1927: Redemption

Saved by him, AGAIN!

“Psychology says: No matter how much it hurts, someday you will look back and realise your struggles change your life for the better.”

2021-DECEMBER-FLORIDA

Adeline knew she was scared when those old fears ran through her head when she felt like was being watched and she had never felt so uncomfortable in her life, knowing that she just met Ace, there might be a possibility of danger tonight.

She knew she was scared when these bad memories cut loose their chains and invaded her confidence, eroding the person she had built since those dark days. The fear came most when she was tired and fled in the nighttime, vanquished by the time she awakened. So when her thoughts tumble into that abyss and the rope ladders burn, she just started remembering the aim of her life, the deal and her responsibility to make everything better and to set everything right.

But, not tonight, because the unknown stare was weighing her down now. It was quite frightening.

The cold night’s breeze laced through her hair softly, yet this chilling feeling never left her. For some odd reason, it felt like next to impossible for her to reach home safely tonight.

Was she walking too slow?

Well, yes, she only does that when she feels unsettled. She still felt the stars creeping up on her again as she walked across the park towards the subway.

Adeline swiped her metro card and headed down a flight of stairs with other commuters onto a platform.

She followed an arrow that led her through a quiet hallway over to another set of stairs, which took her down to the subway platform.

Thinking that using a train would be more suitable and fast. The subway was barely lit, no commuters were here, just two stragglers waiting as a train pulled in. They got on, leaving Adeline alone as it wasn’t the train from which she desired to travel.

Pulling out her notes, she thought— is this the right platform? And strained to read them in the darkness as….

“Adeline Martinez?”

She looked up, and a man in a suit came down the stairs. He was dressed in a neat black suit with a crisp white shirt inside and a navy blue tie, his cold icy grey eyes fixated on Adeline.

Her eyes widened as she spoke, “Archer Lewis?”

Approaching towards her, “What are you doing down here so late?” He asked.

Adeline was catching the unsettling vibes from him, she was meeting him after five years and it couldn’t be out of coincidence, she knew that he was keeping tabs on her.

Keeping her facade, she gave him a small smile, saying, “Oh, I was just waiting for my train to arrive. What about you?”

Squinting his eyes at her, and a mocking smile on his aged face, he said, “Came to meet you, Miss Martinez.”

She kept her cool, although she was shivering from the inside, not because of cold weather. “Regarding what, Mr Lewis?” She asked.

“Well, I request you to give me a sample of your hair and that would be all for tonight.” He said, like it was the most normal thing in this era.

“Sorry, what?” Adeline was quite taken aback when she heard him speak.

“You heard me, Miss Martinez, I hope you cooperate.” He said, stepping towards her.

Adeline knew that it might be related to their some twisted experiments and whatever she read in her father’s diary, her DNA sample might lead them to the stranger, to the BEAST.

Raising her hand in the air, “Okay, that is quite disturbing. I think I should leave now.” saying so, Adeline started backing away when….

Archer pulled out a GUN with a SILENCER on it, as it was a terrifying millisecond as she registered it. Before he could pull the trigger, her self-defence training kicked in as she kneed him in the groin and he doubles-over as Adeline reached for the gun, but he grabbed her in between, her cell skittering across the platform when she tried to fight him off, but he overpowered her to the ground. He was about to shoot when….

A guttural roar echoed in the subway, and in a flesh, SOMETHING POUNCED!

At that moment, the guards of Archer that were hiding in the dark came running off towards him as they encircled Archer in a protective circle. The guards were knocked to the ground, and it was just like five years ago…

The SHADOWY BLUR and the sound of SCREAMS, of BONES being CRUSHED, LIMBS being TORN, FANGS RIPPING at FLESH -- and then, just as suddenly, the SOUNDS were cut-short. He tossed the guards limp, mauled bodies onto the TRACK. Although Archer's body was nowhere around, he might have gone down to save himself.

Adeline stared, stunned, shell-shocked. There, before her, though it was barely lit, was the Beast from her memories, the man she called a stranger for the last five years who kept her safe from all the dangers lurking around. But before she could speak, he raced off into the tunnels... But she was not the same girl she was back then. She had an aim to achieve, and she was not going to let him get away this time. She grabbed the gun lying on the platform, tearing after him. And as she disappeared into the tunnels.

The tunnel was 40 feet underground. An occasional FLUORESCENT LIGHT cast a bluish glow on the track. Adeline raced along the narrow side path, calling out into the wind tunnel, “Hey! I know you’re in here!”

No response!

As always, but tonight she was stubborn to get her answers. She ran on, arriving at an intersection.

Rumblings of trains echoed from every direction, disorienting her when -- a SHADOW DARTED across one of the tunnels.

Adeline yelled, “Hey!” She tore after him, but tripped hard, narrowly missing the third rail. Blood started oozing from her knee. Before she could pick herself up— A light suddenly fell upon her, an ONCOMING TRAIN!

She was frozen, paralyzed with fear as the train barreled towards her when— SOMETHING or rather someone grabbed her from above, yanking her out of the way just in time. His masked face was inches away, body pressed against hers, heat developing between them as the sparks danced in their veins, whereas the train blasted past them.

Now that he was this close, and the flickering light from the train passing by illuminated his face, she realised, even though the fangs and glowing eyes were gone, a mask was still on.

He was the same security personnel from five years back, she did remember vaguely, he too had the same mask on.

Staring for a few seconds, “You’re him.” Mumbled Adeline, looking into his deep pools of forest greens who looked at her intently.

What will happen next?

Will the stranger reveal his identity?

Why did Archer want Adeline’s DNA sample, and most importantly where did he go?