Hey Readers, guess what? I'm back with another drabble-ish oneshot! This was nagging me for a couple of days and I finally got it all out on paper. What's really strange is that it totally didn't start out like this. I was just obsessed with the idea of using the first three sentences, and this is what came of that. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I think I have a blanket one of these somewhere, but can't remember and am too lazy to look right now. But if I owned anything then I totally would have no reason to be posting here, so my ownership status should be obvious to everyone.

Spoilers: A bit for TUE, but not a lot. You don't have to have seen it for this to make sense, and it won't really ruin anything for you if you haven't seen it. I personally have yet to see most of season three, as it aired while I was out of town and I didn't have a chance to watch them later. (And yes, I know TUE is from season two, but I decided to add that in here anyway).

I can't stop, can't let him catch me. My feet slap against the hard ground, sending jolts through my tired body with every step. I'm exhausted and know I can't keep this up for much longer, but am terrified of what will happen if I am unable to get away.

It all started with a single explosion. An accident, really. The main problem with this particular explosion was that, rather than the ones that have become a normal occurrence around my house, this one destroyed a whole building in a matter of seconds. The structure was consumed by a raging fireball, completely vaporizing everything–and everyone–within. Including everyone who I've ever been close to, all the people in whom I have confided my deepest secrets.

The sudden loss of everyone who ever cared about me was too much of a blow for me to handle. Still reeling from the initial shock of realizing that they really weren't coming back, I did something drastic, and I wish with every fiber of my being that I could take it back. I know it didn't really happen in this timeline, but the potential is still there, lurking beneath the surface, threatening to emerge.

I've been making every possible attempt to push back the evil that I know is within me, but it's getting harder with every passing day. Every time I tell another lie to my parents or teachers about where I've been, every time I think dark thoughts about bullies while confined to the cramped quarters of my locker, every time I'm in the middle of a heated fight and begin to enjoy beating my opponent into submission…

I've faced my inner evil, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying. Because this time, the evil is not manifested in a flesh-and-blood form that I can beat back physically… this time it's encroaching on my mind, pushing away my willpower and strength to resist. It's much harder to fight something when it's already in your brain, when you know it would be so much easier to just give in, when you begin to not care.

I do care. Every time I look at my friends or family I am reminded of why I'm still fighting. They're here to keep me grounded, to force my thoughts into clarity, to make me acknowledge how many reasons I have to keep up the struggle. What makes this really frightening is the fact that I know that, despite them, I'm still beginning to lose.

This is why I'm sprinting through the darkness, twisting through the winding pathways, taking corners as quickly as I dare. I'm petrified and know that he's been drawing steadily closer, that I really have no chance of getting away.

For who can truly escape from themselves?

If that was a bit hard to understand, he's running through his mind, trying to escape the evil that's attempting to destroy him. Or something like that. Even I'm not completely sure ;)

I love reviews, so feel free to drop me one if you liked this. Something more substantial than, "This was good" or "I liked it" would be appreciated, but is by no means necessary. It does help me if I know what you liked and didn't like about it, because that way I know what I can change in the future and will (hopefully) become a better writer through it.

...I just realized that the author's notes nearly doubled the world length of this document. It went from 465 words to 848. :P