Chapter 1: ÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ²²²ßß ²Û²±ß²²²ßܰ Þ±Þ²ÛÞ± ÞÜܱ ° Þ±Þ²ÝÞ± ÞÛÜÜß ß²ÜÜÛ²²ÛÜÜ ² Ü°Ü °±±²° ß²²±ÜßÜÜßþÞ²Ý Ü²²ßßßß²²²Ü±²°°° ±±Ü ° °±±±Ü ±°±ÛÜÜÜ ÞÛÝ  ÛÛ°ß° ß ±²²ÛÜÜ °ßÜܱ²² ßÛ²ÛÝ Ü ßÜÜ ÜÛßÞÝ  ²²ÞÛÝ ÜÜÜ Üú ßÜÜ Û²Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÜܲ ß²ÜÛ² ÛÛ Ü ²Û²²Û±² ß² ÜÞ ßÜ ²±Þ²Ý ܲÜßß²Ý Û±² ß² ²ÛßßÛÛ²²±Ü Û² ÝÛݲÛܲÛÜ Þ ²±±Û²Ý Û Ý ÜÜ Þ±ÝÞ± Ý Þ²ÝÜ ÜÜ²Û ²Ý þ ²²ß²ß± ÝÞ²²Û Þ²Û²² ±±Üݲ²Û Þ²Û Þ²²±ÝÞ±Ý  ±±Þ²Ý °ßß ²² Û Þ±±Þ±±°Ý± ±±ÛÜܱ²²ÛÞ ±±ß°±Ý±±±±²² Û ±ß°Ý Þ°Ü ±±Ü ß±Ü ± ±± ÞܰÝÛ°°ÝÞ °°ß°°Ü±²ßÞܰÝÛ °°Ý°°ß±²Û²Þ  ܰ± ÝÜ ° ß±°Ü°°Ý °°ß Ü ° ß ÜÜÛÛÛß ß  ßßÜ ° ß ÜÜ ÛÛß ß ÛÛßÞ ß °Ý Þß ßÛÝ ß ß  ß  °ß ° ° ° °° °by  Sir Lanslaughter °°±  ° ° ° °° ± °± ± ± ° ° ±  ° ° ° ° ° ± ú ú± ° ú °  ± ° ± ° ú± ° ±°þ°°° ±²°ú²ú °°°úú± ±°ú ² °ú°þ°± úú ± °± ú° ±úú ± ú² ° ° ± ±ú± °±°ú ²°± ² ° °± ±ú±±²²±² ²±  ²°Û°²±°²°²²° ±°Û°²°²°°²°°°²Û± ²±²°²²°±²Û±²Û ²°±²°²±²°²°± °°°² °±²±² ±±±°±Û±°þ²ú °°°úú± ±°ú ²úú ± °± ú° ° ± ±ú± °²°± ² Jim woke up that bright Friday morning, reluctant ly getting himself out of bed to go to school. He started to go towards th e stairs, still not totally awake or aware of what was going on. "Jeez Chri s, can you move all your toys?" he said, assuming his little step-brother wa s awake already as usual. He walked down the stairs and greeted his Dalmat ians, "Hey, Patch, how are ya? Mornin' Simmy." He walked into the living  room, but didn't see his mom there, so he went to her room. "Mom?" he said.   No answer. He didn't see his step-dad either. "Chris, Katie, do you k now where mom went?" No answer. "Where the hell did they go?" he asked himse lf. "Oh well, I guess they went out." He took a shower, got dressed and  left, still wondering where they could have gone. He walked to school, and when he got about two bl ocks away, noticed that the usual kids weren't roaming around outside like  they usually were. "Oh God did I oversleep? God dammit, they didn't even w ake me up before they left. Thanks alot." He got to the school doors, but no body was inside, and the doors were locked. "Wait, it is Friday isn't it?" h e thought, maybe he had gone to school on a Saturday, but no, he thought, it  was Friday for sure. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, as he looked  around. Finally he noticed it. There was nobody on the streets. The place  was deserted. Still confused, he put his backpack near the door of the schoo l and started walking across the street, to knock on one of the doors. No ans wer. The next house. No answer. He went down two blocks, by this time yellin g for somebody to come out. No answer. "Oh God what the hell's going on?" he thought, ge nuinely scared. Then he realized something, "Well I don't know where the se people are, but something's really wrong here, and it seems like I'm the  only one around right now, so these people don't need all their stuff, a nd nobody's gonna stop me from takin' it!" A little wary, he went up the  stairs to the next house, knocked just to make sure there was nobody there,  then broke the window next to it. No alarm went off, not that it made  a difference, so he climbed in and looked around. He didn't see much that h e could use, so he went into the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and found so me chips, took them, and decided to see if he could get anybody by phone. He  called a couple numbers. No answer. He dialed 0. No operater. He dia led 911. No answer. He got worried again and started to call all his friends  numbers. Rich. No answer. Joe. No answer. Chris. "Hello?" came his fri ends voice, obviously curious about who was calling. "Oh God Chris, you're he re, everybody's disappeared!" Jim replied, excidetly. "Yeah, my parents are gone, and I called the scho ol to tell them I would be late but I got no answer. What's going on Jim ?" "I dunno, but this is freaky. It's like the Stan d or something. I'm coming over." and he hung up the phone. °°  °° °° ° ° ° ±°þ ° ²ú°°°úú±  ±°ú²úú ± °± ú° ° ° ±  ±ú±°²°± ² ° ±²²±² ²± ²°Û°²±°²° ²²°±°Û°²°²°°² °°°²Û±²±²°²²° ±²Û±²Û²°±²°² ±²°²°±°°°² ° ±²±²±±±° ±Û±°þ°°° ±²° ú²ú°°°úú±  ±°ú² °ú°þ°±  úú ± °± ú°±úú ± ú² ° ° ±  ±ú±°±°ú ²°±  ² °°± ±ú±°° ± °±  ± ± ° ° ± ° °  ° ° ° ± ú ú± ° ú ° ± °  ± ° ú± ° ° ° °° °An si:€-°°± ° ° ° °ß °