question like that, and hoped that the others weren't going to be as vicious as the girls.

Rocky held his hand up to his face and looked at the distance intently. Everyone else, Adam included, burst into laughter at the perplexed look on his face. Rocky realized what he had just done and turned red. "You should be thankful you didn't take the dare," Dylan teased, prompting even more laughter from Daria and Aisha.

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Aisha smiled.

Rocky studied his hand for a few more moments and finally answered, "I honest to goodness do not know." He shot Dylan a pleading look, but his friend put his hands up before him and offered no support. Rocky's red face then fell on Adam.

Adam sighed and said, "I think that's just an old wives tale. Like the thing with feet."

"I agree," Rocky said, reminding himself to thank Adam later.

"All right all right," Dylan said. "We've all had fun at Rocky's expense. Let's just go around the campfire. Daria, you're next."

"Okay," she said. "I pick..." She looked around the campfire, and thought about attacking Rocky again, but instead let her gaze fall on the boy to her right. "Adam. Truth or dare?"

"Dare?" Adam stammered, before he realized he had said the wrong word. "I mean truth!"

"Too late," Daria said with a smile. "Adam Park, I dare you to kiss me."

Adam heard the entire world stop. His heart quit, his breathing stopped, and even the far-off cries of various animals ceased. He expected to hear Rocky make a snide comment, but even he was silent. "Huh?" he finally managed.

"You have to. It's the law," Daria said with a big grin.

"Do it man!" Rocky finally encouraged, his voice not carrying even the slightest note of sarcasm.

"Okay," Adam finally spat. He scooted over to Daria and looked her directly in the eyes. _Those gorgeous eyes..._ He bent ever closer to Daria, and realized with a rush of excitement that she was doing the same. _Does she really want to kiss me?! No girl has ever liked me before!_

His lips were already tingling in anticipation. _Just a little bit more!_ He closed his eyes and moved toward what he thought would be her lips.

A sudden horrible sounding screech drifted across them, prompting Daria to jerk away. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," Rocky gulped, "and I wish I hadn't. What was it?"

"Wild animal?" Dylan offered, without much hope. Adam shook his head.

"The only things out here are reptiles and a few coyotes. And that was no coyote."

Aisha shuddered. "Well, it certainly wasn't human."

"I really don't like this," Daria muttered. Almost without thinking, Adam slipped an arm around her shoulders. He was surprised when she leaned into him.

Suddenly the ground beneath them started to heave, throwing them all to the ground. "It's an earthquake!" Dylan cried. He was proved wrong as skeletal hands began to come up through the ground at them. The teens watched in silent horror as skeletons began to rise from the earth. Most of them still possessed a fair quantity of skin and tendons, and though their eye sockets were empty, they still seemed to see.

_My God, they're wights!_ Adam realized, a chill screaming up his spine. _But that's impossible! Wights are only myths!_ The creatures staggering towards them were all too real.

Rocky leapt to his feet, backing away from the creatures. One swiped at him, and he blocked it smoothly. Suddenly, however, he was overcome by a wave of dizziness and weakness, and stumbled. The creature shrieked in triumph, and reached for him. Just before its icy hands would have closed around his neck, Rocky found himself knocked out of the way. He looked up to find that Adam had tackled him, carrying him out of the thing's path.

"Don't let them touch you!" Adam cried, his voice carrying over the noise of the wights' shrieking. "They'll take your energy if they do!"

Dylan nodded, ducking a swipe by the wight attacking him. Looking around for some sort of weapon, he picked up Rocky's backpack and began beating at the creature with it. Three good swipes, and the creature's head left its shoulders. Dylan watched in mingled shock and disgust as the thing broke off its attack and went searching around on the ground for its severed head.

"Gross!" Aisha cried, dodging a grab by another wight. Spinning, she launched a side kick into the thing's knee, breaking it easily. The creature went down, but she could see it trying to rise. Suddenly a sharp scream cut through the desert air.

Adam's head snapped up. "Daria!" he cried.

"ADAM!!!" Daria shrieked. He turned to see a wight pick her off of the ground by her neck. With a primal scream, he ran at the wight. He high-kicked the unholy creature, severing its head from its body. With a strangled cry, Daria sank to her knees and collapsed.

"No!" Adam pleaded with her. He scooped her up in his arms and ran to the others. "We have to get out of here! Get the radio and follow me!"

