Can’t Win Me Back

Jasper felt a pain unlike any he had ever known.

It wasn't a physical agony like having flesh torn away, but a slow, excruciating torture akin to being slowly sliced by a blunt blade.

It was a hundred times worse than dying instantly.

His mind raced through a chaotic sequence of images, like a black- and-white movie playing backward.

He saw people retreating and leaving —Javier, Anne, Newton, Landon, Lauren, Jonah, Axel...

He reached out desperately, trying to grasp any of them, but they were slipping away, one by one.

Finally, the image settled on Alyssa's radiant face.

"Lyse...

Don't go..." Tears streaming down his face, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her.

But she dissolved into golden dust, vanishing into the frigid air.

"No! iy A beep sounded in his ear as if everything had been reset.

and he fell

was just

motionless, staring at the fallen

wasn't sure if he was dead, but

heard footsteps

see Remy emerging from

emotionless look on his face, Remy picked Alyssa up ina

arrived on the island." Without even a glance at

is leaving you to clean

sure you have no objections,

stood motionless, his face

like a man who had been thoroughly used

had been drained of all

in the statue of the goddess closed

scoffed, laughing

has

deafening roar of a helicopter overhead

its

there was a thunderous crash, and with that, the seemingly indestructible glass

rained down, cutting