How long had he been here? A week? A month? A year? Time was endless in this Hell. All Marcus knew was his nose had stopped bleeding and had swelled, he was sure there was some kind of infection spreading because his eyes had become painful and he felt a numbness in his ears.

A Dementor had just finished attacking him but this time he felt more hollow inside than pained. He couldn't stop thinking about the very man in the cell next to him. What had happened when he saw him, what he said...it broke him.

"Dan?" Marcus said to the beaten young man before him. Dan stared at him with his empty eyes, as if he was trying to remember Marcus but couldn't. Marcus gave a faint smile "Daniel it's me! It's Mark." he said but he just shook his head.

"He abandoned me, I never fit in...I'm nothing." he muttered leaning against the wall staring at the bars of the cell.

Marcus shook his head "I never abandoned you Dan. I have been searching for you since I heard that you were missing!" he said but the other man was completely manic as he sat down. He put his hands against his face and screamed loudly, he screamed at nothing and soon it turned into sobs.

After a few minutes he lowered his hands and Dan started laughing hysterically "I mean...who would have thought...I ever had a chance of being more than nothing?!" he shouted towards Marcus who was close to tears. This was heartbreaking to watch, knowing that his closest friend was well passed the brink of madness. His eyes hollow, his stare vacant, and his mind gone.

"Dan, please remember me! Please hold on!" he said as he reached through the bars and tried to hold him. Dan jumped away and screamed at him, his eyes wild like a beast.

"No! It's a trick! It's always a trick! Stay away!" he screamed before curling up into a ball. Marcus felt like crying now as the man he once loved broke down in front of him.

Marcus sat down and put his face in his hands as he sobbed too.

The crying never stopped, Marcus felt weak, helpless, like a failure for not being able to protect Dan from this fate. He had to find some way out of this Hell on Earth. The door clicked open and a Dementor floated into the room, Marcus whimpered as he crawled away "Please! Please stop! I'm innocent! I've done nothing wrong!" he pleaded but it did not deter the specter as it approached him.

The creature attacked him and he could feel his happiness being ripped away, he saw nothing but sorrow in his life. He saw his father screaming at him about his scars, he saw Draco Malfoy laughing over him when he was injured, he saw Morgana dying by his hand...he saw Caleb dying in front of him.

Sobs racked through him as he experienced every one of those memories ten times over. The Dementor relented, and Marcus curled into a ball and cried quietly, was this all his life would be now? Just constant vicious attacks until death decided to be merciful and take him?

Marcus shivered violently from the freezing air drifting into his cell, he then remembered his powers and shifted into his wolf form, immediately he felt warmer. A small glimmer of joy in a never-ending Hell on Earth. As he curled into a ball the door creaked open again and a Dementor floated in, Marcus whimpered and backed away but then something happened...

The Dementor halted, it was so silent he could hear the hollow breaths of the creature. It floated into the cell momentarily as if looking around, then it turned and floated out of the cell and the door shut. Marcus was stunned, the Dementor had not seen him? Why? What had changed? Marcus felt a gust of wind hit his fur and that was when he realized that his animagus form was the difference! He was an animal! Dementors cannot detect animals as well as humans can! This was his chance! The opportunity he needed in order to escape!

But, he can't, at least he can't simply leave with Dan locked in here. He remained in his animagus form to stay warm and that he was worried he wouldn't have the energy to shift back if he was attacked. It appeared the doors had simple locked on them instead of keys given the sounds of locks shifting over tumblers turning. All he needed was to get on the other side of the door and he could unlock Dans cell and rescue him.

Would he be grateful though? Is Dan even there anymore? Would he even comprehend what was happening? That they were escaping?

No! No he had to rescue him regardless! Dan may be grateful he may not! He might attack Marcus as they are running but he didn't care about that! This man held his heart once and he would make sure that he survived and made it out of this godforsaken place!

Just then the door clicked open again and two Dementors entered the room, Marcus jumped into the corner nearest to the door. The two creatures floated in and Marcus quickly slipped out the door and kicked it shut, a bolt lock was on the other side and he jumped on his back legs and pushed the lock with his paws, sealing the Dementors in his cell and keeping them contained for now.

Marcus turned and found himself in a very small corridor that looked to be cracking and shaking as a storm raged outside. He saw the cell door next to his and did the same maneuver to unlock the cell, he heard a gasp and whimper behind the door as it slowly opened.

Dan was curled up in a ball and Marcus shifted back into a human and ran in "Dan! Dan! Come on! We have to get out of here!"

"Hopeless...all of it is."

"Dan please!"

"Just want...to give up..." he whispered.

"Daniel Barnes! Get your ass up or I will kick it out of Azkaban myself!" Marcus shouted with tears in his eyes, it seemed to jar the man back to some semblance of reality. Dan held his hand out and Marcus grabbed it and threw it over his shoulder before hauling Dan up to his feet.

