[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9qtnsQE.png[/IMG]

Dylan stared in horror at the black ooze that hung around his feet, slowing coalescing into an even eerier version of Tobias. Tobias reached out and grabbed Dylan by the arms, holding them pinned to the artist’s sides. 

[i]"Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, bad people like us never deserve happy endings."[/i] The man was so close that Dylan could feel his breath on his ear, a soft sigh brushing against his skin. He shuddered at the contact, the sheer tactile sensation making him wonder if this was real after all. [i]"You and I are very much alike, birds of a feather flock together after all."[/i]

Tobias pushed him backwards, easing him towards the edge of the small platform. Before the shade could finish his job, though, the platform fell with splash into a sea of black liquid. The shock of it awakened Dylan from his stupor and he wrenched himself out of Tobias’ grasp. “You. Are. Not. Real,” he said with conviction, his eyes alight with a fierce determination. The image of Tobias flickered in front of him and Dylan took the opportunity to run. 

Leaping from his platform, he saw Estelle clatter to the ground, apparently the victim of some attacker he did not recognize. Dylan didn’t even pause in his step, hurrying to the red-head’s side and helping her up. “Don’t listen,” he whispered to Estelle. “Whatever he says isn’t true. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how real it feels, it [i]can’t be true[/i].” He wondered for a moment who he was trying to convince - Estelle or himself - but it didn’t really matter. “We can still fight this.”