All of the air seemed to be sucked out of Brendon's lungs. There was a figure standing in front of him, but it wasn't Josh or Tyler.

Josh and Tyler didn't have red eyes.

The figure in front of him appeared to be a male. He looked about the same age as Brendon. His dark colored hair sat in wavy curls atop his head. His features seemed soft, but Brendon had a hard time pulling his gaze from the red eyes.

The figure grinned. "Hello, there." He spoke with a voice as sweet as honey. He blinked at Brendon, waiting for a response.

Brendon didn't have a response.

The grin turned sour. "No need to be rude." As he spoke the last word, he shoved Brendon.

Brendon went flying to the floor from the force of the blow. He landed on his rear, using his hands to brace himself from the fall. He looked up at the figure with wide eyes.

Around the figure, darkness seemed to seep into the very air surrounding him. His red eyes glowed with intensity as he tilted his head, looking down at Brendon with curiosity.

"Going to say anything?" He asked.

Brendon barely found it within himself to shake his head.

The future crouched down in front of Brendon, growling lowly as he did so. It was a growl that seemed to originate from deep within his chest. His gaze was curious as he continued to regard Brendon.

Brendon just stared back. His chest rose and fell at an even pace, despite the fear he held within. Where had this guy came from? Who the hell was he? Why were his eyes solid red? Despite those questions, however, his biggest followed the strange sense of familiarity that seemed to keep his breathing calm.

"Do you not remember me, Brendon?" He asked, cocking his head to the other side.

"Remember?" Brendon finally found his voice to repeat one of the words spoken to him, like a parrot. It was like he couldn't think of any other words to say. He just gulped, rather than add anything else.

The figure growled again, though his face remained neutral. The red of his eyes became the only source of light as the darkness that seeped from him completely consumed the two. He leaned close to Brendon, stopping just inches from his face.

"You really don't..." A small, unsettling, smile hooked the corners of the figure's mouth. "You don't know?"

"No?" Brendon was breathless. It was hard to breathe in the darkness. Or was he just panicking? Spots began to dance in his vision.

The figure laughed. "No, no..." He reached out and grabbed hold of Brendon's jawline. The spots faded and Brendon found his focus on the figure's eyes. The red was shrinking down from its consumption of his eye. Now, it was just a ring of red in his iris that burned intensely. "Not yet, Brendon."

Brendon tried go respond, but his vision began to go fuzzy. His eyes crossed and the darkness was creeping in on what little he could see. He couldn't think straight. Everything was going dark.

The sound around him echoed as if he was in a tunnel. Despite that, however, there was one thing that came in clear.

Laughter.

A soft laugh that hid an underlying growl.

That was all he knew before he was completely consumed by darkness.

---

"BRENDON!"

A voice called out to Brendon. He could hear his name, but anything else was drowned out by a howling sound. A continuous howl.

The wind.

Brendon's head turned to the side, but he couldn't bring his eyelids up. It sounded like he was still being called to, but the winds held the context of the words at bay.

He could feel his body being lifted. Was he laying on the ground? His arms were draped over shoulders. He was being moved.

"Guys?.." The word came out so weak, he was sure they couldn't hear him over the winds.

Where were they? How long had they been out?..

He was finally able to pry his eyes open. The sky's dark gray had grown even darker. Leaves and small debris whipped through the air, carried by the roaring wind. It wasn't raining, but it seemed like it could start at any moment.

The eye was coming to a close.

"Brendon?"

Brendon turned his head. Pete was on his left side, looking at him with wide eyes. "Can you stand?" He yelled, barely audible over the wind.

Brendon nodded, adjusting his weight on his legs. As he did, he looked to his other side. Tyler was looking at the sky with fear etched in his expression.

"It's going to start any minute!" He yelled, "We need to hurry!"

Pete and Tyler started forward, nearly tripping Brendon. He hurried to keep up with his friends. Rather than go over the tree that created a bridge to the other side of the street, they plunged straight into the puddle. The water was a few inches above Brendon's ankle; it was ice cold with swirls of dirt rising with every rushed step through it. Small waves pushed down the street with every movement. It was a slow going path.

Once they finally made it across, Pete leapt onto the less flooded curb. He helped Brendon up before reaching back out for Tyler.

"Back to the school!" Pete yelled. He had nearly pulled Tyler out of the water when a strong gust of wind swept in from behind him. He was knocked forward, beginning to fall. However, Brendon managed to grab Pete's arm and pull him back upright.

Together, Pete and Brendon brought Tyler out of the water.

They hurried back across the path they had taken to exit the schoolyard and get back to the doors that would let them back in. It was still wet and slippery, but Pete and Tyler managed to make it back to the door without incident.

Brendon, however, wasn't so lucky.

His footing was never solid. He kept slipping, as if on ice, before finally face planting in a mound of mud. He felt off. Despite the danger of the storm around him, he couldn't make his limbs work right. There were moments where there seemed to be a disconnect from the commands from his brain and the movement of his body.

He scrambled to his feet, only slipping once on the rise up. He was aided by Tyler while Pete pounded on the door just ahead. "Josh?! Pat?! The door won't open!"

"Are you okay?" Tyler yelled, squinting at Brendon as another harsh wind hit them.

Brendon nodded, wiping mud away from his face. He was okay enough, he just had questions. What the hell had happened? He had been looking for Josh and Tyler before... Before everything went fuzzy in his memory.

The door popped open. Just barely.

Pete grabbed it quickly, fighting the wind to hold it open. Tyler pulled Brendon behind him, stumbling once he made it into the building. The sudden lack of wind disoriented Brendon as well, who stumbled in the dark. He landed against someone as the door to the building slammed behind him.

Arms wrapped around him, making his breath hitch. He wasn't sure why, but he shoved himself away from whatever had tried to hold him. He choked on his breath, barely avoiding falling into a coughing fit.

When his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hallway, Brendon found himself face to face with Dallon. There was a brief glimpse of relief in Dallon's gaze but, when his eyes locked with Brendon's, it was immediately replaced by hurt and anger.

"You promised." His voice came out as a harsh whisper that cut through Brendon like a knife.

"Babe..." Brendon croaked the word, reaching out as Dallon turned away from him. He gulped as Dallon stalked down the hallway. "I'm sorry..."