“What are you talking about?” I reply, unable to hide my exasperation. “I can't be remembering her! I wasn't even born when she died!”

  “I know you weren't,” he says. “In fact, I'm going to guess that you were born almost exactly nine months after that day she cut off all her own skin.”

  “Nine -”

  Stopping for a moment, I feel a cold shudder pass through my chest.

  “Nine months after?” I continue. “What do you mean?”

  “That must be why Sebastian's so scared of you,” he says, still with a hint of wonder in his voice. “He saw you, and he realized that the impossible has happened. Ramsey, humans don't usually remember their past lives. They can't. They might feel the odd instinct here or there, the echo of a memory, but you shouldn't ever be able to remember any of the lives you had before this one. Yet here you are, seeing your previous life. Seeing Sophia Landsome, the girl you were before Sebastian killed you. By some miracle, you were reborn in the same town.”

  “I'm not Sophia Landsome,” I reply. “I'm Ramsey Kopperud, I'm -”

  “You are now,” he says, “but back then, you were Sophia. You were that little girl.”

  “That's not possible,” I tell him, before glancing across the road again.

  She's gone.

  I look around, but there's no sign of that little girl at all. She seems to have vanished into thin air, which as far as I'm concerned only proves even more clearly that she's a ghost.

  When I turn back to Ethan, however, I can see that he truly believes what he's telling me.

  “It's not possible,” I say again. “Ethan, seriously, I'm not -”

  And then, suddenly, I remember.

  “You want to be pretty, don't you?” a voice whispers in my mind. “I know how to make you the prettiest girl in the whole school.”

  I turn and look around, but there's nobody behind me.

  “Sophia,” Mrs. Cooper says firmly, tapping my shoulder.

  I turn back to her.

  “Are you listening to me?” she continues.

  I nod, because I know that's what she wants, but secretly I can't hear her properly. The other voice, the voice in my head, is louder than her.

  “I'm putting a picture in your thoughts,” the voice explains. “Can you see that picture?”

  “Ramsey?” Ethan says, bringing me back to the here and now. “Are you remembering something?”

  “No,” I stammer, “I can't be. I -”

  I push some taller grass aside and walk around behind the gardening block. The ground is much bumpier here, probably because no-one really ever comes to this part of the school. I can still hear everyone else playing in the yard, but their voices already sound so much further away. In fact, in some weird way, each step I take makes me feel more grown-up, as if all the others in the yard are just a bunch of silly children. Five minutes ago I was playing with them. I was like them. Now I have different ideas.

  All since the voice in my head changed to sound like an old man.

  “What is this?” I whisper, trying to ignore the rush of sounds and images in my head. “Why am I remembering things that didn't happen to me, it's like...”

  It's like I'm remembering something that happened to me long, long ago.

  I take a deep breath, before pressing the bottom edge of the scissors against the fabric and pushing until the tip rips through. Unable to find an edge where I can start properly, I have to wiggle the scissors a little and make a small hole, and then I slowly start cutting along the piece of fabric that's covering my arm. Each time I close the blades, I feel a faint shudder pass through my chest, and I hear a clean slicing sound.

  Like the sound I hear when Mom cuts up beef or chicken for dinner.

  “That's right,” the voice whispers as I keep slowly, carefully cutting a line through the fabric. “You're doing so well, Sophia. I can see that I was right to give this job to you, instead of to any of the other girls in the yard.”

  “No!” I blurt out, stumbling back, only for Ethan to grab my arm and hold me steady. I'm trembling with fear, but I remember now...

  I remember everything.

  Swaying slightly, I sit and stare at the fabric in my hands. At first I don't understand what the voice meant, but then slowly I start holding the fabric up and I see that it's curled in many places. Tilting the fabric around slightly, I'm shocked to find that one of the sections even has two small holes with two smaller holes slightly lower down and then one longer, wider hole further down still. It's almost as if a face is staring back at me.

