Natalie pulled Smith down the hall toward the main staircase. “This way!” she shouted. As they neared the front door, Smith noticed a change around the room. “If you run to the left outside the gate you will see a river. The horses will not go through it, so you will be safe.”
“Uh, Natalie?”
“No time for thanks now. If you get away, that will be thanks enough. Who knows we may even see each other again. Some day.” Opening the front door, Natalie didn’t notice the Darkness inside, smirking. “Now go!” With a shove, she pushed Smith through the door. Not again! As the door slammed behind him, he turned and began banging on the nothingness that surrounded him. The Darkness did not yield, only laughed. “Get me out of here!” Wild images began flashing on all sides. Scenes of death and destruction: of guards with no faces lying dead on the field, of the king and queen collapsed bleeding on top of each other, of Natalie, the only one willing to help him–
Once again Smith was falling. He tumbled on a soft surface, burning his face as it rubbed across it.
“Who the hell is this!” a man’s voice shouted.
“I don’t know,” a woman replied.
“Then why was he in your closet?”
“I swear, I never met him before in my life!”
“Sure you  haven’t. I’m out of here.” There were heavy footsteps and a door slamming, then all was quiet. When Smith had the strength to get up, he saw a girl sitting on a bed, staring down at him. “Now I’ve had strange boys hiding in my closet before, but at least I kind of knew them.”