Darkness crept on silent feet, sneaking towards to the child lying on the bed. The pale haired boy could hear each tendril sweeping across the floor, swallowing every possible color in its gluttony.

He heard the frantic footsteps of someone coming to rescue him but he knew it was too late. Darkness already filled him full, leaking out his eyes, swallowing his amber iris whole. It had spread, consumed every ounce of self-control until he had no fight left, a mere ghost watching the shell that had been his body.

The door opened. A small shaft of light pierced the Darkness and she stepped into the room, vibrant, beautiful, and in more danger then she could ever know. Darkness smiled as the boy screamed silently in denial, twisting in his invisible bonds.

Mary stretched out her hand, reaching for the child just beyond the circle of light cast by the doorway behind her.

“Don’t worry” she murmured. “I’m here to help.”