"But-," Dylan protested.

"Trust me!" Adam shouted. He carried the terrifyingly still body as though she were no more than a rag doll. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and her added weight didn't slow him down in the least.

"Adam, please!" Aisha shouted, running after him. She took only a brief stop to hurricane kick a threatening wight, simultaneously thanking her brother for being her sensei.

"The road!" Adam shouted. "It's our only hope."

Dylan and Rocky took up the rear, warding off any wights that got too close to them. They used only their feet and legs, as contact with skin had already proven itself hazardous. Aisha, meanwhile, fended off Adam's assailants.

Adam breathed in a deep sigh of relief when he ran across the black pavement. He glanced in both directions to see if there were any vehicles coming, and once satisfied there weren't, knelt to the ground and carefully lowered Daria to the pavement. Her face was pale white, her lips were ash blue, and her chest was still. "Nooooo," Adam pleaded. He pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, and burst into tears when he realized that not only was she missing a pulse, but her skin was frightfully cold. "NOOOOOO!"

Aisha was immediately at his side. "Adam?" she asked in horror.

"She's dead," Adam said softly. "No, Daria."

"Oh God," Aisha sobbed before bursting into tears. "NO!"

Rocky and Dylan were immediately with them. "The things," Dylan said. "Why aren't they crossing the road?" Rocky nudged his arm and pointed to Adam draped over Daria's body.

"What-?" Rocky began but didn't bother to finish.

"She's dead," Adam said pitifully.

"The radio is gone," Dylan said, dropping the already destroyed machine on the ground. "It got busted up in the fight."

"Those things were wights," Adam said coldly. "They're dead, if they touch your flesh they drain your energy, and if you are killed by one, you become one. Unless..." Fresh tears sprang to his eyes at that possibility.

"Unless what?" Dylan asked.

"Unless the head of the dead body is removed..."

"Are you sure they were wights?" Aisha asked through her sobs.

"Yeah," Adam said. His entire body was numb, and he felt as though he weren't a direct participant in the horrors before him, but rather someone watching from afar. "I need ... a shovel, or a rock, or something..."

"You can't be serious!" Rocky shouted. "That's like murder!"

"She's already dead, Rocky!" Aisha snapped.

"If you don't, she'll become a wight?" Dylan asked. Adam nodded slowly. With a grimace, Dylan walked down the side of the road, no doubt looking for a suitable rock.

"This can't be happening," Rocky sighed, kneeling beside Daria's still body. "We can't do this. We can't."

"We have to," Adam affirmed.

"This is the kind of thing people go to Juvey Hall for," Rocky said. "It is against the law to do this kind of thing to a dead body!"

"Shut up, Rocky!" Aisha screamed. "I am not going to let Daria become a wight! If I have to do it myself, I will!"

"I'm going to do it," Adam whispered.

Dylan came back with a thin, sharp rock, large enough that it had to be held in two hands. "Are you sure about this?" Dylan asked as he handed the rock to Adam. The black clad teen nodded solemnly.

"Wait," Rocky said. "Somebody should say something. A prayer, or something..."

Aisha looked at Daria and began, in a voice just barely above a whisper, "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done," and immediately burst into tears, "on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day or daily bread, and fo-forgive us our d-debts as w-we forgive our debtors." Sinking to her knees, she began bawling openly, no longer able to continue.

"Lead us not into temptation," Rocky continued, "but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever." Wiping tears from his eyes, he choked out, "Amen," and crossed himself.

"Take her away," Dylan whispered to Rocky. "She doesn't need to see this." Rocky agreed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She allowed herself to be led away.

He knelt by Adam's side, only to be greeted with, "You don't have to watch."

"You can't do this alone," Dylan said solemnly. "And even if you are going to do it alone, you need somebody here beside you."

Crying freely, Adam raised the sharp edge of the rock in the air above Daria's throat.

A sickening, wet sound suddenly hit the air. With a scream, Aisha buried herself against Rocky's chest. Hugging her as tightly as he could, he squeezed his eyes shut as if that would make it all go away. The sound came again, causing them both to flinch. And again. And again.

Suddenly, the rock hit asphalt. Rocky and Aisha both knew what it signified, and started crying anew. Adam's horrified scream filled the air. Rocky looked over his shoulder to see Dylan help Adam to his feet. Adam was shaking so bad he could barely walk, and Dylan was very nearly carrying him.

