Trapped In The Dark

by Twilight

Notes: The Crow: Stairway to Heaven and all it's characters don't belong to me ( wouldn't it be nice if they did though?). I am not making any money off of this.

This fanfiction was written for enjoyment only. Blah blah blah. Oh yeah and many thanks and cyber hugs go out to AliceNMphs my beta reader, without her this story would be filled with mistakes and craziness.

Notes: I don't own them, make no money, don't sue me! Ok now that I've said that, I want to once again thank my beta reader Alice who makes these stories readable for the general public. I swear it's amazing she even understands what I write the first time around I make so many mistakes. Anyway Thanks Alice! Now onto the story.

Trapped In The Dark

by Twilight

" I guess the feeling of loneliness comes to all of us at times. It seems, that for me, loneliness isn't just a vistor it's a permanant resident. At least that's the way I feel most of the time. God I miss you so much, I just wish I could be with you again."

Eric stood like a pale shadow peering into the night sky through the window of his apartment. The apartment where he and Shelly had once lived and loved. The apartment where they had both been murdered. The window he had been thrown out of. Eric smashed his fist onto the wood paneling around the window and then stared as his hand it healed before his eyes.

"Damn it, I didn't want to be like this. I just want to be with you," Eric whispered into the night air.

The air stood still as if waiting but there was no reply. "SHELLY!" Eric yelled out. "Shelly," he said this time his voice barely a whisper.

" Yeah this one is pretty bad," the still wet behind the ears young cop said to Daryl Albreight.

Daryl gave him a look......... " Aren't they all."

Daryl headed over to the crime scene, making his way past the crowds of the morbid curious and the blood-thirsty reporters. He did not like what he saw. Then again he never did. The body had already been covered due to the large crowd that had gathered but the surrounding area was covered in splashed blood.

On the wall near the victim symbols had been drawn in what Daryl assumed to be blood as well.

"What do we have here?" Daryl asked a near by police officer.

"One Jane Doe, no id on the body, brutally stabbed seven times with a knife. Her body was also beaten and burned but the coroner says that took place after the fact. Approximate time of death about nine of clock this evening. We don't know much else yet. No prints were lifted, the son of a bitch must have been wearing gloves. Also no one has made sense of these symbols yet but we are working on it. "

"Any witnesses?" Daryl asked

"Nope, doesn't look good does it?"

"Do they ever?" Daryl asked and then turned around to view the crime scene again or review.

Something about those symbols interested him, it was almost as if he had seen them before even though he knew he hadn't. Daryl pulled out a notebook from his pocket and started copying the symbols down just in case. Then he leaned down and picked up one of the evidence bags. It contained a ring.

He had a visit to make. Sure it was three in the morning but he didn't think this person slept that much anyway.

"Eric!!" Daryl called out as he pushed open the door to the apartment. It was dark in the building or the apartment, very dark and Daryl couldn't see much.

"Hey Draven you in here?" He stepped into the middle of the room. All of a sudden there was a loud caw and Daryl whirled around. A large black crow perched on the window.

"You gave me a scare there."

Daryl looked around the room again.

"Wouldn't happen to know where your friend Eric is?"

Daryl shook his head, muttering "Oh great, I'm talking to a bird again."

"Didn't know you talked to animals Albreight." Eric's voice came from behind him.

"Shit!!!" Daryl spun around and spotted Eric.

"Damn it.!! You have got to stop sneaking up on me like that."

"Sorry didn't mean to sneak." Eric said.

Daryl could only make out the outline of where Eric stood. " Don't you think you might want to turn on the lights or...something."

Eric leaned over and lit a candle then stooped to light a few more. Light began to fill the room with it's soft glow.

"Better?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Daryl took a good look at Eric.

His hair hung in his eyes but from what Daryl could see Eric looked soul tired.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, concern plain in his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing, it's not every night you come in here at three- thirty am. What's wrong?"

"There was a murder, an odd one. I was wondering if you might be able to help." Daryl said. Silently he thought 'And don't think I didn't notice the way you avoided answering my question.'

Eric gave him a look. "What's so different about this one that made you want to come to me?"

"Good point." Daryl thought, then shook his head to clear it, he needed to get more sleep.

"A girl was murdered brutally then her body was further beaten and burned after she died. There were also these symbols written on the wall." Daryl handed Eric the notebook.

Eric stared at the symbols for a long moment. His expressive eyes had taken on a horrified look.

"You know them?" Daryl asked.

"No," Eric said slowly, " It's just they look familiar, like I should know them but I don't. "

"I know what you mean." Daryl replied.

Eric looked up at him.

"I got the same feeling when I first saw them. We have the people in the lab working on it."

"You might need to call in a specialist, these look pretty obsure." Eric replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well, we will if our boys can't figure them out. But that's not why I came to you." Daryl pulled out the bag, " I took this from the crime scene."

"That could get you in major trouble," Eric began.

Daryl held up his hand, " Yeah I know, but there was something about this crime scene that left a bad taste in my mouth. This goes beyound simple murder Eric."

Eric walked forward and took the bag, looked up at Daryl and then opened the bag and took the ring out. The second his hand touched it he feel to the ground.

*Pain! Overwhelming pain, shock." Why is this happening to me??!!??"

Flashes, darkness, blood. The face of evil looming over. Death, worse then death. Body dead, soul trapped. "I can see my body, OH GOD HELP ME!"

Trapped...trapped TRAPPED!!!!*

"ERIC!" Daryl yelled as he tried to pry the ring out of Eric's fingers.

The second Eric had touched the ring he had fallen to the ground on his hands and knees.

Daryl finally got the ring out of Eric's hands and shook his shoulders.

