The warm San Diego air hit Dantes as he rushed outside. It seemed unseasonably hot for this time of year, and even more so for this time of night. It was as if hell was slowly rolling in and bringing the heat of the fires along with it.

As he glanced up and down the street looking for Alicia, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone when he was grabbing supplies. There had been an eerie energy in the room, and he only hoped it wasn't related to Alicia. She couldn't still be in the house, could she? No, that was impossible. The window had been broken and it was clear she had went through it. There was no reason for her to circle back inside.

A loud crash emanated from down the street, and a second later a car alarm went off. That had to be Alicia, he thought as he rushed towards the noise. It only took him a moment to get there and by then she was already gone. She was faster than he thought, but from the damage he was seeing around him she might not be that hard to track.

The car next to him had been crushed, and a large tree rested upon its hood. It could have been a freak accident but the finger marks that dug deep into the bark of the tree and the scratches along the car told him otherwise. She had been here. He just had to figure out which way she ran.

He glanced down the street as the lights from the houses around him started to come on. The noise from the car alarm was bringing too much attention, and if people started coming outside it wouldn't be safe. He quickly made his way to the front of the car and without a second thought he plunged his hand through the metal. He squirmed as his hand searched inside the hood. It was followed a moment later by a loud crunching sound as the alarm went silent.

He stood still after the sound had died, and slowly, one by one the lights of the houses went dim. A deep sigh escaped his lips. That was one possible catastrophe avoided, and now he had to deal with the next. He again scanned the street, looking for any signs of which direction Alicia had run towards.

It was quiet, a bit too quiet. He adjusted the pack of supplies on his back as he listened, his eyes scanning his surroundings. A shadow moved quickly off in the distance but he couldn't quite make it out. It was fast though, definitely fast enough to be Alicia.

He took one last look around and saw nothing. The movement he saw was his only lead and assuming it was her, he couldn't let her get too far ahead of him. Without further hesitation he quickly but quietly made his way towards it. By the time he got to where he had seen it though there was nothing. A few leaves rustled as the breeze picked up, but other than that all seemed peaceful.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught the quickly moving shadow again, this time further down the street. As fast as possible he took off after her, and again she was gone by the time he arrived. This strange pursuit persisted for at least several minutes and a few miles by his estimation. It was like a game of cat and mouse. She'd appear for just a split second, long enough for him to catch a glimpse of her, and by the time he'd get to that spot she'd be gone as if she vanished into thin air only to appear again further away.

Something wasn't right. He had a strange feeling that she was trying to lead him into a trap of some kind. But what kind of trap could she have set? She only had a few moments from breaking free of the house before he had been in pursuit. There was no way she could have had time to set up a trap this far from the house. So what was she up to, he wondered as he again arrived at a spot she had vanished from.

As he chased another glimpse of her he wondered if Annette and Elyssa were faring any better. They had to be or else they'd all be in for a world of hurt. He had no idea what he'd do if he was able to catch Alicia. The supplies he brought likely wouldn't hold her long, if at all. Assuming he could get her back to the house, Annette's spells already failed to keep her there. He realized the mess they were in was even bigger than he originally thought.

"Damn it," he muttered as he slowed to a stop. He had gotten so involved in trying to think through all of the problems that he had created another one. He had completely lost track of Alicia, and glancing around at his surroundings he realized he had become lost himself.

On the bright side, the area seemed more rural, away from the city and anyone that could be hurt. There were still some houses, but they were few and far between. Discouragingly, all of the trees surrounding him meant Alicia could be hiding anywhere. The question was, where to look first.

The night was almost completely still except for the rustle of leaves as a slight breeze drifted through his surroundings. He could hear a few small critters off in the distance, but nothing that resembled the noises someone as large as Alicia would make. The smell of roses lingered in the air, likely from someone's garden that was near.

Quickly, he scaled the closest and tallest tree he could find in the hopes of getting a better view of his surroundings. Upon precariously balancing himself at the highest point that would hold his weight, his heart sank in despair. He didn't realize from the ground how vast and hilly the area was. At best, it was ten times the size he expected. At worst....he didn't really want to think about it.

He eyed the area as best he could, spotting a few rabbits and other critters scurrying around below. He could hear an owl approaching from the north as it screeched. He growled in annoyance. This was impossible. Somehow he had lost her and he had no idea how to pick up her trail again.

That's when something odd struck him. The crickets had gone silent which was an odd occurrence in and of itself. He glanced back down at the rabbits and other critters below and instantly felt like a fool for missing it originally.

They were all scampering in the same direction, as if running from something. He looked to the skies in the north and saw not one, but several owls flying towards him along with a bunch of other birds. Animals had a sense for danger, usually before anyone else. They trusted their natural instincts, unlike humans who tried to reason them away. Apparently, even Dantes had something he could learn from them.

Without a second thought he knew which direction he had to go. Nimbly, he launched himself into the air towards the next closest tree. His feet had barely touched the limb and he was in the air again. From tree to tree he jumped, finding himself a bit closer to the ground with each successive leap.

He finally landed on solid ground just as the area of trees began to grow sparse. Carefully he took a few steps forward and then hesitated for a moment at the edge of the clearing. The silence was deafening. The animals had all fled. Alicia had to be close but in the clearing there were no shadows for her to hide in. So where was she?

He scanned the sparse line of trees surrounding the clearing and still saw nothing. Had he lost her long enough for her to lay a trap? Dantes shook his head, no that couldn't be possible. She couldn't have just disappeared though.

