"Please." I begged him as he'd begun to come closer. His face, a shadow of my life, his eyes green like the devil, and that smile. It was far too bright to be real, yet it was just like the stars and sparkled too. Its glimmer so heavenly, I felt my nose sniffle as my eyes became wet with tears. I didn't know exactly why I was crying, but I was. Just something about it was so beautiful, yet so tainted at the same time.

My body ached as I clutched my chest with the left arm while reaching out with the right. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I wanted him to stop.

"P-please... Please don't hurt me." My voice cracked as I felt his brooding presence only grow stronger.

"Grab my hand." He stuck out his gloved left hand. My lips quivered once I gazed into his sparkling eyes. He winked and gestured for me to follow. It was like he was offering me the world or a pedophile luring a child in before slamming the door. I knew this was wrong. I knew all of this was wrong. Yet I had to do it. I had to let him explore me.

So with that, my arm extended out before I clasped his hand. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He pulled me away into the night as we ran together through the endless forest. The cold wind gusting through as I tighten my grip.

"How much longer?"

He didn't answer as we kept on going. The sky above was pitch black and this journey seemingly kept going in circles. Would we ever get there? Would we find what we wanted? Who knows.

I felt my beating out of its chest as he let go of my hand. I fell to the leaf-infested ground and laid out as I tried to catch my breath.

"Get up." He grumbled. "We're gonna be late."

"Late? Late for what?"

"For the party of course." He remarked in such an upbeat, sophisticated manner. "Come along, brother. We've got one hell of a night ahead of us. You don't wanna miss it."

His glowing smile flashed again as he pulled me up. I stared at him and watched as he patted me on the back. "You'll be just fine, Raymond. I know it."

I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder as we came up the rickety steps and walked right into a vibrant extravaganza. The air was warm, the black blobs slowly became people, and I was home. This place with such warmth was my home.

"Raymond, I'd like you to meet Svetlana Smirnoff."

He introduced me to this goddess of a woman. Long, blonde hair. Smooth, ivory skin. Those piercing blue eyes matched the shimmering dress she wore and man was she everything.

"Greetings, Raymond Lochner." She waved with her silky gloves as she held my hand and gazed into my eyes.

I gulped as my heart pumped again and again while I blinked three times before she was gone.

"What?" My nose wrinkled as I turned around to see myself in a dark room. "W-where is she?"

For a moment, I was confused. I had absolutely no idea what had happened. Where was Svetlana? Where was my brother? What even happened? Maybe this was a dream. Maybe everything was a dream. But I'd have to find out.

I took a second to get out of bed. My legs felt sore as I hobbled to the doorway, holding on for dear life. I didn't recall drinking myself silly, but it wouldn't surprise me if it happened.

My fingers slithered down the wooden railing as my feet clomped against the floor panels. I got myself a drink and gulped it down. Ah... How glorious. Simple water. The cure against evil, the elixir of life, the essence of humanity.

The cold sensation sent shivers through my body as I walked away, only to stop at the distinct sounds from below. Heaving breathing. Lots and lots of heaving breathing.

I felt the ivory walls as I made my way down. The deeper I got, the more painful the breathing sounded. It was like someone was dying or barely hanging on. But who could be dying in my house? We're as safe as they come.

With every little footstep, I heard new sounds. More breathing, faint whimpering, and more warmth. Though it wasn't the good kind anymore, this was dark. The kind that came with Hellfire and all its demonic work.

As I rounded the corner of the long hall, I gently tapped the door and it opened up.

"P-please stop..." Her voice so frail as her lips quivered uncontrollably.

"Just one more, baby. You know the rules."

No...I cupped my mouth. I couldn't see their faces, but I knew those voices. Dear god, tell me it wasn't real.

I flipped on the switch and though only one went on, it was enough to see him inside her.

"A.J?"

He gave me this deadpanned look. As if nothing mattered in life. As if he had no soul. He simply shook his head and looked me in the eyes. "This is never happened."

"W-what do you mean?"

He leaned forward as much as he could and whispered it again. "This... never happened."

I looked down at the girl. Her aquamarine gloves laying on the floor as she closed her eyes and nodded. "Just go."

I tried to speak with her again, but A.J put one arm out and made me stop. "Nobody will ever believe you. Nobody will ever listen to you. Tell anybody and you'll die."

"N-no." I shook my head and backed away. 

But A.J straightened up. The stony look in his eyes enough to make me run off. My body falling every few seconds, I was going too fast. It just couldn't be real. He couldn't have been doing what I think he was doing. That's not who he was. That's not how who he is at all. 

Once I made it up the stairs, I collapsed onto the carpet floor as the darkness consumed me. The bitter, yet sweet darkness...