"About time you came back!" A pale man with short spiked black hair exclaimed as Thomas and the group arrived at the camp, Mark scanning his new surroundings. There were two tiny houses that looked more sheds and a bonfire in the center, a woodpile covered by a tarp lying nearby.

Mark jumped when he felt someone touch the hem of his shirt, relaxing slightly when he saw that it was Thomas.

"May I?" Thomas asked.

Mark nodded, giving Thomas consent to take Mark's shirt off. Thomas had a concerned expression on his face as he lightly touched the bloodstained bandage wrapped around Mark's chest.

"Thomas, who are these people, why are they here?" Paul glanced between the four strangers.

"This is my younger brother Mark, and I'm assuming the others are his friends." Thomas stated, Mark nodding in confirmation.

"Sean, Signe, Amy, and Ethan." Mark pointed to each person in turn. They awkwardly waved hello to the two.

"I can't stay for long." Mark told Thomas as he disappeared into one of the shed like houses, returning with a roll of bandages.

"Where are you going?" Thomas frowned as he peeled the old bandage off. The wound thankfully wasn't infected and was starting to look better much to Mark's relief.

"There's another camp of Shadowers-"

"Where?" Thomas interrupted, his eyes wide in surprise.

"I can take you to them, but we have to move fast. The village on this island sent these people to kill them." Mark gestured at the four.

"Why are they helping you then?" Thomas's chocolate brown eyes narrowed in suspicion as he glared at them warily.

"Felix, our village leader, wants all the Shadowers dead because he thinks they're monsters. We want to prove to him that the Shadowers aren't dangerous." Amy explained.

"I know why." Thomas sighed wearily as he bandaged Mark's wound.

"In the past, a Shadower brought Felix's shadow to life. Felix's own Shadow killed the Shadower, then tried to kill Felix and everyone else in the village. No one was able to stop it since only the person who owned the shadow could." Thomas continued.

"So it's still out there?" Sean asked, a tinge of fear evident in his voice.

"Unfortunately, yes." Thomas nodded.

"You mentioned another village?" Paul changed the subject.

"This way." Mark led the way, hoping he could still find his way there from wherever they were in the woods.

It wasn't long until Mark spotted a curl of smoke in the sky.

"We should be close." Mark assured the group, eagerly speeding up a little so he would see his friends faster.

Only they weren't there.

The place where the camp had been was reduced to nothing but piles of ashes, a few flames still flickering on the ground.

"NO!" Mark screamed as he frantically fell to his knees dug through the still warm ashes for signs of any survivors. The only thing he found was a crumpled piece of paper with words written on it, the edges burnt.

It was lyrics to a song Nate was writing for Mark. He had kept his promise, but Mark never kept his.

"All that you know you'll be leaving it behind,
Look deep inside and soon enough you'll find,
The courage to win now you best be on your way,
For you have a demon to slay."

Mark read the words aloud, wishing he understood what they meant.

"They have to be alive, right? Right?" Mark whimpered as he ran a hand through his hair, turning it gray since his hands were covered in ash.

"Mark-"

"You did this! All of you!" Mark cut off Amy as he whirled around to glare at Amy, Sean, Signe, and Ethan. They remained silent, staring down at the ground.

"We were sent to distract you while Felix searched for the camp." Ethan confessed, daring to look up from the ground and stare Mark in the eyes.

"Why?!?" Mark charged towards Sean since he was the closest to him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up into the air.

"Mark that's enough!" Thomas barked.

"P-please." Sean choked out, tears of pain and fear trailing down his pale face as he desperately clawed at Mark's hand.

Mark seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly released his hold on Sean, allowing him to fall to his knees onto the ground. Signe knelt down by Sean as he coughed and sputtered for breath, gently touching the red handprints left on his neck left by Mark.

"Felix was right, I am a monster." Mark looked down at his hands before he changed into a shadow and disappeared.

"Stay here with them!" Thomas commanded Paul before he changed into a shadow as well so he could find Mark.

Because of his wound, Mark wasn't able to run as fast as he usually could, making it easy for Thomas to find him.

Mark returned to his human form before glaring at Thomas.

"Just let me go!" Mark cried as Thomas changed back to normal and grabbed onto Mark's arm to keep him from running away again.

"You're not a monster, you're just scared, angry, and confused." Thomas shook his head.

"I need to go to the village. Let them take me away, kill me, whatever they want." Mark slumped to the ground in defeat, reclining his head back to rest on a tree.

"Let me teach you something." Thomas sat down beside him.

"Concentrate on your shadow. Picture it being human, looking like you." Thomas instructed.

Mark took a deep breath and did as he was told.

"Hello Mark."

Mark's eyes snapped open to see a man that looked exactly like him standing in front of him.

Only he had black eyes.

He had created the monster he believed himself to be.

"The name's Dark by the way. Thanks for freeing me, it's so boring just watching you." Mark's shadow remarked.

"Mark, go." Thomas told him quietly as he stood up, standing between Mark and his shadow.

"You think you can stop me?" Dark chuckled coldly as he stepped closer to Thomas.

"I can certainly try." Thomas admitted with a shrug.

"Thomas-"

"When you see mom, tell her I will always forgive her fully and completely. She already knows I love her. Just like I hope you know that I love you." Thomas smiled sadly at Mark, tears welling in his dark chocolate brown eyes.

"Go." Thomas repeated louder as he turned around to face Dark, his face set in grim determination.

"I love you too brother." Mark told Thomas, hugging him one last time before running as fast as his legs could carry him back towards the others.

"Thomas needs help he's fighting my shadow and-"

"Slow down, what's wrong?" Paul asked Mark.

"Thomas taught me how to bring my shadow to life and it's attacking him right now." Mark spoke somewhat slower.

"Lead the way." Paul nodded.

By the time they arrived, Dark had already beaten up Thomas badly. Thomas's right eye was swollen up and black, his left arm clutched tightly to his chest since it was badly broken.

"Well look who's back." Dark smirked as he waltzed closer to Mark.

"Leave him alone!" Thomas spat out a mouthful of blood in a thick glob.

"What are you going to do about it? I could kill you with one hit like the pest you are." Dark sneered at him.

"You said only the person who owns the shadow can get rid of it, how do I do that?" Mark asked Thomas, taking a few cautious steps back away from Dark.

"I can't let you do that." Thomas shook his head.

"Why?" Mark frowned.

Thomas opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted when Dark started charging towards him.

"Back off!" Paul stepped into the fray, swinging his fist towards Dark's face.

Dark easily stopped Paul's fist inches  from his face before tossing Paul away from him like a rag doll.  There was a loud sickening crack that echoed throughout the forest as Paul flew in the air several feet into a tree before falling to the ground unconscious.

"We need to go!" Sean yelled to Mark.

"I can't leave Paul and Thomas!" Mark yelled back as he ran over to Paul. His vitals were weak, but he was alive.

"Dark!" Mark yelled at the shadow to gain his attention. Thomas was lying on the ground breathing heavily, sweat matting his hair to his forehead.

"You know, if it didn't kill me too, I'd kill you right now." Dark growled at Mark before shifting to his shadow form and disappearing.

Mark looked around him for signs of Sean, Signe, Amy, or Ethan, but they were all gone. He was injured and left alone with two mortally wounded people.

"Just hang on, I'll get you two to safety." Mark assured the two unconscious people in case they could hear him as he carefully hoisted them both of his shoulders, carrying them over his shoulders like sacks of flour.

He started slowly walking toward the one place left for him to go, even though he knew that he would probably end up dying in the process. 

The village.