Chapter 16

My eyes shot open in response to a large pain my body received. It felt like I had just been falling and had crashed into a hard pavement. I bolted, sitting up and catching my breath. The air felt it was knocked out of my lungs so I desperately tried to gather it all back into me. My brain couldn't process everything at that moment because I was trying to calm my body down. Once I could breathe again, I held my head and tried to remember everything. I remembered falling through some green wormhole… then blacking out and I was…

My eyes scanned the area I was in, and it made me even more on guard. I appeared to have been in some sort of cabin, with wooden walls, floor and ceiling. So far all I could really see was what was inside the area I was trapped in. I was sitting on a bed that was against the wall, underneath a small window. The wall behind me was covered with soundproof foam and pillows that were for a recording studio. I could also see a desk that was very close to the bed with a complete set up of a computer with two monitors, microphone, lamp and a chair. There seemed to have been some sort of playstation underneath the desk, and two shelves next to the chair, with the bottom one holding many cases of either movies or video games while the top had strange masks and fans from a forigen country. The rest of the room was covered in a bit of darkness as some sort of blue curtain was covering up the room and preventing me from seeing anything else.

"W-what is this place?" I asked myself. I sat there a bit longer, trying to recollect my thoughts. All I could remember was going into a large, white computer tower with Sean and Mona. Anti had appeared and transformed, then attacked the two while I helped Sean try to restart his Antivirus program. I wasn't sure what happened with Mona back there. She went to fight Anti but didn't return. I could only hope she was okay. As for Sean… I tried to get him out of that place, I wanted him to be the first one through the portal. Instead, it was me that he pushed and now I was here… in some strange cabin like room.

My feet forced themselves out of the bed and took me over to the curtain. It seemed that thumbtacks were what was holding them up on the wall. I had to get out of the room to see what was on the other side. I carefully took a handful of the navy blue curtain and flipped it over so I could duck underneath it. I was instantly met with what appeared to have been a twin sized mattress that was still blocking my path. The mattress was standing upright next to another one that went horizontally and was standing on some sort of railing. Thankfully there was a small opening between the two beds for me to escape through. I did have to crawl out from it, but it was better than staying in that room.

When I got out of there, I looked around the rest of the cabin to see what was inside. Though it seemed more like a storage space with how much was in there. There were many dressers and cabinets against the wall on the other side where I was. A table of one of those dressers held many handheld consoles and gaming equipment like controllers. There were other random junk as well, such as many machines and boxes. I did see a small fireplace that was surrounded by three wooden planks holding up a metal sheet above the furnace. I also noticed an upper level from where the supposive bedroom was, but it seemed like another storage space with how much was up there.

I stood in the center of the cabin, looking around to try and gather every detail. I took it all in before I began asking questions. "Am I… in the real world?" It was the first question I had to ask. I looked at my arm, wondering if I should pinch myself to assure myself I wasn't dreaming. Then again, I doubt that would have done much. I went over to the wooden door that was on the opposite side of where the furnace was, thinking I would get some answers out in the open. Plus, after being in that animation studio for so long, some sunlight sounded like a treat. I walked over and grabbed the golden knob, turning and twisting it to get myself out of the small room. Instead, it didn't budge. I pushed against the door to force it open, but I had no luck. "Why am I not surprised?" I sighed in annoyance. "Alright, let's see if we can find something else."

I looked around the room to see what other exits I could make, since the front door was out of the question. I did notice some windows around the small cabin, two above the smallest cabinet and one against the bed from the corner room I came out of. I had a suspicious feeling that the windows were also locked, but the glass seemed pretty breakable. My eyes landed on what appeared to have been the handle of a broom stick in the corner where the fireplace was. I headed over and reached for it, taking the gray handle of the cleaning tool. With it in my hands, I went back over to the small bedroom and looked at the window which was above the large mattress. It was a small window and it seemed I would barely be able to fit through it. However, it was my only option at that point.

