Poison Rose

CH - 70 - The Clash between 80's and 21st

Sven was on edge when he entered a supermarket near his place. He had taken Liora's warning seriously—perhaps too seriously. At first, he had simply sent all his men away, fearing they were under the influence of vengeful spirits. But soon, even the thought of someone else handling his food felt like a death sentence to him.

So, he started doing everything by himself, including grocery shopping. Sven could not trust anyone but himself and of course, Liora.

At the supermarket, Sven wandered the aisles like a wary moth flitting among flickering bulbs. He was suspicious of every glance thrown his way. If someone accidentally looked at him, he'd flinch and stare back with wild eyes, as if trying to assess if they were possessed by the spirits of his past enemies.

Customers in the supermarket began whispering and avoiding him, moving their carts to different aisles to escape the uncomfortable aura he was giving off.

Sven was alone now and more at ease, so he started to look through the neatly arranged packages on each row. As he walked past the meat section, he noticed the marinated steaks and seasoned ribs, varieties of sausages were placed next to each other.

His mouth watered at the sight, his stomach growled in protest. He licked his lips unconsciously. For a brief moment, he reached for a packet of ribs, imagining the savoury taste he hadn't allowed himself for a day.

But then, Liora's voice echoed in his ears, warning him about the spirits and their revenge. His hand snapped back as if the meat was cursed. "No... not today. 4 more days to go.," he muttered, shaking his head.

He quickly left the section before his resolve broke, forcing himself to focus on the fruits and readymade vegetarian meals on the other side of the refrigerated section—safe, neutral, untouched by the spirits.

With his basket full of pre-packaged meals and fresh fruits, Sven hurried through the checkout, avoiding eye contact with the cashier and anyone else who might pose a supernatural threat.

Donovan's men were enjoying Sven's actions and reactions thoroughly. They stuck like glue to him for 24 hours a day.

Though, Donovan had scaled back the ghostly activities during the daytime, allowing Sven to feel a false sense of relief. But when night fell, Donovan unleashed a barrage of subtle but relentless disturbances, making sure Sven couldn't get a moment of restful sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a powerful weapon. Each night, shadows seemed to dance just out of Sven's line of sight, whispers filled the air that only he could hear, and strange creaks and thuds echoed throughout his empty house, keeping him on edge the moment he closed his eyes. Yet it wasn't loud or prominent enough to keep Sven from truly relaxing.

Every flicker of light or rustle of the curtains became a ghost in his eyes. He started to ask for forgiveness at night whenever he heard some noise.

"Brother please please forgive me this once. I am keeping your heart safe in me. If you kill me your heart won't beat again. I made a mistake but I needed a heart. Please just this once forgive me." He kept repeating it like a chant that could shield him from the ghosts.

On the other hand, Logan and Rhythm carefully followed the locations mentioned by Sven, methodically checking off each one from their list. They worked seamlessly as a team, gathering evidence and crucial documents.

Although The Trio's men could have handled the task, Rhythm was determined to bring the wrongdoers to justice. The more she learned about Sven and his men's actions towards Alice and other visually impaired children, the stronger became Rhythm's determination to get directly involved.

Meanwhile, Kai and Sia had ventured to another set of locations connected to Sven, to cover more ground. Each pair was on high alert, not leaving any trace behind.