The bus was driving fast and steady past the desolate landscape. The speed got the trees along the road to look as long spooky shadows, which routed the dim light from the bus. The rain drummed hard on the roof, but the only passenger did not hear it. She sat in the back, and looked out the rainy window with her mp3 as loud as she could without her eardrums burst.
The whole day had been strange, it felt as if someone had followed her wherever she had gone.
She had been afraid, but never turned to look.
It felt extra scary when she had come out from the store she was working on, when suddenly there were no people in the usually busy street. She had suddenly felt that something was after her, and began to run like she had never run. When she had come to the bus stop and walked on the bus, she had hardly breath when she sat down. Right there and then she felt the rear seats gave the most protection.
But for what?
The thoughts raced as she tried and concentrate on music that resounded in her ears. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the music felt distant from her.
She heard a part of the song she had on, just before she was blocked from the outside world.

All this black and cruel despair
This is an emergency
Don't you hide your eyes from me
Open them and see me now
Can you see me now?

Can you see me now....

Prologue

In a landscape changing shapes with every blink a wind blew across barren wastes and lushing meadows, reaching a man racing towards a cliff. On the top of the cliff stood a lone girl, roughly his own age, dark brown hair reahing down her back, clothed in a simple gray robe that spread down on the ground around her. There was pain in her eyes, he was a hundred steps away and he felt that pain reach him. He raced to her, needed to get there before... he didn't know what was going to happen if he didn't get there in time, he just felt that was not an option. A crow flew past him, larger than any bird he had ever seen. He felt desperation welling up inside and pushed his legs faster. The young woman just looked at it with her sad eyes, even when it hit her in the chest she didn't react, just fell. He reached for her as she flew backwards. His hand stretched out to try and catch her before she tumbled towards her fate. He reached for an eternity, couldn't reach far or fast enough, and she fell. She fell and he fell, screaming he clawed his way out of the dream.
He awoke, his body drenched in sweat, in his own dimly lit room. Something was itching all over his chest. He breathed heavily, trying to calm himself. "Why won't it go away? What does it even mean?!" Trying to get on his feet, still disoriented from waking up, he swayed slightly. He turned up the lights to little more than half and squinted at himself in the mirror on the wall across the room. There was something off about him. He moved closee and as he did, his eyes adjusted to the light and he froze, heart racing. Across his breast there was a giant symbol of intricate black patterns in all shapes and sizes, it looked like it had been tattooed on him for many years. It formed the shape of the woman in his dreams.