1 My sister’s classmate asked her over for a sleepover, and I dropped her off at the front gate. The next day, my sister didn’t come home. The police finally located her twenty-four hours later in an abandoned auto body shop on the outskirts of town. When we brought her to the emergency room, the medical report came back with four words that shattered our lives: Evidence of sexual assault. After that night, Sadie flinched at the mere shadow of any man. On her fifteenth birthday, she walked up to the gravel roof of our apartment building and stepped over the ledge. My parents, hollowed out by guilt and grief, followed her to the grave not long after. And I? I went back up to that same roof and threw myself into the empty air to find her. When I opened my eyes again, the sweltering afternoon sun was beating down on my shoulders. I was standing right outside the middle school, right at the moment I was about to send my sister off. Sadie, ten years old, with her pink backpack bouncing against her spine, ran toward me, looking up with big, bright eyes. “Noah! Sophie invited me to stay at her place tonight. Can I go? Please?” Beside her stood Sophie, who chimed in with a sweet, rehearsed smile. “Noah, my dad is home tonight too. It’s totally safe!” The blood in my veins turned to liquid ice. I reached out, my fingers clamping down around Sadie’s small wrist like a iron vice. “No.” “You’re coming home with me right now.” “You are not going anywhere.” Sadie blinked, startled. She had never heard me use a voice like that with her. Her lower lip began to tremble, tears instantly brimming in her lashes. “Noah, it’s just for one night! You always used to say yes!” Used to. That phrase slammed into my chest like an unsterilized needle. She was right. In my past life, I had said yes. I had even helped her pack her stuffed teddy bear into her backpack, reminding her not to drink too much soda before bed. I stood on the sidewalk, watching her take Sophie’s hand and skip cheerfully through the security gate of that apartment complex. I had foolishly believed she would come bouncing back the next morning. She didn’t. When we finally found her, she was huddled in the back of a squad car, wrapped in an officer’s heavy trench coat. She was shaking violently, screaming in pure terror if anyone so much as brushed against her skin. Later, the doctor pulled my parents into a quiet hallway and whispered, “She’s been severely assaulted.” My mother collapsed onto the linoleum floor right there. My father punched the concrete wall so hard he shattered three knuckles without even noticing the pain. And I stood in that sterile corridor, unable to squeeze out a single tear. I was entirely numb. I could still vividly remember the day Sadie woke up in the hospital, staring at the acoustic ceiling tiles for hours before quietly asking me, “Noah… am I never going to be the real Sadie again?” That single question had destroyed my soul. I swallowed the lump in my throat, my grip tightening on her arm. “Not today. Absolutely not.” Sophie pulled on Sadie’s sleeve, her voice small and pleading. “But my dad already ordered pizza for us!” Dad. My eyes snapped over to Sophie. Sophie’s biological father didn’t even live in the state. In the original timeline, it took the police seven years to uncover the truth: the man living in that apartment was never her father. He was just her mother’s live-in boyfriend. His name was Garrett Cole. He was the monster who dragged my little sister from the light into a living nightmare, slipping away into the chaos and remaining a ghost for seven long years. I stared down at Sophie, my voice vibrating with an uncontrollable, violent rage. “Back off. Stay the hell away from my sister.” Sophie’s face drained of color, taking a step backward. Sadie flared up, tugging against my hand. “Noah! Why are you being so mean to Sophie?!” I didn’t bother trying to explain it to her. I couldn’t. She was only ten. She had no concept of how monsters could wear friendly adult faces, offering candy with a warm smile while hiding a butcher’s knife behind their backs. I dragged her toward the school gates. Sadie kicked and squirmed the entire way. “Noah Mercer!” she screamed, her small voice echoing down the sidewalk. “You’re hurting my arm! I’m calling Mom!” I abruptly stopped. Mom. Right—we needed help. But I couldn’t call my parents. Today, my father was