"What do we do now?" Dylan asked, his own voice shaking nervously.

"Wait on the road until Mr. Anderson comes back?" Rocky suggested.

"The wights will eventually figure out a way to get us," Adam said suddenly. His voice was cold and grim, and underlying that was a burning river of rage. "They'll throw rocks. Something. We can't stay here."

"Well, we can't go back to camp," Dylan replied. "Walk towards town?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Rocky asked. "Since when did he wind up the leader?"

"Do you want the position?" Aisha shot back. Rocky shook his head vigorously.

"Then it's settled," Adam sighed. He wasn't sure he liked being the leader, but none of the others were going to do it, so it looked as if he was in charge. "We walk back to town, and above all, we keep moving. If we stop, those things will catch up to us." That said, the four of them started to walk back towards Stone Canyon.

"Hey, Adam," Dylan said quietly, catching up to the silent young man who led the group. "I'm sorry about Rocky. He's not usually this much of a jerk."

Adam shrugged. "Hey, I'm used to it."

Dylan snorted. "Well, you shouldn't be. You're a really great guy, Adam. Most people I know would have lost it when the wights attacked. You're really making an excellent leader."

Adam shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like having the spotlight on him, even- especially when he was being complimented. It just didn't feel right.

"But I'm not making apologies so much for you as for Rocky. Tonight just- kind of pushed all his buttons. Rocky's the second oldest of eight kids. He doesn't understand shyness at all, and he doesn't really have any patience with it, but he's not a bad guy."

"I guess I understand that," Adam sighed. "What's he like, normally?"

Dylan chuckled. "Well, he's the biggest goofball you've ever met, and he can always- always make me laugh. If this weren't so serious, he'd be back there cracking jokes a mile a minute. But he can be very serious, too. His dad died a couple years ago, and since then, he's been like a mother to his younger brothers and sisters. His older brother takes care of the house while their mom works, but Rocky's the one who's raising the kids. It's hard on him, but he never complains. I think you two would like each other, if you'd both just let down your armor."

_Easier said than done,_ Adam thought to himself.

"Hey," Rocky asked, helping Aisha over a rock in her path. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Aisha mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

Rocky snorted. "Sure. Look, I didn't know either of you all that well, but you and Daria were close, right?"

"Close?" Aisha laughed, her voice cracking slightly. "That's one way of putting it. We've been best friends since grade school. We spent all our time at each other's houses. We played dress-up, rode bikes, climbed trees. We were on the middle school cheerleading squad together!" Suddenly she began to sob again. "Oh, God, she wanted to make the squad captain so badly! She was the best we'd ever seen, and everyone was so sure she'd be a shoo-in!" Rocky put an arm around her awkwardly and held her while she cried.

"I know, it hurts," he sighed. "Don't block it out, though. In time, the pain goes away, and you're just left with the memories. The memories are good things, though."

"How would you know?" she lashed out. His eyes became shuttered.

"I lost my father when I was nine," he told her. "Car crash. He just lost control. Trust me, Aisha, I know."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He smiled, his eyes clearing.

"How could you have known? Come on, let's catch up with the others. I don't particularly want to get separated out here tonight." They quickly hurried to catch up.

The little group had been walking for a long time, without seeing any sign of the wights. Rocky had begun to hope that they had left the creatures behind, but Adam was not so sure. He continually scanned the area for any hint of an attack.

Soon, they came to a narrow pass between two high rocks. It was just barely wide enough for one person at a time, and even then there would be a lot of twisting and turning. Adam went through first, feeling horribly exposed. He nearly had a heart attack when his pant leg snagged on something, but relaxed when he found it was only a rock.

Aisha went next, much to her disgust. The boys had instinctively put her in the middle of the column, which was a little more protected than the ends. When they got back to civilization, she promised herself, the "little woman" was going to break some heads.

Rocky was the next to go through, and managed to worm his way through the crevice with uncommon grace, clambering over the rocks as if he were a mountain goat. He almost looked as if he were enjoying himself.

Last through was Dylan. He wasn't as agile as Rocky, but he managed to make it though the narrowest area of the crevice without a problem. Climbing down from the rocks, he started towards the other three.

Suddenly, the ground under his feet began to heave, and skeletal arms began to poke out of it. Moving with far more speed than in their previous appearance, the wights were half out of the ground while Dylan was still trying desperately to scream.

