I'm standing in the middle of a sea of people.

All of them are moving.

They're moving towards something but I don't know what. Their faces are blank. Their bodies collide with mine urging me to move in the direction they are but I stand my ground.

The crowd seems to push forward with more urgency and I have to use every ounce of my strength to resist being swept away. For whatever reason I can't seem to remember who I am or how I got here. All I know is that I must resist following them.

I know that I need to move away from the place they are pushing me toward but I don't have the strength anymore. All I can do is remain standing till the last bit of energy drains from the body and I'm swept away.

I remain standing and the crowd keeps moving around me.

I know that eventually, my energy will wear out.

Eventually, I'll be swept away.

And when that happens, I know that I will lose myself for good.

Just as the last drop of hope is about to drain out of my body a flash of raven hair catches my eye.

And then I see him.

A lone wolf navigating a forest of lost souls. His movement is precise and calculated.

He's moving against the crowd. His eyes aren't empty like the rest of them. His eyes are moving over the vacant faces. He's searching for something —or someone.

Suddenly his dark eyes collide with mine.

Recognition sparks within me, a fleeting glimpse of familiarity in this abyss of blank faces. I've seen this man before.

I've dreamt of this man before.

I want to call out to him.

I want to scream for him to save me.

But my lips won't move.

Suddenly he's pushing past the crowd, making his way towards me.

He finally reaches where I'm standing. His expression is intense, almost angry.

His raven hair falls over his eyes and I have to fight the urge to reach up and check whether it's as soft as it looks. His grey eyes move over me coldly.

"You can see me?" He demands, his eyes boring into mine.

When I don't answer his hands grasp my shoulders and he shakes me slightly.

"How are you able to see me?" He asks again.

Another body bumps into me and suddenly I lose my footing. I'm swept into the crowd. I'm being taken away. My whole body locks up in panic.

I need to resist. To fight. But I'm so tired.

An arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back to safety. I know that it's the man with raven hair who has saved me.

I look up at him and whisper the only sentence I can manage.

"I don't want to go with them. Please. I can't."

His eyes flare, and realization suddenly bleeds into his gaze.

"You're not one of them." He murmurs to himself. I watch as disbelief bleeds into his gaze. His arms tighten around me, "You're not one of them and you're here." He whispers as if he's in awe. His eyes are burning into mine. 

I don't understand what he's saying.

Not one of who?

Then suddenly everything around us starts fading. There's a loud ringing noise that hurts my ears.

Suddenly the man is in front of me. He's shaking me again, shouting urgently but I can't hear him over the ringing.

"You can't trust them!"

I manage to make out his words just as the world around me fades into nothingness.