conducting an unannounced inspection at a rural construction site; his phone was always locked in his truck on silent mode. My mother was covering an emergency shift at the hospital, her cell tucked away in a locker at the nurses’ station where she couldn’t answer. I pulled out my prepaid cell phone with shaking hands and dialed a memory etched into my brain. The line connected, loud rock music blaring through the receiver. “Uncle Rick,” I sobbed out, tears bursting past my lashes the moment I heard his voice. On the other end, the music abruptly cut. “Noah? What’s wrong, buddy? Who’s picking on you?” My fingers went numb against the plastic case. “Uncle Rick… please come to our place right now. Someone… someone is trying to take Sadie. I don’t think I can hold them off by myself.” The line went dead silent for two seconds. Then, Uncle Rick’s voice came back, dropping into a low, deadly register. “Where are you guys right now?” “Outside the school gate.” “Don’t take the back alleys. Go straight home, lock the deadbolts, and don’t open the door for anyone. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Ten minutes. From the school to our apartment, the fastest route was seven minutes on foot. Uncle Rick’s gym was two blocks away from our place; if he pushed his motorcycle, he could make it in under ten. If we could beat Garrett Cole to our front door, throw the deadbolts, and hold out until my uncle arrived, we might survive this. I slammed the phone shut and grabbed Sadie’s arm, pulling her into a jog. Sophie was still trailing behind us, practically in tears. “Sadie, don’t leave! My dad said he has to pick you up today!” I stopped in my tracks, spinning around to glare at her. Sophie flinched, cowering back. Part of me wanted to scream at her: Do you have any idea that you almost killed my sister?! But she was only ten years old herself. During the police interrogations in my past life, she had sobbed until she threw up, confessing that Garrett Cole had threatened to throw her mother out and sell her into foster care if she didn’t obey him. She didn’t understand the mechanics of crime. She was just terrified. But my sister was terrified, too. I couldn’t sacrifice Sadie just because Sophie was a victim of the same monster. “Run,” I hissed to Sadie, pulling her into a full sprint. The setting sun cast long, distorted shadows across the pavement. Sadie cried the entire way home. “I hate you, Noah!” she wailed, her hot tears splashing against my hand. “I’m never talking to you again!” I held on tightly, refusing to loosen my grip for even a second. She could hate me. She could resent me for the rest of her life. As long as she was breathing. As long as she could lay safely in her own bed tonight. I would take whatever hatred she had to give. 2 We lived at the very end of Oak Street, in an old three-story brick walk-up. I practically dragged Sadie up the narrow stairs to our third-floor unit. When I pulled out my house key, my hands were shaking so violently I dropped them twice. It took three frantic tries before the brass key finally turned in the tumbler. The door swung open. The apartment was quiet and empty, bathed in the orange glow of twilight. Seeing it intact made my throat tighten with unspeakable grief. In my past life, this home never saw light again after that day. My mother had sealed Sadie’s bedroom, sitting on her bed every night clutching her small pillow until dawn. My father took to heavy drinking, sobbing softly into his hands in the dark kitchen whenever he thought I was asleep. I shoved Sadie inside and slammed the heavy wooden door. Click. Click. I threw the upper deadbolt, flipped the bottom latch, and secured the heavy brass security chain. Sadie slammed her pink backpack onto the couch, her small face flushed with anger. “Noah Mercer, you are being crazy! I was supposed to eat pizza with Sophie!” I dropped to my knees in front of her, seizing her small shoulders. “Sadie. Look at me.” She huffed, wiping her wet nose with her sleeve. “Just trust me once,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “No matter who knocks on that door today, do not touch the lock. Do not go outside.” “Why?!” she demanded, tears spilling over again. “You have to give me a reason!” I opened my mouth, but the truth was too horrific to speak aloud. How could I tell a ten-year-old girl about the horrors waiting for her in