Rocky looked back as his friend's cry split the air. "DYLAN!" he yelled, turning back towards the cleft. Dylan was now completely surrounded by wights, struggling ineffectually. His piercing screams echoed from the rocks nearby.

"DYLAN!" Rocky cried again. He moved to go to his friend, only to be held back by Adam. "Let me go!" he cried, struggling. "Let me GO!" With a mighty wrench, he pulled free and ran back towards the cleft. Something heavy struck him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Rocky rolled over to see that Adam had tackled him, and was holding him to the ground.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Rocky yelled, pushing at Adam with all his strength. However, that wasn't nearly enough to shift the taller boy.

"There is nothing you can do!" Adam bellowed. Dylan's screams had almost stopped at this point, and he could barely be seen in the crowd of wights. "There's too many of them, Rocky! They'd just kill you, too."

Rocky stared up into Adam's eyes for a long moment, then collapsed. Adam gingerly allowed him to sit up, and the three teens watched in silence as the wights sank back into the earth, taking Dylan's body with them. The desert was silent, except for one lone whisper.

"They took the body," Adam realized. "They're getting smarter."

"How will I ever face Daria's parents again?" Aisha asked numbly as the party, now reduced to three, hurried across the desert.

"I don't know how we'll face anybody at school again," Rocky sighed.

"We can't tell anyone what happened," Adam said. "No one. We'll be accused of being murderers if we go home with a story of wights attacking us in the desert."

"Then we'll blame it on Satanists," Aisha said. "Or just nuts in general."

"I doubt we'll have to worry about telling anyone anything," Rocky said solemnly. "We won't survive until dawn."

"Don't say that, Rocky," Aisha snapped.

"Oh come on, Aisha!" Rocky yelled. "These freaking things come up from under the ground! We can't touch 'em without getting weak! How the hell are we supposed to fight them!"

"Fight with your feet, and they can't cross roads, or bodies of water," Adam said. "Don't let them touch your skin, cause they'll drain your energy."

"How long until dawn?" Aisha asked with a yawn.

"Too long," Rocky answered. "It's about two in the morning."

The three walked in silence for several minutes more. "Wait a minute," Aisha said. "Look at that." They all stopped and looked in the direction she pointed. A wisp of dust trailed up from the ground, not too far from them.

"Adam?" Rocky asked.

"It could be," Adam answered slowly.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of the ground and latched onto Rocky's thigh. He screamed in terror and tried to jump away. The hand, however, pulled him to the ground. The wight suddenly emerged from the ground. Spreading its hands wide, it reached for the back of Rocky's exposed neck.

"NO!" Adam yelled. "No one else dies!" With an angry cry, he leapt into the air and executed a perfect 360 spin kick. The wight hit the ground, its chest collapsed in on itself. Wights were suddenly all about them. "Get up!" Adam cried, quite literally pulling Rocky to his feet.

"Good move," Rocky praised.

"Thanks," Adam said with a smile.

Aisha planted one foot on the ground, pulled her other leg into the air, and snap-kicked a wight. With a sickening crack, its head rolled off of its body. As soon as she destroyed one, she quickly flipped to the next.

Rocky side-kicked a wight, and his leg went through the skeleton's thin, membranous body. With a sick groan, he kicked the remains off of his leg and spun around. Suddenly, he was eye to eye with another wight.

"Dylan?" Rocky could not believe his eyes. His best friend was in better shape than most of the creatures attacking them, but he was unmistakably a wight. Most of his mass had vanished, leaving only skin and stringy muscles over the bone, although most of the skin was intact. The most horrible thing was that Dylan was still recognizable, his hair and facial features intact, and his eyes still stared out of his pale face.

"Rocky," the thing croaked, reaching out a hand. Rocky corrected himself. The most horrible thing was hearing the wight before him speaking in his friend's voice. "Help me," it pleaded. Rocky lowered his hands from their defensive position.

"Dylan, I- I don't know what I can do," he replied, shaking his head.

"Help me. So cold." The wight lurched forward, both hands reaching. "Help me." Rocky froze, unable to move as the thing that had been his friend moved closer, preparing to suck the life right out of him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch.

A sickening crack caught his attention, and his eyes flew open to see Aisha facing off with Dylan. She had broken one of his arms with a kick, but he was faster and better able to dodge than most of the other wights, and was dodging her flying feet.

