For Nevermore Season 1

her — they weren’t just in a clearing. The forest had suddenly ended, as though someone had burned the world for at least a few thousand feet between them and a giant, black wall before them.
    “What is that?” Noella gasped, barely able to say the words as she stared at the marvel before her. The wall was massive, seeming to sprawl forever in either direction. It stood at least 20 stories high, and it looked like there were millions of tiny dim lights inside the wall — robotic or, maybe organic in nature. Above the wall, was a thick cloud of darkness — like a wall of living smog.
    “It’s the Dark Wall,” Dante said. “The last place in the world you want to be near or behind.”
    Through the smog, Noella could make out vague shapes in the black haze — arches, spires, and skyscrapers, and even more lights deeper in the darkness. An entire city breathing beyond the wall.
    “You don’t remember any of this?” he asked.
    “No. Should I?”
    “That’s where you were born. Though it didn’t look like that back then,” Dante looked away, as though embarrassed.
    They were suddenly blinded by a light from above.
    Noella looked up to see one of the blimp-things, but this one made no sound.
    “Airship! Run!” Dante said, as he grabbed her hand and pulled.
    “I can’t!” she cried. “My leg is cramped.”
    Dante glanced at her, and without hesitation, swooped her into his arms and carried her. “Don’t touch my skin,” he warned, racing into the woods with her.
    She was shocked that he was able to walk while holding her, much less run as fast as he was. Noella was reminded of how quickly Finn had galloped, carrying her weight. But Dante wasn’t a centaur; he was a man with two legs.
    Except he wasn’t a man. Dante was something else.
    As was she.
    They raced through the darkness, with Noella certain he’d drop her at any second. She held on tight, making sure to avoid touching his only exposed skin — his neck and face.
    The airship, as Dante called it, hovered above, its constant bath of light focussed on them no matter how fast Dante ran. The ship moved closer, hovering just above the tree tops.
    A man in black leaned from the bottom of the airship, in the pilot’s basket, and withdrew something that looked like a weapon.
    “He’s gonna shoot!” Noella cried, staring up.
    Dante glanced up. His eyes widened, then he flung Noella to the ground.
    Noella fell forward hard, rolling hard through the darkness, over the leaves, rocks, and knotted tree trunks snaking through the underbrush.
    She glanced back to find Dante about 20 yards off, caught up in some sort of black net, struggling to break free, or grab his sword, even as he was being lifted from the ground. But he was tangled and losing his battle.
    She ran toward him, crying out, then grabbed onto his boot, trying to snatch him back from the net.
    Dante looked down, surprised to see Noella trying to save him, “Go home!” he yelled.
    Another of the men in black leaned out of the basket, holding another of the net devices, taking aim at Noella.
    “Go!” he said, screaming.
    “Not without you!” she screamed.
    “I’ll come, but you have to go now! Concentrate!”
    “I can’t!” Noella screamed as the man fired and the net surrounded her, sticking to her flesh like some sort of man-made web. She screamed, struggling to break free as the net began to raise in the air with her inside.
    She cried in terror, afraid to be trapped, but equally afraid to fall as they went higher and higher, now 30 feet from the ground and quickly climbing.
    Noella looked over to Dante.
    Why isn’t he bringing us over? Why can’t he do what I did with Randy?
    Then she saw something hanging from his neck. They had shot Dante with some sort of blue glowing dart. He was struggling to keep his eyes open and focused. He said, “Go,” but it was barely a whisper.
    Noella looked up again and saw the man now aiming one of the darts at her.
    “Go...” Dante said, his voice finally fading to nothing. His eyes closed.
    “No!” Noella cried, as the man took aim, and then she . . .
    was gone.

    Noella crossed over, not in the sky, as she feared, but in the middle of train tracks.
    She searched for Dante, but he was nowhere.
    “Dante!!” she screamed into the night until she realized she’d come back alone.
    Noella sobbed, hoping he’d somehow found a way to escape. She wanted to cross back to the other side to save him, and tried several times without