Who is it? That question kept repeating in my mind.
The door opened again and the killer came back with a can of liquid. Then he started pouring it around the room.
I couldn't even smell what that liquid was. I'd lost my sense of smell, but I could guess. A tear escaped from my eye, and I lay helplessly as the man finished pouring the liquid and then lit a matchstick.
Am I going to die, without knowing who killed me and Grandpa? God, why is this happening to me? I stayed away like they all wished. I stayed quiet, so why? Why is this happening? I can't die—not until I burn the killers with my own hands.
People say that your whole life flashes before your eyes, but now I see that all my life I've been following others' wishes, never living my life the way I wanted.
I regret it. I regret not following my heart. I regret not torturing them. I regret following their wishes. God, please, just one chance. Give me one chance to change my life. I can't die like this...
The fire danced, the flesh burned, and I finally closed my eyes. The last thing I heard was his laugh. The laugh of my killer.
Do you want another chance?
Whose voice was it? I looked around in the darkness. Is this hell?
Do you want another chance?: Voice
I turned to the source, but the voice was coming from all directions. "Who is it?"
Do you want another chance?
The same question again and again. Not thinking twice, I replied to that voice, "Yes, I want to live. And this time, I will live for myself."
There was silence after that, and it seemed like a lifetime before the voice replied, "Then so be it."
Before I could do or say anything, an invisible force pulled me back and it felt like I was thrown from a 600-floor building.
"Ana! ANAAA! Wake up!" I opened my eyes to see Grandpa standing beside my bed, worry filling his eyes. Seeing him alive again made me cry.
I hugged him tightly. "Haha, bad dream?" He patted my back, trying to calm me.
It took some time for him to calm me down and for me to realize that both of us were alive—for now.
"Go back to sleep, honey." He was about to leave when I said, "Grandpa!!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Grandpa, I... I want to go on a trip with you." More like, move back to the city with you.
"Ohh, a trip is good. Girls your age should travel and enjoy the world. It would be better if you had someone else to go with besides me, but it's okay. Let me know when you have a place in mind."
I nodded at him, and then, waving me goodnight, he slipped out of my room.
I lay back on the bed. Closing my eyes, I remembered every detail of what I experienced. My mind went crazy with all the possibilities. Was it a dream? NO. It was way too detailed to be a dream. And if this wasn't a dream, then it means only one thing: I was given a second chance to live and change the future. Save Grandpa and myself from death.
I got up and moved toward the balcony. Changing the future means doing everything that the rest of the family doesn't like. Going back. BEING ME.
One thing is clear: I won't get my answers staying here. Who was so threatened by me—someone who left everything to live in peace with Grandpa—that they took such a drastic step to eliminate me permanently?
Whoever it was, they can kiss their life goodbye now that I'm entering their life to mess it up. Before they can think or plan again to kill us, I will kill them. They won't even know why or what came at them.
Looking at the stars, I said, "Good night, killers. From tomorrow, you won't have one." After that, I turned and slept peacefully.
Grandpa walked into his room and sat on the bed. He removed his glasses and laid back.
He frowned when he thought about Ana. He clearly heard her mumble his name. What was the dream about?
Anyway, he was happy that at least she was learning to enjoy her life now. All he ever hoped for was for Ana to live her life the way she wants—and maybe get out of this damn town and reclaim what was hers.
Thinking about the past just made him angry. It was his life goal to end those who had a hand in destroying his baby's life—especially that boy and his own son.
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Next Morning.
I woke up early. I had a lot of planning to do, and my brain works better in the early hours of the day. I looked at the calendar. I had more than one month before the killer arrived, and I needed to think fast.
It would be better to stay and trap the killer when he arrives, but I had a gut feeling that this time things would be different. Fate is a funny thing. Everything has a butterfly effect, and if my return to the past has changed, then there must be other things that changed as well. I can't bet everything on one trap and risk losing everything again.
No. It's better to take action and go full force—but quietly. I need to move back into the city. I need to do a background check on everyone and see who was so threatened by me or maybe Grandpa.
And I need to start with my own family. It's funny how a father would be so frightened by his own daughter.
It was always fun to see his face whenever I took a dead rat to him. It was my favorite fun time. But of course, he thought I was crazy and took me to the hospital.
"Hahahaha, I'm coming back, Daddy. Let's see how funny your face is this time."