  “Turn it inside out,” the voice urges. “Your hands are shaking, Sophia. There isn't much time.”

  “It's not possible,” I whimper, with tears rolling down my cheeks. “Please, tell me it's not possible.”

  The nausea bursts up through my chest, and as I feel the most incredible pain starting to fill every inch of my body.

  “Do you like my dress?” I gasp.

  Sirens are getting closer, as if an ambulance or police cars are coming.

  “Please,” I continue, barely able to get the words out as the pain becomes unbearable. Finally, trembling violently, I drop to my knees and look at my blood-soaked hands. “Doesn't anyone like my new dress?”

  Mrs. Cooper screams.

  “Ramsey!”

  I blink a couple of times, and then I see Ethan standing in front of me.

  “You're starting to remember,” he says firmly. “I can tell. It must feel very strange to be remembering a previous life.” He squeezes my arm. “Ramsey, stay strong. This kind of thing can rip a human mind apart. You're not supposed to ever remember things like this.”

  “No, I -”

  Before I can finish, I feel my knees buckle. I start to fall, but Ethan holds me up. A moment later I feel something warm trickling from my nose, and then I taste blood on my lips.

  “Stay with me, Ramsey!” he says firmly. “You can get through this but you have to stay strong!”

  “That can't have been me,” I whisper, as a burst of nausea rumbles up through my chest. At the same time, I'm already remembering something else.

  “Don't touch her!” someone screams, as sirens get closer. “Nobody touch her!”

  Suddenly I lean forward and vomit, and this time Ethan's powerless to hold me back. I land on my hands and knees and throw up again, before bursting into a series of heavy, dry retches.

  “I can't find a pulse!” a voice yells. “She's not breathing!”

  Staring up at the bright sky above the school yard, I feel my body fall completely still. And then, in one clear and brief moment, I feel myself give up. For a fraction of a second I know that I'm dead, and then the sky's brightness fills my eyes and I know that it's the end.

  “Ramsey!”

  Spluttering, I roll onto my side as Ethan kneels next to me.

  “You have to stay focused!” he says firmly, as a car races this way along the brightening street. “Ramsey, listen to me!”

  After a moment he gently slaps the side of my face, and I look up at him before turning just as a car screeches to a halt nearby. And then, as the car's door opens, I see the one face I want to see more than any other right now.

  “Dad,” I whisper, before stumbling to my feet as tears start streaming down my face. “Dad! It's me!”

  Fifty-Six

  Sheriff James Kopperud

  “Dad! It's me!” Ramsey yells, stumbling toward me before slipping and falling back down onto her knees. “It's me! Dad, I swear it's me!”

  Behind her, a guy around her age is trying to support her as I clamber out of the car and hurry across the parking lot.

  “It's me!” Ramsey sobs, reaching for me. “Dad, I promise it's me!”

  “What happened?” I yell, putting my arms around her and hauling her up, before hearing a cry of pain from nearby. Turning, I see that some windows are broken on the side of the clinic, and a moment later I spot a figure stepping into view.

  It's the creature.

  It's the same creature I saw out in the charred forest, the same creature that followed me.

  “He's injured,” the man next to Ramsey says. “For now. Eventually he'll get the rod out of his heart. By then, you need to be well away from here. I can try to lure him back into the forest, and then maybe I can do something to keep him from ever coming back into the town.”

  “This is Ethan!” Ramsey gasps, clinging desperately to me. “Dad, it's me, I swear!”

  “I know it is,” I reply, not really understanding what she means. “I know it's you, I promise.”

  “I tried to blow it up!” she whimpers. “When I thought I was trapped in there, there were all these gas canisters I opened one, I was about to ignite it.”

  “You'd have been killed!” I tell her.

  “I thought I was going to die anyway,” she sobs, and now I can tell that she's trembling with fear. “Dad, I swear, I was trying to do the right thing!”

