One: Forests


I ran.

As hard and as fast as my legs would carry me.

I could hear them behind me, whopping, crashing, screaming – or was that my heart, racing away in my chest, my mind, screaming away in my head?

I didn't know.

All I knew was that –

I ran.

I had no idea where I was running, or what I was running in – something sloshed around my feet, heavy and sickening, things crunched and wriggled beneath me, something hairy brushed passed my arm, but I paid no attention to anything. All I wanted to do was run.

Away.

Away.

Away from the death.

As far away as possible.

I slipped. Fell into grimy, dirty water.

Stand back up and continue sprinting.

Chest burning.

Lungs heaving.

Head whirling.

Blood pumping.

Fear screeching.

Where was I going? Where was I going?

Darkness.

Slosh, slosh…

I ran.

Not turning around, never looking back – I had to get away from the screaming demons behind me. I had to… I had to –

Light.

Where?

Above!

Run.

Climb the stairs – push the cover out of the way and –

Freedom.

Air.

Stumble away.

Look around.

Where am I?

Nowhere.

Run.

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run…

I ran.

Don't give the farmer his fun, fun, fun…

Away from the shattered lights, away from the abandoned streets.

To the trees.

The trees.

The forest.

Safety.

Run.

Roots.

Trees.

Sticks.

Branches reaching out to grab me.

They tear at me.

Rip my clothing.

It was them all over again.

It was happening again.

Scream.

Run.

Hide.

Where!

HIDE.

Head spinning now.

Can't see.

Can't walk straight.

Why is everything going white?

(perri?)

Why can't I see?

Fading now…

Am I falling?

(steve?)

Sink to the ground.

Dizzy. Oh so dizzy.

Am I flying?

(…darren…?)

Black.

Cool, sweet, darkness.


I didn't know where I was. Or when it was.

Sometimes, I even began to doubt who I was.

I would wonder aimlessly, lost in the deep, cold forests of Germany, my growling stomach my only companion in the dark world. I just walked, with no idea in what direction I was heading in –

I just followed my feet.

Pretty strange, isn't it? Usually, a person is the one who controls their feet. I, however, did exactly as my feet told me, going wherever they wanted to go.

What can I say? I'd always been a sheep.

Baa.

As I walked through those long, lonely days, I thought. I thought of the past. Of the people I had met and loved and lost. Perri and Darren, for one. Even though I had known Perri for only a few weeks, she became a huge part of my life. She was beautiful, brilliant, bubbly, strong – everything I had wanted to be. Yet now she was gone. Killed by the person she hated so much.

And Steve had done nothing to save her.

Meanwhile, Darren… Darren. I missed him. As much as I… hated him… for ruining my life… I still missed him. With every bit of my heart. I knew he was out there, somewhere – was he thinking of me? Did he miss me as much as I missed him?

Needless to say, I got very lonely.

Lonely enough to create my own imaginary friend.

Meet Adrian. Watch out, he bites.

Down, boy.

I don't know how long I wandered for. It couldn't have been more than a few days – though, truthfully, it felt like the longest few days I had ever lived.

However, on what I think was the sixth morning, I awoke, feeling… different. Sickly. Like I was going to –

Vomit.

I rolled over and emptied my already empty stomach.

Needless to say, I knew I wasn't going to have a very good day.


I had just negotiated my way over a large fallen tree trunk when He appeared. I slipped over the tree, arguing with Adrian out loud – it was about something really philosophical, too.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

I was winning, of course.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know," the voice said from behind me. I whirled around, and in the process, got my legs tangled up. I ended up on the ground in a crumpled heap, while the voice continued on. "Or is it the second sign?"

I jumped to my feet, pushing my disheveled hair from my eyes to glare at the person who had startled me. He was a small man, rotund and cheerful-looking in a chubby favourite uncle sort of way, wearing a green suit and yellow wellies. He held an oddly shaped watch in one hand, one of those old pocket watches, and was smiling at me in an almost eerie way. Despite his cute appearance, there was something wrong about him. Something off. Something about that smile…

"Who are you?" I breathed, backing into the tree behind me. Something subtle happened to that smile of his. It was no longer just eerie… it was worse. A horrible, evil little smile.

"Oh, that doesn't matter at the moment," he said, stepping forward as well. He flipped the lid of his little watch shut and slipped it back into his pocket. "What is important, however…" He reached forward, touching my stomach. My shirt, ripped and torn, was thin, so I could feel his dry, cold hand. I felt sick.

His smile spread.

"Ah yes. Just as I expected."

I shuddered, pressing myself further against the tree. Before I could stop him, he reached forward and grabbed my arm roughly to look at my hand. I quickly yanked it back, but he had seen it. He knew. Even though I had covered them as best I could with strips of fabric, he could still see them, he knew, he knew, he knew…

"Who are you!" I asked again. His evil smile spread once more.

"Some call me a monster. I, however, prefer Mr. Tiny. Mr. Desmond Tiny."

