Leo was full of suspicion. All his life, he always trusted his instincts. He always knew when something was wrong and would fight solely against it. The first day he saw Diane, he didn’t necessarily fight her, even though he had his reservations about her.She was stunning then. She was still stunning now, but most of that allure faded when he discovered that she wasn’t even a good person. Worse of it was that she killed him just because he got in her way. Her heart was full of darkness. He knew that now and he was weary of her.He thought that Draven knew this two. The both of them had stayed up to discuss how they didn’t trust her, and even then Draven wasn’t fully on his side. He kept wavering, kept looking for unnecessary reasons as to why she would have come to him. Leo wasn’t as stupid as his friend, nor did he let his compassion get in the way of what he wanted. And all he wanted was Diane to be gone forever and out of their lives. How hard was it? Why would Draven say one thin

“What are you doing here?” Draven asked harshly.Diane shrugged as she approached them. “I followed, why? Although I must say that the change of route was unexpected. Whatever for?”“We were running from you,” Lara admitted.“Running?” She shook her head regrettably. “You guys, am I some monster to run from? Although those attempts are futile because I have this beast with me. She can smell you from a mile away.”“You said she’s dying,” Draven chipped in, eager to remove the running away rumor. “What could she be dying from?”Diane stared directly at him. “I heard you guys discussing a moment ago that everything here is dying. I guess now that everyone is noticing these changes, I don’t need to keep it a secret anymore.”Leo stood up from his spot. This was it. This was the one thing he knew that wasn’t right.“What aren’t you telling us, Diane? Are you responsible for the silence in the forest?” Leo laughed. “It’s got to be way more than that.”“You’re right; it is way more than that

Diane was lost in her own thoughts. When she roasted the cubs that Lara had so happily given out, she fazed in and out. Sometimes she was back at home in her bed and other times she was at that cave with Timothy, torturing him. Poor Timmy. He probably didn’t understand why she needed to do all of that. When it had first happened, she was elated with happiness. She thought for sure that she had sucked someone from the outside realm, not knowing it was just on the outskirts that she had brought him from.“Did you ever imagine seeing humans with such power?” she asked him then. “Imagine if we have thinsg like this in the real world.”“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he’d replied, and then he called her a “Flight bird.”Diane was furious, as usual. She thought he was insulting her. Whatever he said didn’t bother her, all she knew was that she’d found the perfect person to use in her experiments. He was defiant, which challenged her even more. There was nothing Diane liked more than challeng

“You do know that none of this is our business,” Leo said as they began their journey. “I know we agreed to help you, but this is as far as our help go. No one is staying awake just because you can’t sleep.”“He can perforate you guys’ dreams!” Diane argued hotly. “I’m trying to protect you, don’t you understand? I’m trying to protect all of you!”“It is your dream that he can come in, not in ours. You’re just trying to make everyone as miserable as you are,” Leo said.Before they could start arguing, Draven raised his hand in the air.“Guys, let’s not start. We’re all going to sleep… except for you, Diane.”She grunted in frustration. “Ugh, what do you guys think this is? Some child’s play where anyone can do whatever they want?”“We know it’s not a child’s play,” Leo said. “We’re just not trying to be actively involved in your fight with this guy.”“You’re traveling with me! You’re potentially now a part of my crew—”“This is our crew, Diane. You just came out of nowhere and joined

Draven and Diane ran in with hands full of stones and valuables needed for the ritual. When they reached Leo, they dumped everything on the floor and tried to attend to him.“You were three minutes late!” Leo yelled, and then shifted.Everyone stood still. There was Lara, twitching so hard that it started the beast. The bear shifted away from her, whining into the midnight as her skin burned the grass underneath. Her body was so red they could practically see it burning.“What the fuck is happening?” Diane asked, scared.“Damn it if I know,” Leo shouted. “I just came here and met her like this.” He touched her skin and then pulled back, biting his lips so he won’t scream again. “Fuck, she’s burning.”“It’s Timothy,” Draven suddenly realized. “He’s the one. Just as you predicted, Diane, he got into our head.”“He got into her head and she’s asleep,” Diane corrected.“There’s no time. Is there anything we can do to draw her out of that nightmare she’s obviously on?” Leo asked desperatel