"HANSEL!"
Hansel instinctively gripped the knife in his side. He was barely aware of the floor rising up to meet him as the witch tossed him down to the witch lair below. A coldness was beginning to flow through him, starting at his limbs and making its way to the pool of warmth around the wound.
Somewhere in his fleeting consciousness, he knew he was dying. They always knew that this was something that could happen. Hell, it almost did at their first encounter. Somehow, even after all his close calls, he wasn't ready.
It wasn't supposed to end like this. The witches still had the children, were about to start some witchy form of the end of the world, and worst of all, they had his sister. Gretel…damnit. Despite everything, it was failing her that hurt the most. Her scream still echoed in his ears. The look on her face stared at him as his eyes fluttered shut.
Then, it was gone.
All of it: the pain, the coldness, even the last remains of his sister's memory- all gone. And in their place was..nothing.
Almost like a weight was lifted off them, his eyes flew open. Or at least he thought they did. Everything around him was black. Somehow, he was on his feet and shuffling forward. There was something ahead, something he had to get to.
A soft light appeared in the furthest point of his vision. It was warm, and friendly, almost welcoming. It was wonderful, uplifting, prefect. The feelings were interrupted by a strange but familiar pressure on his shoulder.
"No, not again." That voice was almost too lifelike, too familiar to be real.
The shadow moved in front of him, blocking the light. Hansel brought his eyes up to glare at the figure. What gave them the right to keep him from going reaching the warmth that was waiting for him?
"It's not your time yet." The voice answered right on cue, as though they were inside his head. "You still have things to do, remember?"
It all came back as suddenly as it left. His head pounded as the memories flooded back all at once. The town, the witches, the kids, the house-"Gretel!"
"Yes, Gretel. Your sister needs you." The man, now more recognizably human as the light behind him began to fade, rose a hand to point back into the black void.
Hansel didn't waste any time running back in that direction. There would be time to rest later. Now, now he was needed more than ever. He turned back once to send his gratitude but his blood ran cold at the sight.
The man behind him was in simple outdoors clothing, holding a lantern that was almost as bright as his smile. Not a day's difference since that night in the woods. "Father?"
"Set their asses on fire for me." Just like their last memory, Hansel watched his father blow out the lantern and leave him alone in dark. Only this time, he didn't feel abandoned.
Though, it might've been because of the coldness that came back to his limbs. His head spun and as much as he tried to fight it, he began to lose consciousness again. Falling was the last thing he felt before his eyes shut.
Then there was only light.