Lisa's gaze lingered on Liam as he stared into the distance, his eyes hollow, almost lost. They'd been walking side by side, yet it felt as if an ocean had opened up between them. His usual quiet had deepened into a silence that felt heavy, oppressive. Every step he took seemed more uncertain, as if he were fighting an invisible current pulling him back into the shadows.
"Liam?" She tried to catch his attention, but he barely reacted, his face distant.
He blinked slowly, then looked at her as if he'd just remembered she was there. "Sorry," he mumbled, his voice a mix of exhaustion and confusion. "It's just…there's something…something I can't shake." He paused, furrowing his brow as if grasping at fragments just out of reach. "Images, feelings. They're there, but blurry."
Lisa forced a smile, trying to brush off the eerie chill that ran down her spine. "Maybe they're just dreams or memories from…before." But even as she said it, her voice wavered, and doubt crept into her thoughts. What kind of memories had he brought back with him? And how much of this was her doing?
Liam stopped in his tracks, his hands balling into fists as he stared down at the ground. "It's more than that. They're…vivid. Like flashes." He swallowed, his jaw tightening as his voice dropped. "I see faces, Lisa. People I don't recognize, but they feel familiar. And they're…they're afraid of me."
A chill ran through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Afraid? Liam, you're the last person anyone should fear."
He shot her a look that was both distant and haunted. "Am I? Because I'm starting to wonder if the real me…if I was someone else entirely."
Her heart twisted, but she stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Whatever you're remembering, it doesn't change who you are now." She tried to reassure him, though doubt gnawed at her. Had she truly done the right thing bringing him back? Or had she awakened something else entirely?
He let out a short, bitter laugh. "Maybe. But every time I close my eyes, I feel like there's someone else looking back at me. Someone I don't know…or maybe I don't want to know."
Lisa hesitated, her mind racing through every supernatural encounter, every warning she'd ignored. This wasn't just about Liam's past—it was something darker, something ancient. And whatever it was, it was tearing him apart piece by piece.
"Maybe…" she began cautiously, not wanting to spook him, "maybe there's a way to find out more. About these memories. If we face them head-on, we might figure out what's real and what isn't."
He looked at her, eyes shadowed and weary. "And what if facing them is the last thing I should do? What if it brings out something that I can't control?"
For a brief moment, she was silent, unsure. Then she took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "We'll do it together. Whatever's in there, whatever you're afraid of—I'm not going anywhere."
Their fingers intertwined, but the warmth of his touch felt colder than she remembered, a faint echo of the love they once shared. She didn't know if it was him drifting away or her own uncertainty rising like a tidal wave. Either way, she couldn't shake the feeling that something—someone—was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
They walked on in silence, the air thick with tension. As they rounded the corner toward her house, Liam stopped suddenly, his grip tightening around her hand. His gaze was locked on something invisible, his expression frozen in terror.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His face contorted, as though caught in a memory too painful to relive. Then he muttered, almost inaudibly, "There was…someone there. A face. Just for a second."
"Who?" She searched his eyes, desperate for any detail, any hint at the truth.
He shook his head, frustrated. "I don't know. But they…they looked at me like I'd betrayed them."
Lisa felt a sharp pang in her chest, but she pushed it aside. "Let's go inside," she said, leading him toward the house. "Maybe if we sit down, we can figure this out together."
They stepped into the dim living room, where shadows seemed to cling to the corners. Liam sat on the edge of the couch, his eyes darting around the room as if expecting something to leap out at him. Lisa sat beside him, close but not touching, watching as he struggled to piece together fragments of a life he no longer understood.
"I don't know if it's real," he finally whispered, breaking the silence. "Or if it's just some twisted memory. But the more I see, the more I think…maybe I was brought back for something I don't want to remember."
Lisa's heart pounded. Every word he spoke confirmed her worst fears—that her attempt to bring him back had done more harm than good. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to regret it. "Liam, whatever this is, whatever you remember, it's not who you are now. We can fight this. Together."
He looked at her, a flicker of hope in his eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by a look of resignation. "But what if…what if you brought back more than just me?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and unspoken, casting a shadow over their fragile bond.