CHAPTER SIX

LILY

After the cloud of mist evaporated, I found myself standing on either side of James and John Dawlish before the underside of Gringotts.

The walls looked like they were carved straight from the inside of the earth, with roots, bits of rock, showing through the moist dark dirt of the rounded walls, of the same compacted texture of the tunnels of the Ministry, but with a different, wetter consistency, as if this part of the passage had been more recently renovated that the past entrance. It even smelt different down here. Almost older. I knew we were far below the surface of the earth. The vaults down here stretched on for miles, I once read. Of course I've never been here, only learned about it in books.

We didn't even need to pass through the bronze and silver doors or walk along the marble floors, a goblin leading us tediously into its depths. How long would that have taken? It seemed like hours, seeing how deep we were.

But here we were, but a few steps away from the Ministry itself, yet at the same time leagues beneath London.

James still had the dragon's chain gripped tightly in his palm. I vaguely wondered how the dragon faired from wandering through magic portal after magic portal.

I barely had time to formulate another thought before Dawlish began to silently lead us through Gringotts. We passed more walls, all different heights textures, not all of them even roughly curving up over our heads, but square and even in some parts where it looked like some vaults were starting to come into sight. And before I knew it, we had left the sparse empty walls of the other tunnel and came upon some tracks that looked more modern and appeared to be accompanied by a small trolley pooped out at the end, where the population of a frightening number of vaults lined each side. Peering into the distance, I couldn't tell where it ended, if it ever did.

We walked down the tracks for a few minutes when Dawlish held out to his hand, and I almost bumped into James again. We were standing there silent, as Dawlish's feature became trained on something else. I was about to ask what was going on when he turned quickly to us and answered my question. "I hear something coming down the way. Hurry. Hold on to the dragon!"

"What?"

"Grab the chain both of you," he said in a furious whisper. "Hurry!"

John Dawlish took the chain from James, and told him to hold to his waist, looking at me to do the same. I didn't know how on creature of this size could carry the weight of all three of us. But I didn't question it for once, I was too tired to. So I just let myself give in to silent trust. I circled my arms around James and closed my eyes. I hardly noticed the ground and my feet pull away.

The dragon beat its wings, the sound reminding me of thunder in my ears, the wind swirling around us, tugging the three of us in all directions.

Before I knew it, we were soaring through the tunnels at an incredible speed. I was holding onto James for dear life. I choked on my scream, burying my face into James's shoulder. I just wanted the wind out of my eyes, but suddenly I was engulfed in his smell. And all at once I couldn't think about anything else. I didn't care if we never stopped flying. I just didn't really want to let go of him this second.

I didn't know how long we'd been in the air or how high we were, but I knew that thousands of vaults were now behind us.

I could tell when we started slowing. The wind had died down. New noises pierced my ears instead of the thunder. Grunts of men, loud clinking like someone was working with metal, and shouts—loud, angry, venomous shouts. I couldn't tell what they were saying or doing. I opened my eyes slowly, and found we were in fact about to land silently on a little rock bluff above one of the vaults. Across from us, I saw at the vault directly opposite us where Death Eaters stood, some guarding, some working, picking at the many gold nuggets and coins that were scattered all over the floor in piles and stacks, and some walking in and out of the ajar vault doors carrying large objects from them. I looked closer, and saw that they were giant burlap bags slung over their shoulders.

"The Philosopher's Stone. It's in one of those bags they have," Dawlish said, seemingly reading my thoughts.

"What's the Philosopher's Stone?" James and I asked in unison.

"Nicholas Flamel, the stone's creator made it in an elixir some eight hundred years ago, to live forever. And somehow it disappeared. No one knows what's happened to it. We think it was the Dark Lord. They were the ones who warned us."

I gasped in shock. "But what would they be looking for here if they already have it?" I asked.

"Well someone had stolen it from You-Know-Who as well. And now he's in a frenzy trying to get it back. Getting his followers to do whatever they have to, to get it back, no matter the costs," he explained. "And now Flamel, being the genius that he is, made replicas, more than a million of them. None of them the real thing though. Then he spread a rumor that Gringott's is where they are. And the person who stole it back turned out to be one of our Aurors, and he collaborated, adding the stone to the vaults among the many other false ones, making it a one in a million chance that You-Know-Who will actually find it."

"Bloody hell," Lily said in awe.

"What is You-Know-Who going to do with the stone?" James asked.

