(Seeing as how I have a LOT of time on my hands, and am also an insomniac, I will be uploading these chapters as quickly and as much as I please. Reviews are appreciated, but I am not going to beg and plead and connive you into doing so. BTW I assure you it is about to get much more…. Action packed haha)

A man seeming to be in his mid-twenties stared up at the abandoned house with bloodshot eyes. His ragged and wrinkly clothes hung from his newly emaciated body as he glanced down both sides of the road behind him. "I have to do this… I have to do this for Christine. I can't live without her…" Quickly stepping towards the house, he stepped onto the dead yellow lawn, walking past the front door and traveling to the side of the house. There he opened the already broken door and stepped into the musty smelling house. Wringing his hand, he searched as he finally found the door to the basement and pulled it open with a long and low creak. Standing at the top of the stairs he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, muttering more assurances to himself as he finally opened his eyes, and slowly descended the stairs. The room seemed a mess; with scorch marks and freshly carved runes covered the floor of the old room. He glanced at the opened closet with a shiver, and headed towards the back wall hurriedly.

Looking around the room once more, he knew they were watching his every move. And it made him want to tear out of there as fast as possible, but he couldn't. Someone was relying upon him with their very life and they were too important to him to make him cower out now. Taking a deep breath and pulling a piece of chalk from one of his pockets, he began to outline the necessary runes upon the wall. After a few minutes, he looked his work over, and with a quick self-assuring nod, he put the chalk back into his pocket and then withdrew his pocket knife. He had done this before, studied this practice his entire life; so he wasn't scared of drawing blood. It's what he was about to bring back to life that made him hesitate as he put the blade to his palm. Biting his tongue, he slit the soft meat of his hand open, and began to trace with his other finger dipping into the blood, over the runes, in the center of the circle he made, he began to write strange markings.

That's what it would seem to any other, as some weird hieroglyphs. But no, this was someone's name… something ancient. Julian.

….

As he finished writing the final letter into the wall, he took a furtive step back. Taking his knife, he growled in frustration at his cowardly mind and stepped back towards the wall a final time. He knew it was already beginning. But he was not done yet… Carving the outline of blood written letters, he tediously and carefully traced each letter with the point of his knife. Wiping the sweat from his brow his mind whirred into panic as he finished. Whispering suddenly bellowed throughout the room, sounding like deep and nightmarish voices of old. Gripping his knife in hand, he stepped back in the center of the room getting into a defensive position, refusing to back out now. "Very gooooooooood Isaac….." A breathy and hedonistic male voice sounded around him, coming from no particular place. It almost sounded as if it came from his own mind. Shivering inwardly, the man squared his shoulders. "I did what was asked. I did everything…. Will you please make Christine better now… please. I am running out of time."

A cold and malicious chorus of laughter blasted through the all but empty room. "Oh yesssssssssssss, we made a deeeeeaaall, didn't we Isaaaaaaac?"

Nodding only once, it took all his strength just to stay standing. "Yes, you promised. And I know that you never break your promises."

Laughter once again broke out, stronger than before. The room seemed to be dropping in temperature at an alarming rate. Isaac could already see his own breathe. "Of coursssssssse" The voice hissed with a strong tone of deceit. "The deeeeeed has already been done. Away with youuuu"

Without a second glance, the man sprinted up the stairs, two steps at a time and tore out of the house as if he was being chased by Satan himself. If only. A few hours later the man known as Isaac would arrive at the hospital where his newly-wed wife would awaken to a man she doesn't even remember. But they kept their promise…. She is better.

….

Yawning for the fifth time within the past twenty minutes, I stared at the clock with a silent plea. It was my last class of the day, and with only five minutes remaining, it seemed longer than the entire classes combined before this one. Dee nudged my arm, making me jump in my seat. She raised an elegant warrior princess eyebrow at me with an expression full of question. I half smiled at her and whispered "Sorry, tired." She shook her head and nudged me once more as she faced the front of the class again with a bored expression. I quietly let out a huff of air as I rubbed my tired eyes. I was SO going to fail this semester if these nightmares kept at it. I mean, how can you explain to your teachers? "I apologize, but shadowmen have been placing these images in my mind that are so unspeakably horrifying that not only has it kept me from sleeping but it is making me puke too. So please, let me retake the test." Ugh. I couldn't keep this act up much longer… Dee and Audrey have begun to get suspicious. And I have caught Tom more than once staring at me with worried eyes at the lunch table. Who wouldn't though if you saw your girlfriend falling asleep beside her uneaten lunch tray? The only reason no one has pestered me about it is they probably think that it's just after shock. Also because no one wants to talk about it… because they are afraid, and I don't blame them one bit. The saying 'ignorance is bliss' fits perfectly to the situation at hand.

I began to fall back into a flashback of my nightmare last night. Running through a never ending hallway, and suddenly smack in front of me there is the door to my Grandfathers basement looming over me. Cold fear takes a hold of me as suddenly the door flies open, something pushed me from behind, and I tumble down the stairs, flying through darkness as I finally land upon the floor. Managing to get on my hands and knees, I look up and right in front of me is the Lurker, teeth bared, eyes hungry, and our noses practically touching. I scream and get up, turning to run the opposite direction and suddenly I am in the jungle. Drums sounding in the distance as I push past the foliage, sweat running down my body. I come into a clearing and my little brother is lying dead in the center of the meadow, a wraith-like figure crouching over his body as it raises its head to stare me dead in the eye, blood running down its mouth, its hands cracking open my brother's ribcage with a grin.

