Elizabeth stood alone on the balcony at the top of her villa, lost in thought. Making a decisive decision, she quickly descended the stairs, the electric garage door of the villa swung open. A sport utility vehicle raced out and sped towards the highway.
Elizabeth scanned both sides of the road as she drove, stopping at the same roadside she had been at that fateful day. She parked her car and entered the woods. The evidence of the recent struggle was still evident. The disturbed ground and a few toppled trees indicated a fierce battle had taken place.
She reached out to touch the fallen trees, her brow furrowed in thought. She sniffed the air, but found no clue. After spending some time in the forest, she returned to her vehicle and continued her journey on the highway, turning a corner and heading down a small road.
"Hey, it's Elizabeth... Glad to see you!" Joseph had seen the car approaching from his front yard and watched as a young girl hopped down.
"Hello, Uncle Joseph, I came to see Lisa. Is... is Lisa home?" Elizabeth glanced at the house, a glint of confusion in her eyes.
"Of course, Lisa's at home, in the living room. You can go in and find her..." Joseph responded with a wave and a smile, his mood exceedingly buoyant.
"Thank you, Uncle Joseph." Elizabeth entered the yard and headed towards the living room. As she reached the door, it swung open. Lisa was standing there, smiling at her.
"Elizabeth, I'm so glad to see you." Lisa extended her hand for a hug with a somewhat startled Elizabeth, then led her into the living room. Lisa directed her to sit on the sofa beside her. Yes, Elizabeth was surprised. Why was Lisa still alive? But she quickly composed herself.
"Ever since you left that day, I've felt uneasy. I wanted to come over and see if there was anything I could help with..." Elizabeth took Lisa's hand and continued, "You're my friend, you know I care about you."
"Yes... something did happen. That bastard... Sean? Burell, if I ever see him again, I swear I'll kick his ass. He tried to rape me. It's unbelievable that I met such a person." Lisa's words were fierce but her eyes held a hint of laughter. Perhaps the fact that she was unharmed made her hate for Sean less intense. She was just glad to have no more ties with the jerk.
"Bullshit, if I see him, I won't be polite. I always knew he was a scumbag! Don't mess with people like him anymore." Elizabeth expressed her anger, placing a hand on Lisa's shoulder and giving her a careful look, "So... you didn't get hurt at all? Not even... a little?"
She looked at Lisa, who indeed appeared unharmed, sitting perfectly intact beside her. This left Elizabeth somewhat confused. But Lisa just shrugged, opening her hands, "That bastard couldn't lay a finger on me. I'm here, unharmed. Maybe he feels guilty for his actions, so I haven't seen him again."
Elizabeth gave a cold laugh, "I hope the bastard drowned in a lake."
"I hope God hears your voice." Lisa also laughed.
Elizabeth chuckled, then stood up and looked out the window at the backyard. She turned to Lisa and remarked, "Why is there such a tree growing in your backyard?"
"It's just a sapling!" Lisa laughed and turned her head. However, she froze when she saw the tree. What had only been a delicate sapling in the morning now stood as tall as her knee. It was an impossible occurrence, but it had indeed happened.
Elizabeth was not amazed, she was just curious why a tree, which looked like a peach tree, was planted in the center of the backyard.
"Why?" She turned her head and spoke to a surprised Lisa, "Don't tell me you didn't know there would be a peach tree planted here? When did this happen?"
Still surprised, Lisa stuttered, "I don't know, maybe my father did it. Who knows? I just... I just haven't noticed it before!"
While the two women were talking, they suddenly heard people talking outside. The door was open, and from the living room, they could see Joseph talking with someone. Elizabeth stood up, wanting to see who it was.
"It's Mr. Jason." Lisa shook her head and laughed, "He's a weird man. For so many years, he's been the same. Since I was a little girl, he has always been like this, as if he never ages."