Eric looked up, not with his own face but with the face of the Crow.

Trying to get Eric's attention, Daryl asked..."Eric what happened? What did you see?"

Eric stood up slowly and tilted his head to one side, " Evil."

PART TWO

The sky was alive with madness. Storm clouds rolled overhead and threatened chaos as the sun tried to rise and bring light to the world. Day broke but there wasn't much difference between the churning sky of the night and the newy risen day. The sun's radiant light was hidden by the ugly black and gray clouds overhead.

"No one should have to go to school on a day like this. " Sarah thought to herself as she skated down the street towards her school. She was tempted to skip class but she knew that if she did the school would call the station and tell her mother and then Daryl Albrecht would find out and then he might just tell Eric. The school had been trying to deal with her attendence problems for a while. Sarah never used to care if her mom found out, because her mom didn't really care back then either. But ever since Eric had come back from the "Land of the Dead, well,her Mom cared where she was and what she did and so did he. For that matter, so did Albecht.

It was getting pretty hard to get away with anything lately, but if that was the price she had to pay to have her life straightened out it was worth it.

Besides she knew people with way worse problems then her, for instance Eric. It isn't everyday that you and your girlfriend get murdered and then you come back from the dead only to try and somehow be reconnected with her. Well, at least he got to get the guys who did that to him and Shelly.

A loud rumble sounded in the distance, "Great it's going to start pouring and I still have a few blocks to go."

Just as the thought became clear in her mind there was a large flash of lightening and then rain began to pour down out of the sky. She stopped on a street corner to put her hood up and paused a moment.

