The room wasn't the nicest but at least it was better than sleeping outside on a park bench like a homeless person. The door creaked and the bed made an unnatural sound everytime he laid on it, a clear sign that it would break at any moment.
He would try to get some sleep anyway, as he knew the morning would come quickly. That morning would never come though. Ford had chose the wrong time to rent a room at the Inn.
Why? Well, that would be revealed sooner rather than later. As Ford tried to fall asleep, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was ominously quiet. Ford has relatively good hearing, so he would hear anything, even the sound of people talking and laughing downstairs, but there was nothing.
Ford had tried everything in his power to ignore the silence and fall asleep, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. Instead, he had chose to do the worst thing possible, investigate. Watch any horror movie to know that investigating is the worst thing he could've done.
He got up, and started to make his way down the hall, to the top of the staircase. Everything was dark.. it seems the power went out downstairs. He would gulp before slowly walking down the creaking staircase to the dark abyss below.
What he had saw down there, horrified him, scared him to the point of being speechless, and paralyzed in fear. All he could hear were his own breaths, as he looked down.
What he saw was blood, a massive puddle to be more precise. Blood was everywhere, on the walls, on the counters, on the floor, and now on his clothes. Everyone down there had been killed. Why didn't Ford hear any screams though?
Suddenly, when before all he heard were his own breaths, was a voice, coming from right behind him--
??:"You should've stayed in your room, boy"
Then, before he could see who was responsible for the voice, he collapsed to the floor. When he tried to speak, all you could hear were incoherent gurgles as he coughed up blood while siezing uncontrollably as he bathed in the blood of strangers and now his own blood and in the blink of an eye, he had died. His throat had been slashed.
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A bright light, could this be the light at the end of the tunnel? No, what it was, was the sky. Ford looked around, in front of him was a gate leading into a city, and a carriage coming directly for him, about to collide with him at any moment.
Then there was a strange man, a man who seemed to be in full metal or iron armor, and that was when he repeated the same question Ford had heard before after being pushed out of the way--
??: "Are you alright, mister?"
Come to think of it, all of this had happened before. It was as if Ford was having massive deja vu. Deja Vu that had ended in his death.
"Y--yes, I'm okay... thank you for saving me again, sir.."
The man's eyes widened when he heard that, as he tilted his head in response. The man seemed to have no idea about the supposed previous encounter. It was as if Ford had actually died and went back in time.
??: "Sorry, sir... I'm not sure I know what you mean? Anyway.. I should be on my way.. have a good rest of you day and stay off the middle of the street!"
The man said as he walked away. Ford looked around, and then at his phone, and noticed that he had went back in time, to the point where he was first summoned. He got up and proceeded to make his way through the busy street, looking for any sign that he's not insane.
The first place he went is the ominous dark alley. If he really had went back in time, then that means Reda and Vincent would attempt to rob him. He walked into the dark alley, and waited.
He would be in the alley for another 2 hours, and just as he was about to leave, it happened. A knife, pushed against his throat, as a man in front of him would speak in a raspy voice--
Vincent: "Now who do we have here?"
Then, as if history repeated itself, a woman, who was right behind Vincent, would speak, and point out Ford's appearance--
Reda: "Quite an ugly man, I must add"
Ford wasn't insane, he had went back in time, to the point when he was first summoned. He was repeating the same day over again, like groundhog day.
This time around, he wouldn't let the thieves beat him senselessly. Instead, he would try the walk away method.
"Look... I don't have time for this Vincent"
Ford said as he pushed the knife away from his throat. Vincent's expression turned to confusion as soon as he heard his name--
Vincent: "and just how do you know my name?"
Ford rolled his eyes and walked past Vincent and Reda, and before walking out of the alley, he turned around, and said with a sigh--
"Because we've done this before, and I'm not letting you rob me this time, so I'll just be on my way"
Vincent and Reda stood there dumbfounded, as Ford walked away. A fitting reaction, especially after seeing someone who they've never met before in their life. However, they would only stand there for about 5 more seconds, before snapping out of it, and dragging Ford back into the alley.
Before he could scream, his mouth was covered as Vincent proceeded to beat him senselessly, and almost kill him. This led Ford to believe that fate could never be altered, which would prove to be untrue.
When Ford woke up, his stuff was stolen as he laid on the floor, unable to move from the sheer pain his body was in right now. He also realized that this was around the time when Arias would arrive.
If fate could truly never be altered, then Arias would surely come to save him. Sure enough, she had come back, and Ford had a second chance to talk to her, and this time gain her trust the first time around.
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