I took the navy sheet down from the wall and covered it against the window near the bed. Then, I took the end of the broom and started hitting the glass as hard as I could. I was right about the glass being fragile, as I could hear it breaking. I stabbed at the small space for a while, making sure to get all of the glass. When I was done, I set the blanket on the sil and carefully crawled out of the small window with my feet first and then holding onto the railing. It was a bit of a hassle, and I ended up falling on my butt and hands on the cement ground. Thankfully it wasn't that high of a fall, so there wasn't too much pain. At first, then I felt my hand on the cement and the glass. I hissed in pain as I got up and looked at my hands, seeing the palms each have a cut with blood dripping from the wound. I winced, checking them over, feeling how bad it was. The cuts weren't that deep or wide, and there weren't any glass in the skin. The damage from the Ballroom in the studio was way worse though. That proved I must have been in the real world because I didn't have any damage from the mindscape.

Even so, I took the curtain and ripped out some pieces from the fabric. Then I tied one strand over each wound, not enough to completely cover my hand but just enough to press down on the wound so it can heal. Once the fabric was tied over my skin, I sighed and looked around where I was so I could figure out where I had to go now. I was standing on a large land of pavement, and around me was a small piece of manmade land that was surrounded by greenery. There were trailers, sheds and another log cabin next to the one I was in, just bigger. There was a large wooden fence surrounding most of the small patch of concrete and chopped wood, though it only covered about half of the square space. I took some steps and walked around, trying to see where I was. "I… don't recognize this place…" I admitted to myself. "Oh god… am I even in Minnesota anymore?"

I began to panic a bit, thinking that I had been moved to another state, or worse country. The sky was still light, though it was being covered by gray clouds. From how much grass and greens were around, I was in some sort of open country. And it seemed that it was still daylight out, but not sure what time it was. Wish I had a watch to figure that out on my own. I looked over to the other cabins and trailers, but stayed close to the small hut I came out of. Part of me wanted to go through some of those houses to see if anyone was inside. That way I could ask them for help or at least directions. But if Anti was the one that moved me to the woods, then that meant he had to be nearby. Not just in the mindscape, but around the area I was in. I didn't want to take the risk of meeting up with him in the real world. If he could be able to do what he did in the mindscape, he could probably do far worse now that he was outside. Though I felt I could be better off since, much like Dark, the mindscape was Anti's home field advantage. But if he still had those earrings which was the source of his powers, I still wouldn't stand a chance against him. All the more reason why I didn't want to take the risk.

I looked around, all around me was just grass, trees and greenery everywhere. As much as it would be a very big risk, what other choice did I have? So, I took a big leap of faith and started running. My legs picked up my body and I ran over to the trees. I didn't know where I was heading, but anywhere was better than staying there. I kept getting as much air in my lungs as I could, my eyes focused on the forest in front of me. I didn't look back as I entered into the woods.

I was sure I was deep enough into the woods when I stopped and caught my breath. I knelt over, taking deep gulps of air. My lungs were on fire and my legs were sore, but I didn't care. I was just happy to have finally gotten away from that cabin where I was held hostage. I looked behind me once I was able to breath normally. I didn't see those trailers and cabins anymore, nor did I see anyone following me, so that was a good thing. At least that meant I was pretty far out already. And I at least bought myself some distance between me and Anti, if he was still there. All that was behind me, or rather all around me, were trees, dirt and many sticks.

I let my body lean against a tree, to try and rest my legs a bit. I looked up at the sky, seeing if I still had some daylight to burn. It was still light out, but a lot of it was being covered by the leaves and branches as well as the clouds. Thankfully, I could still see, so it wasn't completely dark out. However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to last long out in the wilderness alone with little to no supplies. I checked over my pockets and outfit, seeing if I had anything on me that could help. Of course, I doubted I did, since I was certain if I did I would have used such tools to help me before. I didn't have a phone, didn't have my wallet with my ID or cash. All I had were the clothes on my back and my glasses on my face. At least they were both intact. I wished I had my phone so I could have tried calling someone. Sadly, it seemed I didn't have that on me when I was kidnapped. Even if I did, chances are Anti either took it or corrupted it to the point it wouldn't work. I didn't see it in the cabin I was being held up in, so that was out of the question. At any rate, I would prefer my phone to have stayed home since that meant I wouldn't have to buy a new one and confront my sister about why I needed one. Sure, the idea of telling my sister I lost or broke my phone sounded like the least of my worries, but it made me optimistic that I could still get out of that mess I wounded up in. Not to mention the fact that even if I did have my phone and it was still working, I doubt I would have even gotten a signal, since no one has figured out a way to get bars in the woods for modern phones.

