You are him. The voice was hollow, like someone straight from Hell. But you aren't accepting that. Just let go, Justine, all the pain will go away.

Oh, I wanted that. It was like giving candy to a baby, but then taking it away before they could grab it. Taunting, that's what this thing was doing, he was tempting me to do what I wanted, but with a price.

No, that's not it, Justine. It's pure freedom. Hannah didn't sound like Hannah anymore. She didn't look like Hannah either. She was dead, long gone, lost within this thing that was contaminating her.

She was no longer pure shadow anymore, but instead as pale as a ghost. She was wearing a black gown, one that showed plenty of white skin. She looked like a figure out of a black and white photo. Her hair wasn't even golden anymore, instead a black that looked like shadowy flames.

She didn't have that happy glow anymore either.

Look what you've done, Justine. You contaminated an innocent soul, all because you helped those Alabe. Hannah's mouth moved when the voice spoke, but not with the rhythm words made when they flowed out of your mouth. She made that motion that fish made when they were out of water, or in other words, suffocating.

Stop worrying about her, Justine, she already gone. Hannah placed her hand out, and I flung across the attic. My head hit the wall with such force, I felt like I was already dead.

Help. I screamed in my mind, hoping that someone, anyone, would help me. I sighed, shutting my eyes so I could no longer see Hannah, but her shadowed figure was plastered to my eyelids.

"Help!" I was sobbing now, but somehow I had managed a small scream. "Please…"

Nobody can help you but I. Hannah said, her dark voice growing soft. Just endure, and accept.

"No."

There was a growl, and a loud banging noise that sounded too much like splintering wood. I saw a flash of fur, and Hannah was flung backwards.

Kyle, Kyle had heard me.

Kyle snarled and bit, throwing all his force into Hannah. Something wished he would stop, for I hated seeing him like this, but Hannah was lost.

Yet another person who I had gotten to too late.

Hannah screamed, but it wasn't that dead voice that came out of her, it was the sweet, soft, laughter-filled, voice of Hannah.

Yet it had come out in a scream.

Then, she disappeared, drifting away in a cloud of mist and sorrow. The pounding pain stabbing my head went away. It disintegrated, as if it wasn't there. There wasn't even a lingering aftereffect, which shocked me more than anything.

And to make things worse, Kyle shifted back so suddenly it actually made me jump. He yelped, running his hands along his arms, before rushing forward to see if I was alright.

"Hey, Justine, you with me?" He stared deep into me eyes, examining me like I was bedridden patient. "You alright?"

"No." I looked at Kyle, and felt a few tears rising on. "Buddy, I just killed my friend."

"No, you didn't, Ivan did." Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder, his cold fingers brushing against my skin, sending that comfort through me. "Ivan did this, Justine, and you have no right to say that you did it."

I knew that his words were supposed to be reassuring, but all I felt was grief. I was such a horrible person! First, I was too late getting to my parents. Second, I took Hannah down with me. And third, everyone I loved, was carrying my burden.

I let out a shaky breath, Kyle bending over to place his hands on my cheeks. "Hey, this will all be over soon, I promise.

Don't make promises you can't keep. I wanted to say, but I didn't have the heart to respond.

We were forced to camp in the middle of the forest, the sound of howling slicing through the night.

I vowed that I would never look at a wolf the same way, nor anything else that looked like one. I wasn't even sure I would look at people the same way, for the past month has been one worse than hell.

So much had happened in such little time. I met a bunch of new people, um, Alabe. My life changed in so many simple ways in combined into a jungle of "complex", and my family was ripped apart as if it were as simple as tearing paper.

What scared me was that I wasn't as scared as I should've been.

All I could feel was remorse, as if I was laying on my deathbed. Considering the circumstances, I kind of was.

"Hey."

I looked up from my place against a large pine, picking at the fire with a stick, and was greeted by the strange eyes of Andrew. He slid down the tree, placing himself in a sitting position next to me.

"You alright?" It was a stupid question for him to ask, for it was obvious that I wasn't, but he asked just for the sake of it.

"No, but I will be." I couldn't look him in the eyes, for it sent so many different sad feeling through me.

Andrew sighed, grabbing his own stick to pick at the fire. "I'm sorry, for bringing you into this."

It sent an almost electric wave of sadness through me. I sucked in a breath. "This wasn't your fault, you couldn't have possibly known what was going to happen."

"But, I knew a bit." Andrew's voice grew a bit shaky. "I knew that your life was going to change."

"You didn't know how. But what's done is done, and nothing is changing that."

"But, your parents." He coughed out, literally, his words got stuck in his throat. "Hannah."

"Not your fault."

"People died."

"Not because of you."

"But-"

"No, Andrew," I snapped, a flash of sudden anger slicing through me. I looked at him hard, seeing pure hurt in his eyes. But they didn't make me sad, like they should've. "This is not your doing, this is not your fight. You made no mistakes, and you have no consequences, so accept that."

Andrew didn't respond, I didn't blame him. At first I expected him to snap something back, but instead, he sighed.

"I have no idea how you are feeling right now, Justine. But I can assure you, that you will be safe once again."

Sorry about the horrible short chapter, writers block is contaminating my mind yet again!

I will do my best to upload again soon, but I have the worst cold in the world! Don't forget, review and feedback encourage me to do more!