The bell sounded as I felt the blood drain from my face. I hadn't eaten lunch today, already prepared for this. But it didn't matter, the nausea hit me again. And I lurched from my chair, leaving my backpack, my papers, everything on my desk as I raced out of the room praying I would make it to the bathroom in time. I heard Dee yelling behind me with the sound of shock cracking her voice. "Jenny?!" The last thing I heard was her yelling Tom's name before I slammed the bathroom door open, and managed to make it to an empty stall. As I began to wretch I could manage to hear gasps and whispers resonate throughout the girls bathroom, even the word 'pregnant?" with the shuffled and hurried sounds of everyone leaving the restroom. My throat was already sore from the acid from my recent moment of sickness last night. So I clenched the sides of the toilet as the burning returned to my throat with a vengeance, coughing up the little bit of liquid that was in my stomach. As I fell to the side of the toilet, barely leaning against the wall of the stall, little black dots began to enter my visions. I shook my head refusing to be pathetic enough to faint.

Suddenly the door slammed open behind me and before I knew it someone was sitting behind me, pulling me against them, and stroking my hair from my face. "Thorny…. What's going on…"

Tom. My shoulders sagged and I leaned against him for a moment, taking in the small moment of comfort. But I could hear the worry in his voice, turn to fear. I couldn't tell him… I couldn't be any more of a burden to him than I already had become. The door to the bathroom opened again as more people walked in. I braced myself, ready for the awkward silence or comment from strangers. But instead the whispered "Oh my god…" from Audrey and the incredulous voice of Dee saying "Jenny? What the fuck…" Suddenly I was wishing that is WAS complete strangers. I began to pull away from Tom but he held me tighter, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Please tell us what's going on… we have tried to give you your space, but we can't anymore. Not if it's gotten this bad." I bit my lip as panic fluttered through my chest. What do I tell them…. Just lying to Tom was one thing…. But all three of them, and it sounds like they definitely know something is up… I was at loss for words.

Dee stepped up behind us, leaned forward and thankfully flushed the toilet so no one had to stare at my regurgitation any longer. As she stepped back again, I sighed and patted Toms knee, signaling I was able to and going to get up. After a moment of hesitation, he finally let go and pulled himself up. Grabbing me under my arms he lifted me up with him. I shooed him away, feeling as if I was being treated like a fragile and sickly weakling. "I'm fine now, Tom. Thanks though." We walked out of the stall towards Dee and Audrey then quickly we all left the bathroom in a silence. But I knew I was about to be interrogated. I went back to my last class, gathered up my things with the help of Tom, and we all headed outside for the front lawn of the school. I felt dizzy, but strangely not hungry like I should be. I swiped my hair behind my ear shakily as we all sat down. I felt trapped.

"Okay. Fess up." Dee started out blatantly as she always did.

"Yeah, we knows something has been wrong, Jenn." Audrey said with a hint of feeling betrayed in her voice. Tom just stared at me expectantly. I sighed, and finally realized there was no way around this. I was about to bring their already broken worlds crashing down again.

"I haven't been wanting to say anything… I know that we have all been through a lot. And I know that everyone was thinking that this is all finally over." Dee snorted. I glanced at her. Maybe they haven't been thinking that either? "I hoped so too… but, ever since we got back… I have been having nightmares. Not flashbacks of what happened or anything like that but… surreal and grotesque nightmares."

Tom went even paler than before and he squeezed my hand. I wasn't sure if it was because he was scared for me, or just plain scared… probably both. "Well, go on then" Audrey encouraged after a moment of silence. Before I could continue, Tom broke through. "Is Julian in them…"

I looked at him harder this time. Tom Locke was about to break. He couldn't handle this round. Julian again? No. Not this time. Or at least that was what it seemed like…. "No, Tommy… Julian has not been in any of them." I saw his tensed shoulders loosen and he gained a little bit of color back, he nodded for me to continue. "It's not something I can really describe to you in one sitting…. It's just a lot of random horror scenes. But last night was the worst because I saw a shadow man…and he was eating my brother."

They all grew eerily silent. Dee staring at me as if I was about to say 'Just kidding' and Audrey looked horror stricken. Tom just looked pissed. They all knew my little brother, and although he came off as annoying to me, I knew all my friends loved him as if he were their own brother as well; especially Tom. I cleared my throat and pushed on. "It was so real that I threw up last night … they keep getting worse; and… I can't help but feel… that these aren't just random scenarios coming from my imagination… I feel like someone else is making me see them. I think the shadowmen are still… messing with us. "

The silence continued on, and on… painfully so. Finally Dee spoke up once more. "I will talk to Abba about this…" I stared at her with a surprised expression. Why didn't I think of that! Abba was so wise especially when it came to stuff like this….! After another half hour of planning and a new vehemently angry side of Tom (That seemed rather refreshing compared to his zombie like state) everybody finally got up and headed home.

…

I watched with my elders as a forlorn and sickly looking Jenny Thornton walked back to her car with a tired and hopeless expression upon her face. My Light was fading. Her amber-gold hair blowing in the wind, and face still as radiant as ever, but her green eyes…. They were becoming defeated. I couldn't help but smirk. "It will be okay Jenny…. Julian's here now."