I tried to keep myself calm, and told myself that I didn't need my phone. I looked ahead of me, seeing plenty of arbory scenery ahead of me. My idea was that if I kept going straight, in one direction, I was bound to run into a civilization eventually. I highly doubted I was in the middle of nowhere, after all, if there were plenty of cabins and trailers in that area, there would have to have been some humans nearby. Though I still wasn't sure where I was, I had hoped that even if I wasn't in my home state, I was in an English-speaking country, because the only other language I knew was Spanish and a bit of Japanese. The Spanish I was rusty on since I didn't pay that much attention in class, and with Japanese, well… I couldn't even form a full sentence. Still, any human being that was not an alter ego or a corrupted glitch was a welcoming sight in my eyes. It would be pretty hard to get anyone's attention or any help with no ID or money on my end, but I would worry about that detail when I did find a small town or at least a gas station.

I stood back up, stretching my legs and arms. "Alright… it's just me and this open forest." I told myself. "Well, it was either this large area of trees and dirt, or staying back at the cabin and risking being tormented by Antisepticeye… granted, maybe I should have thought it through a bit more, but, can't take any chances. I need to find some sort of human establishment if I have any hope of getting home." I took in another deep breath, calming myself. "No need to panic, you got this Cosmo. After all, you went camping before. Granted, that was back when I was in second grade and I camped out in an RV… but I'm still counting it as experience!" I shook my head, pumping my fist in the air with determination. "It won't be so bad… I mean, how big can this forest be anyways." I rolled my eyes as I started walking through the trees.

I kept going in one direction, a straight line. If I only go one way, I was bound to get somewhere. I just needed some sort of sign that was human made, like a stretch of road or some camping area. If I could follow that, I would be close to humans and they could help me get back home. I kept that hope that I would be able to find such places and I could put that nightmare behind me. As I walked, I tried to think over what I was going to do when I did get back home. I needed something to distract myself as I walked around the woods, since it seemed to have dragged on forever.

I didn't know how long I had been gone from my house, but it couldn't have been more than a day? I couldn't tell since I had been out for a very long time. Plus I didn't have any indication of time, so however long I was out was beyond me. I would figure out how long I was gone the first chance I got. The main concern was how would I deal with everyone when I got back? I could only imagine my sisters would be over exaggerating about me being gone for so long with no contact. I estimated that they would be asking me many questions. Either I lied to them and put myself into trouble, or I told them the truth and would give them panic attacks. It was hard to weigh the options and the consequences. I still didn't tell them about Dark, so if I told them about Anti, no doubt they would try to take me away and who knows what either of them would do.

Now that I thought about it… what was I going to tell Darkiplier? Surely he must have noticed I was gone or at least noticed I wasn't there. After all, it was the beginning of the weekend before I was abducted and I was taken late at night. I wondered if he noticed my absence at the house by now. Surely he would have noticed the broken glass from the screen door where Anti had crashed into. Something else I would have to explain to my sisters in order to repair it. Though that being said, I wondered if Dark would worry if he knew I wasn't there and noticed signs of an intruder. Well, I'm sure he wouldn't be worried about me, but he would most likely try to find me. At least, I hoped he would. I actually wished he was here right at that moment to help me get out of the forest. At least if Anti did try to attack me again, he would have been distracted with Dark because he would have taken care of him for me. Though now that I think about it, perhaps it was better that Dark wouldn't attack Anti. If Anti was possessing Sean, then any damage the glitch received, it would be transferred to the body and if Dark would kill the other demon, he could kill the YouTuber himself! That meant that if Dark got killed, Mark would end up dying as well. Perhaps being on my own was a blessing, though I still needed to find my way out of the trees.

It felt like I had been walking for hours, my legs were starting to get sore and it began to grow slightly darker as the amount of steps I took increased. As long as I still had daylight, I should have been fine. I prayed I would get out of this place before nightfall at least. I didn't have a flashlight, a weapon, or any sort of tools to help me in the wild. I wasn't one for hiking or forest expeditions. Now that I think about it, I don't think I even liked that camping experience. I guess that's what I get for being an indoors introvert. I loved the beauty of nature and the florals, but only from a distance and in small doses. The worst part was that if I wandered around while it was still dark, I wouldn't be able to see my way and have a run in with some not so friendly nocturnal hunters.

