"And that's a wrap" said Darren, as Daniel strummed out the last chord of Savage Garden's latest song. The tour was over, and Darren and Daniel were back in Australia, hard at work on their new album. It was a clear spring afternoon, and Darren was eager to get home to his wife Colby.

"Okay" said Daniel, "same time tomorrow?"

"Yup. I'm gonna jet now - I'll talk to you later" Darren replied.

"Bye" muttered Daniel, lost in thought as he began putting away his guitar.

Darren went outside and climbed into his car. On his way home he stopped to get some roses for Colby. He cherished the time he spent with Colby now as she had been unable to accompany him on the tour.

He pulled up into his driveway and shut off the engine. He decided to go in the back way, hoping to surprise Colby.

He reached for the doorknob to go inside when the door was opened for him..

"Darren!" said Colby, surprised. "You're home early!"

"Is that a problem?" Darren grinned, and leaned down to give Colby a kiss.

"Of course not! I just wasn't expecting to see you, that's all."

"Oh, I almost forgot - these are for you." Darren pulled the roses from behind his back and presented them to Colby.

"You shouldn't have!" Colby exclaimed. "They're beautiful though - thank you dear! Come inside already, dinner should be ready soon."

The two were just finishing dinner when Obi appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey boy! Where have you been?" Darren said, and leaned over to scruffle the dog's head. Obi immediately barked, and ran towards the laundry room where his leash was kept. "You want to go for a walk?" Obi replied with a series of high pitched barks, so Darren went to get the leash. "Do you want to come too, Colby?".

"Bark, bark" Colby replied, laughing.

"Okay, so where do I find your leash?" Darren replied, also laughing. The two lived in a quiet neighbourhood, although tonight they passed many couples also walking their dogs. Obi stopped to sniff almost every blade of grass that they passed, but Darren and Colby hardly noticed as they were so engrossed in their own conversation. Colby's sister had gotten married, and Darren had many stories about the tour that he wanted to share.

The two eventually wandered into a nearby park. They realized how late it was when they saw the moonlight reflecting off of a small pond. Darren leaned over to kiss Colby, while Obi howled at the moon shining down. The moment ended, and the pair decided it was time to head home.

They were passing by the corner grocery store near their home when Darren got a gut feeling that something was wrong. He told Colby to wait with Obi where they were, while Darren crossed the street to see if anything was wrong. He walked into the store, and quickly glanced around. A figure at the counter caught his eye, and he saw Sam, the owner of the store, pale and wide eyed. Darren wandered closer, neither Sam nor the stranger noticing him. Suddenly Sam jerked his head towards Darren, realizing that he was there. Startled by the sudden movement, the strange man whirled around to face Darren as well. Darren took a step back as he noticed a circular birthmark scarring the man's face. Then he noticed the gun. The man, out of panic and surprise, pulled the trigger.

Chapter 2

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