Free Second Chance by Shaun Dowdall

sobbing freely. “She is a good person, a kind person.”
    “There are many who believe it is her time, that to allow her to live will save too many lives,” the man explained. “This girl is destined for great things. She will save hundreds of thousands of lives one day if she is allowed to live, and that is why so many have fought to end her life.”
    James looked up at the man, confused. He didn’t understand.
    “You risked not only your life for this woman, but your soul. If you had died here tonight, then you would have been lost forever, taken by the shadow. We are here to give you a second chance, a chance to save her once and for all.”
    “How? I’ll do anything!” James said, hope burning within him.
    The man nodded slowly, looking to those around him. He looked back to James, placing a warm hand on the man’s chest.
    “In exchange for your second chance, you must protect this girl, love her, and cherish her through the storms that are coming,” the man explained. “This will not be easy, and you will face challenges unlike any you can imagine. Do you accept this price?”
    James nodded, not even needing to consider the consequences. “I do.”
    “Very well,” the man replied. “I hope that our faith in you is not misplaced.”
    Without another word, the man slammed his open palm hard against James’ chest, causing an eruption of warmth to spread through the young man’s body. He fell backwards, clutching at his chest as his heart began to beat, a surge of adrenaline running through him.  
    The group vanished, leaving him alone with Hannah. He looked at the girl, reaching out, his hands no longer passing through her. The warmth of her body was fading. He was running out of time.  

Chapter Nineteen

    ~Hannah~

    She opened her eyes to the blinding light, her stomach aching as she regained consciousness. Once again, she lay on a hospital bed, having recovered from her second near-death experience.
    As she lay there, she fought to remember what happened. She remembered her argument with James, how she had pushed him into opening up, and how he had stormed off. She remembered going out to find him but instead, she had found terror.
    The blade had cut into her, threatening to steal her life away, but worst of all, James had fought to help her, risking his soul. At that moment, panic set in, fear that James hadn’t made it.
    She tried to sit up, but her body was weak, her energy lost. Looking to her side, she saw him sat beside her, slumped in the armchair by her bedside.
    “James?” she whispered, trying to get his attention.
    Slowly, James opened his eyes, smiling as he saw her. The look on his face melted away all of her fears, filling her with happiness.
    “Hey you,” he whispered. “You had me worried for a while back there.”
    Hannah could feel the tears welling up. She thought she might have lost him, that she would never get to see him again, but there he was, safe and sound.  
    “You’re beginning to make quite a habit of this, Miss Belkin,” a man’s voice said from the other side of the room.
    Hannah turned slowly to face the doctor who stood in the entrance to her room. The same man who had seen to her after James had saved her stood in the doorway, smiling at her.  
    “I know,” she replied weakly, smiling back. “I guess I need to thank my guardian angel.”
    The doctor smiled, nodding towards James. “If he hadn’t found you when he did, then it would have been too late. James saved your life.”
    Hannah’s eyes went wide with shock as she looked from the doctor to James, who was grinning like a child at Christmas.
    “By the way, James. Have we met before? You look familiar.”
    “I don’t think so,” James replied, shaking his head. “I must just have one of those faces.”
    Hannah watched as the doctor disappeared into the hall, leaving the pair alone. “What?” Hannah whispered, waiting to make sure her doctor was gone before she continued. “How?”
    James