Amelia's breath came in short, sharp bursts. Samuel's words echoed in her mind.
You're not supposed to exist.
"What the hell does that mean?" she demanded, her voice cracking.
Samuel glanced around the alley behind The Hollow Tavern, his body tense like he was expecting someone—or something—to come after them. "I don't have time to explain everything, but you need to trust me. You're in danger, Amelia. More than you know."
Amelia yanked her wrist from his grasp. "No. I want answers. Right. Now."
Samuel sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "Tell me, what's the last thing you remember? Before today?"
Amelia hesitated. "March 3rd… last year."
His jaw tightened. "Then they wiped everything."
She clenched her fists. "Who are they?"
Samuel exhaled sharply. "The people in this town. They're not normal, Amelia. And neither are you."
A cold shiver ran through her. "That's insane."
"Is it?" Samuel stepped closer. "Think about it. No one will tell you what happened in the last year. You wrote yourself warnings in a diary. People have vanished without explanation. And Evelyn? She knows something you don't."
Amelia's pulse pounded. He was right. None of this made sense. But she still didn't understand the most terrifying part.
"What do you mean… I'm not supposed to exist?"
Samuel hesitated. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Because, Amelia… you died a year ago."
The world around her blurred. Her knees buckled, and she pressed a hand against the cold brick wall to steady herself.
"No," she whispered. "That's not possible. I'm standing right here."
Samuel's expression was grim. "I don't know how. I don't know why. But the Amelia Sterling I remember—she was found dead on March 3rd, 2024."
Terror wrapped around her throat, choking her.
Then, behind them, the sound of footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate.
Samuel grabbed her arm. "We have to move. Now."
But Amelia could barely breathe.
If she had died a year ago…
Then what was she now?
To be continued…