Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace



"Are you okay?"

With a scream that cut through the air, it was Bran. In my dazed state, when Bran came to check on me, I had him pinned against the wall in a manner that must have been quite painful.

Bran looked at me, utterly bewildered, before finally finding his words. "Holy smokes... Caleb was right, you really are Phoebe Caldwell..."

I furrowed my brows, the headache feeling like it was tearing my soul from my body.

"Feels weird to be back among the living, huh?" I croaked out.

After I said it, even I was confused.

Who was I asking?

Myself or someone else?

Bran, still pinned against the wall, stiffened before starting to complain. "Ouch, ouch, let go..."

Stella, standing nearby, watched us with shock, while Finn and Robin quickly intervened, prying me off Bran.

"You've got some moves..." Robin said, looking puzzled.

It was like a professional hold, something they were taught in training - a technique to maximize damage even with a significant power difference.

Stella took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension. "Maybe Phoebe just reacted without thinking. She's been struggling in her sleep, might've been having a nightmare."

I quickly released Bran, stepping back without a word.

Bran, rubbing his arm in pain, eyed me suspiciously.

I looked down, then around, feeling an unfamiliar sense of alienation.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

"Phoebe?" Stella called my name softly, noticing my disorientation.

Almost reflexively, I grabbed her by the throat, warding off anyone who came close.

Stella's body tensed, panic in her eyes.

Robin stepped in front of Stella protectively, eyeing me warily. "Did the fall knock something loose?"

I paused, looking down at my hand, overwhelmed by a rush of confusion and helplessness. "It wasn't me... It wasn't me..."

I didn't understand what I had just done.

Stella shook off Robin, gripping my hand tightly. "Phoebe... it's okay, don't be scared. I know you didn't mean it. Let's get out of here, go home."

"Please..." came a derisive voice from behind. Melody's scorn was palpable. "If you didn't kick the bucket, stop wasting time. If you want to survive, better find a way out of this floor!"

Melody's cold words hung in the air as she cast a meaningful glance at Dexter and walked away.

Dexter frowned, his gaze on me mixed with complexity.

I met Dexter's eyes, frowning back, silent.

"I've checked the whole floor. No passages or exits. This floor is different from the seventeenth; it's. filled with partitions that seem solid but are actually just drywall. Some hide strange noises behind them. We shouldn't break them down récklessly," Dexter reported somberly.

At this moment, it seemed cooperation was our only hope for a faster escape.

"That lunatic won't give us much

time to find a way out. There must be other traps, like the power outage on the seventeenth floor, followed by murder," Bran cursed, kicking a wall nearby.

The wall thudded, clearly hollow.

Bran frowned, stepping back, then picked up an axe and struck the wall.

The drywall cracked open, and a thick smell of blood wafted out.

Everyone tensed up.

Hearing the commotion, James and his group rushed over, fearing they'd be left behind if an exit was found.

"Be careful, there's something

= Finn said nervously,

close to Bran, his hand gripping Bran's jacket.

Bran looked at Finn with disdain. "Back off, man."

Finn, taken aback, wiped his hand on his pants and rolled his eyes. "As if I wanted to be near you." "Stay back, or you might get hit," Bran warned, brandishing the axe to keep Finn at a distance. Finn reluctantly stepped back, eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the broken wall.

As Bran opened up a large hole, the dim light revealed a gruesome scene of blood and bodies.

Not human bodies... but those of ferocious dogs.

"It's rabid dogs..." Robin stepped in front of Bran, taking the lead as a police officer.

After all, Bran was still just a kid.

I stood frozen, my legs numb and unresponsive.

"Phoebe?" Stella called out to me.

Snapping back to reality, I approached.

Crawling through the hole, we were met with the sight of rabid dog carcasses scattered across the floor.