  “We used to sneak a look at Sebastian's book sometimes,” Ethan explains. “That must be how my brother is blocking the cellphone signals and putting people to sleep. He has a chaotic understanding of basic tricks.”

  I watch as the creature lurches past the window, struggling with something that seems to be protruding from its chest. My first instinct is to get everyone away from here, but then I realize I'd have to evacuate the town as well. That could take forever, and as I watch the creature I can see that it's already starting to pull that metal rod from its chest. Ramsey is holding me tight, weeping and shaking, but suddenly I realize that I know exactly what I have to do here.

  “I'm going in there,” I whisper.

  “No!” Ramsey shouts, pulling me even tighter. “I won't let you!”

  “Tell me how to kill it,” I continue, turning to this Ethan guy. “You're the same species as him, right?”

  “Sure,” he replies, “but -”

  “You look more normal,” I point out. “More like one of us.”

  “I adapted,” he says cautiously, “but I won't let you kill him. He and I are the only two of our species that are left. I'm going to get him back out of the town, and then I can talk to him.”

  “You didn't try that already?” I ask.

  “It'll be different this time,” he says. “He's not evil, not deep down. All I have to do is talk to him and get through to him, and I can lead him away. I assure you, he won't ever -”

  Before he can finish, the creature lets out a loud snarl of anger.

  “He's not evil,” Ethan says again, “but -”

  “He's put everyone in town to sleep,” I point out, cutting him off. “He killed two of my deputies, he attacked me, and now he seems to be following my daughter around. You'll have to forgive me if I don't give him the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I won't let you kill him,” Ethan replies.

  “And how do you think you can stop me?”

  He steps toward me, and suddenly I see the skin all across his face start shimmering. For a fraction of a second he looks less like a human, and more like another of those creatures. The effect fades quickly, but it's enough for me to see that beneath his calm exterior there's a beast lurking.

  “Get away from my daughter!” I shout, stepping toward him. “I swear to God, if you touch her, I'll make you suffer!”

  “Let's get out of here,” Ramsey sobs, grabbing my hand and trying to lead me over to the car. “Dad, let's just go. We can send help, we can call the military to blow everything up, but right now we have to get out of here! I won't let you go near that thing again!”

  “Ramsey -”

  “I won't let you!” she yells, tugging me hard until I have no choice but to follow her.

  At the same time, I see Ethan starting to make his way toward the clinic. I guess he's going to try reasoning with that monster, but there's no way I'm willing to wait around and see how the negotiations progress. The thing in the clinic killed two of my deputies and I'm damn well not going to let it hurt anyone else. As I follow Ramsey to the car, however, I already know that there's no way she'll ever let me put myself in danger.

  “This is all my fault,” she whimpers, sniffing back more tears. “I'm so sorry, Dad. I thought I could fix everything and keep it under control, but I was wrong.”

  “It's not your fault,” I reply, as I reach to my belt and start unhooking a pair of handcuffs.

  A plan is already forming in the back of my mind. Not the best plan in the world, but definitely a plan. And it might actually work.

  “Stop for a moment,” I tell her, as we get close to the car. I look into her sobbing eyes, and then I pull her close for a hug. For a few seconds, I look over her shoulder and see that Ethan is getting closer to the clinic.

  Two birds with one stone.

  “I understand the deal you made now,” I say cautiously, as I attached one side of the handcuffs to a metal railing. “I experienced it first-hand just now. A truck slammed into my car and blew the whole thing apart, but I'm basically fine. A little shaken up, but fine.”

  “Let's get far away from here,” she whimpers. “I found out why I've been seeing the ghost of Sophia Landsome, Dad. Or maybe she's not a ghost at all. Ethan says -”

  Suddenly I attach the other handcuff to her wrist, and she gasps as she pulls away.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, tugging hard on the cuffs.

  “I won't die,” I tell her, stepping back. “You said there are gas canisters in that room, right?” I take my gun from its holster. “I'm going to get rid of those creatures, and then God willing I'll be right back here with you.”