"We don't know yet. We think he is somehow going to use it to overpower the Ministry. We're here to get it back. Place it somewhere safe, where he won't be able to touch it again."

"Is that what we're here to help with?" I asked, trading glances with James again. The look in his opaque eyes told me he was wondering the same thing.

"Yes." When John Dawlish said that, something hit me inside like a ton of cinderblocks. As if I was realizing for the first time, James and I were actually needed in this moment. And for just a short time, a time such as this, I was actually important, and I could help. We could help save the Ministry.

A furious passion rose up in me, and I looked down with defiance upon the Death Eaters who were trying to destroy everything I knew, loved. The wizarding world was my home, and they couldn't take it. And that's what I was watching them do right now. I wanted to stop them.

"Can we go down there?" I asked.

"We need to find a distraction to lure them away from this area so we have time to find the real stone. Though I doubt it will be easy, it could be in any of those bags."

"I have an idea." James said.

JAMES

Lily clinging to me the whole time was distracting. It felt like a cat with its claws stuck out, hitching right onto your back, and holding on for dear life. It was strange, but I kind of liked the feeling. Her breath coming in puffs through my shirt, her little whimpers when she felt like we were going to fall. When she let go, as we collected ourselves after we landed, her warmth immediately left me and I felt like shivering. Why? I wanted to hit myself. Falling for Evans again? I had sworn not to. Hadn't she humiliated me enough times by continuously turning me down? From first year, to fifth year she had tortured me. But I couldn't help it. Maybe I would never be able to.

I pushed my self-disappointment to the side as the three of us huddled into a tight little triangle to listen to my plan.

It was a brilliant one. And the Death Eaters wouldn't be expecting anything like it.

"Lily get back here! We didn't say to start the plan yet! You missed the signal," John Dawlish shouted, running after Lily. She had jumped off the little bluff, and had expertly levitated herself low enough to land safely on the rocky floor below. Dawlish had mimicked her move, and was now running after her.

"I don't care," she shrieked. Those Death Eaters are trying to take the only world I know away from me. You may not realize this, but I go home to nothing when I'm not at Hogwarts. And if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wins, I have nothing! I can't let them win, I'll do anything to stop them, and so help me if I don't get out of this alive," she screamed in rage.

I watched from the bluff, heart pounding against my chest, watching the scene below with utmost anxiety, adrenaline pumping through me.

Dawlish, losing Lily as she ran, slowly started to slow from fatigue and seemed to give up. But as a last endeavor, he threw a stunning spell at her. She deflected it, waving her wand behind her, sending the charm ricocheting away.

By this time, she had reached where the first gathering of Death Eaters stood. They were a little stunned to see her come out of no where, in such a fury. To them, it was a surprise attack. They stopped what they were doing and walked calmly over to her, wands out. They seemed to be whispering to each other, debating whether to call the rest over there to help them with the girl, or to stay and take her for themselves.

Please take the bate, I thought— willing them with all my might for them to call the rest of the hooded figures over. To get away with it, we needed all the Death Eaters in one place, to be diverted by one thing. And that was Lily. The plan was for her to start a fight, taunt them a little, get them to chase her, make them want to capture her for the Dark Lord. But Dawlish would secretly be with her under the safety of an invisibility charm, to protect her.

The woman had guts, I thought to myself. She was so willing to have the plan underway. I was surprised.

Lily stopped when she knew they saw her, and ran over, the group's full attention, she knew, was well on her. I could see them secretly hide their wands away again under their cloaks at her approach, but I knew the things wouldn't be out of their hands for long.

Now was her chance.

"Help! Please help," she begged them in her best struggled, desperate, out-of-breath-from-being-chased-to-death voice.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" One of the Death Eaters asked drawing calmly closer to Lily.

"Looks to me like we got a kid…," he marveled. "Not much older than sixteen. A little frantic isn't she? What we been running from, girlie?" another raspy voice asked.

"I was sent here by Dumbledore," she mumbled. Where was she going with this? Please don't give us away, I anxiously thought. "He said to come here through this portal, and I did, but I don't know what I'm doing here. All the Aurors and others left me. You have to help me— I swear I won't tell anyone you did," she begged.

Clever girl, I thought.

"What are you doing here? Tell us the truth. Your story doesn't seem too palpable."

"Are you lying to us?"

One of the others in the dark hoods elbowed his friend in the ribs. "Don't scare our new little friend off. What can we do for you, lovely?" The man took Lily around the shoulders and started to walk off with her.

