Her smile shifts to a frown as she whispers, "Why did you let me die?" Despite the length separating us, her heartbreaking words pound at my eardrums. My hands frantically cover my ears as I attempt to block out the tormenting echoes of her voice. With blurry vision, I watch as the shadows and branches finally consume her body. My voice finally summons enough persuasion to scream her name, "Valerie!" But it's too late. Her body has drained of color.

Everything was silent now. It wasn't the comforting, peaceful silence that one would happily welcome. Instead it was the eerie silence that the darkest of souls dreaded. The kind that acted as a poison, taking shelter in your veins and writhing through your bones. The silence that consumed your thoughts, your mind, your sanity.