Dantes thoughts were suddenly cut short as a bone chilling scream carried from the other side of the clearing. Without hesitation or a second thought, he was sprinting across the clearing in full view of any would be attackers.

He slowed as he approached. He still wasn't seeing any movement. He knew what he heard though, and the sound had to come from someone...or something. Just beyond the clearing he noticed a sudden flash of light that quickly vanished. As he got closer he realized why everything had looked so empty.

Right behind the trees at the edge of the clearing there was a steep drop off. Below the drop off, nestled peacefully between hills and sparse trees was a tiny house. A front porch light flickered eerily, almost unwelcoming in nature. It had to be where the scream had come from. As he rushed towards it, quickly navigating the steep incline, he hoped he wasn't too late.

He stopped just short of the porch. The house was even tinier up close. It couldn't have been much bigger than a small apartment, maybe two rooms at most he guessed. It was old too. He was amazed it was still standing with how rickety it looked. The paint had long ago begun peeling, and it was strewn with holes of various sizes in the outer walls. He couldn't imagine anyone living here.

Just as that thought entered his mind, another scream came from inside. It definitely wasn't Alicia. It sounded human. He took a step onto the first step of the porch, which greeted him with a loud creak. The second step gave way under his foot, the board cracking in half as he barely avoided getting his foot stuck between it.

So much for the element of surprise, he thought to himself. As he stepped onto the landing, he placed the pack of supplies down into the corner and began quickly rummaging through it. He pulled out a rag and and the bottle of chloroform, dousing the rag with it and then stuffing the rag in his pocket before putting the bottle back in the bag. Finally, he grabbed the flashlight.

As he stood back up the porch light again flickered and then suddenly exploded over his head, showering him in shards of glass. He jumped back, almost falling down the steps before swiftly regaining his balance and trying to calm himself. Either his timing was terrible or he was correct in assuming the element of surprise was lost.

He flipped the switch of the flashlight on as he neared the door and it too flickered. He grimaced at the noise it made as he hit it against his palm and it came to life. He wasn't sure if he had stupidly forgot to make sure the batteries were still good or if it had to do with Alicia and whatever dark and shadowy powers were possessing her.

Another deep breath as he reached for the door knob and twisted it open. It was almost pitch black inside the room, the only light emanating from the moon through the random holes in the walls. He steadily shined the flashlight from one side of the room to the other.

Other than a few old and decaying pieces of furniture strewn about the floor, the room was empty. A few pictures laid face down upon the floor. Upon the walls were a few more, although they too had seen better days. Their frames were cracked, and the glass had long ago been shattered. It was hard to make out what the pictures themselves had portrayed as they had deteriorated beyond recognition years before.

It was hard to imagine anyone even living here unless desperate for shelter or of an unsound mind. He made another sweep of the room with the flashlight, and sure enough he spotted a door to a second room just as he had guessed. If there was anyone here, they had to be behind that door.

He started for the door and heard a loud plop beneath his feet. He cringed when he looked down. A large puddle of red pooled beneath his feet and trailed off towards the door.

"...Dantes," he heard his name called from the other side of the door. The voice was low and hoarse sounding, almost croaky in nature. It was Alicia's but...yet it wasn't.

"...I'm waiting," it continued again after a few moments of silence.

She knew he was here, just as he assumed. Was it a trap? He didn't understand how she could possibly have the time to pull such an endeavor. Another scream, this time muffled and then...a third voice that sounded familiar yet he couldn't quite make out why?

Regardless, she definitely had a prisoner in there who was bleeding badly and he was wasting precious time if he wanted to save her. Without a second thought he rushed towards the door while lowering his shoulder, crashing into it and throwing it open. To his surprise it didn't take much force to do so, and to his horror he realized too late why as he tried scrambling for something to grab onto.

Everything in the room was being sucked towards a giant mirror against the far wall. It pulled so hard that Dantes' feet went out from under him as he slammed into the wooden floorboards with a loud crack, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Dantes' fingers scraped across the wooden floorboards as the flashlight slipped from his hands. He finally caught hold of a notch in the wood as he slid across the floor. It was just big enough to dig the tips of his fingers into although he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

As he held on for dear life, he heard the muffled screams coming from above. He twisted around as best he could to get a view of the ceiling. Above him, held firmly in place by a dark splotch was a young woman.

It was as if the shadows in the room were engulfing her within them as she struggled to break free from their grasp. The blood dripped from her midsection, one of the only areas left exposed other than a part of her face. He could hear her endeavoring to scream through the black mass.

His eyes moved downwards to the floor where another figure stood. He recognized her instantly as Alicia. Most of her lower body was also encased in the shadowy muck. Although instead of it flowing towards her to encase her more, it appeared as if it was flowing from her to encase those around her.

Finally his eyes moved to the giant mirror against the opposing wall. He quickly realized it wasn't reflecting anything. It was pitch black and acting more as a portal to another world as it sucked in everything close to it.

Then he noticed it, the shadows struggling to come through the mirror to this side against its pull. Now he had three problems on his hands. Save Alicia, save the innocent, and close the portal. He had no idea where to start or how to do it. He looked for something, anything that might help.

Then out of the corner of his eye something caught his attention back by the mirror. Why was he seeing his own reflection within the mirror? A moment later it occurred to him, whatever these shadow creatures had opened, it wasn't just a portal to their own world, but possibly multiple worlds.

It wasn't his reflection he was seeing, but the version of himself that had been trapped between realities behind the mirror. Whatever these creatures had done, they had given his doppelgänger a chance to escape, and if he didn't act soon that's exactly what would happen.