All of a sudden something smashed into her head and her world turned black as she fall to the ground.

~~~

Daryl was sitting at his desk looking over the reports on the latest murder. Something about this one had Eric going all crazy, but then again what's usual for a dead guy? After Eric had told him what he had seen when he touched the ring Daryl had taken it back and told Eric he would let him know if anything came up.

Eric had just nodded. Daryl had a feeling Eric was going to go out and do a little looking around himself.

Eric's words still haunted him, "Evil, something evil." Something had been evil enough to make Eric turn into the Crow. Eric hadn't been able to give him much he could use. Just that whatever this killer was he was stealing more than the lives of his victims, he was taking their souls as well.

A few years ago Daryl would have laughed at that, a few years ago he wasn't really much of a believer. But having known Eric Draven had changed him. Now those words scared him, scared him more then he wanted to admit. Because not only was this madman murdering people he was trapping them forever.

Whatever or whoever this murderer was he had Eric scared as well, and that made Daryl even more nervous. There weren't many people he knew would could scare a dead guy with supernatural powers. In fact there weren't any that he knew.

This killer, Eric had said, trapped the soul of his victim and then made them watch as he tortured their body even more.

Daryl rubbed his hand over his eyes, he had tried to sleep last night but it hadn't worked. He picked up the report on his desk and began to read over it again.

Just then the phone rang.

PART THREE

p>

Eric was walking aimlessly down the streets, the rain poured down on him. He did not have a destination in mind, he was just letting his feet guide him.

Where they guided him was to the crime scene from the night before. Yellow police tape was stretched around the surrounding area.

Eric stepped over the tape and peered around the surrounding area. There was a definite sense of evil there. The writing was still clear on the wall in front of him.

Eric walked into the area were he knew the victim had lain and then up to the wall. He reached one hand out towards the wall tentatively, remembering what had happened with the ring.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice yelled out before he could make contact.

Eric turned around slowly and found himself looking at a uniformed police officer. A young one at that. " Answer the question!" the cop said as he pulled a gun on Eric.

Eric sighed, " I'm not doing any harm here and I'm not going to hurt you."

"Damn right your not! Because I stopped you! " The young cops face had gotten red with anger.

"Great."Eric thought." I'm dealing with some hotheaded young cop who doesn't know the first thing about any of this."

"Look," Eric began trying to calm him down.

"NO! You look!." The cop said in a pompous tone of voice. "You don't belong at a crime scene! Why are you here anyway?"

"I wanted to look at this writing on the wall, it looked familiar." Eric said, trying to calm himself down. He could feel the Crow within him wanting to come out and just drop kick this guy. "Oh sure, so writing done in blood on a wall next to a crime scene fascinates you. You know what? I think you knew this was here. I think you came back here to admire your handiwork. I think you're the murderer!" The cop was now so out of control he was practically yelling.

Eric clenched his fists, "I.... Did.... Not.... Do.... This." He said with his last bit of restraint.

The cop didn't seem to notice the fact that he had pushed Eric too far. He reached out and swung Eric around as if to cuff him.

"You are under arrest." the cop began.

"Gee, officer what are the charges?" The Crow asked in a sing song voice.

"What?" the officier said, slightly taken aback by the tone of the voice Eric was using.

Eric began to turn around when all of a sudden a voice called out, "Hey, what's going on here?"

The officer turned around and found himself face to face with Detective Daryl Albrecht.

"I found the murderer sir." The cop didn't seem so sure of himself now.

Daryl looked over the younger cops head and found himself staring into the eyes of the Crow. The eyes within face of the Crow looked mad.

The officer started to turn back around but Daryl reached an arm out to stop him. He couldn't let this guy see Eric as the Crow, all bets would be off then.

"He is not the murderer." Daryl said.

"What? But he was wandering around the crime scene sir and..." The officers voice had taken on a whining quality. Behind him the Crow made faces at the back of his head.

"He... Is... Not... The... Murderer. Do you hear me? He's helping me out on the case." Daryl said, trying not to laugh at the faces the Crow was making.

"He is? Well then..." The cop turned around before Daryl could stop him but Eric was back to normal and he was just staring at the cop with contempt.

"We all make mistakes." the cop said sounding like he didn't think that he had made a mistake and he wasn't sorry.

"Oh yes," Eric said slowly, " we all make mistakes."

"What's your name?" Daryl asked the officer. "you're a rookie aren't you, I remember seeing you last night."

"Yeah, I'm new." he sounded offended as if Daryl had just called him a dirty name. "My name's Hank Petterson."

"Yeah well Petterson if I catch you giving any more of my friends a hard time you'll be on permanent traffic duty .........catch my drift?" Daryl said leaning over the smaller man.

"Yes sir," Petterson stammered and then left.

Eric and Daryl watched him go." Well, wasn't that amusing?" Eric said with a wry smile.

"Personally I'm suprised you didn't kick his ass." Daryl laughed.

"I was tempted, believe me I was." Eric said as he turned back toward the writing on the wall." I came here to see what I could get from this but that brat interrupted me. He thought I was the murderer."

"Ah yes, well, no offense...... but I can see where he made the mistake He was a major ass about it."

Eric gave Daryl a look.

"Well you do wear all black and you've got that "I sing in a band" image about you. Some cops just automatically think that means you must be one of the bad guys. It'd be funny if they only knew how wrong they were." Daryl said with meaning.

The two of them met eyes for a second and then Eric looked away.

"Well, I guess I better get this over with." Eric said as he placed his hand on the wall.

Images flashed before his eyes, * lights, dark lights. A night without end. Souls trapped away in the dark. Cries screaming out to him. A young girl whimpers. Trapped away. An empty soul writes the symbols on the wall. His eyes are dark, empty........ with no soul of his own. The eyes turn and look at him, they hold his gaze he can't tear it away. He sees the trapped souls of the others within those empty eyes. He sees eternal pain.*

Eric had started shaking as soon as his hand had contacted the wall. Daryl had reached out to pull him away and had been flooded with visions. The same visions Eric was seeing were somehow going into his mind as well through the contact he made with Eric. The pain was overwhelming him, he couldn't breathe.

Eric felt someone else join him in this dark place of visions. He felt their pain but there was already so much pain here. Then he got a flash of this person. Albrecht his friend, and he was in danger. Eric had to concentrate, he had to remove his hand from the wall. Eric used all of his strength andyanked his hand off the wall. Daryl and Eric went toppling to the ground.

Eric rolled over and crawled over to Daryl.

"You ok,?" Eric said between breaths.

"I'll live. You?" Daryl said weakly.

"Funny Albrecht. " Eric said trying to lighten the mood.

"What the hell was that?" Daryl asked as he sat up slowly.

"I don't know, somehow you connected into what I was seeing. That's never happened before unless I wanted it to."

"Yeah, well, no thanks!" Daryl said wondering how Eric could put up with doing that.

"We have a big problem on our hands, " Eric said standing up and reaching a hand down to help Albrecht up.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Albrecht said as he took the offered hand and stood up.

"By the way, what brings you here, besides preventing me from hurting one of your fellow officers?" Eric asked.

Daryl shook his head." Huh? Oh yeah I got a call from Sarah's school this morning, looks like she didn't show up for class again. I couldn't find you at the loft so..."

"Sarah didn't show up for class," Eric asked fear laced through his voice.

"No, but I don't think...do you?" Daryl said, worry flooding his heart.

Eric looked up at into the rainy sky. "I have a bad feeling. We need to find her Daryl!"

"I'll put some men on it," Daryl said reaching for his cell phone. "Where do you..." he looked up to find that he was alone. " Damn it Eric you have to stop doing that to me!"

PART FOUR

"The thing about the darkness is that it can't be shut out. No matter how hard you try it always finds some way to invade your mind and body, sometimes your very soul."

Eric's thoughts ran darkly through his mind. The day had only gotten darker and torrents of rain continued to crash down from the harsh sky above.

Eric rode his bike through the streets, searching for some sign of what had become of Sarah. He was riding along the route she normally took to get to school. He figured that if something had happened to her, this was a good place to start. He almost missed seeing the notebook laying underneath a car on the side of the street but something caused him to turn that way just in time.

He brought his motorbike to a halt and got off. "That notebook." Eric thought to himself, "I've seen Sarah with that notebook before. She likes to write poems in it..."

Eric crouched down and picked the notebook up. Images flashed and voices rang within Eric's mind. *"Great it's going to start pouring and I still have a few blocks to go."

Rain falling. Sarah standing on the side of the street putting her hood up. A man with empty eyes raising a lead pipe above her head....*

"OH GOD SARAH WATCH OUT!" Eric yelled.

* The pipe smashing into the side of Sarah's head. Sarah falling down, blackness. Notebooks falling. Rain falling. The man smiles and lifts her up. Takes her away.*

"SARAH!!!!!!" Eric cried as he dropped the notebook and fell to his knees.

He lifted his head towards the sky and the rain poured down his face. "I'm going to find you Sarah. Do hear me? I'm going to find her!"

Eric carefully lifted Sarah's notebook off the ground and got back on his bike.

Daryl Albrecht was sitting at his desk in the police station waiting for word from somebody, anybody. He had put a few men out to look for Sarah. There had been some questions from some of the other officiers but he had covered those up. He had, however, forgotten that Sarah's mom was also going to wonder what this was all about.

"Detective?"

Daryl looked up to find himself face to face with Sarah's mother Darla.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Daryl asked, hoping against hope that Darla had heard nothing.

"Yes there is. You can tell me why you have your men out looking for Sarah? Now I realize she's missed a lot of school but I'm going to handle that and..."

"It's not that.." Daryl began trying to calm her down.

Darla looked puzzled, " If it's not that then... Has Sarah done something wrong? Is she in trouble?"

"No, Sarah hasn't done anything wrong.."

"Then what is it?" Darla demanded and then her face fell. " She's in danger isn't she? Something happened to her, didn't it?"

"Now, now Sarah's not in any danger as far as I know we just want to make sure she's safe." Daryl said, avoiding Darla's eyes.

"There are a few places she might go." Darla said.

"Can you take me there?" Daryl asked. Darla nodded.

"Come on let's go then." He said as he grabbed his jacket and began heading out the door.

