Circling between store shelves, she thought of nothing but him. She didn't know what was happening to her, but every night, memories from her previous life came back to her. Specifically, of the time when Jack and she made an incredibly well-matched couple. In those memories, she could feel how strong her feelings for him were, how much she cared about him. She guessed that this was what he meant. He wanted her to remember how happy they were when she messed it all up. He cared that she felt that love again, that he would finally give her back the memory in which she hurt him. Furthermore, he wanted her to suffer again.
Jack had planned revenge from the beginning, but he would rather not hurt her physically but mentally. He wanted her to feel the pain all over again, like a betrayed lover who wanted revenge on his ex. She didn't know what she had done to him, but he wasn't the only one angry with her. Rafael also planned to destroy Alison, and he was the one she feared the most. From what she saw in her memory, he already hated her when she was an angel. She knew what he was capable of, and his threat came off as particularly convincing. He was filled with evil down to the marrow of her bones.
She awoke from her musings the moment she bumped into someone. She opened her eyes wide when she noticed that the person who grabbed her by the shoulders was Georg's roommate. The one who knew her in her previous life, even though she had never seen him before.
- Are you all right? You looked like you were in another world," he said, taking his hands off her shoulders. He smiled at the girl, and she nodded. - If you had run into someone else, I don't know if you would have been caught," he added.
She had stopped trusting people, especially those in town, and he had a connection to George and also knew some secrets from her previous life.
- Why are you looking at me so suspiciously?
- You think," she replied groggily and wanted to evade him, but the boy grabbed her forearm, stopping her at his side.
- I can see that you do not trust me. You have the right, but you must believe that in this situation George and I are on your side. This is Jack's order," he stated, and her eyes immediately lit up. Saying that name made her instantly revive. - Even though he is toying with you, he actually cares about you. You are still important to him, so you can be sure that he will never hurt you," he said completely seriously, then added more quietly. - At first he really wanted to take revenge, but he realized that he couldn't do it. Not to you.
She watched him closely for a moment, trying to see any emotion written on his face. She wanted to see if he was telling the truth.
- You all are messing with my head. I don't know myself anymore, who wants to protect me and who would like to take revenge on me," she replied. Despite the desire and longing that filled her heart after regaining her memories, she was still afraid of Jack. After all, she couldn't just trust him. Not in this situation. Too much had happened, and she still hadn't recovered all her memories. She didn't know what she had done wrong, so she preferred to stay out of it.
- You have to trust us, Alison. You can't do it on your own," he insisted, but the girl wasn't going to listen any longer.
- No. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need anyone's help, especially yours," she announced in a cool tone.
She looked around the shelves, but because of him, she completely forgot what she was supposed to buy, and she didn't take any list.
The lights went out throughout the store. At first, she didn't know what was going on, hearing the screams of panicked people. She stood in one place, afraid to move for fear of bumping into someone.
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
- Calm down, Alison said. It's just me, Samuel," he spoke over her ear, making her calm down at least a little. Maybe he was actually on her side? But how could she believe anyone when she had the feeling that everyone in this town wanted to hurt her. - I already helped you once, so trust me. You may not remember it, but I was the one who drove you to the hospital when you had your accident. I did it because of Jack's order," he added, and her breathing sped up. - I know that all this time you were wondering how you ended up on the main road. It was all a set-up. We wanted people to think it was an ordinary accident.
His words made her feel relieved. Possibly because another mystery was cleared up? Even though they had done something terrible to her, Alison didn't care anymore. She knew Jack needed her blood to get out of there. She should hate him, but she couldn't do it. The more memories manifested in her mind, the more she required his proximity.
- I trust you," she announced, before biting her tongue. She didn't know what had gotten into her to say it so easily, but it was too late for her to take the words back.
- You should have said it before, Alison," he replied, grabbing her hand. - Hold on to me at all times because we have to get out of here. The light didn't go out because of the power outage. He is here," he added.
Her heart went up to her throat.
