Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't own a house, a cat, an inguana not even a college degree and I sure as hell don't own Being Human.

So this chapter takes place after "How Things End" but the rest of the story will take place before "How Things End" and this chapter. Basically this is a big 'ole flashback.

If you haven't read "How Things End" that's cool. You're a smarty, I can tell. I'm sure that you can pick up what's happening here without reading it.

And that's all I have to say.

Happy reading lovelies.

Annie remembered many things. She remembered many people and many places; all of them were gone now. All of them had been burned away. George, Nina, Mitchell in the end she was glad they were dead. They had gone before the world went mad. She thanked and cursed any god or power that moved time and space to make that happen. It was a gift to have escaped the world she existed in. It was a blessing.

Despite being thankful for their escape, Annie was lonely. She was the only one left of her friends and that made her feel very old, like the last of a species. She would have been 32 that year perhaps she would have gained a few gray hairs or earned a few laugh lines but she was frozen in time. She'd never age, never change. Annie was stuck.

If things had turned out differently, if she hadn't died, hadn't met George or Mitchell Annie suspected that things would have turned out differently for her. She would have gotten married albeit probably to that bastard Owen. She might have had a child of her own, with her hair and eyes. If things had turned out differently then she never would have met Tom. She would have never "killed" Alex or lost Eve. Annie would have never met Hal.

With all the free time she had in captivity, Annie often wondered about many things. She wondered about her door and if it even still existed or did it have an expiration date like milk or bread. Annie asked herself just how much of this apocalypse was her doing. Surely everyone had a hand in the destruction of life as they knew but just how much had she dipped her hands in? Just how deep down had she traveled into the belly of the beast?

There was a knock at her door dislodging her from her speculations. She knew automatically who it was because Mr. Snow never knocked. And there was only one other person who ever visited anymore.

"Annie," Hal called to her from the doorway, "how are you today?"

It had been nearly a month since his last visit and Hal almost felt giddy at the thought of seeing her again. She had spoken last time, actual words. Sure it had been some insipid dribble about why she was there or why she couldn't just leave and fight the good fight but that part didn't really matter. What mattered was that she spoke to him.

Hal stood just outside of the threshold as if waiting for some kind of invitation or answer but he received none. Hal was instantly paranoid at her silence. He had been expecting something different. Definitely not a warm welcome but some kind of welcome or greeting. She was punishing him, he was sure of it. He had been gone longer than expected and she wasn't happy with him. In actuality Annie just didn't feel like speaking. She didn't feel like anything at all lately.

"Snow tells me that he has made you a proposition," he said venturing into the room, "He has also informed me that you have yet to give him an answer. He thinks that I can get one out of you."

Hal firmly believed that he could make her talk to him again. It would take some work surely but he kept telling himself that eventually she'd get used to the situation, she'd get over it. Annie was great like that. She'd get over Tom and Eve the way she got over her other friends. She'd learn to forgive him for killing all her allies and companions, unintentionally or otherwise. All he needed was time but he didn't have that at that moment. There were still battles to fight, hope to crush and he just couldn't spend his days locked in a small room trying to get a gray ghost to talk to him. Despite how much he wanted to.

"Come now, Annie," Hal said suddenly very close, "you and I both know that you've been itching to get out of this room."

He was right. All she wanted was to get out but he wouldn't let her. She couldn't understand why she was the one stuck in a tiny square room. Annie didn't get what she had done to be chosen to be barred in by ancient symbols painted on the walls and carved into the ceiling and floor. There must have been someone else Hal wanted, someone else he could cling to.

You're here because I want you to be; you're here because I want you.

But there was nothing left of her to want, only whatever sickly image of her tired soul that was trapped between the white symbols of her cell. Who could possibly want that?

A tremor ran through her when she felt two heavy hands on her shoulders. Touching felt wrong now. Everything else felt so solid compared her. That used to make her feel more grounded being able to feel things that were still real. But everything was different now and whenever Hal touched her it just made her feel lesser and lesser.

"Though I know that it's not just out of this room that you want," he hissed into the shell of her ear not harshly but not kindly either, "you've been wanting to get out of this whole world for yeeeears, this last part of you is just dying to rip through the skin of the Earth all the way to the great beyond."

Annie didn't respond despite knowing very well that he was right. All she wanted was to die, really die. Even if it was just melting into the atmosphere turning into nothing Annie just wanted an end. She just wanted to be free. She had long since buried any hope of ever getting to the other side, of ever seeing her friends, of seeing Mitchell again. All she could hope for now was a breeze to come and blow her to ashes.

"You could have that, you know," Hal said straightening up again took stare out at her bleak view of the ghost town below, "not the second part of course but you could get out of this room. All you have to do is ask, Annie. Just ask me for it and I will make it happen."

Hal waited for a long time for her answer. If he could get her to acquiesce then he would have all the time in the world to get her talking, to get her back to normal. He just needed her to say yes. He stood besides her waiting for any crumb of attention or thought she was willing to throw his way. He waited for two whole hours for Annie to just give him a word but when none came he left.

After he was gone Annie closed her eyes and pushed away the disturbing thoughts of Mr. Snow's proposition. Instead she thought about how this had all started and tried to figure out where it all went wrong. After many hours of meditation she decided it all started when Alex had come to live in the house.

A/N: And so begins the downfall of Annie and Hal.

this story is very Annie-centric. Hal will be in it of course but we won't really get to see his side of the story until the very end and over into the next part of this series.

Anyway you know what to do. Tell me you hate it, send me death threats and if you're feeling kinda crazy send me some love.

xoxo

bri