The red letters on Sara's arm flared, glowing hot as if carved into her skin. The pain was sharp and brutal. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The glow faded, the sting vanished, and her arm looked normal—smooth, clean, like nothing had been there.
Sara stared at it, frozen. Her chest rose and fell in quick, panicked breaths. Every muscle felt tense, as if she had been running until her lungs burned.
The pain was gone, but her mind still screamed. She ran her fingers over her skin, to feel something—raised letters, a scar, a burn. Nothing. Just regular skin.
She tilted her head back and hit the door lightly, blinking as her eyes watered. She almost laughed, but only managed a shaky exhale. The words were gone from her arm, but not from her memory.
"Get your shit together," she muttered. Her voice cracked. She pulled her sleeve down, wiped her face with her hand, and forced herself to slow her breathing.
Her legs shook as she held onto the shelf and pulled herself up. She muttered a curse and got to her feet. Just as she balanced herself, the storage room door swung open and hit her from behind.
Sara yelped, flailed, and went face-first into a box of old clothes. Dust exploded around her like someone had set off a smoke bomb.
"Oh! 天啊, 对不起!" a voice shouted.
Coughing, hacking on lint, Sara shoved herself upright and found Tian—Kenny's mom—frozen in the doorway with a tray clutched in her hands. Her eyes were wide like she'd just hit a kid with her car.
"对不起, 对不起!" Tian dropped the tray onto a nearby table and rushed to help, babbling in half-English, half-Chinese as she yanked Sara to her feet. "Didn't see you—so careless, so stupid—"
Sara managed a weak smile and brushed herself off. "It's fine. Really. Just bad timing."
But Tian kept fussing, muttering apologies while checking Sara over like she expected bones to be sticking out somewhere. Finally, she seemed satisfied, clucked her tongue, shoved Sara gently toward the kitchen, and went right back to business like nothing had happened.
And that was that.
Sara drifted back into the noise of the diner. It all looked and sounded perfectly normal. But it didn't feel normal. Not to Sara. Not with her fingers twitching at her side and her eyes dragging again and again toward the booth, where Dean sat talking with Kenny, like he didn't have a care in the damn world.
---
Up at Colony House, a man sat alone by the window, slouched low in his chair. His face was pale, his shoulders drooped forward, and his left hand was clamped so tight around his right arm that his knuckles had gone white.
That arm had burned minutes ago, the same way Sara's had. The words had appeared, glowing red-hot, impossible to ignore:
KILL DEAN.
Now the skin was blank again, smooth as if nothing had happened, but the command kept hammering in his skull. Over and over.
If Dean had been here, he would have known at once. This was the man—the one who had opened the window at Colony House that night. The one whose single intentional mistake had let the monsters inside. People had died because of it.
Kevin pressed his forehead against the cool glass and let out a shaky breath. Until this morning, he hadn't even known who Dean was. Then he heard the whispers. Some new guy. Some unlucky bastard who'd managed to survive the night and the monsters.
He let out a low, broken laugh. 'It's for her,' he thought to himself. 'It's always for her.'
Jasmine.
Just thinking her name made his chest flutter. He could still see her as clearly as the first night she came to him—pale skin glowing in the moonlight, that soft smile, that sweet, soothing voice. She wasn't like the others. She had chosen him. Spoken to him. Loved him.
And she had promised to be with him for eternity.
The carved words might have disappeared from his arm, but her voice never did. It stayed in his head, sweet and steady, pulling him forward. Toward the man she wanted gone.
Dean.
He was just some random asshole who'd stumbled into town. And yet—she wanted him gone.
Which made Dean a threat to her and to him. Kevin would do anything to protect her sweet smile, anything.
He sat there trembling, his heart slamming in his chest, his whole body alive with a love so toxic it burned.
He then pushed himself up from the chair. His legs were unsteady, his palms damp.
Jasmine had been with him just before sunrise. She had come to his window.
She hadn't stepped inside. She never did. Her voice came through the glass, calm and clear.
"Today, during breakfast, go to the old warehouse in the forest. You'll find what you need there."
Then she was gone.
Now, that it was breakfast time, her words pressed on him. Jasmine had given him the way. The warehouse near Colony House. Abandoned for years. The roof caved in, the windows black. No one went there. That's where he had to go.
Kevin wiped his mouth with a shaky hand, grabbed his jacket, and slipped out. The walk felt long.
The forest grew thicker as he followed the path. Branches creaked overhead. Leaves cracked under his boots. Then the warehouse came into view, sagging in a clearing.
Kevin's pulse quickened. He moved toward it. The air felt heavy, charged. His eyes observed the peeling paint, the rusted door, the damp boards.
Then he stopped.
Someone was already there.
A man stood in the shadows of the building, staring at him, as if he was waiting for a while.
Kevin's heart slammed.
The man moved. Light fell across his face which was pale and tired. Kevin knew the faces of everyone in Colony House, yet he couldn't place this one.
That made him certain: this man didn't belong to Colony House—he was from town.
"You're the one she said would come," the man said, his voice low but firm.
Kevin froze. His stomach tightened. His throat went dry. This man knew Jasmine. How much did he know? Was he here to help? Or to stop him?
He swallowed hard and took a small step back. Doubt gnawed at him. 'What if Jasmine led me here for a reason I don't understand? What if this is a test?'
"I… I don't know what you mean," Kevin said, his voice shaking.
The man's eyes narrowed, studying him. "She knocked on my window a few minutes before sunrise, just like she did on yours."
Kevin's stomach sank. He had always thought Jasmine only cared about him, that she had chosen him and told him everything for a reason. Yet here was another man who knew her, who had seen her, who had heard her beautiful voice.
He felt small and exposed, like his special connection with her had been shared, diluted. His heart pounded, and uncertainty gnawed at him. If she could trust someone else like this, what did that make him? Could he really be the one she wanted, or was he just one of many?
He forced himself to take another step forward, uncertain, trying to look braver than he felt. "Why are you here? How do you know her?"
The man didn't answer immediately. He tilted his head slightly, calm but unreadable. "She trusts me. And… she trusts you, too, so don't doubt her. I am here because she wanted me to make sure you didn't falter."
Kevin's heart hammered. He felt relief knowing that she trusted him. But more doubts came to his mind. 'What if I fail her? What if I ruin this?'
He took a deep breath and slowly relaxed his fists. He tried to calm his thoughts, pushing away the doubts. He couldn't let this stranger—someone whose name he didn't even know—take all the trust and attention that Jasmine had given him.
Steeling himself, Kevin spoke out loud,"I won't falter."
The man nodded slightly. "Good. She'd be proud. Now come over here—I'll tell you what she expects from you."
Kevin took another step forward, feeling a bit more certain. He steadied himself. Whatever was ahead, he would stick to her plan. He wouldn't let her down.
---
And across town, Dean Ross laughed at something Kenny said, not knowing a damn thing.
Not knowing that the hunt for him had already begun.
×××
Marathon Heart – 150 Points
Your stamina skyrockets — run at full speed, fight, or exert yourself without tiring for 1 minute
Cooldown: 2 hours
Hey everyone, my apologies — there was a mistake in the earlier description of this particular ability in Chapter 7. I had written that Marathon Heart lasts for 10 minutes, but the correct duration is 1 full minute. Please note the change. Thanks!
Also, if you don't mind, please suggest abilities and skills that you would like to see included in the panel, along with the points required to purchase them.
Thanks!
×××
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