Here was where my plan would take off.

"Sir, could you please let go of me?" She pretended to become severely panicked, and tugged out of his grasp. But he didn't let go. The surrounding Death Eaters pulled all of their wands out.

"Not so fast, my sweet," the one holding onto her with a deadly grip hissed.

My pounding heart was so loud I was afraid I would give myself away.

Lily pushed away from the man, and maneuvered her wand out in inexplicable time. "Reducto!"

And all the gathering men around her were thrown away, landing though, only yards from her. There came shouting as other Death Eaters, working a little way off nearer the vault, heard the commotion.

I watched as Lily paused for a heart beat, hesitating. Come on, you can do this, I silently urged her. Then she finally seemed to have reformulated the plan in her head, and took off, running the opposite way anyone would normally go, where the coast was somewhat clear, into the darkness stretching in the east; instead, running straight to where the waiting adversary were, the cesspool of Death Eaters waiting to eat her alive. She was kicking the first step of our plan into motion.

LILY

My heart was beating so fast as I ran, I couldn't be sure if it was beating at all; but the blood pumping loudly in my ears gave it away. I was terrified; I was running for my life. I didn't know how many Death Eaters were behind me, but I kept on running, not even daring to look back, praying I wouldn't get hit with a curse and keel over dead, ruining the entire plan. If I did chance a peek behind me, I was sure to slow my pace, and get caught. So I kept going, one foot in front of the other, and hoping that I was doing the right thing, that I didn't mess the entire thing up already back there.

I wasn't thinking anymore. I was simply doing. Letting the rest of James's plan fall into place. My act was over. I just had to continue running, and wait for the signal from John Dawlish. I was to step immediately to the side where he would be waiting under an invisibility spell, cast it on me, and then wait for all the Death Eaters to continue running past thinking they were chasing me.

I ran and ran. The metal rails under my feet making it hard not to keep constantly watching me feet. The darkness was dank and heavy, and I felt like I was going in circles. The stone walls on either side of me closing in. And I was passing barred vault after vault.

But I saw no sign. What was I supposed to do now?

Suddenly Dawlish appeared in front of me with a loud pop and a cloud of smoke, startling me and I stopped dead in my tracks, letting out a wild scream.

His hand flew to my mouth. "Quiet!" His eyes darted behind me, and then back up to meet my eyes, relaying a silent message. I closed my eyes shut tight, preparing myself. And then Dawlish and I disaaparated away again, just as foot steps were approaching behind us.

When I opened my eyes, we were standing back on the ledge where we had first left the dragon. I didn't see her now.

"Where's the dragon?" I knew where James was supposed to be. But did why'd he take the dragon?

I glanced below me, over the little cliff, and got my answer.

James with the beast, using the chains to control her fire aim as she roared at the Death Eaters with columns of fire emitting from her nostrils and mouth. Looking at the tiny thing, no one would expect so much power from her, but she surprised me again and again. He looked like he knew very much what he was doing, and the dragon finished her last breath of fire as a couple of Death Eaters scrambled away from the rage of flame. He was forcing away the rest of the Death Eaters, so we could safely rummage around down there without being caught— and with the others distracted by their chase for me, we had a good while as they scattered. It would take them more than a few minutes to reassemble and call for more help. But that was after they figured out that I had escaped them already. And then they would start to realize where I'd most likely have gone, and turn back.

Dawlish and I leaped from the rocky bluff, and joined James who clambered over rocks and torn up tracks to meet us.

"Good job," Dawlish granted, looking around him at the little piles of embers scattered on the charcoal ground. We stood in front of the wide open vault, gold, bronze, and silver littered the inside in tall, tilting piles. I knew that some of the vaults ranged from large, open spaces, or tiny compact boxes to hide your storage and savings. But no matter how big they were, each was used for the same purpose. This vault seemed to stretch on for miles, the stacks of money and gold, relentless in expense.

Why did one little stone need so much space? How were we ever going to find it in this mess? There are probably a million copies of the rock, masking the right one…

John Dawlish whipped out his wand and called out Accio for the Philosopher's stone, but nothing happened.

There was a pause, and James asked, "What do we do now?"

"We check every bag and pile of gold, every corner of this room."

I looked around me horrified, at the sudden extent the room seemed to take.

Was he kidding?