~~~

Daryl had been following Darla's car without really paying much attention to where they were going. He'd been awake for over 48 hours straight without any sleep and it was getting heard for him to concentrate at this point. Too late he realized that Darla had driven to Eric's apartment.

Darla was already getting out of her car. Daryl jumped out of his as well.

~~~

" Hey Darla wait." Daryl said as he stepped in front of her. " Look maybe it would save more time if I check here and you check some of those other places you mentioned. I'll meet you back at the station. If you find anything you can call my cell phone. Ok?"

Darla looked hesitant but nodded, " Sure, you call the station and leave a message for me if you find her ok?"

"I will," Daryl said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Darla looked up towards the large circular window at the top of the building. "It's a shame what happened here."

Daryl followed her gaze. With the rain falling like this and the day so dark it was almost like that night all over again. He shook his head to get rid of the feeling of deja vu. "Yeah it is."

Darla nodded and got back in her car and left.

Daryl walked into the building and up the stairs. As he walked down the hallway towards Eric's door he began to get a really bad feeling. There was almost a heaviness about the air, kind of the same feel he got around really bad crime scenes. The feel he had gotten here when Eric and Shelly had first been murdered.

He pulled his gun and eased Eric's door open. A dark figure stood in the room with his back toward the door.

"Eric?" Daryl asked not quite sure if the figure was that of Eric or someone else.

The figure turned around, it was a strange man. He looked vaguely familiar and then Daryl realized that he recognized him from the vision he had shared with Eric. This was the murderer!

"Freeze or I'll Shoot!" He yelled.

"Ah ah ah, wouldn't want to hurt this," the man said as he lifted a large black cage in front of him. Inside the cage Eric's crow lay still.

"Damn it man where the hell is Eric!?" Daryl thought to himself.

All of a sudden the man moved and was gone.

"What the hell!?" Daryl said as he spun around frantically looking for the man. He stepped into the room with his gun pointed in front of him, totally alert.

"Albrecht?" Eric said as he entered the room.

Daryl spun around and pointed the gun at Eric almost firing a shot. He lowered the gun.

"Damn it man don't do that to me! Where the hell have you been!? There was someone..."

"He's got Sarah. " Eric said holding up Sarah's notebook.

"What?! Is she OK?" Daryl asked .

"I don't know. He knocked her out with a lead pipe. We have to find her."

Eric said, the hatred in his eyes making Daryl take a step back involuntarily.

""Do you have any ideas where she is?" Daryl asked, hoping against hope.

"No but I'm sure that the crow could.." Eric began.

"The crow...Shit! I forgot when I came in here the killer was here..." Daryl almost shouted.

"WHAT! When!?" Eric said looking around the room.

"Just before you came in..but it gets worse. Eric, he had your crow in a cage. I think he must have drugged it or something it was just laying there." Daryl told him.

Eric closed his eyes, " Damn it, I knew something was wrong but I was so busy trying to find Sarah I didn't pay any attention..."

"Hey, it's ok, right, I mean you're connected to the bird so you can find out where it is. That's where Sarah and the killer will be as well."

"Yeah, there's only one problem." Eric said, walking toward the window.

"What's that?" Daryl said not liking the tone of Eric's voice.

Eric looked Daryl straight in the eyes and ran his hand across a piece of the broken glass in the window. Blood seeped from the wound on his palm. Eric held his palm toward Daryl. Daryl stared at it. It didn't heal.

"What?! But...I thought that..." Daryl began, unsure of himself.

"If he's done something to take away the birds strength then he's taking away mine as well," Eric said.

"What are we going to do?" Daryl asked.

Eric wiped his still bleeding hand across his shirt, " We're going to get her back."

PART FIVE

"It's too dangerous!" Eric said as he headed out of his apartment, " You can't come."

"The hell I can't! You're going to need my help on this one Draven. You're not exactly in top fighting condition. He could kill you Eric and this time you might not come back." Daryl demanded following Eric out.

Eric continued walking until he got out onto the street. Rain slapped him in the face as he turned around to face Daryl who was following close on his heels.

"Look Daryl, this isn't our average bad guy. If he kills you he doesn't just take your life, he takes your soul. There's no coming back from that, there's nothing. You just end up trapped in his darkness. I can't let you risk losing your soul!"

"Yeah well that's my risk and I am willing to take it. Besides in case dying has damaged your brain cells let me remind you that you also have a soul too. You might not care if you die again but what if you get trapped? What if you can never be reunited with Shelly because this bastard steals your soul?" Daryl asked urgently. " Eric, let me help. This may be our only chance to save Sarah."

Eric just nodded and started towards his bike. He paused before getting on and turned his head back towards Daryl. "Thanks."

Daryl smiled. "So do we know where they are?"

Eric closed his eyes. "I can't see anything but I can sense my crow. Come on."

Sarah looked around the room one more time. She was in a cell. There were bars caging her in on three sides and a cement wall at her back. A cot lay against the wall.

"Well at least it's a large cell."Sarah thought as she turned her head to look around the room. She grimaced, her head was throbbing in agony.

Outside of her cell there was a large room. She had yet to see the person who had done this to her.

She had awakened about an hour ago and tried to pick the lock on her cell only to find it wasn't possible, at least not for her. The quietness and waiting were getting to her.

She felt as if the darkness was closing in.

"Hey! Hello! What is this you kidnap me then leave me here to rot!??!!??"Sarah yelled in fustration.

"Oh, this ones fiesty. I like that. " A tall man stepped out of the shadows.

Sarah backed away before she could help herself. There was something about him, an aura of evil that surrounded him. His eyes were empty and cold. She could almost feel herself falling into those eyes.

