CHAPTER 8:MEMORIES
1066 Words
Why does my chest hurt like I’ve already lost him before?
Why does his voice feel like something I’ve been waiting to hear again?
And why does it feel like… I’m running out of time?
“Stay with me.”
Daniel’s voice pulled me back.
His hand was still holding mine, firm and steady as we moved quickly through the dark path.
But something was wrong.
Not outside.
Inside me.
A strange pressure built in my chest.
Heavy.
Unfamiliar.
Yet… familiar at the same time.
“Daniel…” I called softly.
He didn’t slow down.
“We don’t have time,” he said.
But my steps began to weaken.
The feeling grew stronger.
My head started to spin.
“I don’t feel right,” I whispered.
That made him stop.
Immediately.
He turned to me, his expression shifting from focus to concern.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head slightly.
My heart was racing.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Like it was trying to tell me something.
Then—
It hit.
A sharp pain shot through my head.
I gasped, my grip tightening on his hand as my vision blurred.
“Oma—” his voice broke slightly.
“Look at me.”
But I couldn’t.
Because suddenly…
I wasn’t there anymore.
—
I was somewhere else.
The same road.
But different.
Brighter.
Louder.
And I wasn’t alone.
I saw myself.
Standing there.
Confused.
Just like now.
And in front of me…
Daniel.
But he looked younger.
Less guarded.
More… open.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
The same words.
The same tone.
But this time…
I felt it differently.
Like I had heard it before.
“Then why do you keep coming back?” I asked.
My voice.
But not me.
The memory shifted.
Fast.
Unstable.
“I can’t stay away from you,” he said.
My heart tightened.
Because this time…
He wasn’t hiding it.
He stepped closer.
Just like now.
Too close.
Dangerously close.
“If they find you with me—”
“I don’t care,” I said.
The words came out strong.
Certain.
Fearless.
“I choose you.”
My breath caught.
Because I felt it.
Every word.
Every emotion.
Like it was happening again.
Like I was reliving it.
The memory flickered.
Then—
Another flash.
Darkness.
Running.
Fast.
Panicked.
“Run!” Daniel’s voice shouted.
Different.
Desperate.
I stumbled in the memory, my heart racing wildly.
“I’m not leaving you!” I shouted back.
“You have to!” he snapped.
“They’re coming!”
That same fear.
That same danger.
The same feeling from now.
“They’ll take you away from me!” I cried.
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Then he grabbed my face gently.
His eyes locked onto mine.
And this time…
They weren’t just glowing.
They were breaking.
“I’d rather lose you,” he said softly, painfully, “than watch them destroy you.”
My heart shattered.
Even in the memory.
Even now.
“No…” I whispered.
But he didn’t listen.
Because he had already decided.
“Run,” he said again.
And this time…
I did.
—
My eyes snapped open.
I gasped loudly, my body shaking as I stumbled slightly.
Daniel caught me instantly.
“Hey—hey, I’ve got you,” he said, his voice urgent.
My breathing was uneven.
My heart pounding wildly.
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.
“I remember,” I whispered.
His body went still.
“What?” he asked.
My hands trembled slightly as I looked up at him.
“You told me to run,” I said.
My voice broke.
“And this time…”
A tear slipped down my cheek.
“I actually did.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
His eyes searched mine.
Desperate.
“What else do you remember?” he asked.
“Not everything,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “Just… pieces.”
But it was enough.
Enough to hurt.
Enough to feel real.
“You lied to me,” I said softly.
Not accusing.
Just… broken.
“You said I didn’t know you.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I didn’t want you to remember,” he admitted.
My chest tightened.
“Why?”
His eyes darkened.
“Because remembering me…” he paused slightly, “…means they’ll find you faster.”
Fear rushed through me again.
But this time…
It wasn’t just fear.
It was understanding.
“You erased my memory,” I whispered.
Silence.
That was my answer.
My heart dropped.
“You chose that for me?” I asked.
His expression shifted.
Pain.
Real pain.
“I chose to protect you,” he said.
My chest tightened painfully.
“At the cost of everything?” I asked.
“At the cost of losing you?” he replied.
That hit me harder than anything else.
Because now…
I understood.
This wasn’t just happening now.
This had happened before.
We had been here before.
We had felt this before.
And somehow…
We found each other again.
A shaky breath left my lips.
“Then why does it still feel the same?” I whispered.
His eyes softened slightly.
“Because it is,” he said.
My heart skipped.
“You chose me then,” he added quietly.
A pause.
“And you’re choosing me again.”
Silence fell between us.
But this time…
It wasn’t confusing.
It wasn’t empty.
It was full.
Full of something real.
Something undeniable.
Something that had survived even being forgotten.
My fingers slowly tightened around his hand again.
And this time…
It wasn’t hesitation.
It was choice.
“I remember enough,” I said softly.
His gaze locked onto mine.
“Then remember this,” he said.
His voice dropped.
Low.
Serious.
“If it happens again…”
My heart tightened.
“If they come for you…”
A pause.
“You have to run.”
My chest ached.
Because now…
I knew what that meant.
And I hated it.
“I won’t,” I said quietly.
His expression darkened slightly.
“You will,” he replied.
“No,” I said, stronger this time.
Because this time…
I knew.
And I wasn’t making the same choice again.
Not like before.
Not anymore.
Because if I had already lost him once…
Then this time…
I wasn’t running away.
- Writer