"I know him." Elizabeth nodded, still looking outside. When she looked over, it was as if the man knew she would look at him. Their eyes met.
That gaze made Elizabeth freeze, as if an invisible shackle had her firmly locked. Despite it being just a moment, she was startled and broke out into a cold sweat. This man did not seem simple, it was as if he exerted an invisible pressure that made it hard for her to breathe.
However, he quickly gave her a slight smile, which felt like a warm spring breeze, making her feel relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She felt relaxed, and the previous constraints no longer existed.
"God, who is this man?" Elizabeth muttered to herself, then turned to look at Lisa and said, "He is an odd man, but... I've rarely seen him. He has been here for many years, right?"
Lisa nodded, "Yes, over a decade. My dad said that he came here the year I was born, then... saved my life, and even settled down. But... he rarely interacts with people, he's a bit odd. But he's a nice person, that's his only good trait."
Elizabeth laughed. At this moment, Jason had finished talking with Joseph and was walking towards the house. Upon entering the living room, Jason nodded at Lisa, then his gaze fell on Elizabeth. Elizabeth thought she would feel that sense of confinement again, but this time there was nothing.
It was as if that previous feeling was just her imagination. Elizabeth also smiled back at Jason, nodded, and extended her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jason. I'm Elizabeth. I guess you may not know my name. You rarely go to town or interact with people like us."
Jason nodded, still smiling as he shook hands with Elizabeth. "Yes, it's not your fault, it's mine. Folks in the town think I am some kind of science freak. In reality... they got half of it right. The freak part, I agree with. But the other half... I don't study science!"
"Ah ha - you are quite the comedian!" Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh heartily. Her guard towards Jason gradually relaxed, and she laughed easily, "They must not really know you, otherwise, you would definitely be liked by many."
"I know, that's why I always restrain myself from letting more people like me, because... that would be a disaster. For me and my little cabin, I simply can't handle so many friends..." Jason was still smiling.
Elizabeth continued to laugh, as did Lisa and Joseph on the side. Joseph patted Jason on the shoulder and said, "I've never seen you be so humorous before, but... comparatively speaking, I prefer you as you are now, you really give off a very approachable vibe."
Jason nodded again, also towards Elizabeth, then turned to look at Lisa, and said to Joseph, "Lisa's fine, everything's good. It seems... we should celebrate this."
Indeed, it was a reason for celebration, and that was what Joseph thought too. This led to a hearty lunch. Joseph was delighted to host Elizabeth and Jason.
Elizabeth stayed for a while but felt a bit uncomfortable. Although Jason no longer exerted direct sensory pressure on her, she still felt uneasy, a discomfort arising from the initial pressure.
After the dessert at lunch, she asked to leave.
"Hey, Elizabeth—" As Elizabeth walked to the door, Lisa stopped her and said, "If that jerk—I mean Briel shows up again, would you join me in giving him a good beating?"
"Of course, why not?" Elizabeth shrugged at Lisa, smiling and saying, "I can't wait, don't forget, I'm a boxing champion! I've won a championship at school, haven't I?" As she said this, she swung her fist. This action warmed Lisa's heart, making her laugh.
Elizabeth left Lisa's house and drove back. Along the way, she was a little dazed. The man she saw today was indeed unusual. Why did she feel that way when she first saw him? In her daze, she suddenly saw a man standing in the middle of the road ahead, standing still, looking up at the car charging towards him.
"Oh, shit, this damn—" When Elizabeth came to her senses, she slammed on the brakes. The car, accompanied by the loud screeching of the tires, rushed towards the man in the middle of the road.
With the strong pungent smell of the tires scraping against the ground, the car barely stopped in front of the man, less than half a meter away from him. But he remained motionless, as if he hadn't seen the car at all, just staring at the person inside.
Jason — Elizabeth saw him again. Only this time his presence seemed unusual. He was just at Lisa's house a moment ago, so why is he suddenly in front of her, blocking the road?