"Ah ah, not yet! " the man said. " Look I have a surprise guest to keep you company. the man said as he lifted a cage up out of the shadows. Inside it lay a crow. Sarah realized with horror that it was Eric's crow. There was something wrong with it, it wasn't moving.

"What have you done to Eric?! " Sarah demanded suddenly furious. "If you hurt him...I swear I'll kill you!"

The man looked amused. " Now now, temper temper. Little girls shouldn't be so badly behaved. It's not right."

"I swear to you..." Sarah began again.

"What? You'll kill me?" The man smiled broadly but it never reached his empty eyes. "What if I were to tell you that you couldn't kill me? What then? Ah but you already know about people who can't die. I don't want to bore you."

The man set the cage on a hook near Sarah's cell. He stood in front of her cell and looked in at her. Sarah flinched back.

His empty eyes stared as he spoke. " Don't worry Sarah. I'm not going to kill you, yet. You're just the bait I'm using to lure him here. You see I don't have anything against him really. I don't have anything against anyone I kill."

"Then why do you do it? " Sarah asked confusion and scorn battled for dominance in her voice.

"Why I do it because I like it. Because it is the only thing that can chase away the emptiness. I'm so empty, inside. I have to find some way to fill it. That's why I steal them."

"You steal peoples lives because you're empty?" Sarah asked, disgust clear in her voice this time.

"Not just their lives little one, their souls. I take the souls of my victims into myself."

"But why!" Sarah asked, agast.

"Because I need them! I need to find some way to end the pain. I need to ease my loneliness." The man looked angrily at her. "You can't understand! I don't know why I'm bothering to tell you this." He seemed to debate for a moment, then continued. "Imagine being so lonely that you feel like it's eating you alive. Like the loneliness is a black hole waiting to consume you and then you trulywill be trapped. Trapped within the dark."

"But you're already trapped," Sarah said.

"I..... AM....NOT! " The man practically yelled.

Sarah flinched, "Yes you are. Do you feel any less lonely now?"

" No! The only time I feel any relief is when I kill them. When I feel the souls within me. I have so many souls inside me but it's not enough. It's never enough."

The man's voice turned into a whisper. " I have to go prepare for your friend. His soul is filled with such power. Once I have his soul I'm sure the loneliness will end. Then I will be free, at last."

The man started to leave.

"No! That's not true, you'll only end up trapped in the darkness even more!" Sarah yelled after him but he left the room without a backward glance.

"Damn it! I have to find some way out of here before it's too late. And I have to free Eric's crow. 'Sarah thought to herself.

Sarah looked at the bird, " Hey maybe you could help me out here huh? Like tell Eric it's a trap or something?"

The bird didn't even move.

"Great." Sarah mumbled as she looked around the room.

PART SIX

Eric and Daryl stood outside of the building that Eric had lead them to.

"Are you sure they're in here?" Daryl asked glancing uncertainly at the YMCA building. None of the lights were on inside as far as he could tell.

"I mean this is an unlikely place..."

Daryl broke off when he saw Eric's face. Eric was staring at the wall, his eyes unfocused and sweat breaking out across his forehead.

"Hey Eric!" Daryl said shaking Eric slightly.

Eric blinked and looked at Daryl blankly, then recognition blazed across his face.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" Daryl looked up at the sky, " What? He asks..." Daryl shook his head and looked back at Eric, " You were zoning out on me? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Eric said standing up straighter.

"Yeah, sure. And you normally sweat like that all the time." Daryl said sarcastically.

Eric snapped " Look there's no time to worry about how I'm doing, we've got to get Sarah back."

Eric nodded toward the back door, "That looks like our best bet."

Eric and Daryl walked over to the door, it was locked.

"Great, it would be locked! Ok Eric do your thing..." Daryl said gesturing toward the door knob.

"My thing?" Eric said raising his eyebrows. "What makes you think breaking and entering is my thing?"

"Come on Eric just pick the lock." Daryl said.

"I don't know how." Eric confessed.

"What do you mean you don't know how?!" Daryl hissed.

"I mean I don't know how to pick a lock. What part of that don't you understand Albrecht?" Eric replied losing his patience.

"Incredible! Well, then how do you normally get into places like this?" Daryl asked aggrivation clear in his voice.

"Normally," Eric said, " I do this." Eric executed a spinning side kick to the door right next to the handle. The wood splintered but the door didn't move and Eric was breathing hard.

Daryl gave him a concerned look. " Yeah ok, I can see how that would normally work. Are you Ok?"

Eric just shot him an irritated glance. " We need to get in there."

"Ok so much for the quiet approach." Daryl said as he pulled out his gun. He shot the door handle twice and then put his gun away. " After you." he said bowing slightly.

Eric pushed open the destroyed door and walked into the black entrance. Daryl followed behind him.

PART SEVEN

Sarah was sitting on the cot in her cell watching the crow in it's cage. It hadn't moved once. For a while she had been trying to reach the cage to shake it in hopes of waking the bird up. When that hadn't worked she had tried talking to the crow. Nothing she said had had any effect.

On the outside Sarah tried to appear calm and confident, not because there was anyone there to see her, but more out of habit. It wasn't in her nature to show any weak emotions. Her mother, Darla, hadn't been there for her when she had needed her to be. Darla had changed now, for the better but Sarah still found that she didn't reveal her true emotions very often with her yet.

In fact there had been only two people Sarah had ever opened up to in her young lifetime, Shelly Webster and Eric Draven, and they had both been murdered. But Eric was back and she found herself opening up to him even more, as if somehow by letting Eric inside her emotions she could save him from drowning within his own pain.

And Eric had a lot of pain, she could see it in his eyes like a lingering saddness. Eric had already been through so much, Sarah didn't want him to get hurt anymore. Now there was this situation and Sarah felt guilty about being the bait that would lead Eric here into danger.

Sarah looked at the crow helplessly. "Hey come on wake up!" Nothing. The crow just lay placidly on the bottom of the cage.

