~Sam's POV~

It's just a dream, I know it, but I choke back a sob anyways. He's staring at me, but his eyes are gone. He's laughing as he drags me along with him. I want to scream at him to let me go, to leave me alone, but he just laughs louder as he drags me deeper into the lake. The lake.

I can't breath, something's wrong. Help me.

'Joshua, wake me up!'

~Eavesdropper's POV~

I stopped that night with a gallon of water and and bottle of pills in my hand. I set the gallon down quietly then began searching for the pills Sammy was giving her little brother, finally realizing they were in her pocket.

As I knelt beside her, slowly reaching into her pocket, she didn't move. Even when I slipped and shook her slightly, she didn't move at all. In fact, it didn't look like she was breathing either. I rolled her over slightly, trying to get her to shift even a little.

"Hey," I whispered as I stared down at her, but she just continued to sleep. A drizzle of blood made it's way out of her nose and down the side of her cheek. It continued bleeding as I shook her slightly, trying to wake her. She wouldn't, though. I laid her down and grabbed the water, opening it and dumping some of it on her face. She still didn't wake up, but Josh did.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" He yelled at me, but I just continued trying to wake up the girl.

"Your s-sister won't w-wake up."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I-I..." I trailed off as I took off her hat, seeing her hair was matted in dried blood and a large cut in the side of her head. "We n-need to g-get her help o-or she may-y not wa-wake up again."

The boy just stared at me as I picked up his sister.

"Follow me."

~Josh's POV~

She promised not to leave me. I will hold her to that promise. She will not leave me here in this world. I don't want to be alone. I began crying as I followed closely behind the masked man.

"D-don't cry k-k-kid, it's going t-to be fine."

I just quieted my crying as we ran into the woods. It felt like forever as we ran, my mind wandering to where we were going. I'd been asleep when Sammy brought me out here, so I don't know the way out. Perhaps he knows the way to a hospital, but, if they did help her, would they separate us like Sammy said?

"S-sir! Not a hospital, Sammy would never forgive me!"

"W-we aren't-t going t-to a hos-p-p-pital, but why w-wouldn't she f-forgive you."

"She says if we get caught by the police and stuff, they'll separate us and we might not get to see each other again."

We continued running in silence for awhile until he stopped suddenly. I nearly ran into him. I followed his gaze towards the trees, only to see a tall man standing there. He was so big! And he had no face! He was like a tree, tall and slender and unreadable.

"What is this, Hoodie."

The masked man, who must've been Hoodie, didn't respond. After a moment, he turned to me, then took a few steps back. The tall man stood in front of me, reaching out to me. I stepped away as his hands turned into claws and his faceless expression grew a mouth with sharp teeth and a long tongue. I did the only thing a rational person would do.

I screamed.

~Sam's POV~

At the sound of my brother's scream, my eyes flung open and I jumped out of the man's arms, stepping between my boy and the danger.

"Don't...touch him." I swayed as I stood. I must've been hallucinating, because it looked like a tall featureless being wearing a suit with claws and black tentacles coming out of his back was about to attack my brother.

"Sammy, he's a monster!" I didn't turn away from the monster as my brother sobbed behind me.

"...I..." My knees shook as the slender man's claws turned back into hands and his tentacles disappeared behind him. I wanted to sit or throw up as my head throbbed, but I couldn't. My brother needed me to stay, I had to protect him. "...Please...don't hurt him..."

I collapsed to my knees as I felt my nose begin to bleed. My head was spinning, making the man look like a blur. "Please...I'll do anything..."

"Sammy!" My boy was still sobbing behind me, but I could barely hear him. I felt arms wrap around me as the slender man picked me up.

"Do we...have a deal?"

"Yes."

I lost consciousness as the man held me in his arms and my brother screamed for me.