  “No!” she yells, lunging at me, only for the handcuffs to hold her back. “Dad, stop!”

  “Here's the key,” I continue, setting the key down on the floor just where she can't reach. “In case of complications, but you shouldn't need it. I'll be back in a minute or two, but I have to do this, Ramsey. I can't let monsters walk the streets of Deal. The people of this town expect me to keep them safe, and that's exactly what I'm going to do right now.”

  “No!”

  She lunges at me again, but I turn and head over to the car.

  “It doesn't work like that!” she shouts. “Dad, Sebastian specifically said this isn't how the deal works!”

  I climb into the car and start the engine.

  “If it's something you do to yourself, the deal doesn't hold!” she screams. “He warned me about that! Suicide is the only way you can die!”

  “Good job this isn't suicide, then,” I reply, swinging the door shut. “Relax, I'll be right back.”

  “Dad, no! Dad -”

  I floor the pedal and the car lurches forward, speeding quickly across the parking lot. I see Ethan up ahead, and he turns to me just as I clip his waist and send him crashing to the ground. I wanted to take him into the clinic with me, but I guess I'll have to deal with him later. For now, I keep my foot on the accelerator and the car jumps the edge of the sidewalk before smashing straight into the window, bursting through what's left of the glass and then running straight over the creature before skidding to a halt.

  I can do this.

  Looking out the car's window, I see several gas canisters on the ground. I aim my gun at the nearest, but at the last moment Ramsey's words come back to me.

  “If it's something you do to yourself,” she screamed, “the deal doesn't hold!”

  What if she's right?

  Why would she be wrong?

  I aim at the canister for a moment longer, as I realize that I might just have been a little too confident here. I guess there's still a chance that I'll survive, but at the same time I already know that I can't back down now. Worst case scenario, I die but I save the town in the process, so I carefully squeeze my finger against the trigger. Still, though, I struggle to actually fire the gun, even though I keep thinking back to the moment my car was ripped apart by that truck.

  I mean, I'm basically a goddamn superh -

  “What is this?” a voice sneers behind me.

  I flinch as something sharp digs down into my right shoulder. I try to turn, but the pain is unbearable and now I can feel teeth slicing deeper and deeper into my flesh until something starts grinding against the bone. For a moment all I can think about is the pain, and I almost drop the gun from my shaking hand. At the same time, something grabs my left shoulder, holding me firmly in the car seat as the teeth continue to pull chunks of flesh away from my body.

  There's a splattering sound nearby.

  Turning, I see that blood is spraying from the side of my neck, hitting the roof and then falling back down against me.

  “Are you him?” the voice snarls, as I feel and smell hot breath against my face. “You know Sebastian's deal doesn't hold if you commit suicide, don't you? And coming here to try killing me, that might just count as suicide!”

  I try to raise my arm and aim the gun again, but the creature bites the side of my neck and now my arm seems numb, as if I can no longer get the signals down to my hand.

  “I've often wondered whether families of humans have a similar taste,” the voice continues.

  He bites deeper into my neck, so deep that I lean back in the seat and scream.

  “I look forward to a side-by-side taste comparison,” the voice says. “First you, then that girl.”

  “You won't get anywhere near her,” I reply, and finally I manage – slowly – to raise my right arm and aim with a shaking hand at the nearest gas canister

  This is death.

  I don't know how I know, but I know. For a moment, I try to fight back, but then I see the time on the dashboard clock.

  12:44.

  Somehow, Buddy knew.

  In an instant, I steady the gun's aim as I realize that there are only four more words I need to say before the end:

  “I love you, Ramsey.”

  I pull the trigger, and the last thing I see is an immense, soundless flash of light that bursts through my body before suddenly everything cuts dead.

  Fifty-Seven

  Ramsey Kopperud

  “Come on!” I shout, trying yet again to hook the key with my right foot, only to once again fall short. “Come on, come on, come -”