I was falling, falling into a black abyss, the place of no return. Silence pressed up around me, squashing my very essence into a small, untouchable ball. I could not feel, for I had no arms or legs, or a body, for that matter. I had no mouth to breathe out of, and no eyes to blink. My memory was fuzzy, images flashing by in an instant and never really making sense. Something was coming, racing towards me and calling out my name.
Carter.
If I could have, I would have screamed. Very loud.
Carter.
Hovering in front of me was a porcalin mask, but I could see that this was no normal mask. Its smile streached up painfully high, its eyes two diagonal slits in its face. Its thin mouth trembled, as if it was struggling to speak out loud.
Carter. Welcome.
I frantically tried to escape, but I couldn't move. Welcome to what? I thought mindlessly.
To the Other Side. 
The mask smiled even more, and two, small red glowing dots apeared in the slits of the eyes, like a horrible demon was looking through it.
Fear radiated through me, but I was frozen in place, unable to move. What are you?  I asked.
I am the Shadow. Keeper of the forgotten souls. 
Forgotten souls?
The ones who have died.
I chill ran through my essence. Was I really dead? I had no memory really of my past life, but I sure remembered being alive. 
What are you going to do with me? I asked.
You are now in my Realm. You must do as I say. 
At the Shadow's words,a huge, black hand reached out from behind the mask, as dark as the darkness around me, and reached towards me slowly.
You must join the others. 
I frantically tried to move, to get away from the huge hand reaching towards me, and the eerie mask opened its mouth, jaw streached far down. It looked as though it were laughing. I started to realize there was a whispering around me, and it got louder as the hand drew nearer. The intensity of the whispers grew deafening, and soon, the hand satched me up, pulling me towards the gaping mouth of the mask. The whispers screamed, and suddenly I recognized some of the words:
You are never alone.