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

stood motionless, staring

he was dead, but

heard footsteps approaching

to see Remy emerging

face, Remy picked

on the island." Without even a glance

leaving you to

you have no

Jameson stood motionless, his face

a man who had been thoroughly used

had been drained of all his

statue of the

laughing at

your life has

the deafening roar of a helicopter overhead drowned out his

its shadow

a thunderous crash, and with that, the seemingly indestructible

down, cutting Jameson's