Autumn Brooks held the hand of Evan Stone as they ran through the uphill forest. The midnight moon glanced upon the trees as they made their way through the mist. "We have to keep going," Evan shouted, trying to keep his voice lowered. "We have been running for hours. We need to catch our breath, Evan." Autumn kneeled a bit, gasping as much air as he could. "We do not have much time. They will come for us." Evan's head jerked around as he heard leaves cracking and tree trunks breaking in the far distance. "You too paranoid about this," Autumn said, jerking his hand away from Evan. "Don't do this now, please Autumn. I beg you. I've lost you too many times. I'm not losing you again." Evan begged. Autumn straightened himself and controlled his breathing. "We have to leave before they find us." Evan reminded him. Autumn agreed and retook his hand. They continued running through the forest until they felt safe to stop at the peak of the mountain overlooking the town. The full moon was covering most of the midnight sky. They held tighter onto each other's hands. Autumn looked back when he heard footsteps approaching them and the endless screaming of his name. "Do you trust me?" Evan asked as he steadies himself. Autumn knew what he was thinking. He already knew what they are about to do. "Do you evens have to ask?" Autumn felt Evan grabbing him into his arms as they jump off the hill. They were falling and falling. Autumn didn't feel Evans arms around him anymore; he couldn't feel him at all. Evan was falling faster. He tried to grab onto him, but he was grabbing nothing but air. His hands were swinging around in midair. Evan fell onto the ground dead. Autumn covered his eyes with him before he hit the ground.
Autumn awoke with his clothes soaked wet. The same dream. Every night. He turned around his pillow and slightly scream into it. It has been almost two years since he last saw Evan. Since everything went down and they got their memories back. Since he got his memories back of them. The cruelness, the vile indiscernible things which they have done. He made them believe he killed Evan, but he killed Austin instead. He still needed Evan to be safe from the cult. From The Void. Everything has changed since they returned home. Each one of them has graduated high school and is soon going off to college. Xavier and Annalee finally broke things off, and Zia is more different than ever. Darker. The Void has taken everything away from them. Their innocence. Their humanity. Everything that made them who they are is completely gone. Autumn wants out, but he can't, not without Evan's help. Things are too complicated for him just to leave. Some nights he wishes it is rather him jumping off that hill and dying, but evens dying can't get him out. He needs Evan. He's the only on that can save him. Autumn laid on his bed in his soaked clothes looking up to his rooftop. He feels disgusted by the thought that he is waiting on a man to save him. At least it's a man he loves. His brain wonders of ways he could track down Evan. Through his dreams or social media. Ask the cult to track him down, but that would only end up being killed. He wiped his face getting agitated of not having any decent ideas of how to find Evan. "Maybe he just doesn't want to be found." He looked across his room and saw a version of him standing by his desk. The inner him. The voice he tries to bury. "Go away." He mumbled and turned on his side. "Maybe he found out you just want to use him to get out of a deal you made with your life as collateral damage." His inner voice was right. He's always right. "Go away." Autumn continued mumbling. "Or maybe he just chooses rather forget you and all your killer friends. I mean, that's the most obvious reason to think. I don't blame the guy." Autumn sat up and shouted, "Won't you just shut up." The inner he stopped talking and disappeared. He has been dealing with all his unmoral abilities, and still, he can't control it. He laid back down and stared up to his sealing again. Wondering. Trying to find Evan in the depth of his mind. "Where are you, Evan?" He whispered beneath his breath. Autumn heard footsteps approaching his door. A gentle knock on the door and Elaine appeared. "Hey." She carefully greeted. Elaine is the woman Autumn's father has seen for the past few months. Soft-hearted, kind, caring woman and has the same color hair his mother had. Hazel brown. "Are you okay?" she asked in her cautious comfort tone she always speaks in. She was the last person Autumn wants to talk too. "I heard some shouting, and I thought I should check up on you." Elaine pushed the door a bit further open for Autumn to see her. "I was video calling some friends." Autumn lied. Elaine stepped inside his room, unsure If she should approach him or not. "You do know you can talk to me, Authi." Autumn turned on his side and faced the window. He didn't realize that it was raining outside. "I know your dad doesn't always talk to you. And the two of you don't say anything to each other at all." Elaine moved over to the end of his bed. "But I'm here. You can talk to me. About whatever." Autumn moved his legs away when he felt Elaine trying to comfort him. "Sure. Noted." Was all Autumn said. "Okay." Elaine stood up and made her way out. She held the doorknob before she closed the door. "Autumn." She said. "Don't consume yourself in people. Let go and move on." Elaine walked out and closed the door behind her. Autumn realized what she meant by letting go and move on. He has been held up in his room for months, not wanting to leave. He has spent every season sitting on his bed looking out his window, trying to find Evan. Trying to find ways to escape the cult. Evan was right. He is like the seasons. Good enough for a while. Broken down in Autumn and darker than the days in winter. Everyone is right about him. If he weren't cursed, he would have ended it all. Stopped it before it spread too far. His pain. Autumn tossed and turned for minutes and decided to take a shower. The water was soothing. He slid his fingers through his blond colored hair. One of the many changes he made. He could feel the frustration moving through his body. The hopelessness of failing over and over again. He wondered if he should just masturbate the frustration away as any normal teenager would. But even for that, he has no energy. Autumn has diagnosed himself with depression months ago and made peace with that. He wants that. His wet feet left puddles all around his bedroom floor. He got dressed and climbed into bed again. Crawled up under the covers and stared out the window. Watching as single drops of rain slide down. He felt himself finally giving up. He's done waiting for Evan to save him. He's done trying to find ways to get out of the cult. He knows what he has to do, even if it kills him.
