NTR Rogue in the Apocalypse-Chapter 209: A Haunting Past 2

John knew the man as an associate of Charles, his mentor. He would arrive during his training with Charles and stay to talk or even have dinner. John knew him as Clifford, but that was all he knew, other than being Charles’ associate.

He saw Clifford approach little Julia with a smile. "Hi there, sweetie. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

Julia’s eyes widened in surprise and fear, and she quickly tried to stand up. But before she could escape, Clifford grabbed her arm and forced her back onto the swing.

"I asked you a question, girl. You’d best answer me," he demanded.

Julia’s small voice trembled as she spoke, "I was just... playing."

Clifford’s hand tightened around her arm. "Playing on your own? Aren’t you afraid of the shadows?"

John felt a shiver course through his body as he witnessed the unfolding scene. Every fibre of his being wanted to intervene and rescue Julia, but an unknown force kept him rooted in place.

"You should be more careful, girl," Clifford whispered, his voice like a cold breeze. "You don’t want anything to happen to you, do you?"

Julia’s eyes filled with tears, and John felt a knot tighten in his chest. He wanted to do something, anything to protect her. But the more he tried to intervene, the more he felt himself pulled away from reality, as if he were a mere observer in a nightmarish tableau.

Just as Clifford was about to do something, a flash of light burst forth and the scene dissolved into nothingness. The sound of gentle laughter and the scent of lavender filled the air, and John found himself in an unfamiliar place.

"A beautiful evening, isn’t it?" the woman’s voice sounded cheerful and familiar.

"Oh, you’re right, momma," Julia responded.

John glanced around the venue and saw Julia and her mom, her mom’s arm wrapped around her shoulder and Julia leaning on her arm.

She was a typical girl next door, smart, pretty and nice. She was a rising star, destined to succeed, or that’s what John figured based on how her mother treated her. What he didn’t understand was how Clifford fit into it and what was his relationship with Julia.

A few seconds later, Julia’s mother engaged in conversation with other women and Julia was left by herself. She sat alone, deathly still, and it was as if her heart was not beating. John decided to walk closer to her when something caught his ear.

"No, I can’t do that," young Julia muttered, but there was no one there.

John’s brows furrowed and he leaned forward to catch what she was saying, but his actions were futile. It seemed Julia was having a private conversation with herself.

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"I can’t do that. I won’t do that. Never. I have no other option, unless... I... I’ll think of something."

She kept on muttering something to herself until she stood up and walked towards the forest, away from the gathering. John decided to follow her.

After a few minutes, they reached a clearing by the edge of the forest and Julia stopped.

"NO! No! I won’t do it!" Julia screamed as she cried out, tears flowing down her face.

"I won’t let him. I won’t let him do this to me," she choked.

John watched as Julia collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and he felt his heart break into a thousand pieces.

If only he could comfort her and tell her everything would be alright. He tried to approach her, but as he did, the scene changed once more, and the world around him transformed again.

The sky was dark and foreboding, and the wind whipped through the trees violently, causing them to bend and creak under its intensity.

Julia’s feet pounded against the pavement as she navigated through the busy city streets, dodging crowds of people and cars. She finally reached her destination - a small apartment building with a red door. As she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, the sound of rain beating against the roof drowned out all other noise.

She hung her soaking wet coat on the coat rack and sat down on a nearby chair. Her breathing was heavy and laboured, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

"Are you happy now? I did it, I left my family behind." Julia muttered.

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Her tears were like a flood, an unstoppable force that brought her to her knees and engulfed her entire existence. The sound of her sobs echoed in the stillness of the apartment, a haunting melody that echoed the pain and heartache she felt at that moment.

’What is going on?’ John wondered. He had thought that Julia simply had an imaginary friend before, but in the scene unfolding before his eyes, Julia was already a grown woman, at least 20 years old.

Why was she talking to herself again?

"Julia, did you do what I told you to do? If you didn’t, then I’ll have to do something really scary."

A female voice spoke to Julia and John’s blood chilled.

"I DID! I DID EVERYTHING YOU ASKED OF ME!" Julia shouted.

The female voice began to speak again, but John was unable to discern her words clearly. He could only make out a few fragments, like a puzzle missing pieces.

"Good, now come here, let me reward you."

"Wait, are you going to do it again?"

"Oh, yes. I’m afraid that’s necessary. This will hurt a bit, but after the initial shock, you’ll feel nothing."

John could barely hear the voices and he could not see the other speaker, but the more he strained, the fainter the voices became.

John struggled but it was all in vain and his surroundings changed once more.

"John?" Julia’s voice echoed through the living room.

"Are you awake?" she called out but received no reply.

"John, wake up," Julia shook his shoulder as she called out for him.

John awoke with a start, his breath quick and his heart pounding.

Julia was looking at him with concern etched on her face.

"You were mumbling something, were you sleepwalking?"