JAMES

First we emptied every sack the Death Eaters had already gathered, but none fit the description John gave us. Half smooth, finely cut ruby with a dark blood-red center, and half with a shock of cement like rock on the other side. Finding nothing, we moved to the stashes of gold outside. We had begun sifting through every pile, sack, stash of gold, knots, sickles, and even galleons, but had come up with the same results. It felt like we spent hours probing the inside of the vault.

I was getting tired, and Lily and I exchanged a look that maybe we should get Dawlish and see what he thought about retiring. This wasn't going to work.

He was on the opposite end of the room, and was using his wand to throw the gold and coins, breaking them from their stacks, and throwing them against the wall. I assumed this was a quicker method of looking for the stone. Climbing over the stretch of gold was a hard task, it was like an ocean, piles rising here and there like hardened waves, that kept tripping me. It took longer than I expected to reach him, but finally, after stepping over the last pile of riches, I reached him. I was so tired of looking at all this money, I almost never wanted to behold a sight like this again. I didn't care that it meant being richer than the richest man alive owning as much as this. I was sure I didn't want to buy another thing again in my life.

I approached him and his back was to me, but he didn't turn at the sound of my footsteps. I hadn't noticed how he had gone still all of a sudden. But I noticed now, and he was looking down at something in his hands.

"Mr. Dawlish? We haven't had any luck with anything. I don't think we'll be able to find it in here." I paused. Dawlish was still unmoving, shoulders hunched, frozen staring at what was in his palm. But I continued, thinking he was just listening to me. "What if this is a trick? What if we're just wasting our time?"

Still nothing. And then Dawlish's hunched shoulders began to shake. "Sir?" I looked, worriedly around the massive room for Lily. She was gone.

"John?" I asked worriedly. I walked slowly around him, to see his face, what he was staring at.

And as I processed the sight before me, I froze in horror.

John Dawlish wasn't normal looking. His face was contorted, stuck in an odd expression, and seemed to slowly be morphing.

And then John Dawlish wasn't John Dawlish anymore.

I glanced around for Lily again, terrified. She had to be here somewhere.

Then I caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of my eye, and saw that it was in fact Lily, and she was running toward us, tripping so often over the stacks and bags, and had a look in her eye that shot a chill down my spine.

"Get away from him!" she shouted, just as I had returned my eyes back to the face of John Dawlish. His warm brown eyes had turned dead and cold, and the sun weathered skin on his face, a chalky pale. He glared at me with an indiscernible intensity.

I finally looked at what he was holding.

A trembling, white-knuckled hand held a goblet; silver rimmed and gracefully designed with curling letters, and twisted carvings. I couldn't read them, though. But it didn't matter. My gaze was strangely held by its beauty, snagged on it frozen in time. I still knew what was going on, still aware of my surroundings. I was only paying more attention to the cup than I normally would've anything. But as John Dawlish moved toward me, I suddenly snapped back to the present as my gaze was forgivingly released, and I was hit with heavy awareness again. But not before I was hit, I saw John's arm swing with the movement as it came crashing down on me with the force of a rushing train. And then blackness descended.

LILY

I knew it as soon as I saw Dawlish pick up something he'd found and paused frozen, that he had found it. I was able to see him from profile, and there was a look in his eye that spoke of relief and utter joy. I knew that something was wrong. I could feel it. And as a darker expression took over his features I knew I was right.

And then I saw James, making his way over to Dawlish across the valleys and hills of gold, and then finally approach him from behind to say a few words. But at John's indifference, went around looking at him dead on, and seeing what he had in his hands. The horror that was now taking over me seemed to make up for James's lack of it as he beheld what he did.

I didn't know what the Philosopher's stone was doing to him, but it wasn't doing any good. I could see it in his eyes. He was changing, the stone was messing with him somehow. What was the purpose of that thing anyway? Why were we here to save it?

Suddenly, from behind me, on the outside of the vault, there was the sound of falling boot steps and men's shouts. Death Eaters were coming. They couldn't be back already! James was still stuck in there with Dawlish.

I wanted to turn and go back to James, but what if we're outnumbered and attacked by more Death Eaters than we can handle? All I could do was scream a warning to him. I had to keep the approaching enemies at bay.

I pulled out my wand and ran to the entrance of the cave, where a group was gathering. Waiting. But it wasn't the group I was expecting.

"Hello there mudblood. Miss us?" Bellatrix LeStrange hissed as I approached.

