Rachel and Ashley ran, but not in any particular direction. They just wanted to get as far away from the mall as possible.
They stopped and hid behind a row of bushes when they needed a rest, and that's when they had an unexpected visitor.
A teenage boy appeared to them, in an almost ghost-like state. He was there, but they could see through him, like he was translucent.
"Don't freak out," the translucent boy said. His voice sounded faraway and echoey. "I'm appearing to you through your minds."
"Who are you?" Rachel asked. "You look familiar."
"My name is Jon. I go to the same school as you."
Rachel remembered him. She didn't interact with him, but she knew who he was.
"How are you doing this?" she asked him.
"That doesn't matter right now. There's a man after you. His name is Hart. He wants the stone that you have and he'll kill you to get it if he has to."
"How do you know about my stone?" she asked.
"I've got one myself. That's how I'm contacting you. Listen, there are others who have stones too. Do you know where Maple Street is?"
"Yeah?"
"Go there and find a man named Wallace. He has a stone that can help you fend off Hart."
The image of Jon started to fade.
"Wait a minute," Rachel said. "I need to know ..." But the image of Jon was gone.
"What do we do?" Ashley asked.
"Go to Maple Street."
Wallace and Janice watched as a man stumbled out of the nearly-destroyed duplex. He looked up towards the top of the building, and then across the street at what was left of the torn up roof.
"I think we should do something," Wallace said.
"Like call the cops?" Janice suggested.
"No. I mean like making contact with him." Wallace opened his door, intending on getting out, but his wife stopped him.
"I really don't think this is a good idea."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." And he got out and approached the man. "Excuse me?"
The man turned in his direction. "Yeah?"
"I think you may be able to help me."
"You need directions?" the man asked, noticing the car parked alongside the street.
"Huh? No, no. We live on the other side of town."
"Then what do you want?"
Wallace opened his hand and showed him the yellow stone.
"You have one too?" the man asked.
"Yeah. But I just found."
"Me too."
"What does yours do?" Wallace asked.
"It controls weather. What does yours do?"
"I'm not sure. I think it controls fire. But ..."
"Fire? Were you the cause of that forest fire outside town?"
"Yeah, but it was an accident. I didn't know how to control this thing. I thought that maybe you knew what these things are. But I guess you don't know much more than me. I'm Wallace, by the way," he said, offering his hand.
The man shook it. "Chris."
"That's my wife Janice," Wallace said, pointing at the car parked on the side of the road.
Chris saw a woman sitting in the front seat. Even in the dimming light, he could see that she was worried. "Is she nervous about something?"
"She didn't want me talking to you. I mean, can you really blame her? Look at what happened to your house," Wallace said, pointing out all the destruction.
"That was an accident. I'm still trying to get the hang of this thing." He paused, looking at his ruined duplex. "I'm not sure how to explain this to the cops."
"Join the club."