~~~

Daryl bumped into Eric's back yet again. "Umph. Hey you could warn a guy when you're going to stop like that." Daryl hissed under his breath.

Eric didn't answer. Instead he turned around and put his finger in front of his lips to silence Daryl.

Daryl pulled out his gun silently then followed Eric around the corner. They had gone through the building and down to the basement. As they rounded the next corner Daryl saw lights coming out from under a doorway.

Eric was already opening the door without any type of cover. Daryl shook his head and moved in behind Eric to try and cover him in case there were any surprises waiting for them.

The room was large and almost completely empty, except for a large cell on the far side. Inside that cell was Sarah.

"ERIC!" Sarah called out.

Eric was already running over toward the cell, Daryl fast on his heels.

"Sarah! You're ok?" Eric asked breathlessly. Just that short bit of running seemed to have taken all his energy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, he said I was bait. Eric it's a trap, he wants you here, you have to get out of here." Sarah said, worried for Eric's safety.

Eric didn't look so good. In in fact he looked like he was sick. His skin was all flushed and he was sweating.

"We have to get you out of here." Eric said pulling at the bars of the cell door.

"Eric..." Sarah began.

"Can you get this door open?" Eric asked Daryl. Daryl was looking at something over Eric's shoulder.

"Eric...." Sarah tried again.

"Daryl!" Eric said shaking his shoulder. Daryl brought his eyes down to Eric in horror.

"ERIC!" Sarah yelled this time.

Both Eric and Daryl turned to look at her. " Your crow, he has it in a cage there. He's done something to it Eric. It won't wake up and it's just laying there. Eric if your crow..." Sarah said pointing to the cage.

"I know." Eric said concentrating on the cell door once again.

"Eric.." Daryl began.

"I said I know! Now help me get this door open." Eric said staring at Daryl intensely.

Sweat was causing wisps of Eric's hair to be stuck to his face.

Daryl nodded, " Sarah I want you to turn that cot over and get behind it, I'm going to shoot the lock off." Sarah nodded and got behind the cot.

Daryl gave Eric a grim look, " Get ready for company." Then Daryl shot the lock several times in quick succession. The door swung open.

"Sarah?" Daryl called out.

"Right here." Sarah said as she came out from behind the cot and ran out the door to give Eric and Daryl a hug.

"Ok, right, now get her out of here. " Eric said pushing Sarah towards Daryl.

"What?" Sarah and Daryl said simultaneously.

"You heard me." Eric said in that voice that meant he had made up his mind.

"Oh I heard you alright, but there's no way I'm leaving you here to find that psycho alone. Besides we have got to get that bird of yours out as well right?" Daryl said giving Eric a smile that said he had also made up his mind and no one was going to change it.

Eric looked frustrated, "Look I'm already dead you can't waste.."

"LOOK! We're wasting time here." Daryl cut him off. "And you may be dead but you're still my...I owe you one, alright? So let's get your bird and get out of here."

They all turned around and looked at the cage. Eric reached out and unhooked it and lowered it to the ground. He stared at the crow, . IT remained still but he could see it breathing shallowly.

Sarah knelt down beside him, "That lock doesn't look like it would be hard to pick." She said as she pulled out a thin piece of metal. Both Eric and Daryl gave her a look. " Never leave home without it." She said with a grin. "It didn't help me get out of that cell but it might help him. " Sarah said gesturing to the crow. Then she went about picking the lock. She heard it click and smiled as she opened the door.

That's when the gun shot went off. They all turned around in to see who the new arrival was. Daryl aiming his gun and putting himself in front of Sarah.

Eric stood up and put himself in front of both Daryl and Sarah without blocking Daryl's aim.

Standing just inside the doorway was a police officer. He looked familiar to Eric. Then Eric remembered him. It was that jerk cop who had tried to arrest him at the crime scene.

"Hank Petterson." Daryl spat the name out in disgust.

Hank smiled as he stepped forward his gun aimed at them. "Well, I'm glad you realize that I'm not on your side Albrecht."

"No." Daryl said, hatred burning in his eyes. "I would never make such an assumption of you."

Sarah looked at Hank blankly, " Hey guys that's not the man who was in here."

"No. That's just the rat who's helping him." Eric said giving Hank an ironic little bow.

Hank's smile disappeared. " Sorry but I can't let you leave until the boss gets here."

"And just how, do you think you're going to stop us?" Eric asked.

"With this!" Hank waved his gun madly taking his eyes off Eric for a second. A second was all it took. Eric was gone when Hank looked back. Now it was just Daryl and that child standing there.

"Hank, why don't you put the gun down before you get hurt?" Daryl asked.