It was the Death Eaters James, Dumbledore, and I had taken out in the Ministry. How did they get here? But I had no time to think about that, we were already throwing curses at each other. And their numbers, though about half decreased (some of them we had actually killed) were strong, and with more practiced arms.

What was I going to do? It was about eight to one. And I couldn't take them all on my own.

I looked back at where James and Dawlish were, hidden behind the safety of the vault's walls. And then it hit me. They were already safe. All I had to do was offer myself up, and find a way at the same time, to divert their attention from Dawlish and James.

After blocking a killing curse aimed directly at my heart, I dropped my wand arm, and ran, still holding onto the only thing keeping me alive. Just up and ran. This surprised the Death Eaters for a moment. And that's all I needed. Through the pause of their surprise, I could make it. One second head start. I sprinted all the way back to the entrance, still easily deflecting the spells, but throwing any myself was out of the question.

I stopped at the heavy metal door. I stood there for a minute. Should I warn them? Give them heed to my new self established plan? I looked behind me. Then screamed, hoping James would here me where ever he was in there. "I'M SORRY JAMES."

I used all of my power and strength, and heaved the giant round door shut. It swung closed with a loud bang, and I heard notches on the inside click locked. Done. We couldn't get out, and no one could get in, or get the stone. We were safe and when James and I had taken care of Dawlish, we'd figure out a plan. For now, I just hoped we'd be okay in here with him, and that the stone hadn't done anything too harmful yet. I'd heard about how much the power was in the stone. How much would touching it with your bare hands do? Dawlish wasn't wearing any gloves.

I collapsed to the ground in a heap, exhausted form running, too tired now to stand a second longer. I wanted to get to James, but I couldn't. I looked at the door, contemplating further escape. It didn't look like we could get back out of here. But I knew that once I got to James, we'd figure something out. Maybe trick the locks into letting us back out from the inside or something, or finding a crack to open wide enough in the side or something.

I heard bangs and clanking against the outside of the door, and I knew that as the Death Eaters. My heart was still pounding hard in my chest from the close encounter. But I knew nothing would be able to get through to us. We were blocked safely from them. At least for now. If they were shouting anything at all, it was indistinct enough through the three foot thick metal door so much that I couldn't hear it at all. But the curses sounded like the bashing or glass or porcelain being thrown. I listened in awe for a moment, unable to move or do anything else.

I waited until I could feel my limbs again and caught my breath, and then I got on my feet again and started looking around for James and Dawlish.

I couldn't see anything but stacks and stacks of endless gold. Oh god. What if I came back too late? It was silent. And I saw no sign of human presence in here. I took too much time back there. James could be dead. They could've left already, and I probably just locked myself in here alone!

Dread filled me up, coursed cold through my veins, locked me in place. I was caught between a dead panic and debating fight or flight.

I decided to continue looking for James anyway. I shouted his name over and over, my voice beginning to quiver as I grew more nervous. I combed through every nook and cranny where I could've missed him, searched all over, until all four corners had been thoroughly probed.

I was ready to give up. I found myself on the ground again. My voice was raw from shouting. And I was shaking. I could feel sobs building up, rattling the inside of me until I let them out.

Dawlish had escaped, that much I had concluded. James was either with him, missing, or dead. Either way, he was fated for the same outcome. And I was stuck here alone, no one knowing where I was. And I was going to die when the oxygen supply was gone, and the place being sealed tight, that was inevitable. From here it didn't matter what Bellatrix and the others did. James and I were defeated. And tricked.

So I just sat and waited, rocking back and forth.

I wondered what Dumbledore would do about this, surely our fucking up had caused some sort of ripple. We'd probably ruined everything. Or rather, I had. And if Dawlish had been able to fool James and I so easily, who else was out there pulling the same ploy?

Sudden rage boiled inside me. I got up, white with fury and I ran over to the vault door again and started banging on it and screaming. I screamed loud and continuously until I couldn't anymore. Until I couldn't form Dawlish's name on my lips anymore, no matter how much I still wanted to promise wrath. Nothing could release the bitter animal in me, no matter what I did. And I was blind to it. All I saw behind closed lids was James's face. My failure. Dumbledore. My future.

My fists still pounded even if my voice couldn't carry on. But my face was wet because now I was crying. I was crying so hard, that it was hard to breathe anymore. I was starting to hyperventilate. My hammering slowed, and it was then that I felt all the pain in my hands. I looked down and there was blood.