the dark? Instead, I pulled her tight into my arms, burying my face in her shoulder. “Because I’m scared, Sadie. I’m so, so scared.” Sadie went still in my embrace. She let out a small, huffy sigh, mumbling against my shirt, “Scaredy-cat.” But she stopped pulling away. I was about to let out a breath of relief when a knock sounded at the front door. Knock. Knock. Knock. It was light. Polite. Measured. Yet it felt like a hammer striking directly against my ribs. Sadie’s eyes lit up. “It’s Sophie!” She scrambled up, reaching for the handle. I lunged forward, grabbing her around the waist, pulling her back, and clapping my hand tightly over her mouth. From the other side of the door, Sophie’s small voice drifted through the wood. “Sadie? Is your brother mad at you? Just open up, I can talk to him!” Sadie squirmed wildly in my grip, muffled protests bubbling against my palm. “Mmmph! Mmmph!” I hauled her backward toward the hallway. A silence fell over the corridor for two terrifying seconds. Then, a man’s voice echoed through the crack of the door. It was warm. Refined. Perfectly polite. “Hey there, kids. I’m Sophie’s dad,” the voice coaxed gently. “Your parents aren’t home, right? It’s really not safe for two young kids to be left alone like this. Sadie promised Sophie she’d come over, so I thought I’d swing by and pick her up. I’ll make sure she gets to school safely tomorrow morning.” A cold sweat broke out across my back, soaking through my shirt. That voice. I would know that voice if I were dead and buried. In the previous timeline, the police had recovered a fragment of security footage from a convenience store. A man had carried a unconscious Sadie past the checkout counter, and when the clerk casually asked if the little girl was okay, that same gentle voice had chuckled, “Oh, she’s just worn out from playing. Out like a light.” My grip tightened over Sadie’s mouth until my knuckles turned white. Outside, Garrett Cole continued his performance. “Noah, right? Don’t be nervous, big guy. If your parents are worried, you can call them right now. I’ll just wait right here in the hallway.” He was incredible at playing the responsible adult. If I were truly a twelve-year-old boy in this moment, I probably would have hesitated. I might have opened the door. But I wasn’t just a twelve-year-old boy anymore. “You’re not Sophie’s dad!” I screamed at the deadbolt. “You have no right to touch my sister!” Outside, Sophie sounded panicked. “Noah, he is my dad! He’s really nice to me!” A bitter, terrible laugh bubbled up my throat, though tears were streaming down my face. “Sophie! Your real dad’s name is Miller! The creep standing next to you is Garrett Cole!” The hallway went dead quiet. A second later, the polite warmth vanished from the man’s voice. What replaced it was something cold, flat, and hollow. “Kid,” he said softly. “You shouldn’t throw accusations around like that. Open the door.” I didn’t answer. I backed down the hallway, pulling Sadie with me toward the back bedroom. Just a few more minutes. Just hold out until Uncle Rick gets here. Then, a metallic scratching sound echoed from the front lock. Someone was picking the lock from the outside. My mind went entirely blank. Our apartment door was an old, cheap model from the late nineties. My father had talked about replacing it for years, but work had always gotten in the way. I shoved Sadie into the master bedroom, turned, and threw my entire body against the front door, slamming my weight against the wood. Through the thin frame, I could hear the lock tumbler clicking open. Click. The upper bolt retracted. The lower latch slipped. The door jolted inward, straining against the brass security chain. A gap opened, and a thick, pale hand reached through the crack, feeling around for the chain latch. I screamed at the top of my lungs. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP US! HE’S BREAKING IN! HELP!” The hallway was silent; the neighbors were all at work. A low, vicious curse came from the man outside. BANG! He slammed his heavy shoulder against the door frame. The brass security chain snapped with a loud, metallic pop, sending tiny screws flying across the entryway. The door flew wide open. Garrett Cole stood on our threshold. Behind him, standing on the landing, was Sophie, her face as pale as a corpse. 