Chapter 10 :THE TARGET

Sharon looked at the message.

THE NEXT PERSON TO DIE WILL BE ALEX KNIGHT.

Her heart raced as she realized someone had just shot Michael.

Someone who could see them.

Someone who knew exactly where they were.

And now they were threatening Alex.

"Alex."

"I'm fine."

"You don't know that."

Alex looked at her.

"You're worried about me?"

Sharon frowned.

"Don't make this about that."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"You're blushing."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Alex."

His smile disappeared as he looked towards the forest.

"Stay behind me."

Another shot rung out as Alex pulled Sharon down.

The bullet hit the concrete barrier.

Sharon's heart raced as she heard another shot.

"Where?"

"Northwest."

Alex reached for his weapon.

"Stay here."

"No."

He looked at her.

"I said stay here."

"And I said no."

"This isn't an argument."

"It is if you're trying to get yourself killed."

They stared at each other for a moment before Alex's eyes softened.

"Sharon."

"What?"

"If something happens to me, don't come after me."

She felt something twist in her chest.

"Nothing is going to happen to you."

"You can't know that."

"Neither can you."

Alex stared at her before leaning closer.

"You really are impossible."

"So are you."

A shot interrupted them as Alex turned suddenly.

He fired into the forest.

A distant figure moved between the trees.

He was running, "He's running," Alex said.

Sharon grabbed his arm.

"Don't."

He looked at her hand before she immediately let go.

"He's trying to lure you away."

Alex's expression changed.

"You're right."

Sharon looked at Michael who was still lying on the ground.

Blood soaked his shirt as Lisa knelt beside him, crying.

"Help him!" Lisa screamed.

Sharon hesitated before noticing something.

Lisa wasn't looking at Michael.

She was looking at Alex.

Her eyes weren't filled with fear, they were calculating.

Sharon's instincts screamed.

"Lisa."

Lisa looked up.

"What?"

"What did you give them?"

Lisa's face paled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do."

"I don't!"

Sharon stepped closer.

"You and Michael were together when the samples were delivered."

Lisa shook her head.

"Michael is the one who handled everything."

Michael suddenly moaned as his eyes opened.

"Lisa..."

Sharon watched as she turned towards him.

"Don't."

Michael stared at her.

"You promised..."

Lisa's expression changed as Sharon noticed.

"What did she promise?"

Lisa stood quickly.

"Nothing."

Michael tried to speak but his voice was weak.

"She..."

Lisa suddenly grabbed a piece of broken glass.

Sharon stepped back.

"Drop it."

Lisa's hand trembled as she looked at Alex.

He raised his weapon.

"Do it."

Lisa stared at him before dropping the glass.

But something else fell from her pocket as a small black keycard.

Sharon picked it up as she turned it over in her hand.

There was a symbol on it.

A silver serpent wrapped around a red circle.

Alex's expression changed.

"Where did you get that?"

Lisa said nothing as Alex took the card from Sharon.

His jaw tightened.

"This is from Blackwell."

Sharon frowned.

"What's Blackwell?"

"A research facility."

Her eyes narrowed.

"The one connected to the virus?"

Alex nodded.

"Yes."

Sharon looked at Lisa.

"Why do you have their keycard?"

Lisa began crying.

"I didn't know what it was."

Sharon didn't believe her.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I swear!"

Michael suddenly laughed weakly.

Everyone turned as he spoke.

"You still don't know..."

Sharon crouched beside him.

"Know what?"

Michael's breathing became labored.

"Lisa wasn't working for them."

Sharon waited as she watched his eyes.

"She was..."

Michael coughed.

"She was working for someone else."

"Who?"

Michael's eyes moved towards Alex.

"Someone who..."

His eyes widened as he looked past Sharon.

"He's here."

Sharon turned but she saw nothing.

The forest was silent.

Alex immediately raised his weapon.

"Who?"

Michael's lips trembled.

"Not him."

He pointed at Alex.

"Behind you."

Alex spun around as a shadow moved across the roof.

Sharon looked up to see a figure standing on top of the resort.

Black clothes, a black mask and a rifle in his hands.

The sniper.

Alex raised his weapon.

The figure aimed directly at him.

Sharon reacted without thinking as she grabbed Alex and shoved him sideways.

The gun fired, BANG!

The bullet missed Alex by inches as it hit the wall behind him.

Alex looked at Sharon.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because you were standing in the way."

He stared at her.

"You pushed me."Don't get emotional."

Despite the danger, Alex almost smiled.

Then the sniper disappeared from the roof.

Alex immediately ran towards the building.

Sharon followed as they reached the roof.

Empty.

No sniper.

No weapon.

Nothing but a phone.

Sharon slowly picked it up as the screen was already open.

There was a video.

She pressed play as her own face appeared on the screen.

Sharon froze.

The video showed her entering the resort earlier that day.

Then another clip of her buying supplies.

Another of her meeting Alex.

Another of her speaking to Michael.

Someone had been recording everything.

For days.

Then the final video began.

Sharon stared at the screen as it showed her bedroom.

From the night she was reborn.

The angle was impossible, it had been filmed from inside her room.

Sharon's blood ran cold as the video showed her waking up.

Looking at the date.

Discovering the Spatial Storage System.

Her eyes widened as she realized no one was supposed to know about the system.

No one.

Then text appeared across the screen.

YOU THOUGHT YOUR REBIRTH WAS A SECOND CHANCE.

Another line appeared.

IT WASN'T.

Sharon's breathing stopped as Alex stepped beside her.

"What is it?"

She couldn't speak as the final message appeared.

YOU WERE BROUGHT BACK FOR A REASON.

Then the screen went black.

A second later, the phone received one final message.

AND I KNOW WHO BROUGHT YOU BACK.

Sharon stared at the words as Alex looked at her.

"Sharon..."

She slowly turned towards him.

Before she could speak, every alarm in the resort began screaming.

The security monitors flickered on as one by one, camera feeds appeared.

The front gate.

The forest.

The road.

The surrounding hills.

Then Sharon saw the final camera, her blood froze.

It showed inside the resort's underground storage room.

Someone was standing there.

Someone who shouldn't have been able to enter.

The figure slowly turned towards the camera.

Then removed their mask.

Sharon stopped breathing.

She knew that face.

Because she had watched that person die in the previous timeline.

And they were supposed to be dead.