JAMES

I was roused by the most inhuman noise my ears had ever beheld. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was that there was a pounding in my head, a ringing in my ears that seemed to go along with it. Something weighed me down on my chest. I sat up, and the sudden change in altitude made me vertigo, and my skull pulsed, threatening another blackout. Whatever was on top of me clattered to the ground, and I could breathe easily again. I staggered up, spots in my vision.

The last thing I remembered was… what was it?

Where am I?

I looked haphazardly around me. Gold. Money everywhere. Gold was scattered all around me, fell away from my clothing. I had been buried under some. Looking around me, perplexed, I went over to a pile, knelt by it curiously and gathered a handful and let it sift through my fingers, watching it all fall back to the floor. Why was I here? How did I get to be buried under all of it? I wondered if I could take any and get away with it. I glanced around me, and seeing no one, stuffed some in the pocket of my trousers. Only a little. No one would know.

And then I remembered what woke me up. I stumbled around a little until I found the front of the room, and where the noise was coming from. Near the door, which looked like the door to a vault in a bank, was a curious sight. A girl beating, wild and rampageous on the metal wall crazily, furiously, with all her might. She was crying. Her knuckles were bleeding, little rivulets of red streaming down her arms. I was a little hesitant to approach her, but I decided it would be best to offer some help, maybe that was what she was trying to get.

As I came near, I heard little words on her breath. "James…. James…. I'll get to you, Dawlish… traitor…" She at one time was screaming it; I recognize now, the familiar articulations I'd heard at first. But now it was only an exhausted whisper. If not, a persevering one.

I came up behind her and cleared my throat. She stopped, and leaned her forehead on the wall, but she didn't turn around.

I tapped her shoulder, and she whipped around, eyes wide. And she rummaged for something in her cloak and found it, a stick, and pointed it at me. And then something in her eyes registered and she gasped. The stick fell to the ground and she pummeled me to the ground, her arms tight around me in a breath taking embrace.

"James!" She rasped.

"Huh?"

"James, where did you come from? I've looked everywhere for you!" She was almost crying again.

"James?"

She peeled away from me to get a good look at my face. "Yes. James. That's you. You can't remember?"

"Actually…. Umm. No. I don't know. Who are you?"

The look in her eyes made me want to comfort her.

"What happened to you?" It wasn't a question directed at me, I knew that. I just sat there, and watched as she tried to take something in, to process whatever situation.

"What happened to John Dawlish?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. But I woke up over there," I pointed to a little dip in the rivers and valleys of gold that I woke up in. "I was under a bunch of that gold."

"What?"

"Someone must've dumped it all on me."

"I searched this whole place! You were here the whole time, and I walked right past you!" She buried her head in her hands, forgetting the blood, and let out a shaky sigh.

"James, I thought you had died or were kidnapped... or just gone!"

"Well I'm fine. I'm right here…"

"No! You're not fine! You don't remember!"

"I'm sorry," I offered.

"No, it's not you're fault. At least you're here now." I felt her arms around me again. I didn't think it was weird. Sure, I didn't know her, and she obviously thought I was someone else. But I didn't mind it. I liked the way she smelled as she leaned in to me.

"How do we get out of here?" I asked.

"That's a good question. When I closed the door, it locked us in from the outside."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because we were being chased."

"By what?"

"That doesn't really matter right now. I'm too tired to explain that. But basically, you were in here with someone very dangerous and I was outside, about to be killed, so I thought we'd be safest in here, all three of us. And I thought if I could get to you, I could help you take care of the other man in here. We thought we could trust him, but he turned on us in the very end. I locked us in without thinking, because at least if we were in here alone, the people outside wouldn't be able to get in and hurt us. Because they would have if we'd let them."

"So we don't know what happened to the third guy?"

"No. I haven't been able to find him. Or you for that matter when I came back and started looking for both of you."

"So you left me alone with him…"

"Yes."

"Why?!"

"I was coming right back!"

"He probably got away then."

"Yeah. And I'm assuming that while he was doing that, you got knocked out somehow, and he tried to hide you, or bury you. He probably thought you were already dead, and that's why you're not right now- or he didn't have time to kill you before he needed to take his chance and run off."

"This sounds like a pretty heavy problem."

"It is," was all she said.

I know, it's taking me a while to further the plot, but I'm really working hard! I swear. I'd love some reviews, tell me how I'm doing, your thoughts, etc. It's all appreciated.

-Holly