He? Did he mean Rafael?
She froze when a woman's scream rang out in the store. She froze motionless as more chilling noises followed. Furthermore, she didn't know what was going on there, but she had a bad feeling. It was so dark that she was unable to see Samuel's face.
- What's going on? - She asked in a trembling voice, so Georg's roommate took her hand more firmly. - Is it Rafael? - She added more quietly, and Samuel nodded. - Is he out to get me?
- I think you know the answer to that question. By freeing Jack, you also freed Rafael, who promised him not to hurt you. As you can see, these were just words thrown to the wind," he said, and a shudder went through Alison's body. - Now he is trying to play cat and mouse with you. Don't you wonder where your angel, who promised to take care of you, has gone?
She froze, remembering Henry. He had not appeared by her side for a long time, which began to worry the girl. He was supposed to protect her, and she had stopped seeing him. She thought he had other things to do and had to leave her to her fate for now, but a dark light suddenly appeared in her mind as soon as she thought of Rafael.
What if something bad happened to him?
- What do you have in mind? - She asked in a panicked voice, letting Samuel lead her by the hand.
- Henry was the guardian of the forest, so Jack and Rafael hated him. Henry was safe there, but the moment you released them from there, they became stronger again. I'm sure that Jack had nothing to do with it, but about Rafael I can have some doubts.
What if something bad happened to him? She would never forgive herself. After all, she was the one who let them go.
- Why is Rafael doing this? - She asked quietly, wondering what his purpose was in this. Why did he show up at the store, trying to frighten all the people to death. Didn't he only want to get her?
- For him, this is fun. What do you think happens to people who scream like that? He's doing the same thing he did a hundred years ago. Only that now he is trying to scare you. He wants to show that you are an ordinary person with whom he can do anything," he said, and Alison remembered the rosary she had taken from Georg last time. With it hanging around her neck, he couldn't do anything to her, so without thinking, she took it out of her pocket and put it over her head, hiding it under her jacket. When it was close to her heart, it protected her from any danger, which is why Jack feared it so much. If she wore it around her neck all the time, he would not be able to enter her mind. - It's good that you have this rosary with you. It keeps you safe.
Surprised, she looked at Samuel's back.
How did he guess that she hung it around her neck? After all, he didn't even look at her.
- How did you know?
- I sensed it. I don't have a soul, so somehow it affects me too," he whispered, and she froze. She pulled her hand from his grasp, so the boy turned to face her.
- What do you mean you don't have a soul? - she asked in a horrified voice.
- I was sure George had explained to you why we knew you from your previous life. - He shrugged his shoulders. - Oops. You didn't know, but you could have guessed. We've lived more than a hundred years, and we're Jack's people. Think for yourself. I don't mean to scare you more.
She was in such shock that her back was leaning against a store shelf. A few shelves away, people were shrilly screaming, and she tried to understand if what she was thinking about was definitely possible. They had sold their souls to Jack and to live forever they had to serve him? Was that why they were still the same age they were a hundred years ago? Did that mean Jack was a fallen angel?
- Alison, I know all this is beyond you, but we have to get out of here. Just because you have a rosary doesn't make you completely safe," Samuel stated, grabbing the girl's hand. She tried to break away from him, but this time he wasn't going to let her go. He pulled her with him, and a loud voice rang out in the store, making her feel goosebumps on her body.
- The fun is just beginning, Alison thought.
A light appeared, and panicked people started running toward the exit, shouting and pushing past each other.
The girl looked around the store and froze when her attention was caught by the bloodied bodies that lay on the floor. Her knees bent under her, and she would have fallen if Samuel hadn't caught her in time. He put his arm around her and hugged her to keep her from looking at it any longer.
- Calm down, Alison. Close your eyes, and I'll lead you out of the store. Everything will be fine," he whispered, and the brunette felt like crying. Rafael did this because of her. He killed innocent people just to make her see what he was capable of, and this was just the beginning....