"Come on, just lean on me! I'll get us out of here!" Marcus said as he helped Dan out of the cell and made their way down the tiny corridor. Marcus kept trying to collect his thoughts but the freezing temperature and raging storm outside made it so difficult for him to concentrate on how to escape.

Finally he found a set of stairs and slowly they descended the tower, however soon Marcus froze as the walls around them started to coat with frost. Dementors were rising towards them, he backed away and turned only to see the two Dementors from before approaching them from above. They were cornered, there was no way out! Suddenly a loud crack of lightning illuminated his shadow on the wall, he turned around to see a barred window facing the sea. He still felt so weak but he had no choice, it was either risk this chance trying to escape or be brought back and tortured for the rest of his life.

"Dan...if you are still in there, if some part of you is still sane...please listen to me. Hold on to my neck with all your strength, do not let go of me no matter what." Marcus whispered and while he wasn't sure if Dan understood him but his felt his grip on his shirt and neck tighten around Marcus.

Marcus raised his hands and brought them behind him pointed at the window.

"Bombarda!" he cried and the wall exploded, shrapnel shredded his back and legs but he remained standing as he grabbed Dan and they both jumped out of the large hole and towards the vicious unforgiving sea below.

Marcus held Dan close as a large wave rose up and they were hurtling right for the center of it! He closed his eyes and waited for the cold embrace of the water to kill them both.

It wasn't the coldness that hit him first, rather the pressure and strength of the current as they collided with the water. He felt air being ripped away from his lungs as he swirled around under the water losing every sense of direction, not knowing where the surface was or if he'd ever find it again.

He felt Dans grip loosen and Marcus quickly reached around Dans waist and held him close as the temperature of the water finally hit him, it was as if he was swimming in a meat locker. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness around him, he was floating in nothing but everlasting darkness.

Finally he saw a lightning bolt flash above him and he finally saw the surface of the ocean! He grabbed Dan and swam with all his might to try and reach it before he passed out. He felt so weak, every fiber of his being screaming for him to stop and give up but he couldn't.

After an eternity his head breached the water and he gulped in the air as he found himself in the middle of nowhere, not even Azkaban could be seen in this enormous storm. He was drifting, he was drifting in the ocean with a barely conscious man over his shoulder. Dan was still muttering incoherently and made no attempt to swim, he simply sobbed as Marcus felt his lungs burn while he swam with all the strength he had left.

After what felt like literal hours Marcus found himself unable to move, his arms wouldn't respond to him anymore. His vision kept tunneling at every breath and Dan was starting to slip from his grasp.

Suddenly he saw something beneath the waves, a dark shape was swimming below him. He took a very ragged breath as a large fin like shape cut through the ocean and then vanished below again, something was circling them.

A large shape slowly rose in front of Marcus and he paled even more than he already was as he saw a large sea serpent bare its fangs at him. The massive leviathan simply stared at him as Marcus felt himself start to sink into the depths, as the water reached his neck he remembered the sea dragons that fought at the citadel, he then recalled that saltwater sea serpents are generally more docile towards humans.

"Please...help me..." Marcus muttered before he felt his grip on Dan fail and his head fell under the water. He could feel the water invade his lungs as all of his strength left him.

The dark shape of the serpent appeared above him and then the only thing that his eyes could make out were the massive jaws as they opened and then closed fully around him. He felt gravity effect him as water drained out between the teeth, he gasped for air as his eyes fluttered open and he was staring at the slimy inside of the large serpents throat. He glanced to his left and found Dan laying down unconscious but alive as they rested on the forked tongue of the serpent. Marcus regained a minute amount of strength to glance up and see that the serpent was cutting through the waves at breakneck speeds, it was carrying the two men in its mouth like passengers not as food.

He gave a near manic laugh as he rested his head on Dans chest "We're gonna be okay...Dan...we're gonna be okay..." he said softly as he took Dans hand.

Eventually Marcus felt the serpent stop and the jaws opened wider and Marcus grabbed Dan as they fell right out of its mouth and hit sand face first. Marcus didn't even have the strength to cough and spit the sand out of his mouth. He glanced over and saw the serpent bow slightly before diving back into the murky depths of the sea.

He felt the heat of of the Sun shine on his skin and he couldn't help but smile as the warmth washed over him again. He wished he could enjoy it more but he was too tired, he had nothing left in him, he needed to sleep...he needed...he needed...

Marcus closed his eyes and the last thing he heard as his mind twisted was the sound of a large creature growling nearby. He wanted to worry, he wanted to protect Dan but he couldn't. He heard sand shift as something moved on it towards them, he heard sniffing as whatever it was examined them.

Then darkness took him.

REVIEW, SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT GUYS KINDA WENT ON HIATUS WITH THIS STORY LOL! PLEASE REVIEW HOW THIS CHAPTER IS!