Soul Survivor: Building Hope From Hell

The air around me reeked of gasoline, a sharp tang that somehow mixed with the familiar scent of ancient leather from my family' s priceless library. My phone buzzed, Maria's name flashing on the screen, but I ignored it, focused on the tiny, dancing flame of the lighter in my hand.

Then came her text: "Jocelyn, what the HELL are you doing?! The staff is freaking out! They said you have gasoline! Are you insane? I'm calling the police to have you committed!"

Insane. That' s what they' d label me. A cold smile touched my lips. Let them. They had no idea what was coming.

Seven days from now, "The Veiling" would tear our world apart, merging it with a nightmarish spirit realm. I knew this because I had already lived through it. And died in it.

The last time, I was naive, trusting my best friend, Maria, and my boyfriend, Ethan. I shared my meticulously prepared sanctuary, gave them everything. They rewarded me by pushing me outside to a monster. They feasted on my supplies, while I, disfigured and broken, became their pet. Then, they tortured me, sacrificing my very life force to empower their stolen haven, watching with triumphant glee as my world went dark.

I died believing I was utterly alone, used, and discarded. I died wondering how those I trusted most could become such monsters.

But I came back. Reborn. And this time, I remembered everything. This time, their twisted game was just the first step in my ultimate revenge.

The gasoline fumes were so thick I could taste them. They mixed with the scent of old paper and leather from my family's historic library. Priceless books, first editions, historical documents-all soaked and ready to burn.

I held the lighter, its tiny flame dancing.

My phone buzzed again. It was Maria, my best friend. I ignored it.

A moment later, it buzzed with a text. "Jocelyn, what the HELL are you doing?! The staff is freaking out! They said you have gasoline! Are you insane? I'm calling the police to have you committed!"

I stared at the message, a cold smile touching my lips. Insane. That's what they'd think. That's what I needed them to think.

Let them.

In seven days, a supernatural cataclysm called "The Veiling" would tear the veil between our world and the spirit realm. Our reality would merge with a nightmare, and sanity wouldn't save anyone.

I knew this because I had already lived it. And died in it.

I flicked the lighter, and the flame met the gasoline-soaked rug. The fire roared to life with a hungry whoosh, consuming centuries of my family's history in seconds. I didn't feel loss. I felt power.

This was the first step. This time, I would be ready.

The smoke in this life was nothing compared to the memory of the last. The last time, the smoke was filled with the smell of my own burning flesh.

In my previous life, I was naive. I discovered our family' s old Voodoo traditions too late, just as The Veiling began. I managed to craft a "Gris-Gris" bag for my deceased grandmother's spirit, a desperate act of remembrance. The ritual granted me a "Hallowed Space," a small pocket dimension, a tiny safe room against the horrors outside.

I thought I was lucky. I trusted my best friend, Maria, and my boyfriend, Ethan. I brought them into my sanctuary, sharing my meticulously gathered supplies: cases of Evian, canned gourmet foods, survival gear. I saved them.

They repaid me by pushing me outside.

A spirit, a shrieking thing of claws and shadow, found me. It disfigured my face, tore flesh from my arm. I screamed for them to open the door, but they just watched through the shimmering barrier. They waited until it was gone, then dragged my bleeding body back inside.

For weeks, they kept me isolated in a corner, tossing me scraps of food like a dog while they feasted on my supplies. They laughed and posted selfies in my sanctuary, as if it were their own private paradise.

Then Ethan came to me, his voice slick with fake sympathy. He convinced me they needed their tech, their laptops and phones, from the mansion. He said it was the only way to find other survivors. I was weak, broken, but I still believed him.

I risked everything, navigating a world of monsters to retrieve their stupid gadgets. I returned, battered and barely alive, only to find them waiting.

They beat me. They dragged me to the center of the Hallowed Space. Maria held me down while Ethan explained what they'd learned from one of my family's books.

"A blood sacrifice," he said, his eyes gleaming with a sick excitement, "It can strengthen the Hallowed Space. Make it bigger, more permanent."

They tortured me for hours. They used my life force, my pain, my blood, to fortify their stolen sanctuary. My final moments were of their triumphant faces as my world went dark.

But I came back. Reborn. And this time, I remembered everything.