This is for all those people who read my one shot Alone in the Dark and were demanding that I continue it! I never really had any plans to do so, but since you all seemed to like the idea I figured I would give it a go. It will follow the same premise as the one shot, but it won't be the exact same story. I hope that's okay with you all! I'm treating this chapter as a test run, so let me know what you think. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

A blinding light dangling directly over his head, causing the beings moving around him to appear as shadowy figures.

Mumbled words passing over him before he can focus on them, their meaning not reaching his tired mind.

All movement around him ceasing, a single dark figure stepping up to observe him. For some reason, he knows he should be terrified of the being before him, but he can't summon the energy to feel much of anything. He stares blankly at the figure, waiting patiently for whatever they plan to do to him.

A gloved hand resting on his shoulder in what might have been considered a fatherly gesture in different circumstances. There is more mumbling somewhere to his left, and the figure in front of him speaks. They are the first words he is able to distinguish, but they are far from reassuring.

"Let us proceed."

Everything around him fades as his world becomes dominated by pain. The sound of screaming barely registers to him. He only realizes that it is his cry of agony when he runs out of breath.

His throat is too raw to continue the wretched noise. This time will surely be the end of him. He wishes the pain would just stop and everyone would let him rest peacefully. He wants everyone in the room responsible for this to leave him alone. He wants the pain to stop, oh please stop, just STOP-

The pain ends as suddenly as it began. He is used to this. What he is not accustomed to is the deathly silence that permeates the room. Usually there is the sound of vitals being read off or observations being compared. Now there is nothing.

He opens his eyes to see the light above him flickering in an unsteady rhythm. His heavy breaths could be seen in the now frosty air. Nothing moves, the stillness adding to his confusion and fear.

The gloved hand returns to his shoulder unexpectedly from behind, causing him to jump in alarm. He knows that speaking out of turn means punishment, but he can't stop the words from escaping his lips in a small croak. "What happened?"

A dark chuckle does nothing to calm his nerves. It only confirms his suspicions that something is horribly wrong. The being from before is in front of him again, and in the flickering light he can just make out a smile on its face. "You performed extraordinarily well, child. I believe it is time for you to rest, don't you?"

The hand is now on his forehead, the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness rising up to greet him with open arms. Before he slips into its embrace, he mumbles the mandatory response.

"Yes, Master."