The morning mist still clung to the air as Lisa ventured deeper into the cemetery. Her heart pounded, both from fear and the unshakeable sense of anticipation. She had glimpsed someone, just a shadow slipping between the gravestones, and something deep inside her told her it was him.
"Liam…" she whispered, the name trembling off her lips like a prayer.
Her steps slowed as she weaved through the rows of headstones, each step closer to the grove where she'd last seen the shadow. She could feel her pulse thrumming in her fingertips, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The fog thickened around her, the air cold and damp, adding an eerie weight to the silence. Just as she rounded a tall statue of an angel, her foot caught on something.
She stumbled forward, catching herself just in time. But then she saw it—a figure, standing just beyond the fog, his back to her.
"Liam?" she managed to call out, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The figure turned slowly, and when his face came into view, Lisa's breath caught. It was him. Dark hair, familiar features, the same boy she remembered… but something was different. His eyes, though the same color, held a distant, unfocused look, as if he were seeing the world for the first time.
"Lisa…" he murmured, almost in wonder, though his voice sounded unsure, like he was tasting the name for the first time. He took a step forward, blinking slowly, his gaze traveling over her face in confusion.
"It's… it's really you," she stammered, caught between terror and awe. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes, but held them back, afraid that any sudden movement might break whatever spell was holding him here.
But instead of recognizing her, he tilted his head, studying her with a kind of wary curiosity. "Do I… know you?"
Lisa's heart clenched. This wasn't right. She took a hesitant step forward, her hands trembling. "It's me, Lisa. We—we knew each other, remember?"
He frowned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't… I don't remember anything," he murmured, his voice laced with fear. "Who am I? Why am I here?"
The words hit her like a blow, the reality of what she'd done finally sinking in. This wasn't the same Liam. He was alive, standing in front of her, but his memories were gone. The boy she'd known, the one she'd loved, was a blank slate.
Swallowing hard, she tried to push down the rising panic. "You're… you're Liam. You were… gone," she explained, carefully choosing her words, "and I—I brought you back."
His brows knitted together in confusion. "Brought me back?" He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing their reality. "How?"
Lisa hesitated, knowing how insane it would sound, but in the face of his lost gaze, she felt compelled to be honest. "I… I did a ritual. To bring you back. I didn't know it would actually work, I just—"
He held up a hand, cutting her off, his expression darkening with something she couldn't quite place. "So… I was dead?"
The question lingered in the air between them, heavy with implications. She nodded, unable to form a response. He looked down, his gaze distant, as if struggling to process the enormity of it.
For a long moment, they just stood there in silence, the reality of their situation hanging over them. And then, slowly, he lifted his head to look at her again.
"Why did you do it?" His voice was quiet, but there was a sharp edge to it, a desperation that caught her off guard.
She hesitated, her heart racing as she searched for the right words. "Because… I couldn't let you go. I thought if I could just… bring you back, everything would go back to the way it was."
He took a step back, his face a mix of confusion and fear. "But I don't know who I am, or who you are. I don't… feel anything."
The words stung, each one like a twist of a knife in her chest. The boy she'd loved, the one she'd mourned, was standing before her, yet he was a stranger. And as much as she'd wanted him back, she hadn't expected this hollow shell, this Liam without a past, a blank slate who felt nothing for her.
"I can help you remember," she said softly, taking a step forward. "Please, just give me a chance."
His gaze flickered with something, a glimmer of curiosity, but it was fleeting. "I don't know," he muttered, his hand raking through his hair. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be. You brought me back… but for what?"
The question hung in the air, echoing in Lisa's mind. She had thought that bringing him back would be enough, that seeing him alive would heal the empty ache she'd felt since his death. But now, faced with the reality of what she'd done, she realized just how much she'd changed him—and herself—in the process.
In that moment, a dark thought crept into her mind, one that made her stomach churn: had she done the right thing?
But before she could answer, Liam's gaze snapped past her, his eyes widening in alarm. "Did you hear that?"
Lisa froze, straining to listen. At first, there was only silence, but then she heard it—a faint rustling in the underbrush, followed by a low, guttural growl.
"Run," Liam whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. And without another word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the cemetery, their footsteps pounding against the earth as the sound of heavy breathing grew closer behind them.
They dashed between gravestones, weaving through the mist as the growls grew louder, more insistent. Lisa didn't dare look back, her mind racing with questions and fear. Who—or what—was chasing them? And why did she suddenly feel as if bringing Liam back had disturbed something far darker?
Finally, they reached the edge of the cemetery, their breath coming in ragged gasps. They ducked behind a large mausoleum, clutching each other, their hearts pounding.
Lisa looked up at him, her face pale but determined. "Liam, you have to trust me. I brought you back for a reason, even if I don't know what it is yet. But whatever's out there… it's not going to stop."
He met her gaze, something flickering in his eyes—a glimmer of recognition, or perhaps a buried memory stirring to life. He nodded slowly, his grip on her hand tightening.
And as they crouched there, pressed close together, Lisa felt the faintest trace of hope. Maybe, just maybe, the Liam she'd loved was still somewhere inside him, waiting to be found. But as the growls grew louder, echoing through the cemetery, she knew they were running out of time.
With a final, determined glance at each other, they bolted from their hiding place, plunging deeper into the fog and shadows, not knowing what lay ahead.