The morning light filtered through Lisa's bedroom window, casting soft shadows across her room. Lisa barely noticed, her attention focused on Liam, who sat on the edge of her bed, head in his hands. He hadn't said much since he'd shown up at her window just before dawn, looking pale and unsettled.
"Liam," she said softly, inching closer to him. "What happened?"
He didn't look up, but his fingers curled tighter around his knees. "I… I don't know what's happening to me, Lisa. It's like… there's this… weight, like a thousand voices, but I can't hear them. I can only feel them." His voice shook, thick with fear and something else she couldn't quite place.
Lisa's heart thudded. This wasn't the first time Liam had shown signs of something strange lurking beneath the surface, but this felt different. "Can you… explain it more?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "What do you feel?"
Liam lifted his gaze to her, and she felt a chill. His eyes looked haunted, as though he'd seen something he couldn't unsee. "It's like… every time someone around me feels something strong—anger, sadness, even happiness—I feel it. Not just a little. It's like I'm drowning in it. Last night, I was walking past some houses, and this wave of sorrow hit me so hard I could barely breathe."
Lisa swallowed, piecing together his words. "Do you think… this could be a side effect of…" She trailed off, unsure how to phrase it delicately. The resurrection was something they rarely talked about. It was easier to avoid, to pretend that Liam was just… here, somehow. Alive, albeit differently.
He nodded, understanding her implication. "Maybe. I mean, it's not like I came back… normal." A hint of humor touched his voice, but it was forced, a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.
"Liam, this might be serious." Lisa leaned forward, her fingers reaching for his hand. "If you're feeling people's emotions that intensely, it could be dangerous. Especially if you can't control it."
He pulled his hand away gently, shaking his head. "I know. I thought I could handle it, that maybe it would fade. But it's getting stronger. And… it's like I don't know where I end and everyone else begins. When I feel something, it's so overwhelming, Lisa. I don't know how to stop it."
Lisa's mind raced, a mix of fear and fascination filling her. It was as though Liam had been resurrected with a heightened sensitivity to life—something that seemed equal parts curse and gift. "Maybe… maybe we can figure out a way to manage it," she suggested. "Try to, I don't know, separate your feelings from everyone else's?"
He looked at her, desperation in his gaze. "How? I don't even know where this is coming from. It's like… sometimes, I think I'm feeling what I felt in… before."
The room fell silent, the air heavy with the weight of the unspoken. Lisa sensed that Liam's ability was somehow tethered to whatever shadowy memories he had from the other side, remnants of a world they couldn't understand. She wished she could tell him it would be okay, that they'd find a way through it together. But she knew enough to understand that this was beyond anything they could easily fix.
"Liam," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you remember anything from… back then?"
He paused, then nodded slowly. "It's like pieces. Flashes. There were… feelings, too. Intense, more than anything I can put into words. Like they weren't just mine—they were everyone's. It was suffocating." His voice trailed off, eyes distant.
A shiver ran down Lisa's spine, but she forced a smile, trying to hide the anxiety building inside her. "Look," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we can try some breathing exercises or something to help you focus. I know it sounds silly, but it might help ground you."
Liam laughed, the sound soft but genuine. "You're going to turn me into a yogi now?"
She rolled her eyes. "Hey, I'm serious! We have to try something, or you're going to keep getting overwhelmed."
He sighed, leaning into her touch, grateful. "Fine. But if I start floating in a lotus pose, I'm blaming you."
The joke hung in the air between them, an attempt to lighten the mood, but the tension remained. As they sat together, a strange sensation settled in Lisa's chest—a mix of fear, affection, and protectiveness. She couldn't help but wonder if Liam's newfound sensitivity to emotions might also give him insight into her own feelings for him… feelings she hadn't dared to admit, not even to herself.
"Thank you," he said quietly, breaking her thoughts. "For sticking around, I mean. Even though I'm… this."
Lisa swallowed, her fingers instinctively brushing against his. "You're not 'this,' Liam. You're just… different. And maybe that's okay." She paused, unsure if she should add more. "Besides, everyone's got their quirks."
He chuckled softly, though his gaze remained somber. "Mine just happen to involve dead people and emotions on overdrive."
"Lucky me," she replied, a teasing glint in her eye. But inside, her heart was pounding, filled with questions and concerns about what lay ahead. She could feel it—something dark and powerful in the distance, creeping closer. And somehow, she knew that this connection they shared, strange and tenuous as it was, would be tested in ways she couldn't yet imagine.
As they sat in silence, she wondered if their bond would be enough to hold them together when that moment finally came.