Days have passed, and Autumn finally decided it was time for him to leave the house and get some fresh air. The weather was perfect. Perfect enough to stay indoors, but he fought against the thought and headed downstairs. The house does not look the way it used to. Elaine has moved around every piece of furniture that she could. She even convinced his father to remodel the whole kitchen. She's invading is the only thing Autumn cared about in the house. "You finally out of bed." Elaine said while carrying a breakfast plate over to his father. "Decided to go get a coffee with a friend." He lied again. "That is so nice. I mean, it is a beautiful day outside." Elaine returned to the kitchen, scrambling some eggs she had on the stove. "Are you meeting a friend or a guy?" his father remarked. Autumn choose to ignore his father and grabbed his car keys. Since Elaine came into their bubble, his father gave his car to Autumn, and Elaine shares her brand new car with his dad. One of the things he is grateful for. "I'm going to head out now. I'll be back later." He said and left before Elaine force him to eat of her breakfast. He covered his eyes when a bright light almost blinded him. The sun. He unlocked his car and glanced over to Evan's old house. It's now filled with a happy family with three noisy kids always playing on the lawn. They perfect. Picture perfect. Autumn got into his car and drove off. He didn't know where he is driving. He didn't care. He just needed one day out of the house. Autumn ended up at the old diner they used to hang out. Which has been under new management since last month? He got out of the car and made his way into the diner. He got a place near the window and sat down. "Welcome to Ally's diner. How may I help you?" A tall dark headed guy appeared in his vision. "Hi. Can I have a coffee please?" He ordered. "Do you need anything else? We have a nice breakfast special. You look like a guy who needs a breakfast special." Autumn caught himself smiling for the first time in a long while. "No I don't want a breakfast special just plain old, coffee. That's all." Autumn saw him scribble on his notepad. "Okay I'll bring you one ordinary coffee in a few seconds." The guy said and made his way to the counter. Autumn turned his head towards the window again. Looking out into the street. Watching the people and cars passing by. "The majority of them don't evens come in here." The guy put down a cup of coffee in front of Autumn. "Ever since this place has been under new management people have not really been coming here a lot." Autumn covered his cup with his hands. "New management must suck." He said and looked up to the guy. "No offense." He added. "None taken really. My dad bought this place from the previous owner. Ever since people found out the diner has been slow." The guy sat down opposite Autumn. "Well, people hate change. Especially here." Autumn blew on his coffee before he took a sip. "People are ignorant to change. They want things to stay the way it is. They don't want to move on. They want to be dependent on the things they familiar with." He went quiet before he spoke again. "Change is the best thing that can happen to a person nevertheless. It's good or bad." Autumn stared at him as he glanced out the window. "So, do you do this to all your customers?" Autumn sarcastically asked. "Just the ones I've never really seen before." He stood up from the table. "I've come a lot before." Autumn stated. "Ignorance to change." He said, smiling at Autumn. "Maybe." Autumn answered. "At least you came inside. That counts for something." He said. A woman behind the counter shouted out an order for him. "Duty calls. Enjoy the coffee, and I hope I see you again." He said. "Maybe." Autumn teased. The guy nodded his head and took off. Autumn felt a rush traveling through his body. A rush of emotion. Maybe he was ignorant to change after all. Autumn left his money for the coffee on the table and headed home. The drive back was much easier than the drive till by the diner. He parked his car and climbed out. "Hey, Autumn." A voice said behind him. Autumn completely froze in his tracks. "We – I've been looking for you." He knew who it was. The one person he wanted to see the least. Xavier. Autumn turned around and faced Xavier. He looked like a complete mess. He shaved off his hair, and Autumn could spot a tattoo on his right arm. "What do you want?" Autumn asked, standing firm. "Where have you been?" Xavier asked. Autumn nodded his head in disgust. "So, you came here to cross question me." Xavier disagreed and stepped a bit closer to Autumn, but he pulled away. "Everyone has been looking for you." He said. "That's bullshit. All of you left after we took care of Evan. You bailed when I said I wanted out." "There is no out." Xavier barked back. "You know that. You know what they did to Annalee when she – "Xavier struggled to find the right words to say. "The reason I came here is to warn you if you do not come back, they will find you, Autumn." Autumn stood face to face with Xavier. "Let them. Let them find me. I'm sure they'll send you and Zia to take care of me." Xavier sighed. "This is not just some remembering game anymore. It is serious." Xavier stated. "Well, so am I. I'm done hiding. If they want to come for me, you know where to find me. Make sure you drunk when you give directions." Autumn said and pushed him out of the way. "You wanted this Autumn." Xavier shouted as Autumn stood at his door. "You can't change it." Xavier said. "Watch me die trying." Autumn said, slamming the door close behind him. Xavier stood in the parking lot before he vanished into thin air.