"How big can these forets possibly be?" I whined, using the trunks of the trees to keep my tired body steady. I was surprised I didn't find some human signs of any trails at this point. Not even a paved path or any man-made banners. All the trees were too big and thick so it covered most of the sky. So much for trying to find my way above me. I had to keep going though, I didn't have any other choices. I was sure too far gone from that cabin to turn back. Even if I did go back, Anti was sure to be waiting for me. And that was a fate I would rather avoid at all costs. I eventually came to a stop, leaning against a large oak tree and panted. I had walked for so long, and though it felt I covered much distance wise, I felt like I was running in circles. I didn't make any progress and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep going before nightfall. My legs were already tired enough, and I was sure I lost at least two pounds from that hike alone. I could already feel myself getting sweaty and the mild warm air did not help my situation.

I stood there, taking in nature. Or rather, I let nature take me in. Right now, the trees were my only shelter, though it was very little. Even so, I didn't have the strength in me to climb up on one and rest in the branch if I had to. Not to mention there were the fact that wood could be housing some ticks. Thinking about that alone made me jump away from the tree I was leaning against. I shook my head and tried to focus again. I couldn't give up now, if I did, I would be given a fate worse than death. I closed my eyes, then began to take in a few deep breaths. I needed to clear my mind before I could begin to move. Taking in the scent of the wilderness around me was pretty pleasant and helped calm me down. I could smell the dew on the lush grass, the pollen of the wild flowers and the crisp air of this clear day, at least what was left of it. My ear even began to pick up some sounds, but not much at first. Just the soft breeze of the wind and… the rushing of… water.

Instantly, my eyes opened up and I looked around. I began walking in the direction my ears were ringing from. It felt too good to be true as I kept hearing the splashes of the liquid. I may not have been a survival hunter, but I did pick up a few things whenever I watched my brother watching an episode of those man vs. wild series. One of them was that if you followed the sound of water, it would mean you are close to a civilization. My feet soon brought me to a small river bank. It wasn't that wide, but the water was going pretty fast with a semi-strong current. Sure, it probably wouldn't lead me to a large city, but if I followed the stream, I was certain to run into some area that was man made. That river was my only chance of getting out of the forest, so I had to take it. I began following the water, keeping my distances but at the same time, staying as close as I could.

Eventually, my search brought me to a pond that had many stones and moss covering the outer edge. The pond was much wider, but couldn't tell how deep it was. Certainly not deep to submerge my whole body. I looked around the pond to see where I was now, surrounded by more trees and bushes. I gave an annoyed sigh, should have figured it was too good to be true. Then again, such a small stream probably wouldn't have led me anywhere too grand. Before I gave up all hope, I spotted something in the distance. What appeared to have been a red chair sitting on the ground. Curiosity got the better of me and I walked over to it, wondering what a man made object was doing out in the middle of the woods.

The closer I got to it, the more I was able to see. It turned out that there wasn't just a lawn chair, but there were also tents of different colors, a blue cooler, a firepit and more camper gear. When I saw the area, I realized that it must have been a camping site. A smile spread across my face, as I ran over to it, I felt like I could get somewhere. Hopefully the people would still be there and they could tell me where I was and maybe even help me get home. "Hello?" I called out, heading closer to the campsite. I wanted to make sure that the people were still there, so I had to call out for them. "Is anyone… there?" I stopped walking, looking over the area now that I was much closer. Upon further inspection of the small space, I noticed some unsettling features. The tents had tears in the cloth, and some of them had even fallen from where they were positioned, broken and unusable now. The lawn chairs were also in a much poorer condition, with the fabric being torn up and the poles bent out of proportion. Some of them laid on the ground in pieces. The cooler was also knocked to the dirt as food and beverages were scattered around in a puddle of melted ice. I may not have been hungry, but even if I was, I wouldn't be desperate enough to salvage what was laying there.

I walked around, checking the damage and practically felt my heart racing at what was around me. "What the hell?" I muttered, looking at everything that was broken. I went over to the fire pit to check and see if perhaps a fire was recently lit. I noticed that some embers were still living within the charred wood, only a few, but some nonetheless. "Looks like there was a fire recently… that meant someone was here." I took another look around the campsite, letting out a defeated sigh. "Doesn't look like they are here now though." So much for getting any help from an actual human. Still, I couldn't call it a defeat yet. If this is where someone had been camping, that must mean I was near a campground. I walked around the rest of the place first, just to figure out some more clues or indication on where to go next. I should have left sooner, but I didn't see the signs.

