Darkness wrapped around him as he ran. It stifled his senses, filled his nose and mouth. Forcing its way down his throat. It veiled his eyes so he could not see, like he had been draped in a thick blanket of mist. He tried to move his arms to slap at the suffocating blackness but it only pressed harder, pushing all of the air out of his body. He tried to look ahead at where he was running but only darkness lay ahead of him and death trailed close behind.

SLAM! His bare foot, neglected as he ran from his home, slammed into the protruding root of a cedar tree and he rammed head first into the large tree. Blood splashed his pail face. The red seemed strange and out of place on the angelic demon child's face. His wings feverishly beat at the tree trunk.

"Demon? Demon. Dear child do not fear. We are not here to hurt you. We only want to help you. Do not fear us. We will not hurt you. No one can hurt you demon child." The words were thick and sappy. Like some morbidly real version of honey. The words clung to the wind. Thick and sweet they pored into the young boys ears.

He tried to push the words out of his head but they were so beautiful. So tantalizing. So soft and sweet. After what seemed like hours a bird called. A long screeching call that pierced the darkness. The small demon child awoke from his trance.

The boy suddenly began to scream and flail his arms in a desperate futile attempt to hold of the pressing darkness. His hands raked at his face leaving long lines bleeding down his face. He tore at his long chestnut waves of silky hair, pulling huge chunks of hair out.

His freakish attempts at pushing away the dark was no good. The only thing it really did was amuse the dark figure standing in his self created shadow. Long silver strings where attached to his fingers and when he flicked one of them the shadow closed in closer around his stupid pray. Yes his pray. His lovely blood shadow would get a good feast of demon blood today.

The stupid pray was still pushing away the darkness. Maybe he had underestimated this youth. He might be of use to him. He pulled back on one of the string attached to his fingers and the shadows moved away from the terrified youth. The boy started to run screaming away as soon as the shadows had receded. No dumb boy was he. The dark figure gracefully jumped out to block the boy's progress. The boy turned and tried to run a different direction.

A hand reached out to stroke his face. He could not resist it. No matter what his senses told him to do he sank down into the touch. Pressing himself against the hand. Slowly the boy's eye lids sank down in submission and he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Some where far away a tall elderly man with a kind gentle face looks over his ranks of homeless children. He is a priest and has dedicated his life to these children. He looks into there expecting faces but counts one missing. One of his brightest little ones has gone astray. He was a young demon much like most of the rest. He gives no mind to the missing child though. Probably will be back by morning.

Yet in the corner a boy sits weeping hysterically for his best friend. His hair is full of thorns his cobalt eyes streaming with tears and his mind in confusion. He was running with the demon child when he just disappeared. He had had a bad feeling for the rest of the day. Like something was wrong. He whimpers as he fells his best friend's soul torn apart.