It was a bluff he knew it was a bluff. Eric had vanished in a flash but Daryl knew that Eric didn't have the deadly strength to stop this guy right now. There was something very wrong with him and it had something to do with the crow.

Sarah had leaned down and lifted the crow out of it's cage. It lay still in her arms but at least it was still alive.

Hank was looking around the room frantically. " No! You can't hurt me! The boss said you'd be weak as a kitten now!"

The Crow popped up behind Hank and grabbed the gun out of his hands.

Hank turned around to stare into those wild Crow eyes.

"Meow!" The Crow said as he threw the gun to the side and hit Hank with a wicked right front punch. Hank fell to the floor.

The Crow looked up into the worried eyes of Daryl and Sarah and then collapsed to the ground himself.

The crow in Sarah's arms cawed and then lay still again.

"ERIC!" Sarah and Daryl both yelled as they ran over to where he lay.

Eric lay prone on the floor his eyes closed and his breathing labored.

Daryl reached for Eric's pulse and then remembered that he didn't have one.

"Damn! Come on Sarah we got to get him out of here." Daryl said trying to lift Eric's body up and drag him out of the room.

"Is he going to be alright?" Sarah asked tears filling her eyes.

Daryl looked at her. He wanted to say yes but he felt she deserved the truth. " I don't know. All I know is that we have got to get him out of here and to someplace where he can do that healing thing."

"Only he can't do that right now because something's wrong with him and his bird." Daryl's mind told him cruelly.

"I don't think I approve of you leaving so soon. Not if you plan to take my prize with you." A cold voice whipped out.

Daryl and Sarah turned to find themselves facing a tall imposing man. He had empty soulless eyes and evil seemed to flow out of him and surround everything in the room.

Daryl tore his eyes away and looked at Sarah.

"Let me guess.........this is the guy who steals people's souls?" Daryl said putting up a brave front. Meanwhile he was wondering how the hell he was going to protect both Sarah and Eric.

"Ah the cop!" The man said with a grin and then he frowned as he saw Hank laying on the ground. "Did you do that to him?" The man gave him a calculating look. "No, it was him wasn't it?" He said as he gestured to Eric's prone form. "Amazing strength, such a strong spirit. Yes he is the one!"

Daryl did not like the way this man was looking at Eric one bit. The man seemed to be looking at Eric as if he were starving and Eric was a delicious banquet.

"We haven't even been introduced," Daryl said.

"Ah yes, do forgive my manners. My name is Conway..." he began.

Daryl lifted his gun and shot him repeatedly. The man fell back a step with each shot but did not fall down.

Conway looked at Daryl with scorn, " You, a mere mortal think you can hurt me!? You shall pay..." Then Conway lifted his hand towards Daryl and a bolt of light shot out and smashed into Daryl's chest. Daryl was flung backward a few feet and landed on the ground away from Eric and Sarah. He was grabbing his chest in pain and trying to breath again.

"God that hurt." He thought. " But at least I still have my soul...for now."

Sarah looked back at Daryl in dismay, she was the only one left standing now. She was clutching onto Eric's crow protectively as she stood in front of Eric.

Conway started toward Eric with a smile but then frowned as he saw Sarah standing in his way. "Move." he said simply.

"You can't have him!" She said with strength.

Conway eyed the bird within her hands. "You really think you can save him? I already have half of him anyway. I have taken the birds soul, the only thing that keeps it alive is the fact that Eric still has his and the bird is connected to him. But without the crow Eric has no power he'll die. That's what's happening to him now. He's slipping away from you anyway. So even if I don't take his soul, which I will, he'll die. You lose either way little girl."

Sarah stood there in shock and defiance. She wasn't going to give up, no matter what. "So this is how it ends. ' Sarah thought to herself. ' I stand and face the enemy and I lose anyway but at least I tried. Oh Eric, I'm so sorry." A tear slipped down Sarah's face.

Eric was in the dark. He felt nothing and he saw nothing. It was so easy just to rest here away from the pain for a while. Then he saw a light. It grew brighter and it was coming towards him. As it took shape Eric smiled. "Shelly!" he said.

Shelly went into Eric's arms right away.

"Oh Eric!" She said as she held him close. "My poor Eric."

"Shelly," Eric whispered. After their embrace Eric pulled back far enough to see Shelly's face. "So does this mean I'm dead now, for real? Are we finally going to be together again?" Eric asked, the hope raw in his voice.

"You are in between worlds again, your soul has a choice to move on or go back. Your body is hanging on but it may not last much longer." Shelly said grimly.

"Then I can be with you!" Eric said, joy flooding his voice.

Shelly turned her head away, sadness in her eyes.

"What is it? Shelly? What?" Eric said panicking.

"You can come with me now Eric, but at a price. You haven't finished yet, you still have more to do but you can come if you decide to. They can't stop you. But there is danger Eric."

Shelly looked in dispair "Oh Eric, if you don't come soon that man may take your soul but if you do come..."

"What? " Eric asked and then he heard it. The echo of a voice weak but clear, * I stand and face the enemy and I lose anyway, but at least I tried. Oh Eric, I'm so sorry.* It was Sarah's voice.

All of a sudden Eric could see it. He could see that evil man walking towards Sarah. Sarah, who was standing in front of his body bravely holding onto the crow.

And Daryl who lay injured on the ground. "If I don't go back he'll kill them. If I don't go back he'll take their souls..and..."

Eric's face shattered. "Oh God Shelly.." Eric gave her one last frantic look. "I love you Shelly."

Then he made the choice.

"I love you too Eric," She whispered as he disappeared and returned to the land of the living once more.

Eric was back in his body and he hurt. 'I'm dying...again' he thought. 'Yeah, well not until I kill this bastard first.' Erics eyes opened just as Conway reached Sarah and flung her aside.