"NO!" Rocky roared. Suddenly his paralysis left him, and he threw himself to the attack. With a side kick capable of shattering concrete, Rocky's foot lashed out, catching the wight in the small of the back. The thing gave one final shriek and fell to the ground.

"Took you long enough!" Aisha puffed. Rocky just grabbed her arm.

"Come on!" The two of them ran, Adam right behind. They quickly outdistanced the wights, who could not move beyond a shambling walk, and slowed to catch their breath.

"Just what the Hell were you doing?" Aisha asked, turning to Rocky. "You nearly got yourself made into wight chow!"

Rocky looked at her, eyes blazing. "Well, maybe that's the way I wanted it!" he yelled back. The other two stopped, astonished. "I couldn't save him," Rocky continued, a hint of a sob breaking into his voice. "It's all my fault."

Adam stepped forward, biting his lip. Somehow, he knew that Rocky wasn't just talking about Dylan. "What was your fault?" he asked softly.

Rocky looked as if he didn't want to answer, but once the flood gate had been opened, he couldn't hold back. "Dylan. Daria. My father. He was coming to one of my karate tournaments. He was in that car crash because of me! It was all my fault! And I should have done something when those things attacked. I should have saved them!"

Slowly, Adam put his arm around Rocky's shoulders. "It's all right, Rocky," Adam said quietly. "You're not alone." He didn't try to convince the other that he was not at fault, nor to tell him that everything would be all right. Instinctively, he could sense that the other would not accept such condolences. Instead, he just held him, letting him cry.

Finally, Rocky managed to pull himself together and smiled at Adam. "Thanks," he said quietly. "Most of the guys I know would have been really embarrassed to see me cry. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time earlier. Friends?" Rocky extended a hand. Adam looked at it a moment and smiled warmly.

"You know it," he replied, taking Rocky's hand and shaking it. "Come on, we've got to keep moving. Our only chance is to keep ahead of those things until sunup."

Adam stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Rocky's hands were immediately on his shoulders, helping him back to his feet. "Thanks man," Adam murmured.

"No sweat."

"Man, I'm tired," Aisha complained. After seeing Adam stumble over his own two feet, she felt it was okay to mention her own fatigue.

"Me too," Rocky added. Adam nodded in agreement.

"We've been running for nearly six hours," Aisha said. "What are we gonna do when the sun does come up? It gets awfully hot in the desert."

"If we can make it until dawn, we'll be fine," Adam sighed.

"I wish we lived in Angel Grove," Rocky said thoughtfully. "If we did, we could have the Power Rangers help us."

"That would be cool, wouldn't it?" Aisha asked with a smile. "I'd like to be the Yellow Ranger. Man, can you imagine saving the planet on a daily basis?"

"You can't be a Power Ranger," Rocky said. "Don't you know anything? The Power Rangers are space aliens."

"Where did you hear that?" Adam asked.

"I don't know. Word on the street, I guess," Rocky answered.

"Have you all heard about that new White Ranger?" Adam asked.

"White Ranger?" Aisha asked. "I thought the Green Ranger was back."

"He hasn't been seen for a while," Adam said thoughtfully.

"Went back to his home planet," Rocky added with a grin.

"Is the White Ranger a guy or girl?" Aisha asked.

"Guy," Adam answered.

"Well isn't that typical?" Aisha asked sarcastically. "Four guys, two girls. Who'da thunk the Power Rangers are sexist?"

"You know, I gotta agree," Rocky said. "I personally think it would be very cool if they were all girls."

"For reasons I'm not even gonna ask," Aisha chuckled.

"You know, if we did live in Angel Grove, we would get attacked by those ugly gray things all the time," Rocky said. "What are they called? Muddies?"

"Putties," Adam told him.

"Right, putties."

"I'd take a putty over a wight any day of the week," Aisha said firmly.

"I hear that," Adam agreed.

Skeletal arms shot out of the ground all around them. "Run!" Adam demanded.

"I am gettin' real tired of this," Rocky puffed. "We can't keep this up forever! Where do we run to?"

Aisha's head snapped up. "This way!" she yelled, veering off. The two boys shrugged, but followed. Soon, they had reached an arroyo, full of water from the rain that had fallen the night before. "Jump!"

