Andrew’s blood shot eyes stared at the clearing from which his pursuers should come from. It was calm and Jason was staring at him with the same hunger as always.

“How good are you in a fight,” he asked the wraith.

“I can fight with the best of them. But not against wixen,” said Jason, confirming Andrew’s suspicions.

“While I take care of the hag, you are to stall the angel. Remember, there is a meal in it for you,” the wraith nodded and Andrew saw two figures coming in a sedated pace. One of them, the woman, fell down.

“Now,” said Andrew as Jason rushed pass him and slammed into Mark. Andrew used the water from the snow around Mary and turned it into ice, spearing her soft flesh.

There was a grunt and then the air was colored with the smell of blood. Mark yelled something, but Jason didn’t stop attacking. Which made Andrew think that the wraith was immune to angel magic.

Mary was not done, though. She stood, and two fireballs sailed towards Andrew. He dodged the first, but the second got his leg. He screamed, looking down at his ruined leg. Furthermore, he could see that some flesh had been burned off.

He knitted it together as good as he could, least he lost his leg for good, and stood. Andrew got creative, then. He summoned strong winds, and the third fireball in Mary’s hand got extinguished.

Clouds rolled angrily in the sky. Andrew knew what he was doing. He needed just one shot. Mary looked up and cursed. She ran away from the trees and into the clearing she had come from. But, Andrew was faster.

A cage of lightning fell down from the sky, hitting Mary, heating her body so much Andrew was sure her blood was boiling. Then, for good measure, Andrew made the same happen to Mark. The two smelled of grilled pork, and that smell made Andrew bent over and throw up his meager breakfast.

Jason was by his side instantly, and Andrew stumbled away from him. For a second, Andrew thought that the wraith would try his luck with Andrew, but he just stood there. Staring, with his dead man’s eyes, and looking hungry.

“Can I eat now?” Asked the thing. Andrew turned around, so he wouldn’t be able to see what was to come, and nodded. While he couldn’t see, he could still hear. The crunching of bones, the tearing of flesh. Andrew bent down and threw up again. This time, just acids.

He was unable to let Jason stay in the forest. The thing was too dangerous. With the final wisps of his power, Andrew made lightning descend from the skies one last time. This time, aimed for Jason. He was pretty sure the thing had eaten both Mark and Mary by now. The forest had been quiet for half an hour.

He heard a wail from behind and turned to see two bloodstains in the snow where once were Mark and Mary, and something like a heart next to one of them. From the file, he knew that wraiths could regenerate if their hearts were still a hole.

So, despite his stomach threatening to empty itself again, he went to the heart and brought it to his lips. There was no other way. He began to eat, gagging at the taste of blood.

When he was done, he dragged himself back to the campfire, which had gone off by now, and wrapped himself in his dirty blanket. He fell asleep. He would need to report everything.

Last time that he had lied, this was the result. No, he would come clean about how he had killed Mark and Mary. He didn’t care if they didn’t believe him. Maybe, they had monitored the forest and made note of the freak weather?

He dreamed he was in a meadow. Strapped to a pyre. There were Mark, Mary, and Jason near it, strapped to their pyres. Adam Hawk had a torch in his hand, and Erin and Daphne looked at him with hatred in their eyes.

“Liar,” said Erin, looking scornful.

“Murderer,” said Daphne, and Adam stepped to Andrew’s pyre, lighting it.

“No, I did what I had to!” Screamed Andrew, but then, Adam went and lit the other three pyres. There was no mercy in his eyes. “I am human!”

“Liar,” rasped Mary, coughing because of the smoke.

“Murderer,” yelled Jason, eyes looking alive. Not like a wraith’s at all.

“Monster,” finished Mark, looking human too.

“We will be together forever,” said Mary with a cackle.

“You will burn forever,” continued Jason, a smirk on his lips.

“You will be damned forever,” finished Mark, his skin changing to its natural pitch-black color.

“No, no! I don’t want! I did nothing wrong! You are monsters!” Screamed Andrew as flames licked at his skin.

“And, what are you?” Asked Jason, accusing. “I helped you and you killed me.”

“You were dead already,” defended himself, Andrew. “A wraith!”

“I was entitled to live as much as you did!” Snapped the former wraith. Andrew noticed that his eyes were like a dead man’s again.

“Maybe you won’t end up as soup,” lamented Mary with another cackle. “But roast is good, too.”

Then, the three were free of their bonds and moving towards Andrew.

“No,” he screamed as Mary took a hold of his leg, the same one she had hit with a fireball. “No, stay away!”

He felt teeth in his ankle and the bone snapping in half. Jason went behind the pyre and climbed on, taking Andrew’s left arm in his mouth and biting through the bone.

Andrew trashed as Mark neared him. The man was smirking. He climbed the pyre as Andrew was being eaten alive and went to whisper in the teen’s ear.

“Guess what I will do?” Mark’s fingers pressed down on Andrew’s right eye, and Andrew woke up with a scream. His hand reached out to his right eye, only to find it healthy and in place.

Then, he checked his arm and ankle. He looked around the forest. The stench of blood was making him nauseous. Andrew stood, collected his things, and began to make his way out of the forest.

That had been just a nightmare. Nothing more. Tomorrow, he would go to sleep, and he would dream of nothing, as usual. Safe in Erin’s arms. And, if he needed to use magic to do so, then, so be it.