I don't know how long I was running for, but my lungs were burning and Avery was relentless. He wouldn't give up chasing me. Everyone else did, having faith that he would have me back in no time.

Part of me wanted to give up and let him get me. I was finished. I'd been running and hiding and somehow he would keep finding me. It was a never-ending chase.

I just wanted to stay me. What was wrong with staying me? Why did I need to be turned into something I wasn't?

I ran onto a highway. It was empty. Completely empty. I didn't know whether to be relieved, or feel a sense of dread. Maybe there was a curfew or something, and these things obeyed it.

I heard Avery's footsteps along with mine. I figured I was far enough to try and fight him. I couldn't keep running. My body was going to give out on me if I did. I made a quick stop and turn. He didn't miss a beat. He pulled out his stunt gun, as if preparing for this move the whole time, but I was also prepared. My calculations were already ahead of his.

I ducked and charged, not giving him enough time to recharge his gun as his first shot had missed me. He threw it to the side and then threw me to the ground. I groaned and went to reach for his gun but he kicked it away from me and went to pick it up. I yanked him down to the ground and crawled on top of him, so that he couldn't move, pinning his arms down. He looked up at me calmly and said, "Get off of me, Cleo."

"Avery, please," I pleaded, "please, I need you back to normal." Begging him like this was pointless and a waste of energy. He wouldn't be able to come out of his trance. He probably didn't even remember who he was before this. He only kept a few memories at most. But, I didn't know everything so there could always be something I was wrong about.

"Cleo, I love you," Avery said, still calm. "I need you to abandon Voices and be with me."

"Avery," my voice shook uncertainly, and he used the opportunity to manipulate my mind. He leaned in and kissed me, and obviously I let him. I missed him so badly and now I was getting one of the things I wanted from him: affection. He wouldn't let me move away when I attempted to. He held my waist both hands, warming me. And then he held with just one. I wondered where the other hand had gone, so I slightly opened my eyes and saw that he was reaching for the stun gun that was near him. I grabbed his hand and pulled away, tears in my eyes.

"You manipulative bastard!" I sobbed. I grabbed the gun, while flipping off of him, and pointed it at him, standing.

"How long does it leave you stunned for?" I asked him.

"A few hours," he replied, all the while, still calm. I thought for a moment, and then signaled towards the tree line.

"Go there," I said. "Right now." He stood up, but instead of obeying, reached for a knife in his belt and threw it at me. It hit me square in the shoulder (my left, luckily) and I screamed. He went pale.

"Cleo, I didn't mean it," he said, his voice wavering from a panic state to a calm state. "Oh god..." He took a step towards me and I took a step back. I was in so much pain. I felt dizzy.

"Cleo, shoot me, I can't stay in control like this for long, shoot me," he said, and moved into the tree line. I used my right arm, and aimed, shooting him. He fell to the ground, stunned. He wouldn't be leaving that place for a while.

I shakily touched the knife. I had two options here:

1. Leave the knife in so not much blood would come out and risk falling and creating a worse wound for myself or...

2. Pull it out and keep running

I chose the latter. I pulled it out and groaned in pain. I turned to Avery and used the knife to cut off his shirt (the design was too complicated for me to pull it off of him and my left arm wasn't going to aide me) and made an awkward tourniquet around my shoulder to prevent a lot more blood loss. He looked up at me and then closed his eyes.

"Goodbye Avery..." This is going to be the last time I see him... My love... He's going to be gone forever... Unless I find a way to reverse all of this... He's gone.

I leaned down and kissed him. He replied by kissing me back and whispering, "Goodbye."

I walked without looking back, and cried. I couldn't believe that I was going to lose the person I loved the most in this world in a way that I never loved anyone before.

As I cried, and grew dizzy from blood loss, I found Saoirse and the rest of the Voices gang at the space needle. They were beyond shocked to see me.