The three of them leaped, and landed on a large rock in the middle of the rushing water. Rocky began to slide off, but Adam and Aisha grabbed his hands and hauled him back up. The three of them sat, trying to catch their breaths, as they watched the wights milling around back on the solid ground.

"Good thinking, Aisha," Adam praised. "Wights can't cross running water."

She nodded. "Yeah, I remembered you said that. Unfortunately, we're not going anywhere. Look!" The three looked to the other side of the arroyo to see a number of wights on the other side.

"We'll just have to wait them out," Rocky sighed. "And hope they don't figure out a way to get us off this rock before sunup."

"What time is it?" Adam asked for what had to be the tenth time.

Rocky looked at his watch. "Almost five-thirty," he sighed. "The sun should be rising soon."

"Um, guys? Looks like we're not the only ones watching the clock," Aisha pointed out. "Check it out."

On the solid ground, the wights had found a number of rocks. Even as the three teens watched, the wights began to heave the stones at them.

"Ouch!" Rocky cried, ducking as a rock nearly hit him in the head.

Adam tried to keep as low as possible. "They're trying to force us to jump! If they don't get us, the river will."

"Gee, what a wonderful choice," Aisha said sourly, yelping as a rock struck her on the shoulder.

"Adam, what do we do?" Rocky asked. Adam bit his lip.

"I have an idea! Stay here!" With that, Adam leapt from the rock into the press of wights. Instantly he was surrounded by the creatures. Rocky and Aisha watched in silent awe and horror as Adam knocked the wights in every direction. He seemed to be untouchable, dodging and weaving. However, there were just too many wights, and every time one managed to land a lucky shot, Adam got weaker. Finally he could no longer stand. He collapsed to the ground and lay still. With a shriek of triumph, the wights closed in.

"NO!" Aisha screamed. "Come on!"

Just as she and Rocky were about to leap to Adam's side, a ray of golden light shot across the sky. The wights halted in their advance, turning as the light began to grow. In silence, Rocky and Aisha watched as the sun began to peek over the mountains, its light washing over the desert like liquid gold.

The wights stared at the brilliant orb, and then crumbled into dust. Rocky's eyes narrowed as he was nearly blinded by a sudden surge of brightness, far more than could be attributed to the rising sun alone. Then it was gone, and all that was left was Adam, lying on the floor of the desert.

Aisha leaped from the rock to the desert ground, running towards Adam. Rocky was right behind her, and the two of them reached their fallen friend in a matter of seconds. "Adam!" Rocky cried. "Are you all right?" There was no answer, and Rocky and Aisha exchanged nervous glances.

"Adam, you heroic idiot," Aisha said quietly. "You stalled them. The sun's up. You won."

"Yeah, you did. Now, don't make me get a sharp rock for you too, buddy. One a night was enough."

"ROCKY!" Aisha cried, horrified. Before she could say anything else, though, she was interrupted by a dry chuckle.

"Nice to know you care," Adam managed, sitting up. "It was all I could think of. I had to get their attention off you, and I knew the sun would be up soon. It was a calculated risk."

Rocky shook his head. "You know, if you were a space alien, I'd say you were a Power Ranger."

Adam raised an eyebrow at the other boy. "Who says I'm not?" The three laughed, sharing the exhilaration of having escaped the night with their lives. "Come on," Adam sighed, getting to his feet. "Let's get back to the campsite. We're going to have a lot of explaining to do when Mr. Anderson gets back."

Rocky, Adam, and Aisha sat in a silent group in the Stone Canyon Police Station. Remnants of Daria's body had been found, and although the police had been especially careful not to mention just what was found, the general consensus among them was that a Satanic sacrifice was extremely plausible. As such, the three teens were not questioned. Instead, much to all of their horror, they were pitied.

"Can we please go home?" Aisha asked. "We're tired, we're dirty, and we were nearly filleted last night. Please. Let us go home."

"Your parents are all on their way," Lt. Spellman said. She leaned over the counter and gave the three teens a sympathetic smile. "Look. We've contacted a special teen therapist, Dr. Comenceau. He's very well known. He'd like to talk with you." The three teens traded a quick grimace. "You've been through a very traumatic experience. You need to talk with someone."

"We'd really rather not," Adam answered for them.

Lt. Spellman's perpetual smile dropped into an unhappy frown. "I really do wish you would reconsider," she said. "Besides, your parents will more than likely agree with us that you need to at least talk to a therapist."

