The morning came quick. Too quick. I was woken up by someone shaking me. "Time to get up Jacob." I forced my eyes open, gram smiled down at me. I groaned, my whole body hurt but I forced myself to sit up. "Why does everything hurt?" I asked, my voice was dry and raspy. "Using your ability drained you, plus you jumped a couple steps so you could save the General. That's gonna have a negative affect on you for a couple hours." I nodded my head. I stood up from the soft bed, my balance wavered and my vision went blurry. If gram wasn't next to me I would've fallen. "Careful, sit back down I'll go grab you some water and breakfast." I sat back down on the bed, my mind was begging me to go back to sleep. But I forced myself to stay awake. My vision kept going in and out, after what felt like an eternity gram came back with a water bottle. "Drink up." I grabbed the water bottle, my other hand could barely twist the cap off. I tilted my head back and gulped the water down. A couple drops of water slid down my chin and landed on my shirt. I put the empty water bottle aside and gasped for air. "Here, eat some food." Gram placed a plate of food on the bed then walked out. On the plate was two soft pancakes, a cut up banana, some strawberries, and a few blueberries on top. I grabbed the plastic fork and knife and began to eat. I first ate the banana, the taste wasn't very good but the consistency was smooth and soft. Next was the strawberries, the sweet flavor and juice was delicious. I ate a couple blueberries then put the on the side. I cut a piece of pancake off and stuffed it in my mouth. The warm and softness of the buttery pancake made me feel just a little bit better. I threw the utensils down and picked the pancake up with my hands. I scarfed both down in record time. Crumbs covered my lap and face, the plate was almost completely clean aside the blueberries. I managed to stand up and walk slowly to the door. I opened it, standing there was Addy, her fist up in a knocking motion. I jumped slightly and quickly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Sorry, I don't look my Sunday best." I joked. She chuckled. "I was just coming to check on you. How are you feeling?" I scratched the back of my neck. "Do you want the honest answer or a bitter lie?" Addy shook her head. "The truth." I sighed. "The truth is, I feel terrible. Every thought, every movement, it all hurts. My body is aching and my head can't stop spinning from last night." Addy frowned and looked away. We stood there in silence, neither one of use knew what to say. "I'm sorry you're in pain. But there's something you have to see." I walked out of the room and shut the door behind me. "Addy led me across the hall to another room, she knocked three quick times on the door. To my surprise, the General opened the door. "So you're awake, good to see you're alright. Come on." Addy and I walked inside, the General closed the door once we entered. "While you were out cold, I sent a few men back to Homebase." I sat down on the bed, Addy sat down next to me. "They took photos of what's left." The General handed me a phone I looked down at the screen. A photo of the main entrance was the first photo, then it was the dirt road towards the town. Then the town. But it didn't look like a town, it looked like a burnt field. There wasn't a single building standing, it was all turned into ash because of the fire. My jaw was dropped, I couldn't even muster a word to say. I handed the phone back to the General, finally finding my voice again. "Was there anything there?" The General leaned against the desk that was in the hotel room. "For the town, there was nothing but rubble. Everyone either escaped or didn't make it. As for the Melting Shadows, long gone. Their tracks were covered by the ash." I lowered my head. "So the one that talked, it got away." The General was quiet for a minute. "Yes, but not for long." I squeezed the bridge of my nose, I could feel a headache coming on. "I need some fresh air." I said and stood up. "Do you want me to join you?" Addy asked. I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine by myself." I walked out of the room and took the elevator down to the first floor. As I exited the elevator, a little boy ran by me. "I'm so sorry!" His mother quickly said to me then continued chasing the boy. I ran my fingers through my hair and walked through the lobby. There were tons of families. I looked over to the side, there was a guy around my age. He was talking with his family, he was laughing and talking. He wasn't fighting monsters, he wasn't panicking about his sudden new life. He was normal. My hand clenched up into tight fists. I quickly marched out of the hotel. The headache now pounding. I walked down the street, everyone I passed seemed to look at me, judge me. I felt angry, why was everyone judging me. I was trying my best to juggle everything. What if I couldn't? What if I get crushed under the presser? What if I can't win? All these new questions made me feel sick and dizzy. Without even realizing it I had walked all the way back to the entrance. I was back at Homebase. I walked through the entrance. A Smokey scent filled my nose. I coughed and gaged at the sudden stench. But I pushed forward. I soon found the town, it looked just like the photos. There were mounds of ash, there wasn't a building in sight. I walked through, I could picture the building that once stood in a spot, but no building stood. My feet dragged on the ground. My energy felt gone. It felt like a sledgehammer bagging against my head. I clutched my head and fell to my knees. My body felt like it was going to explode. Then I heard a snap, my head shot up. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, stared a creature. It was watching my every move, I could feel it's eyes piercing me. I slowly stood up. My hands shook. Slowly I slid my feet back, a twig snapped to my side. Had it moved that quickly? Or was I being surrounded by the second? I tried calling myself to form my sword, but my mind couldn't concentrate. A red light blinked rapidly around my hand. I was drawing more attention to myself. I could hear them growl, I was surrounded. I closed my eyes, I could feel it. They were circling me, toying with me. My breathing was shaky and fast, my hands shook violently. One charged. I could hear it's feet beating the ground as it ran to me. My eyes shot open as my sword finally formed in my hand. I spun around and pointed my sword forward quickly. My eyes went wide. "Addy?"