Tom's POV

I collapsed onto the floor in agony. What was happening? All I remembered was Jenny telling me how much I hated her and then the pain as I felt some invisible wave rip through me. Panic surged through me, clouding my thoughts. I heard Jenny above me, she was screaming something, I wasn't sure exactly what, there was a thick haze in my mind and when I concentrated it felt like I had a migraine coming on. I felt Jenny drop down next to me and then my head was in her lap, I wanted to tell her I was fine, that I could hear her but I couldn't move, it was like I was in a coma.

Suddenly the screaming stopped and Jenny was tense, I furiously tried to open my eyes but it was hopeless. For once I would have to accept I couldn't protect her. I strained my ears to try and catch what was being said but all I caught was a ghostly chuckle before the darkness overwhelmed me.

Audrey's POV

I stepped into the back yard looking for Tom and Jenny, it was deserted. They had come this way, right? All I could hear was a soft whimpering coming from the flower bed at the back. Was it a dying animal? I wasn't sure. I walked forward powered by my curiosity. Halfway there I recognised the sound; it was a person and they were crying. My insides took a steep dive. Oh crap. What had happened?

I half ran to the flower bed, despite the overwhelming sense of dread growing in my stomach. I pushed back all of the plants in my way until I found them. Jenny was hyperventilating as she cradled Tom's head in her lap. I looked at Tom more closely and froze, whatever had happened wasn't good, Tom was so pale that he resembled a corpse. I cursed under my breath in several languages.

"What is going on?"

Jenny turned and looked up at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I was about to repeat the question when she spoke so softly I barely caught it.

"The Shadow Men...they're back."

My breath died in my throat, the Shadow Men? This was worse than I'd imagined, I shook my copper bangs out of my eyes and tried to process the information. I closed my eyes and fought the urge to panic; the key to fixing this mess was to stay calm.

"Ok. Jenny," I looked down at my friend, who had taken to rocking back and forth, "we need to get Tom inside, fast."

Jenny's forest green eyes suddenly focused; the gem like clarity and determination that she had worn throughout the games was back. Hope rose in my chest, Jenny was back. Not the nervous wreck of a girl that had been here for the last couple of days, the real Jenny, the one that would move mountains to find the solution to a problem. I silently thanked the gods or whoever was up there, before rushing Tom inside.

Jenny's POV

We sat in silence around the coffee table in my grandfather's dusty living room. We had sat here for hours trying to make sense of everything, why Tom had collapsed and what the Shadow Man had meant. Everyone was here except Tommy, who was upstairs wrapped in several old sheets. Dee sat to the left of me, next to Zach, with Summer on his lap; Michael and Audrey were on my right. I smiled slightly; Summer was so perfect for Zach. Now all I needed to do was find someone for Dee. Mike sneezed, bringing me back from my reverie. Despite the fact that Mrs. Durash still had the key to the house, it was clear that she hadn't bothered to use it in a long time.

"I don't get it. What price?" Zach murmured, "It doesn't make sense...what could Tom have to do with the other Shadow Men?"

Dee sat back frowning, her dark eyes clouded over as she sat deep in thought. "I feel as if we're missing something. Jenny you're sure you haven't left anything out," Dee asked.

Audrey shook her head slowly, making her red hair glint in the sunlight. "The Shadow Men told us to ask Tom ourselves; maybe we should take their advice."

"I'll go see if he's awake," I said softly, leaving the room.

I walked down the corridor, taking care to avoid looking at the basement door and the spot where Julian had died. I pushed my hand into my jeans pocket, my hand closing around the thin golden band hidden there. I am my only master, I thought to myself over and over like a mantra.

The staircase was narrow, my sides almost brushing the walls, I absentmindedly reached out for the hand rail, it was covered with dust but I couldn't care less. I didn't care about much anymore, it was hard to when you had faced your deepest fears, just managed to get out of having your soul sold to the Shadow Men and lost the one person you cared about. When you looked at the world that way, the small stuffjust didn't seem to matter.

It was hard to spend time with my friends now too...it just reminded me of the games and him. I didn't say his name anymore; it just brought an intolerable amount of pain, the kind that slowly drives you insane. I was surprised that my friends, especially Dee and Audrey, hadn't noticed that whenever he was mentioned I sucked in a breath or paled to an unhealthy colour, but then I guess I'd changed so much that I was like a different person. So who was I then? I thought about it for a moment but only drew a blank.

I realised I was standing at the top of the stair case, staring sightlessly at the master bedroom door across the hall. I shook myself and walked to the guestroom where Tom lay. I felt nervous, I don't know why, it's not like anything had changed since this afternoon. I tried to calm myself but not even my mantra was working now, my insides were taking steep dives and the ring seemed to buzz with more energy with every step I took closer to the room. It was as if Julian was trying to protect me from where ever he was right now. I still refused to think he was dead.

I closed my eyes, futilely hoping that I could calm the huge moths swarming in my stomach. Then I heard a sound that chilled me to the bone. It almost scared me as much as his death. It was a scream, one of sheer agony. Tommy was screaming.

Tom's POV

I heard someone screaming and my eyes snapped open, what's going on? It took me a moment to realise it was me screaming, I was in agony. This was completely different to the circumstances earlier, before I was in a state similar to a coma. That was heaven compared to this. Now it felt like someone was running a knife over my chest and trying to yank one of my organs out; that was the only way to describe it.

I heard the door slam into the wall and turned to see who had come to help me. All I saw were shapes; a tall black smudge was in the doorway. My heart began to beat faster and I desperately tried to move. What if it was the Shadow Men? But it was as if my body was tied down with lead weights, I was held motionless. The figure moved closer and I desperately tried to squirm away, hoping that my efforts would be rewarded.

Another wave of pain lanced through me and I felt my back arch upwards. I flopped back down gasping and turned to face the person. It was clear that it was a man, but past that I couldn't tell much, he wore a long hooded black cloak, casting his face in shadow.

"Who are you?" I croaked.

"I'm your worst nightmare," he replied.

I stiffened. I recognised that voice...who is that? I frowned trying to concentrate; it was on the tip of my tongue. I sifted through my thoughts, desperately trying to remember. Black spots began to swarm on the edges of my vision, I didn't have much time. WHO IS IT? Suddenly I found the information. His name was...I broke off as the darkness swarmed up to drown me.

Jenny's POV

I flung the door open and hissed in a breath, Tom was definitely not ok. I noticed several things simultaneously; the room was freezing, so cold that my teeth began to chatter within seconds, and that something was glowing. I took another step into the room, trying to figure out where the light was coming from. I noticed that the light was a strange shade similar to cobalt blue, the same blue as Julian's eyes.

A/N: thx for the reviews ive gotten so far! According to the stats page quite a few of you have read this but arent reviewing though...if u scroll down you will see a link with the words "review this chapter" plz review! :P