"Maybe we haven't been clear enough," Rocky snapped. "We don't want to talk to a therapist. We're tired, and we just want to go to sleep." Lt. Spellman sighed and walked away.

"We talk about this with no one," Aisha said.

"No one," Rocky agreed.

"We'll work out a definite story later," Adam whispered. "That way, if we have to, we can use that."

"Like if we're cornered with Dr. Comenceau," Aisha said with an arrogant French accent.

"Oui," Adam sighed, leaning back against the wall.

Monday morning...
The three teens had dodged therapists, parents, policemen, and the press at every turn. School, however, was proving itself to be another story.

Aisha sighed unhappily when she saw Daria's locker, sitting cold and lonely beside hers. Holding her books against her chest, she began to slowly work her combination.

"That's her," a voice whispered somewhere in the background.

"Did you hear? Her best friend was butchered. People say those Satanists ate part of her."

"That's nothing. I hear that that black girl was raped by them, and only survived because Adam killed one of 'em with a hatchet, while Rocky helped Aisha get away."

Aisha turned around angrily. "Stop it!" she yelled at the crowd of girls behind her. "You weren't there! Stop spreading rumors!" She threw her books at the ground angrily and ran down the hallway.

"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!" an overacted evil voice laughed. Adam turned around from his locker to see "Satan," complete with horns and pitchfork, standing behind him. Adam's face burned red with anger, but rather than give the teen what he wanted, he just slammed his locker shut and walked off.

"Aw come on, you wuss," the teen, better known as Doug Pepperton, called after Adam. "It's just a joke."

Adam suddenly ran back at Doug and pushed him against the lockers forcefully. "It is not a joke," Adam snarled. "Have you ever seen somebody get killed before your eyes? If you ever mention this again, so help me God, I will make you regret it."

"Adam!" Rocky shouted, running up to the conflicting teens. He pulled Adam away from Doug and said, "Let it go. He's not worth it. Come on."

Nancy Smith, Doug's vacuous girlfriend whose best asset and only skill was stretching sweaters, walked up to him. "Gee, they seem awfully friendly," she said to Doug.

"Kinda makes you wonder just what did happen out there, huh?" Doug asked.

Rocky and Adam traded one glance before jumping into the midst of what was later described as the largest brawl in Stone Canyon High's history.

"I'm not going to that school," Aisha said firmly. "You can't make me and I'm not going to."

"Nobody said you had to, honey," Mrs. Campbell told her, holding her daughter tightly against her chest.

"Why did they treat us like that?" Aisha asked through tears. "People I thought were my friends were giving me a hard time."

"I don't know, honey," her mother said. "Your father has already called your grandmother. You can stay with her until we get a chance to move to Angel Grove."

"I can go to Angel Grove High?" Aisha asked happily, wiping away salty tears with the backside of her hands. Mrs. Campbell nodded her approval through tears of her own.

For Maria DeSantos, the move to Angel Grove was a welcome change. She had six children younger than Rocky, and was eager to go to a town where the only villains were overly exaggerated monsters. "At least in Angel Grove, mami, the Power Rangers can protect us," Rocky told her with a smile.

"Are you sure you don't mind my living with you for a while?" Adam asked, helping Pedro DeSantos load the U-Haul with some of his own luggage.

"Claro que no, Adam," Maria DeSantos said to him warmly.

"Of course not," Rosa, one of Rocky's numerous younger siblings, said as she ran by.

"It's just for a week or two," Adam promised. "Mom thinks she's already found a house for us." Adam's parents were actually quite pleased with his idea to relocate. They both commuted to Angel Grove on a daily basis, and had planned to move as soon as Adam graduated.

"Hey you guys!" Aisha cried happily as she ran up the DeSantos' driveway with an overnight bag in tow. "Guess what?! Our move to Angel Grove is at the same time as this Ninja Competition. It's held at Ernie's Juice Bar and Gym. Any of you guys heard of it?"

"Eh, we'll find it," Adam said,

"Pedro, find the rugrats," his mother said. "Let's head out."

"I haven't been this happy in a looong time," Aisha sighed.

"A fresh start," Adam agreed as he put his roller blades on.

"Remember," Rocky said, "no one. We tell no one. No matter who we meet, no matter what happens, no one."

"No one," Adam and Aisha agreed.

"Now, let's go to the park," Rocky said with his trademark grin.

E-mail: kittiec@starpower.net