Sarah fell to the ground still protecting Eric's crow. Eric closed his eyes and played dead.

Conway knelt beside him and reached for his Eric's chest.

Eric's eyes flew open as he grabbed Conway's arm and twisted it off his body. Well, that's what was supposed to happen. Instead Eric twisted but Conway was too strong and his arm wouldn't move. Conway smiled at him sadistically.

"Well look who's awake in time to see me take his soul!"

Eric struggled weakly. "I'm not quite done with it yet!"

Sarah was trying to get the crow to wake up, if only for a minute. "Come on! Dammit Eric needs your help!" She cried.

Daryl was trying to crawl towards Eric to help him as well. Eric felt his soul leaving his body and he tried to pull it back. 'It's too hard.' he thought hopelessly. 'I can't do it!'

Sarah and Daryl both saw the bright light that must have been Eric's soul leaving his body.

"ERIC!" Sarah yelled as she ran heedless of the danger right into Conway like a line backer.

She bounced off of him and fell to the ground. Daryl had finally reached his gun. It was empty and the bullets hadn't done him any good anyway but there was one thing.

Daryl threw the gun at Conway's head with all of his strength. The gun hit Conway directly between the eyes and he loosened his grip on Eric for a second.

Eric felt the grip loosen. ' Now's my chance!' he thought. ' But it's hopeless, I don't have any strength.There's no way I can beat him.'

He closed his eyes and saw an image of Shelly. 'If he wins I'll never see her again!' Eric felt his hold on his soul and yanked it hard using all of his love for Shelly to help him. His soul fell firmly back into his body, but it was connected to something else. 'The crow!' Eric yanked harder and felt the spirit of the Crow fall into him as well. Power flowed through him, in the background he heard a loud caw.

Sarah jumped as the bird jumped up and flew out of her arms. It cawed loudly.

She looked towards Eric and saw him throw Conway off and onto the floor.

Eric jumped up and stalked toward Conway. Conway was just getting off the ground surprise clear on his face. "You can't be...how?"

"You can't kill what's already dead." The Crow said tilting his head.

The Crow lashed out and hit Conway numerous times. Conway didn't move to block him, he just stood there and took it. Then Conway began to laugh. The Crow stopped and stared at him.

Daryl and Sarah where standing farther away behind him.

"You can't kill me! You them you all die. You have died and so will they! BUT NOT ME! I HAVE NEVER DIED AND I NEVER WILL! I AM A TRUE IMMORTAL!" Conway screamed.

The Crow tilted his head to one side and leaned in close to Conway's face.

"Do you hear that? Your victims they don't want to be trapped anymore. They are coming for vengeance" Eric said and then a wind began to whirl around the room.

Voices whispered and called out. Conway seemed to be struggling, " NO! You will stay inside me! You will do as I command! YOU HAVE NO POWER!"

"They have the power of victims and let me tell you something Conway, that is a very great power. It's greater then the power of your emptiness!" Eric said and then he stepped back and lifted his arms.

The crow flew down and landed on Eric's shoulder. Eric seemed to be drawing the souls of Conway's victims out of Conway. Wisps of light began to flow out of Conway and began to circle him.

Eric's voice rang out, "Behold your victims."

Then all the wisps of light seemed to fill Eric and his voice became even more terrible. Conway was shaking. Eric walked towards him. The crow flew away. The Crow placed his hands on Conway's head. "Feel their pain!"

Then all the horror, all the pain and suffering of each of Conway's victims was given to Conway, all at once. Conway fell to the ground blubbering.

Eric stepped back and all the wisps of light, the souls of the victims left him and surrounded Conway. They lifted him up and then there was a bright light and Conway disappeared.

The wind stopped and the room was still.

Eric turned around to see Daryl and Sarah staring at him. "You guys ok?" he asked softly.

"Are we ok? Geez, man I thought we lost you there." Daryl said smiling at Eric.

"You almost did, but I heard your voice calling to me Sarah." Eric said as he placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder.

Eric looked around the room. "Come on let's get out of here."

Eric's crow flew down and landed on Eric's shoulder again. "Yeah I'm glad you're OK too." Eric said as he and the crow looked at each other.

"Well now, what the hell am I going to put in my report on this one? " Daryl asked.

Eric smiled, "I bet Sarah could help you out with that one."

Sarah laughed, "Need to cover something up, I'm your girl!"

"What about him?" Sarah asked nodding towards the prone figure of Hank Petterson.

"I'll send someone back for him, right now all I want to do is get the hell out of here and back to my safe illusion of the real world." Daryl said.

"Yeah, good luck. Like that will happen with you and Eric being friends."

Sarah said wryly.

Eric just laughed, " She's got you there Albrecht."

Daryl rolled his eyes, " Come on you two, let's go."

They walked out of the building together.

Eric was perched on the edge of his window looking out at the night. A few days had passed since they had stopped Conway and Eric was beginning to feel the pain of losing his chance to be with Shelly, again. Still he couldn't have done anything else, not if he wanted to be true to himself.

"I miss you Shelly." Eric whispered.

"I miss you too Eric," Shelly's voice called out to him. Eric turned around to see Shelly standing there surrounded by light. He was up and in her arms before he realized it.

Shelly held on to him and lifted his face up to hers. " I love you Eric."

She said as she kissed him.

Eric closed his eyes. The kiss ended. "I love you Shelly." Eric said and opened his eyes.

He was alone. "Shelly..."

"Will be together someday Eric," Shelly's voice whispered and then was silent.

"Someday..Shelly..until then..you'll be in my heart." Eric said back to the night.