3 I grabbed a heavy golf umbrella resting in the entry rack and swung it with everything I had. Garrett jerked his head back, but the metal tip scraped across his cheek, leaving a thin, angry red line. The last fake smile vanished from his face, replaced by pure, murderous rage. “You little bastard.” He lunged forward, snatching me by the collar of my shirt. He hoisted me off my feet effortlessly, squeezing my throat until the air cut off in my lungs. I thrashed against him, opened my mouth, and bit down on his forearm with all the force left in my body. I bit so hard my teeth hit bone, the metallic taste of blood instantly filling my mouth. Garrett let out a strangled groan of pain. He pulled back and backhanded me across the face. The blow sent me flying into the wooden shoe cabinet. My head slammed against the edge, my ears ringing violently as bright spots exploded before my eyes. Sadie was paralyzed with fear. She let out a piercing shriek. “Noah!” I scrambled up from the floor, threw myself forward, and wrapped my arms around Garrett’s knees. “RUN!” I screamed, my voice hoarse and raw. “Sadie, run to the balcony! Yell for help!” Sadie burst into tears, sprinting toward the back of the apartment. Garrett kicked me hard in the ribs. Pain flared through my chest, forcing me to curl inward, but I refused to let go of his legs. He shouted over his shoulder at the trembling girl in the doorway. “Sophie! Close the damn door! Don’t let anyone see!” Sophie’s hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled the heavy door shut, sinking to the floor in tears. “Mr. Cole… I’m scared… You said we were just picking Sadie up to hang out…” Garrett ignored her completely. He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small pack of chemical wipes, and turned toward me. I fought like a wild animal, scratching his face, kicking his shins. But a twelve-year-old body was no match for a grown man. He dragged me into my parents’ bedroom, shoved me into the dark wooden wardrobe, tied my hands tightly with his leather belt, and stuffed a gym towel into my mouth. The heavy doors slammed shut. Darkness engulfed me. I heard him drag a heavy wooden armchair across the floorboards, jamming the back beneath the door handles to seal me inside. I kicked. I slammed my shoulder against the wood. I hit the door with my forehead. The heavy oak wardrobe barely shook. From outside, Sadie’s frantic cries echoed through the wood. “Noah! Let my brother go!” Then came Garrett’s sickeningly sweet voice. “Shh, sweetie, don’t cry. I’m just taking you out for pizza…” “I don’t want pizza!” Sadie sobbed. “I want my brother!” Through the tiny gap in the closet doors, I could see his shadow move toward her. I saw his hand reach out, pressing one of those chemical wipes firmly over her mouth and nose. A wave of red hot agony hit my eyes. “NO!” The scream was choked back into the towel, reduced to a muffled, pathetic groan. Sadie struggled for a few brief seconds before her small body went completely limp. Her pink backpack slid off her shoulder, hitting the hardwood floor with a dull thud. I froze, terror turning my blood to ice. The horrific images from my past life flooded back: the blinding white hospital lights, Sadie’s hollow, lifeless eyes, the deep purple bruises wrapped around her small wrists. “Noah… am I never going to be real again?” I threw myself against the closet doors with demonic fury. BANG! BANG! BANG! My forehead slammed against the wood over and over again. Pain exploded behind my eyes, skin tearing, warm blood trickling down my nose. It hurt. It hurt terribly. But it was nothing compared to the agony of failing her a second time. Outside, Garrett snapped at Sophie. “Check the hallway! If it’s clear, we move!” Sophie was weeping softly. “Is… is she dead?” “Shut your mouth!” Garrett hissed softly. “Do you want me to tell your mother you stole money out of her purse? You want her to know you bullied those kids at school?” Sophie went completely silent. I finally understood why she had covered for him in my past life. She wasn’t inherently evil; she was just another child trapped in his web of blackmails and terror. I didn’t have time to pity her. I kept battering the wardrobe door. Once. Twice. Three times. Just as my vision began to darken and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, a thunderous crash echoed from the front entryway.
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