4.

He may be resting or at least trying to rest in a hospital bed, refrained from continuing the mission set out for him by one heck of a dark entity though she has no intention of resting at all, for she has a victim to return to. Daniel can hear her coming; he can hear movement which can only belong to her as she once again is dragging a large, long handled sledgehammer behind her and along a wooden hallway floor. Indeed, her return is imminent.

Her long dark and somewhat curly hair drapes down in front of her pale white face. Her clothing remains flimsy, dull, and grey. Her tall thin frame moves slowly apart from the odd sudden spurt of freakish darting movement. More than twenty-four hours have passed since Daniel has arrived to this house with his partner Gwen. Gwen may have been refused entry but Daniel, well Daniel unfortunately could not resist going inside.

Battered and bruised, beaten and bloodied, he has no chance of escape or survival. She is returning to continue to inflict pain and torture just as she always does. Tied to that wooden chair in the center of an upstairs room like so many before him have been, there is nothing he can do but sit there and take it. She once again enters the room, and the walls once again shake as the door slams shut behind her. The moon also once again provides slight illumination through the cracks in the boarded-up windows.

A distraction prevented her from using a chainsaw on her previous victim, so this time round she would set aside that long handled sledgehammer for at least a moment or so before letting the chainsaw rip. The chainsaw roars and Daniel is sure for a second or so that he can see a smile widen beneath the hair draping over her face.

'What do you want? ... Please ... You don't need to do this ... Please ...'

She moves to stand on front of him then extends the chainsaw towards his right shoulder. The chainsaw roars into life in order to take what is left of his. His heartbeat quickens as does his breathing for he can almost feel the oncoming pain before it hits. He does what he can to move away which due to his predicament is no more than just a few inches at best.

It is not long before contact is made and blood begins to spurt, heavily. His screams echo throughout the house and his arm soon drops to the ground. The sledgehammer is then taken and lifted, and its iron head makes contact with Daniel full on in the face. Yet another life has been taken.

Afternoon comes and he is cleared to leave the hospital. He hands Gwen the keys to the Impala, and she promises to meet him out front. He has a journey to complete, a mission to return to and Gwen is going to help him out, at least for the time being that is, in the hopes that her partner still lives and can be rescued. That car is his pride and joy though now is not a time to be possessive.

A single crow sits on the bonnet of the Impala as Gwen arrives to the car. The crow caws twice before flying off. Gwen sees this of course though thinks little of it as she has other things on her mind to say the least.

He may be feeling fine and well rested though his trip from his bed to the exit of the hospital comes with the aid of a wheelchair. He so wants to drive his car, the thoughts of having someone else at the wheel of the Impala does not sit well with him though he will heed the doctor's advice, again he is forced to swallow some of his pride.

It feels so different to be sitting in the passenger seat. It is as if the whole world looks different from this side of the car. But it is not just a car; it is so much more than that. It is an extra limb, an extension of himself and no, as some may suggest, it is not something which is in any way an attempt to compensate for something else.

The afternoon is just as hot and dry as the day before. Windows are once again wound down, all the way down this time rather than just halfway. Back on that highway and the rising heat once more distorts the view ever so slightly on the tarmacadam up ahead. Not only is he uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat while someone else does the driving, he is also disturbed by the memory of the previous day. His sits almost sideways so he can keep his eye on the road as a whole. He can see both up ahead and behind.

'Everything alright?' asks Gwen.

'So far ... yeah.'

'What do you mean by so far?'

'Ah, I am just feeling a little uneasy that is all.'

'Right, so where is it that we are going? You do know that house is back in the other direction, right?'

'If there is any chance of saving your husband or any chance of stopping what happens in that house then we need to find someone.'

'Who?'

'Pardon me?'

'Who is it we are to find?'

'Oh right, actually I am not quite so sure.'

'Really? And where is it we are meant to find this person?'

'I am not too sure about that either.'

'My husband could be dead or about to be dead and instead of doing anything about it I am going on a wild goose chase with a complete stranger. Just exactly who are you anyway?'

'That, my new friend, is a good question.'

A few short hours before he first came across that old Victorian house, Dean Samuels got into his black '58 Chevrolet Impala and began to drive. Why he did this or where he was going to him was unknown. A strong impulse took him, and he could not help but follow it.

This impulse took him to and past that dark house of horrors. Maybe it was the same desire, the same impulse which had brought so many men to this place which had taken a hold on him, for it would be a desire, an impulse which would ensure that he would not only return to the house after passing it but also set him off on this mission. He can't help himself, he must do this, so maybe impulse will once again lead him to where he needs to go.

At twenty-nine years of age, Dean has set himself up with a nice thriving business, something which began as a hobby has him doing quite well for himself. His love of classic cars extends way beyond his feelings for that Impala of his. He has his own garage where he and a number of mechanics restore old cars and things have been going so well that he is in the process of acquiring a second garage, though for right at this moment in time that second garage along with the first garage have to take a back seat, at least until such a time that his current 'project' has come to a conclusion.

What is it that sets Dean apart from all those other men who have been drawn to that dark house of horrors? Why has he not met the same fate as all those others? Why has his blood not been spilt or splattered onto those bloodied walls? Why has he and not someone else been given a mission to complete?

If and when his mission comes to an end, what become of Dean Samuels? Is his fate set in becoming a victim like all the others who have been drawn to that Victorian house? Can success or failure have an impact? Is success or failure even an option?

For the time being it would appear that Dean is not immune, he cannot resist the will of she who resides within that house. So with the aid of a young lady, he knew nothing about prior to only a day or two ago, Dean must follow his mission, follow his gut and see where it takes him and he may just have to rely on the judgement of his new and temporary business partner.

What could possibly come next? Where can things go from here? Only one way to find out ...