-Severus Snape-
I sat with the other Death Eaters; Voldemort and Jacklyn weren't to be seen. I had the worst feeling of disgust that he was doing more than sleeping late in his private bed chambers. How degrading.

I hated Voldemort as well as his wench, but I kept quiet. I had told the girl of my hate for her, but Voldemort I did not dare say a word to. He could read me like a book, and if so much as a "Hello, master," escaped my lips, he would know for sure that I was planning on ditching him this day when we went out on our raids.

Yes, I was to be free! Away from him, against him, and if I'm lucky, I will kill him one day. He'll see what I think of him very soon! Nobody disrespects me and gets away with it, and he knows that he has pushed my anger to the top. I hate how he toys with me, how he taunts and mocks, as he does to the others but they cannot SEE! They don't open their eyes to what is happening around them! How can they stand being treated like that?

The dreams I once had are down the drain! They mean nothing to me after I have felt the power, after I know what I'm up against! Voldemort doesn't care about any of us! He only cares about his own power, and it doesn't matter to him what we try to get out of it.

Footsteps. They had finally come.

"Master," the Death Eaters swooned one by one, silencing their incoherent babble and parting for him and his girl to make their way past us to the end of the table, where they both sat.

I gave the girl an icy glare, and she stared calmly back into my eyes. I was going to kill her, I was going to KILL her! And please, let it do me two favors! Let it finally shut the fool up, and hurt Voldemort! Let it hurt Voldemort as he'd never been hurt before, because I know now that he loves the bitch! For one such as himself, I would think that the signs wouldn't be as obvious. Of course he hides his feelings well, but not well enough for me not to detect it.

His love is bad. It means that there is no hope for the other Death Eaters. That one emotion was what separated us from the good. I won't be part of this confusing bunch, or the good guys. I will be one by myself, and alone, I will be a terrible force. I will be the only true evil!

Oh, me; how wrong I be.

* * * * * * * * * *

"STUPEFY!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

"CRUCIO!"

The shouts of the Death Eaters that I could hear were hardly a whisper against the cries of the muggles we were attacking in a town that was the choice fun for that lazy afternoon. Of course, torturing muggles was the last thing on my mind. I had a job to do, and I was going to go through with it. This was the time of truth; how brave could I be?

Apparating and disapparating around the town, to make sure that I looked as if I were as busy as the others, I searched for Voldemort, who had, as usual, disappeared with Jacklyn. I was filled with many different feelings; hate, disgust, thrill... Revenge is sweet. I had to pay Voldemort back for insulting me. I had to find him. I apparated to a part of the countryside, the cries from the town muffled by distance.

"Where are you, you impulsive devil?" I whispered quietly to myself, scanning the landscape for any sign of life besides what was coming from the town. And suddenly, I spotted two figures, about fifty yards away, materialize. Holding my wand tightly in a death grip and ready for action, I apparated to the spot where the evil master stood.

Voldemort and Jacklyn didn't even seem surprised that I was there, that I had scouted them out. All I did for a few seconds, was stare at each of them in turn, as they both bore their eyes into me.

"Snape," Voldemort said in a low voice, finally. "What are you doing? Get back to the town."

"I will not," I replied softly. Jacklyn smirked and tightened her grip on Voldemort's arm assuringly.

"You dare talk to your master that way?" he asked dangerously.

"You..." I said, trailing off, my confidence leaving me. For a split second, I wondered what I was doing there. Why didn't I obey him? He could kill me in an instant. "You are not my master," I finished, brandishing my wand.

"Not your master, hmmm...?" Voldemort asked quietly. I knew what was coming, and could barely see his hand leave his side as he drew his wand, and in an instant, it was flung into my face. "Not your master, Snape. That's too bad. And you showed such PROMISE." He said this in the most mocking way possible, and, fearlessly, I tipped my wand under Voldemort's nose.

He gave a piercing laugh that almost shattered my courage, but I held steady.

"And what do you plan to do, Snape!?" Voldemort crowed as Jacklyn snuggled closer to him and lowered her eyebrows at me, smirking still. "Kill me!? You're a fool! A damn fool! If you lower your wand now, I will kill you quickly!"

"Do I wish to kill you now?" I asked him, smirking back the best I could under such circumstances. "No. Not now. But soon."

"Oh, such brave words for a fool!" Voldemort cackled, shaking from laughter but his wand hand held as if in stone.

"Because first, I'm going to kill your fucking SPIRIT!" I spat. And with a force and speed I didn't know I even had in me at the time, I pointed my wand at the girl and shouted her happy requiem. For one moment I could freeze in my head forever on, I saw the shock on Voldemort's face. The sick look on the girl's. And I knew that this was the end of a lot of things. The end of peace. The end of safety. I was tearing up the contract! I was no longer his!

"AVADA KADAVARA!" I bellowed.

My voice bounced off the hills and reached the sky. There was a blinding green flash, and then a body hit the ground.

Silence.

Voldemort stood, so outraged that the girl was dead, that he could not even speak. Veins stood out on his neck, his eyes bulged, his teeth clenched so hard I thought they would break; and the power that radiated from him was so enormous I was almost blown back. My courage melted away to nothing, and I stood, petrified to the spot where I could not move from, for Voldemort's unholy power was so great, I could not ever comprehend... I had never felt such inhumane force! Of all the time I had been his Death Eater, he had not shown me the slightest PEAK of his terrible power! This was enormous, this was terrifying, and suicidal! I was dead for sure! He would, no doubt, win this war! He would, he WOULD! Nobody was a match for him!

"You destroyed - my only link to - DUMBLEDORE!" he shouted, his power definitely flaring even more, so angry that his words weren't connected. But; link to Dumbledore? What was he talking about?

"She - my ONLY - I could have won so soon - but you - you -" he blurted with rage. And then it hit me! He was using her! She must have known something about Dumbledore and he had been USING her! Like he was using everyone else! He did not love her, no, that was one mistake on my part... But by killing her, I had accomplished more than I thought I would have! How horrifying, but how extremely clever of me for killing the girl!

In his extreme anger, Voldemort forgot to think, and dropped his wand, lunging for my neck.

Of course I could not even see Voldemort come at me, and so wondered how I had ended up on the ground. My brain worked slowly in my terror, and I realized far too late that the evil lord was strangling me.

"Hell, hell, I'm going to die!" I thought dreadfully to myself, unable to even utter the normal choking noises. He had completely blocked off my air, and my neck was twisting at an odd angle. I don't think he was going to kill me by lack of air; he was going to snap my neck! I began to see spots, and fell weak against Voldemort's abominable power.

I had almost completely forgotten about the wand I still held with a death grip, and with my last ounce of strength I had in me, fighting for my life, I pointed it at me and apparated away from Voldemort as far away from him as I could.

I was weak; I could only have gotten thirty miles at the most. But Voldemort had no way of knowing where I was; hell, I didn't know where I was! I was lucky enough escaping from the madman! As I tumbled to the ground, I let my wand drop from my grasp, gasping and falling into the awaiting arms of unconsciousness...