The rain had ceased, leaving small pools of murky water dotting the ground. Ryan and Mark were both sitting facing each other, but were not looking at each other. They silently stared into space in blankness. The trees flowed back and forth in a gentle breeze. The sun had begun to set, and the last of its rays crept over the horizon one last time. The sky was painted a deep orange.

Ryan heard a branch crack under a footstep. He swerved around to see a man wearing a cloak covering his face. He kept his hands inside his robes.

“Ryan, come with me,” the hooded man demanded.
“What? Why? How do you know my name? Why should I trust you? How do I-” Ryan was cut off.
“Because if you don’t, we will kill Michelle,” the man said simply. Ryan was stupefied. Michelle was here.
“Now wait just a minute,” interjected Mark, “How do we know this is not a trap? How do you expect him to just traipse along with you?”
“Fine, if you don’t care, perhaps I should just go in there and kill her now,” the man replied coldly.
Ryan motioned for Mark to stop, gave him a small nod, and followed in the footsteps of the cloaked man.

Ryan and the man trudged along the wet ground for a few minutes. The man suddenly signaled for him to halt. Ryan stopped where he was. The cloaked man walked towards a tree. Then, magically, he separated the bark and revealed a passageway. Mystified, Ryan followed as the man motioned him inside the tree. The man glanced outside the tree to make sure he hadn’t been followed, and then magically closed the tree again. Ryan turned around and saw a long corridor. Dim lights hung from the ceiling every few yards, giving Ryan the feeling of gloominess.

“This way,” the man muttered. He led the way into another dimly lit corridor. After passing a few doors, he stopped at the one marked “105”.
“What is this?” Ryan inquired. The man was silent. He simply unlocked the door, and heaved it open. Ryan gave a shout.

“Michelle! Michelle you’re safe! Oh thank God!” He cried in relief.
Michelle came running up to him, crying as she went. Soon, the only thing separating the two was the thin glass barrier. They were so close, yet so far. Ryan put his hand up to hers. He could feel the most minuscule bit of warmth from her body through the glass. Tears flowed down his eyes.

“I have work to do here,” interjected the man in the robes. “Let me get straight to the point.” Ryan wheeled around angrily.
“Would you show the tiniest bit of humanity and not bother us for a few minutes please?” he asked furiously.
The man acted as if he did not hear him, and continued, “My master has informed me to bring Ms. Weirs to him. He also wants you to follow along. He will have no harm done to either of you.”
“Oh yea? Why should we listen to you anyways?” Ryan demanded.
“Because, If you do not cooperate, I have instructions to use any means necessary,” he said menacingly as he pulled out a Dragons Tail from inside his robes.
“Psh, I am not afraid of you,” retaliated Ryan.
“Oh I am sure of that,” he said sarcastically, “but on the other hand, I bet she is.” He motioned towards Michelle, whose eyes spread in terror. Then something happened. It happened so fast that Ryan nor Michelle didn’t even notice it before it was too late.

Somehow, the man had gotten into Michelle’s side of the room. Ryan bellowed out in rage. He watched in horror as the man roughly grabbed Michelle by the arm. He slammed her down on the table in the middle of the room. Michelle struggled helplessly, but immediately stopped thrashing when the man placed his Dragons Tail at the edge of her throat.
“No!” Ryan screamed. “Please don’t, I’ll do anything!”

The man’s lip curled up into a menacing snicker, and lifted Michelle up. “Once a coward, always a coward,” he said scathingly. He bent down and kissed Michelle on the forehead. However, the instant the man’s lips touched her skin, he pulled away as if it had burned him. Ryan turned away and closed his eyes in disgust. By now, Ryan was shaking with tears. The man finally let her go. Michelle retreated into a corner of her room. Her golden hair covered her face, but Ryan saw her trembling in fright. Ryan felt helpless as he stood alone in the room, looking through the glass at his girl and the man. He couldn’t help her. He couldn’t get to her. He felt torn from her, as if she had died.

The three of there stood there in a stalemate. Finally the man took Michelle and magically walked through the glass to Ryan’s side. He let go of Michelle’s arm, and Ryan immediately rushed forward to receive her. The two of them cried for what seemed like an eternity in each others arms, amidst the humming of computers and other machines. Memories of their times together flashed before their eyes. Ryan bent down and kissed Michelle lovingly on the forehead. Michelle moved her hands to embrace Ryan’s neck, and placed her lips upon his. They remained in this position for an eternity.

“Follow me,” the man finally said quietly. His threatening personality seemed to have diminished curiously. He walked out of the room and down the corridor. Ryan and Michelle were united at last. No matter what, Ryan decided, he was not going to lose her again. He promised himself that he would never let Michelle leave his side again. As they followed the man, Ryan held Michelle tightly, who had her head resting on his shoulder. The couple walked down the dim hallway, turned left, and vanished out of sight.