Rain poured heavily over the city.
The address was real.
Lina stood across the street, her breath unsteady as she stared at the old building in front of her.
Dim lights. Broken windows. Silence.
"This is it…" she whispered.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Inside that building—
A man was waiting.
And a little girl… was running out of time.
"This is a trap," Lina muttered.
But her feet moved anyway.
Step by step.
Closer.
The door creaked as she pushed it open.
Darkness swallowed her instantly.
The air inside felt cold.
Heavy.
Wrong.
"Hello?" Lina called out softly.
No answer.
Only the sound of rain hitting broken glass somewhere above.
Then—
A faint sound.
A whimper.
Lina froze.
Her eyes widened.
"That's her…"
She moved quickly now, her footsteps echoing as she followed the sound deeper into the building.
"Please…" a small voice cried.
"Help me…"
Lina's chest tightened.
"I'm here!" she called back.
"Don't be scared!"
She turned the corner—
And saw her.
The little girl was sitting on the floor, her hands tied, tears streaming down her face.
And behind her—
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Tall.
Still.
Holding a knife.
"Well," he said calmly.
"Took you long enough."
Lina stopped instantly.
Her entire body went rigid.
"You're not surprised," she said slowly.
The man smiled faintly.
"Should I be?"
Her heart sank.
"This wasn't random…"
"No," he replied.
"It wasn't."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"Who are you?" Lina asked.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Just someone curious."
"Curious about what?"
He stepped forward.
The knife glinted under the faint light.
"About you."
Lina's pulse quickened.
"You knew I'd come," she said.
"Of course," he replied.
"You're predictable."
Her jaw tightened.
"Let her go," Lina said coldly.
The man chuckled softly.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because this is between you and me."
A pause.
Then—
He smiled.
"Exactly."
Before Lina could react—
He moved.
Fast.
The knife slashed through the air.
Lina jumped back, barely avoiding it.
Her heart exploded in her chest.
"You're insane!" she shouted.
"Maybe," he said calmly.
"But you're the one who kills with a touch."
Her breath stopped.
"You know…" she whispered.
"I know enough," he replied.
Another step.
Closer.
"Now," he said, his eyes locking onto hers,
"Show me."
Lina's mind raced.
If she didn't act—
He would kill the girl.
If she did—
She would take her third life.
And lose herself.
Her hands trembled.
Her thoughts screamed.
"Do it…" the man whispered.
Lina's eyes snapped to his.
"Or she dies."
The girl sobbed behind him.
"Please…"
That was it.
Lina moved.
She lunged forward, grabbing the man's wrist—
And touched him.
Everything shattered.
Darkness.
Light.
Noise.
Silence.
She was inside him.
But this time—
Something was wrong.
The memories didn't come smoothly.
They exploded.
Violent.
Chaotic.
Blood.
Screams.
Faces.
So many faces.
"He's not normal…" Lina gasped.
Pain surged through her mind.
Stronger than before.
Her body trembled violently.
"No—this is too much—!"
Then—
A voice.
Not hers.
Not his.
"Third life."
Lina screamed.
Her identity—
It was slipping.
"Get out—GET OUT—!"
She forced herself—
Pushed—
Fought—
Then—
Silence.
Lina collapsed onto the ground, back in her own body.
Gasping.
Shaking.
Breaking.
The man—
Was lying still.
Dead.
The knife slipped from his hand.
The girl cried out.
Lina didn't move.
She couldn't.
Something was wrong.
Her hands—
They didn't feel like hers.
Her thoughts—
They weren't… stable.
Voices whispered inside her mind.
Too many.
"Stop…" she whispered.
But they didn't stop.
A memory flashed—
Not hers.
A dark room.
More victims.
More experiments.
Lina's eyes widened.
"Experiment…?" she whispered.
Her phone buzzed.
Slowly—
She turned her head.
A message.
"Congratulations."
Her breathing became uneven.
"You survived."
Lina's vision blurred.
"What… did you make me do…?" she whispered.
The reply came instantly.
"I didn't make you."
A pause.
"I gave you a choice."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Now…"
Another message appeared.
"You belong to the game."
Lina's heart stopped.
Behind her—
The little girl whispered softly:
"Are you… okay?"
Lina didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
Who she was anymore.