"Man, am I ever glad to have that place behind us." Joe twisted in his seat to look back at the strange town as it disappeared into the night.  "I don't think I'm going to really relax, though, until we've put a few more miles between us.  How long, do you think, until we get back to the main highway?"  He waited for his brother's answer and when it didn't come, he turned to him.  "Frank? You've got that look on your face."  

"Hmm, what look?"   

"That look you get when you're trying to put together the last pieces of a case, but they aren't fitting the way you want." The teen ran a hand through his blond hair. "But we're not working on a case.  So that look, rather than getting me excited about solving a case, is now making me nervous."  

"Sorry," Frank sighed. "I'm probably not remembering it right, but I was sure that the road we came in on was full of potholes. I was surprised that you could sleep with all the bouncing."   

"There wasn't another road, was there?" Joe tried to see through the trees for a glimpse of a road that would run parallel to theirs.  He caught his brother's withering look. "Okay, I know. According to the map there isn't any road."  He lifted his hands, palms up, in defeat.  "I don't know.  But this road has one thing in its favour. It's taking us away from Castle Rock and that's good enough for me."  

"Yeah."  Frank couldn't help but smile at his younger brother's attitude. "If we're on the right road, we should hit the main highway in about a half-hour."  

Seeing his brother grin, Joe relaxed and slouched down into his seat. "What do you think was up with that town anyway?  Bad drinking water? Too many late night reruns of the Twilight Zone?  We're not talking one or two colourful people."  He stifled a huge yawn. "They were all on the weird side."  

"Beats me.  Maybe they've read the books and think they have to live up to the reputation."  Frank reached for a stack of CDs and tossed them into Joe's lap.  "Sounds like you're going to go out on me again," he chuckled.  "Pick something loud."  

"Loud, huh?" Leafing through the disks, Joe found one he thought that both he and his brother would like. "Hey, what about this one?"  He held it up so that Frank could get a better look. As he did he caught sight of a flutter of something white coming out of the brush on the far side of the road.  It looked like a kid, probably a little bit younger than he was, dressed in some sort of Halloween costume.  He expected the boy to slow down when he saw the car, but to his horror, Joe realized that he was running straight out into the road.  Straight into the path of their car.  "Frank! Look out!"  

"Oh my God," Frank breathed the words out as much as in a prayer as anything else.  He had taken his eyes from the road for only a moment when he had been startled by his brother's shout. A figure dressed in white had suddenly appeared a few feet in front of them.  I'm not going to be able to stop in time. Turning the wheel hard, he took the only option he had. "Joe, hang on!" The late model rental car left the road, landing in a gully with a resounding crash.  

The older Hardy slowly pried his eyes open and willed his heart to slow down.  He had expected the car to roll when it hit the ditch, but the soft mud had captured the front wheels, saving the car and most probably their lives.  Other than aching wrists from when they had been jarred while holding the steering wheel, he felt in one piece.   

"You okay, Frank?" Joe's breathless rasp came from beside him.  

"I'm all right."  He squinted through the dark interior of the car.  "Are you? You didn't hit your head again, did you?"  

"No, my head's okay."  Joe shifted in his seat to release his seatbelt.  "The shoulder strap stopped me from hitting the windshield, but I'm going to have one heck of a bruise across my chest tomorrow."  Kneading his chest with the palm of his hand, he tried to use his legs to push himself back into a proper sitting position.  This sent a searing trail of pain up through his thigh.  He barely bit down on a groan.  

"Joe, what's wrong?"  Frank was immediately reaching across his brother for the flashlight that was in the glove compartment.  

"My leg."  Joe took the light and directed it towards his thigh.  Grimacing at the blood that was streaming from a jagged cut, he heard his brother's gasp.  "I sure hope that wasn't one of your favourite CDs, Frank."  The impact of the CD hitting the dashboard had shattered the plastic jewel case and CD, sending a long blade-like piece into his leg. "Ouch," he hissed.  

Slowly raising his gaze from the bloody gash to his brother's eyes, Frank gave him a disbelieving look.  "Are you ever serious about anything?" he asked in exasperation.  Seeing the tight-lipped set to Joe's mouth, he knew that he was hurting and softened his expression. "Let me see what I can do about your leg until we can get some help." He grabbed the blanket from the backseat and tore a strip from it. Rolling it up, he placed it around the splinter.  "Here, put some pressure on this. I…"  

"What about that kid, Frank?"  Joe craned his neck, trying to see the road and a glimpse of the boy. "We didn't hit him, did we?" His stomach rolled at the thought of what might have happened.  

"I have to get the first aid kit out of the trunk, I'll check."  Frank gave his brother's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.  "I'm sure we didn't. I know I turned off the road in time."   

His words sounded sure and his voice certain, but as he crawled from the car, he braced himself for what he might find.  They had almost been on top of the boy when Frank had sent the car off the road.   Picking his way up the side of the shallow ditch, he went to stand at the roadside.  Looking up and down the road, he couldn't see any signs of the teen. Clenching his jaw, and steeling himself for what he might find, he went to the front of the car and looked down into the gully.  All the while praying that he'd see nothing.  Breathing a sigh of relief that his prayer had been answered, he quickly jogged across to the opposite side of the road to be sure that the boy hadn't been hit and tossed into the ditch.  Once again he saw nothing.  

"No sign of him, Joe," Frank called as he went to the trunk.  Sliding down the small embankment, he popped open the trunk and grabbed the first aid kit and another blanket.  The fog had started to roll in off the ocean again, making the air almost wet. As much as he didn't want to, he knew that he was going to have to leave his brother to find some help.  They needed a tow and a doctor.  The thought of having to walk back to Castle Rock to find that help chilled him more than any fog ever could.  He closed the lid of the trunk and, taking a deep breath, rested against it.  What a night, he thought, massaging some of the tension from his neck. Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder from behind. Ready for just about anything, he took a step and spun on the intruder.  

"You okay?" Joe's look of concern changed to one of amusement at the shocked expression on his brother's face. "Sorry," he chuckled, "I didn't mean to startle you. I was making enough noise. I thought you heard me." His smile turned into a wide grin. "What'd you think, the boogey man had come to get you?"  

"Watch it, Hardy," Frank said, laughing at his own jitteriness.  "And what are you doing standing on that leg?" he added, becoming serious.  

"It's a long walk back to Castle Rock so I thought we'd better get started." Joe flexed his leg, showing his brother that he was ready to start the trip back.  

"You're right about one thing, kid, it's a long walk back, but I'd better get started.  You're not going to be able to get very far with a piece of my favourite CD stuck in your leg." He gave his brother a crooked grin. "Now get back in the car so I can get that cut wrapped up properly."  

Joe stood his ground firmly. "No way," he argued. "There is no way I'm going to let you go back to that town alone. They're just too weird. I'd never see you again. How could I ever explain that to Mom and Dad?  So, no. We both go or we both stay, Frank."  He folded his arms across his chest.  "You asked me if I'm ever serious about anything, well I'm serious now.  We don’t split up. I…I," he faltered, seeming almost embarrassed to continue.  

"What?" Frank prodded.  It wasn't like his brother to hesitate about anything.  

"I hate this place, Frank. Since last night it's like everything's been out of our control. I don't like that." He looked pleadingly at his older brother, wanting him to understand.  "I don't know, call it a hunch.  I just know that if we split up something's going to happen. What if you needed me and I couldn't find you? We stay together, okay?  We'll figure something out or someone'll come along."  

"Okay," Frank sighed, "but I still want you to get back in the car so I can take a better look at your leg."  

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