Maria knew she had to hurry. She was just a newcomer to the Reincarnation Squad and had never undergone any enhancement. Her physical abilities were considered poor even among ordinary people.
She hasn't had a proper rest for over ten days, or rather, she hasn't had a rest at all for over ten days. As an ordinary girl, she's on the verge of a breakdown.
On the way to the grocery store, it's no exaggeration to say that the scenery around me seemed to be spinning, making me feel dizzy and my ears ringing. The surrounding noise seemed to be far away.
Maria knew that she could fall asleep or faint at any moment, and if she fell into a coma, the only outcome would be death.
She didn't care at all whether Matt and the three veterans behind her were following.
If she was initially excited upon learning she was trapped in the cycle of reincarnation and hoped that a senior being could protect her, the harsh reality has now left her with no hope whatsoever.
At the street corner, in a moment of distraction, Maria got goosebumps.
Freddy stood in the shadows watching her.
I quickened my pace, only to see Freddy and his scissor hands next to a car.
She knew she was dying, that she was losing the ability to distinguish between reality and dreams, and that Freddy was also targeting her.
"Don't fall asleep! Don't fall asleep!"
Mary kept repeating this phrase to herself.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the pain jolted his mind awake, making the surrounding scenery clear again.
Reincarnation can indeed change a person, especially when one is in a life-or-death situation for a long time. In the past, Maria would never have believed that she would bite her tongue so hard.
The grocery store is just a short distance away; I just need to push a little harder and I'll get there!
Maria herself didn't know why she was so crazy about thinking that she could catch her breath at the grocery store.
"Maria~ my sweet child, sleep well~ you're tired, yes, sleep well~"
Freddy's whispers were like the wailing of a demon, accompanied by a persistent ringing in his ears.
One second it's a street, the next it briefly transforms into the most dangerous old factory in my dream, and they gradually seem to merge together.
The goosebumps on my body were not affected by the air bulges, my breathing became heavier and heavier, and all the noise around me seemed to be fading away.
'It's over. . . '
Maria knew she was probably asleep.
She could no longer hold on and collapsed to her knees on the ground in despair.
"Let's go to McDonald's. I'll treat you to ice cream. My sister gave me five yuan."
"Wow~ so many! Wait a minute, I'm going to the general store to buy my dad a lighter!"
Two little boys skipped and hopped past, the surrounding noise returned, and the chill on my body briefly disappeared.
Am I not dreaming?
Maria looked up as if she had survived a disaster, and found herself half-lying on the open ground in front of the general store.
The old shopkeeper was still sitting in the same corner reading the newspaper when the beautiful red-haired girl walked towards her with a concerned expression.
"Miss, do you need any help? You don't look well."
Maher came over to help Maria up.
With help, Maria stood up and took a deep breath.
"Thank you, I'm fine, I'm just lacking rest."
"Yes, it's important to get enough sleep, Miss. By the way, are you alone today? I remember there were quite a lot of people with you when you came here!"
Maria was startled by these words and turned around, but did not see her teammates following her.
“I do need help, sir. May I ask you something?”
The old man finally put down his newspaper and looked at Maria, who looked tired and haggard.
“Young lady, what do you want to ask? Come sit down and tell me, Mach. Make her a cup of coffee; she needs it.”
Maria dragged herself to an empty chair next to the old man, pressing her hands to her forehead to relieve the throbbing pain in her nerves.
Here, drink it!
Mach handed her a mug filled with steaming hot coffee, which warmed her up.
"Thanks!"
Maria took the coffee and took a small sip.
It had no added sugar or milk, and while it tasted slightly bitter, it was incredibly fragrant and invigorating.
"Shopkeeper, do you know that Freddy kills people in his sleep? In just over ten days, he has killed nearly twenty people."
He paused for a moment, thinking of the four teammates who hadn't caught up.
"There might be more than twenty people already!"
The old man was neither surprised nor impressed.
"Freddy? He's been dead for over a decade. I'm not very clear on what you're talking about, but several children have indeed died recently."
"How could you not know!"
Maria was so excited that she stood up from her chair.
They were convinced that the shop owner was no ordinary person, yet they didn't even know about this?
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I felt like I was about to collapse.
Mach, who was standing nearby, quickly helped her up.
"Sit down quickly, you need to rest. Would you like to come inside and take a nap? There are recliners and blankets inside."
"No!!! I can't sleep!"
Maria became excited again.
"Alright, alright, kid, relax, you need to relax!"
“I really don’t know about Freddy killing people in his dreams. You might need a therapist, but before that, if you don’t mind, I can tell you Freddy’s story.”
The old man's words were calm and carried a calming power, which gradually quieted Maria down.
"Freddy was actually an unfortunate child too!"
The old man closed his eyes, as if lost in memories.
"It all started fifty years ago, with Amanda Kruger, I still remember that name, that kind-hearted nun from childhood..."
As the old man narrated, Maria gradually became engrossed in the story, and she slowly covered her open mouth with her hand to hide the shock in her heart.
More than fifty years ago, there was a kind nun here named Amanda Kruger. She was beautiful, intelligent, and helpful. She was a devout believer and an angel of God on earth.
The shop owner was a young man at the time, and if nuns weren't forbidden from marrying mortals, he would definitely have been tempted to pursue Amanda.
However, God can be blind sometimes. One day, Amanda accidentally stumbled into a cell that held more than 100 murderers, mental patients, and psychopaths.
That was a dark period in history; in the 1940s, the legal system was not yet so convenient.
Sister Amanda's unfortunate entry into that cell led to a tragic end. She became pregnant after being abused for a long time, and was not spared even during her pregnancy.
Amanda Kruger was born after ten months of pregnancy.
Freddie was not unusual as a child, but as he grew older, the good and evil in his personality became increasingly contradictory, which manifested as occasional mental instability.
After the old shopkeeper recounted how Freddy was ultimately burned to death by the angry parents, he paused briefly before continuing.
"I believe that Freddy's soul possesses both righteous religious and evil aspects. His mental derangement is precisely the clash between good and evil within his soul. However, it is clear that he did not choose the good side. Once he embarked on his demonic path, his mental derangement never reappeared..."
"After Freddy was burned at the stake, I applied to the Vatican for priesthood, but it was not approved until I retired eight years ago and adopted Mach."
After hearing the story, Maria sat in her chair, lost in thought, pondering the place she had seen in her dream the night before.
The screams and wails lingered in my mind.
"Gurgle~"
The sound of spitting coffee came from the side. Maria turned her head and saw Matt and two other seniors. They must have arrived while she was engrossed in the story.
One of the veterans had his left arm hanging down to one side, apparently broken. As for the whereabouts of the other person, it was too late to guess.
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