When I saw the tears in the tent, I noticed that they resembled claw marks. Instantly, I shuddered. "Must have been a wild animal. Probably a bear from the claw marks alone. Hopefully like the residence, it's also gone." I didn't even consider the possibility of running into wild animals out in the woods. I knew they existed in environments such as these, but running into one wasn't something that crossed my mind until that point. I was pretty big on the meat side, since I was a bit plump, so I would make for a decent meal to a hungry animal. I prayed I wouldn't have a run in with such beasts, and if I did that they wouldn't be starving.

I went over to the cooler next, wondering what was in there. Some bottles of water, beef jerky, a few fruit bars, nothing too fancy. Pretty much everything had been torn out of wrappers or bags and chewed up. "Guess that food must have attracted that animal that caused all of this damage." I guessed. "Must have been pretty desperate to grab a snack from a campsite." As I said that, my stomach started to growl slightly. I held onto my guts and bit my lip. Of course now of all times I had to become hungry. Then again, I didn't exactly eat anything before I got kidnapped and dragged to that cabin. I was tempted to try and get what I could from the cooler, but looking back now, there wasn't even a crumb left behind. I made a promise to myself that when I got out of those woods, I would try and find myself something to eat.

As I backed away from the cooler, I started to notice something else that was around the food, the tent, and even the broken chairs. Trails of dried stains the colored red were all over the camping area. I took a few steps back, realizing that it must have been blood, based on the pattern that looked like claw marks and even the shade of the color. "Holy shit… Did that animal do all of this?" My feet kept backing away from the scene. The alarms in my mind started ringing as I stared at what seemed like a crime scene. I had heard stories about camping experiences where a wild animal like a bear or a wolf would attack campers, but tales like that were very rare, especially in modern days. Even so, nothing could have compared to what I had seen. I hoped that whoever was camping in that location had managed to get out of there, and that the blood wasn't from a human, but rather from another animal that tried to get into the snacks. I know it didn't sound any better, but I also wanted to believe that whatever had caused such a mess was no longer near where I was.

My mind was telling me to run, to get away from the scene. Finally, my body officially listened to it, so I began to slowly back away. Clearly there was nothing there for me to salvage. I didn't want to stay longer, in case whatever had caused such damage was still around. So my feet picked themselves up and walked away. So much for finding some help to get me back home. Then again, I was grateful that I didn't end up like the ones that had been attacked. I still hoped that the people of that campsite had managed to get out alive, but I was never sure even to this day. The one good thing I was able to confirm was that if there was a camping setup, that might mean there was some sort of human made area up ahead. Like more camping sites or even a road leading me to a town. Whatever was going my way, I had to take it. I considered that bloody mess back there as a sign leading me in the right direction. I had to keep my head high, my feet moving and my guard up if I was going to survive. At least I still had a bit of sunlight left, so I could see and reach civilization before dark.

"Okay Kate, you can do this." I gave myself a pep talk while I was still walking through the forest. "At least you know for a fact that there are some people that camp or hike in these woods, which means some sort of town or city can't be far behind. I'm sure if I keep going on ahead, I'll run into something or someone." Sure, they say that talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity. But then again, a crazy person wouldn't admit they were crazy. I may not have been the most stable at the time, however, given everything I had witnessed (Even if it was in a dream like mindscape) and walking around the woods all by myself, I didn't see anyone judging me. Talking to myself did help calm me down, even if it was only a little bit. I kept on going, putting on a brave smile in the hopes that I would make it out alive and back home before anyone worries about me.

As I walked on through the twigs and leaves on the ground, my ears picked up the faint sound of snapping branches. I thought it was me at first, since I did step on a few of those as I made my way through the trees. Still, I stopped and made sure. I paused, listening again, and sure enough I could hear crunching of the dirt. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I heard the thudding in the ground getting louder and closer. I had this strange urge to stay where I was and to wait for whoever was making that noise come to me. That feeling only lasted for a minute, since I had watched so many horror movies I already knew what was coming my way. It would have been too good to have been true that some human was coming my way to help me out. My body reacted once again, turning to where I was headed and rushed over onto the path, walking briskly though not yet running. At least, not until I heard the clear howls in the distance. That was when my feet picked up the pace and I was officially racing through the woods.

