Lina didn't leave her apartment.
Not the next morning.
Not the next night.
Not even the day after that.
She stayed inside.
Counting.
"One…"
She whispered it as she stared at the wall, her fingers curled tightly around her sleeve.
"Two…"
Her breath was shallow. Uneven.
Two lives.
Two deaths.
Two memories that didn't belong to her.
But they were still there.
The first man—
She could still remember the way he laughed as a child.
The smell of his home.
The sound of his voice calling someone he loved.
The second—
Fear.
Debt.
Desperation.
Lina grabbed her head suddenly.
"Stop…"
But the memories didn't fade.
They lingered.
Like ghosts trapped inside her.
"I'm not you…" she whispered.
"I'm not…"
Her phone buzzed.
Lina didn't move at first. But slowly… she picked it up.
"How do they feel?"
Her jaw tightened.
"You already know."
"Say it."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"They're still here."
"Good."
Lina's stomach twisted.
"That means it's working."
Her eyes darkened.
"Working?"
"Your mind is adapting."
A pause.
"Now we can begin."
Lina's heart skipped.
"Begin what?"
No response.
Minutes passed.
Then—
"Go outside."
Lina froze.
"No."
"You don't have a choice."
"I do."
"Not if you want to live."
Her breath caught.
"What does that mean?"
No answer.
Silence.
Then suddenly—
Pain.
A sharp, violent pain exploded inside her head.
Lina screamed, dropping her phone as she fell to her knees.
"What—?!"
The memories—
They were moving.
Shifting.
Colliding.
Voices echoed inside her mind.
Not one.
Not two.
But many.
"Stop—STOP!"
Her body trembled violently.
Her vision blurred.
Her thoughts fractured.
Then—
Everything went still.
Lina collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
Sweat covered her skin.
Her entire body shaking.
Her phone lit up again.
"That's what happens…"
She stared at the screen, her vision still unsteady.
"…when you keep what doesn't belong to you."
Her heart pounded.
"What… did you do to me…?" she whispered.
"Nothing."
A pause.
"This is the rule."
Silence.
Then—
"The Rule of Three."
Lina's breath stopped.
"Take one life… you gain its memories."
"Take two… they begin to overlap."
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
"Take three…"
A long pause.
"…and you lose yourself."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy. Crushing.
"No…" Lina whispered.
Her mind replayed the words again and again.
Three.
She had taken two already.
One more—
"I won't do it," she said firmly.
"I won't kill anyone else."
No reply.
Minutes passed.
Then—
"You will."
Lina's jaw clenched.
"I said no."
A new message appeared.
This time—
It wasn't text.
It was a photo.
Lina's breath stopped.
The phone slipped slightly in her hand.
"No…"
The image showed a little girl.
Sitting alone.
Crying.
And standing behind her—
A man.
Holding a knife.
Lina's heart dropped.
"What is this…?"
"Your third life."
Her hands shook violently.
"You're insane…"
"Save her."
Lina's vision blurred.
"I can't—"
"Or watch her die."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"This isn't my responsibility!"
No response.
Then—
One final message.
"Clock is ticking."
Lina stood frozen.
Her breathing uneven.
Her mind screaming.
If she did nothing—
The girl would die.
If she acted—
Someone else would.
Her hands trembled.
Her heart pounded.
"This is a trap…" she whispered.
But deep down—
She already knew.
There was no escape.
Lina grabbed her coat.
Her eyes filled with something new.
Something darker.
Not fear.
Decision.
"I'll save her…"
Her voice was quiet.
Cold.
"…no matter the cost."