I ran through the darkness, panting and stumbling. No matter how long or fast I dashed, the distance didn't differ. I was helpless with no stones, no mech-arm and no friends by my sides. Utter black surrounded me and the beast charged after me. All that could be heard was my breathing getting heavier by the minute and the monster's terrifying roars. Dread and trepidation raced through my mind as only one thought stuck in my head.

'I have to get away' I repeated in my thoughts.

Then, a figure appeared in the distance; the only colors seen were blue and silver…Mel! She just stood there, allowing me to come closer to her until we were only five feet apart. Her blue eyes were filled with a longing as her arms were raised, requesting for an embrace.

Involuntarily, I stopped dead in my tracks and the monster's raging cries were silenced. At first, I assumed he had lost interest and left but the first lesson of being a defender was 'Don't Assume Anything!'

The next event that occurred made my eyes widen in horror with my jaw dropping low. Her pain-filled shriek rang out loud, hurting my ears but I didn't care about the sting. Red sprayed at my face and body, covering me as the monstrosity's large claws withdrew from her torso from behind. The beautiful girl stumbled forward, collapsing lifelessly on the floor. Stunned and unable to move, I struggled against the unseen force to attempt to help her even if I knew she wasn't going to be okay.

Tears slid down my cheeks, a mixture of salty water and blood dripping from my jaw line. She just laid there in a pool of her blood, precious life pouring out of her carcass and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Finally, the force released me, allowing me to fall to my knees and pull her close. Now, her eyes were just empty and blank, nothing left of her soul. Unbelievable sorrow and anguish flooded my heart as I threw my head back to let out a mournful howl.

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!" I shrieked as if a wolf howling for the loss of a loved one.

My eyes snapped open, my upper body shooting up in the bed as my breathing went extremely shallow. With my heart punching my ribcage, I whipped my head around the room to spot the silver-haired girl standing far from the bed. Why was she that far away? Then, I looked around again to notice something else. There were craters in the walls around me, in the nightstand and in the headboard. Due to my rock-arm, I also left a dark bruise on her forearm.

"Mel, I'm so sorry, I-" I stopped when she walked over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Its okay, Seth, at least I have you back" I could have said the same thing.

I returned the embrace, never wanting to let her go. No matter what you have or who you are, it's incredibly important to love and respect the people around you as well as your possessions. You'll never know when your dreams and heart can be shattered before your very eyes. You will never have a chance to prevent it nor will you ever truly know how important everything or everyone around you are until they're all gone.

Just a short story and a moral. I posted this on DeviantArt as well so please don't say I stole this from Dark-joys47, who is also me.