Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
With a single blink, I found myself standing in the middle of a forest. Towering trees loomed overhead, their canopies casting shadows across the ground. My eyes swept over the vast wilderness, searching for any sign of life. Was Sam here somewhere? The thought echoed in my mind as I took a cautious step forward, my senses on high alert.
I had no sense of direction, no indication of where to go, so I chose the only option I had—I moved forward. Each step sent leaves and brittle branches cracking beneath my feet as I pushed through the forest. My eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Sam. I had expected his mind to be in ruins, fractured under the unbearable weight of Hell now unleashed upon him. I thought I'd find devastation, a shattered mind barely holding itself together. But instead, I was met with silence.
"Sam!" I called out, my voice echoing through the forest. The silence that followed was deafening and unsettling. I took a few more steps, cupping my hands around my mouth as I shouted again, louder this time. "Sam! Can you hear me?"
I strained my ears, hoping—praying—for any kind of response. But all I was met with was the rustling of leaves in the unseen wind and the steady thud of my own heartbeat.
"Abigael?" His voice rang out from behind me, making me whirl around so fast my heart nearly leapt from my chest. There he was—Sam—standing just a few feet away, his tall frame looming.
"Sam," I breathed his name, relief flooding through me as a small, fleeting smile tugged at my lips. Instinctively, I took a step forward, then another, eager to close the distance between us. But halfway there, something in me screamed to stop.
The air around him felt... wrong. Off. A chill ran down my spine as unease settled deep in my bones. Something wasn't right. It was as if he knew I had figured it out—like he was waiting for me to piece it together. That realization made the corner of his lips curl into a smirk, one that sent a cold shiver through me.
I knew that smirk.
It was the same one Soulless Sam used to give me. And in that moment, everything clicked into place.
"You're soulless," I stated, my voice firm as I took a cautious step back.
"Bingo." He didn't bother denying it. Instead, his smirk deepened, a twisted sense of amusement flickering in his eyes. Then, with an almost casual motion, he reached behind his back, slipping a hand to the waistband of his jeans— and pulled out a gun.
"When Cas tore the wall down, Sam shattered into pieces." He lifted the gun, tapping it against his own chest. "Piece." Then, without hesitation, he turned and gestured toward the vast woods, as if he could sense the presence of something—or someone—else lurking within. "Piece."
"So, Humpty Dumpty needs to put himself back together?" I quipped, a smug edge to my tone. Soulless Sam let out a low chuckle, amused by my remark, but his expression remained unreadable. Without hesitation, he raised the gun, levelling it directly at me.
