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.

enveloped him, and

was just

stood motionless, staring at the

was dead, but deep

then heard footsteps approaching from

see Remy emerging from the underground

emotionless look on his face,

a glance at Jameson, Remy's voice dripped with barely concealed

leaving you

you have

Jameson stood motionless, his face

impeccably dressed, he looked like a man

all his

in the statue of the goddess closed back up

laughing at himself

has been

the deafening roar of a helicopter overhead drowned out

its shadow over the

crash, and with that, the seemingly indestructible glass

cutting Jameson's neck, cheeks,