I couldn't help but shiver.

"What do you want?" I whispered. He smiled.

"To feed you."

"Wha ?"

"Think quick!"

He threw something at me, and instinctively, I caught it. Blinking, I looked down into my hands to see an almost unfamiliar object. It took me a while to realize what it was.

An apple.

My stomach growled, and before I gave myself a chance to think, I bit into it savagely. It was only as I look up to see Mr. Tiny's sickly little smile did a thought occur to me.

"You've… poisoned it," I said, pulling the green apple away, yet at the same time unwilling to drop it. When you hadn't eaten food other than tiny berries for over seven days, you tend to grow attached to anything edible that you have in your hands.

Tiny chuckled. Once more, I shivered.

"Why ever would I poison it?" He asked. Then, reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a bag that looked too big to fit there, almost like Mary Poppins. He threw it towards me, and fumbling with my apple, I caught it with one hand. I glared at him. "Open it."

Still glaring, I gripped the apple with my teeth and ripped the bag open. Inside were two bottles, a loaf of bread and a block of cheese. Rooting around further I found a small but serviceable knife.

"Why are you giving me these?" I asked him suspiciously, the apple held in my hand now. He had been inspecting something on a nearby tree while I had searched the bag, and now stepped back, something clamped between two fingers. That horrible smile was still plastered to his face.

"Well, I can't let you die of starvation, can I?" Mr. Tiny said, sniffing the thing he held. With a dawning revulsion, I realized it was a bug of some sort. He chuckled to himself, studying the bug closely. "Can't let you ruin my plans that way."

"Your plans?"

As an answer, he put the bug into his mouth, and chewed.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I asked, taking a step towards him. Mr. Tiny shrugged.

"I can't tell you yet," he said, swallowing his meal. "That would ruin the surprise. By the way, I suggest you have a drink. Have the black bottle first."

Eying him suspiciously, I reached into the bag and pulled out the black bottle. The drink felt heavy as it sloshed around its container. Delicately, I cracked it open, and sniffed it.

And reeled in horror as a hot, coppery tang hit my nose.

I threw the bottle to the ground.

Heavy, crimson liquid oozed from the bottle, immediately soaking into the soil.

Mr. Tiny tutted softly.

"Now, that was very ungrateful of you," he said softly, menacingly.

"I am not going to drink blood," I replied. He smiled again.

"Ah, but my dear, you will have to one day. You are a vampaneze now – a creature of the night. You survive on blood – there's no escaping it," he said. I leaned back onto the tree again, shaking my head slowly.

"No. No. I refuse. What then?"

"Then you will die," he told me evenly. He smirked slightly, as if a pleasant thought occurred to him. "But then, there's always the chance that you will go crazy and kill someone first."

"I won't. I won't. I'm not evil. I don't kill," I said softly.

"But you will," he smiled. "You will kill. It's your… destiny."

I glared at him.

"What if I don't want my destiny?"

"You can't escape Destiny."

"Yes I can."

Des Tiny smirked, then paused, pulling out his odd little watch and flipping it open.

"Hmm. Well, then. Good luck on trying to change your destiny, my dear – you're going to need it," he said, slipping his watch back into his pocket. "If you follow the sun for the next two days, you will find your way out of this forest."

He stepped back lightly, that evil little smile still on his face.

"Don't get yourself killed, Annie Shan," he said. "I will be very disappointed if you do."

"Why?" I growled.

"Because."

Evil grin.

"You are holding something that can destroy the world."

Then he disappeared into the shadows of the trees. When I raced forward to follow him –

He was gone.

Leaving me alone, once more.

The little voice of Adrian mocked me in the back of my mind.

I felt like vomiting again.


A.N Finally! It took me a while to update – I'm sorry! I forgot about my self-promise to update something at least weekly – one chapter of this or Steve's, and a drabble. Every week. I'll try. I've got a drabble in the process of being written, and another idea for next week's… Hehe. So fun.

DelicoSirius is my favourite character too! Then that evil bleach haired bitch did that to him… How could she write off our favourite character! HOW COULD SHE! EVIL WOMAN! EVIL! Hehe, and I'm glad you like my Annie – I've grown quite attached to her myself. She's so much cooler than the books' Annie. That take, Mr. O'Shaughnessy!

And some random pimpage: If you are a dirty-minded child like myself, then go to my profile, and look for a list of three links. The second one is called 'The Darren Shan Dirt Forum'. Go there! AND ALLOW IT TO THRIVE! MWUAHAHAHA!


Next Chapter:

Two: One Second of Insanity

It had me.

The craze.

I couldn't stop myself.

A misty veil of thick velvety crimson had encompassed me.

Enveloped me.

Sinking itself into the crevices of my mind.

Completely controlling me.

I couldn't stop.

The man fell down.

Scrambled.

Tried to get away.

But I didn't let him.

He was mine.

And I was hungry.

Oh… so…

Hungry.