Novels by AnnieBeck

Alice's POV My heart was beating too hard.Someone followed me here.I stayed low inside the storage unit and forced myself to breathe slowly. Panic would get me killed. The old Alice panicked. I wasn’t her anymore.I turned off my phone light. The unit went dark. I listened for a long time.No footsteps. No voices. No one pulling at the metal door.I crawled forward and looked into the hallway. Empty. Only the soft hum of the lights.I looked back at the open duffel bag. The gun was still there. I picked it up. It was heavier than I expected. My hands shook as I checked the magazine. Full. I pushed it back in until it clicked. I put the gun in my bag with one extra magazine and as much cash as I could carry without making the bag look strange. The rest stayed in the unit. I would come back later if I lived.I closed the metal door quietly and locked it. The black key went deep into my pocket.Then I started walking.I did not run. Running would draw attention. I kept my head down an

Alice's POV I stood in the hallway holding the envelope.My heart was beating too fast. The building was quiet. No footsteps. No voices. Just me and the white envelope in my hand.I looked left, then right. Empty.I stepped back into my loft, locked the door, and put the chain on. I checked the lock twice before I forced myself to walk to the kitchen table.I put the envelope down and stared at it.My name was written on the front in clean black letters. No stamp. No address. Someone had walked up to my door and left it while I was inside.I opened it again.The black key was heavy and new. No scratches. No dirt. Just a plain black key with the number 17 etched on the side.I unfolded the paper.You are not alone.My stomach tightened. I pressed a hand over my belly and felt the baby push back. The small movement helped me breathe.“It’s okay,” I whispered. “Mommy’s right here.”But it wasn’t okay.In the first timeline, no one had left anything at my door. This was new. Something ha

Alice's POV The phone kept ringing.I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the screen. Luke’s name flashed over and over. My heart was beating hard. Part of me still wanted to answer the way I used to. Soft. Happy. Trusting. That part of me was stupid. That part of me had died under the concrete with a broken leg and blood pouring out of my body.I let it ring until it stopped.A few seconds later it started ringing again.I hated how my hand still moved toward the phone on its own. I forced it back down. I pressed both hands over my stomach instead. The baby gave a small push, like it could feel how angry I was.“It’s okay,” I whispered to it. “Mommy’s not going to let him near us this time.”The phone went silent again. Then a text came in.Luke: Morning, babe. You up? I was thinking we could get breakfast together before you head to the lab.Babe.He called me babe like he hadn’t left me to die. Like he hadn’t watched me bleed while he walked away with Caroline. Like our baby

Alice's POVMy eyes opened.I sucked in a hard breath like someone had been holding my head under water for a long time. My heart was beating so fast it hurt my ribs. For a few seconds I was sure I was still under the broken concrete. I waited for the pain to come back. I waited for the blood and the dust and the heavy weight on my body.Nothing happened.I was lying on something soft. A bed. My bed.I did not move right away. I was afraid that if I moved, everything would break and I would be back in that dark room dying again.My hands went straight to my stomach.The round shape was still there. Warm. Solid. I pressed down carefully and felt a small push from inside.The baby was alive.A broken sound came out of my mouth. I kept both hands on my belly and just sat there shaking. Tears ran down my face fast. I did not try to stop them.“You’re okay,” I whispered. “You’re still here. Mommy’s here. You’re safe.”I sat up slowly. My leg did not hurt. There was no blood between my thig

Alice's POV I woke up to excruciating pain.It was the first thing I felt when my eyes opened. Something heavy was crushing down my left leg. When I tried to move, a scream tore out of my throat. Blood filled my mouth. I could taste it together with the dust that was now thick in the air. I coughed and more blood came out. The smell of burned metal and fresh blood was so strong it made me want to throw up.My hands went straight to my stomach.The baby.I was six months pregnant. I could still feel the small round shape under my shirt. For one short second I thought maybe we were both okay. Then a sharp pain hit low in my belly and warm wetness spread between my legs. Too much blood. I knew it was too much.“Luke!” I screamed. “Luke, help me!”Footsteps came closer, they were slow and didn't sound like steps of someone running to help.I forced my eyes open.Luke stood a few meters away. Caroline was next to him. She was putting the energy core into a black case like it was just ano