My lungs were fighting to gather air as I ran, trying to get as far away from whatever was causing such a noise. I knew I would have ran into a wild animal eventually, but I at least begged that it would have been something harmless like a rabbit or a squirrel. I didn't expect some sort of wolf to be chasing me. I was certain it had to have been a wolf, because no trained dog howled in the presence of a human. I didn't want to risk it, I didn't want to take my chances with a wild animal that was a meat eater. Branches flung at me, so I did my best to move them out of the way before they hit my face. I was sure I wasn't even on the path anymore, but I didn't care where I was heading so long as the thing chasing behind me didn't follow. My legs were on fire from the walking alone, but they cried out in pain with the extra speed I was going. I didn't give them a choice, this was my life we were talking about, so I had to keep going. I may not have been the most athletic, but if it was a matter of life of death, my instincts kicked in.

My brain decided that it was the best time to look behind me and see if whatever was chasing me was close on my tail. I already knew it was a dumb choice, one that would cost anyone's life in a movie. Even so, part of me still wanted to make sure. So, I quickly turned my head while my body was on autodrive as my eyes looked behind me. I couldn't see anything that was following me, then again I could hardly get a good view of what was in the back. Everything was a blur while I ran ahead, so it was hard for me to get a good look at anything. Before I could turn my head back around, my foot caught in what I believe to have been a root from a tree. I didn't get enough time to gather my balance as I was caught in the trap and stumbled down. When I fell, I tumbled down a large edge, causing me to roll on the decline plain while hitting many parts of my body. I winced in pain as I kept rolling, until I reached the ground and everything went black for me once again.

I had awoken in a bruised daze, my face in the dirt as my head spun around. With a grody noise, I attempted to get up. It was difficult at first, because my muscles ache from the impact I had received when I had fallen from that small cliff. I forced myself onto my knees at least, despite being in a bit of pain. I looked around, trying to gather my surroundings so I knew where I was. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to have changed other than the lighting. The area around me had grown much darker, to the point I could barely see my own hand in front of my face. I looked up to the sky, seeing the trees covering a star filled blanket. So much for getting out of the forest before nightfall. As if that wasn't bad enough, I wasn't even sure where I was at that point. Everything looked the same and the dark made it far worse.

I looked at my body to check if I had any damage done to me. I could hardly tell because of the lighting, but if I had to guess, I only had a few scrapes and dirt patches. Nothing too serious, thankfully. I didn't hear any noises that were beast nor human, so that meant I was still on my own, which was both good and bad. So to recap, I was lost in the woods in an unknown location after escaping from a cabin. A place where I was locked away by another demon who went by Antisepticeye. I was in the middle of nowhere, with no tools, no sense of direction and no idea where to go or what to do. I was hurt, it was night now and I had a low chance of survival at that point. I had never been more scared than I was at that moment. Part of me wanted to just curl up and lay on the ground. Crying my eyes out just waiting for the torment to be over. I would have either attracted a wild animal or Anti himself if I had done that.

I stood up on my feet, wobbling a bit as I was trying to find my balance. I didn't know why I was trying at that point. I had no idea where I was going, I doubt I could even survive a night in the woods without the proper equipment and I could hardly see where I was or where I was going. I hugged myself, rubbing my arms to try and give me external warmth. I was nervous, fearful, and pathetic. I had nothing and it was either I continued to walk aimlessly ahead with no clear path, or stay where I was and risk being killed by whatever was in the woods. Really, there were two outcomes only. I was starting to lose hope, believing I would never get out of the forest and spend what was left of my life running until what was chasing me would catch up. I was just a mouse in a maze at this point, with many cats that were trying to get to me.

I gave a sniffle, my eyes ready to cry tears as my emotions were ready to burst out like a dam. That was, until I heard the rustling of leaves nearby. My heart skipped a beat and my head whipped around to try and locate that sound. I saw bushes moving aside as a tall figure appeared from the greenery, approaching me. At first, I wanted to scream. My feet were frozen to the ground, and I was certain that the one that had found me was a demon that planned on taking me out. Then… hope began to fill me once again as I saw who it really was that stood over me.