Brad awoke in a cold sweat, pale and trembling, his eyes wildly trying to pierce the black night. He shivered. Then he called ou in a tight, small voice.

"Alden." There was no answering sound. Only silence. The dread silence of the night. He trembled again, and then he got out of bed and went softly out of the dark room and down the car-peted hall, his bare feet glimmering. He was alone in the empty house. His parents were in Hawaii. Thousands of n away. On vacation. And he was alone. Alone in La vast empty house. He went slowly down the shadowy stairway and into the kitchen. He felt nauseous. He had drunk too much at the party with Alden. Too much. He went to the gas range, and under the coffeepot, he turned it on.*