His thoughts were no longer his. It's claws dug deep into his soul until he felt a numbness start to spread. It's lips weren't moving but it was speaking clearly, and before he had time to even think about being afraid, it flipped the switch and he was theirs. All it had to do now was tug at the strings and he would obey. A dull whisper echoed and he understood what it needed perfectly. He wasn't happy, he wasn't sad, or angry. He just, was.

Muscles that once held a throbbing burn, took no mind to any pain and were moving towards the town, knowing which steps to take, where to turn. He didn't have to think. Peering into the window of a small house, it's eyes bore through his and saw, sitting on the floor, a young girl with frayed hair and dirt covered skin, who seemed to instantly know he was there. Not frightened, but entranced. She stared so intently at him she was looking right through him. Moving in silence, tiny feet made their way outside and followed him out of town, back to the woods. The only sound was their shallow breaths and snapping of the occasional twig.

A chill neither of them could truly feel struck the marrow of their bones, and it emerged onto the path and he stopped, watching as the figure moved towards the little girl. It's nails gripped onto her shoulders so tightly he could see the knuckles whitening. A pale smoke slowly rose out of the child's eyes and fell upon it's face. The more smoke fell, the more the knuckles relaxed and the shoulders drooped. Finally, it let go and the girl hit the ground. Now just an empty shell. If he had the mind to notice, he would have coughed at the distinct smell of death that now pooled around them.

It didn't look at him as it disappeared back into hiding. Didn't need to. His legs were already moving back into town.