Luke quickly covered Felicia''s mouth with his hand, pulling her behind a tree.


    to the distance, Tina''s agonizing screampletely drowned out Felicia''s sharp-


    cy


    Vespera and the others attention was focused in that direction, so no one noticed the two of them hiding behind the tree, nor did they see the figures by the cabin


    "Someone help!" Tina''s desperate cries echoed through the air.


    wasn''t until the knife came toward her that Tina finally realized what was happening.


    She tried to escape, but her wrist was tightly gripped. In her panic, she barely avoided a fatal blow, but the knife still sank into her shoulder.


    The searing pain made her scream in horror.


    Seeing that the first strike hadn''t been lethal, Jade pulled the knife back and stabbed again with even more fore


    "Mom! Denton!" Tina shouted in terror, her hand reaching out to try to block the knife,


    But before she could react, the life plunged deep into her palm.


    "Ah!" Her scream grew even more desperate, echoing across the orchard:


    Hearing Tina''s cry, ire burst into tears.


    Crying, she copsedto her knees and desperately begged vespera and the others with her eyes to save Tina. But none of them paid her any attention.


    It was only fair Tina might have been the apple of ire''s eye, but that didn''t mean everyone else''s children deserved to suffer or die for it


    "Jade, please... Please space me. I''ll give you money anything please. Tina pleaded, her voice broken


    The excruciating pain, coupled with the overwhelming fear of death, was something Tins had never imagined she would experien


    Seeing that the second strike hadn''t idled her, Jade felt her murderous cage reach its peak. "Trold you, I don''t want your money. I want your life. You must die, you have to die


    With a violent twist, she drove the knife deeper into Tina''s hand, spinning it with force. Blood poured out in torrents, sttering the dirt below.


    Tina was on the verge of passing out from the agony


    Jade yanked the knife out for the third time. This time, she grabbed Tina by the throat, lifting the de with deadly resolve.


    Tina struggled, pushing against Jade''s hand that was choking her. But Jade''s strength was overwhelming, as though some otherworldly force had taken control


    of


    her


    Tina thought, "Could this really be happening? Is this a ghost? is Quentin haunting me, demanding retribution?"


    "I''m sorry..please, don''t kill me...


    Tears streamed down her face, her voice trembled as she begged for her life. Tina looked utterly pitiful, desperate-just like Jade had once been.


    Jade stared at her, eyes void of anything but emptiness. The pan was gone, the sonwlong bumed out


    There was only one thing left to do-drag Tina down to hell with her and make her pay for what they had done


    She raised theile high above her head. One clean strike, and Tina would be gone. There was no time to dodge, no hope ont escape.


    "No" Tina shut her eyes, her mind naveling in pane and hopelessness.


    At the veryst second, a peach flew from the darkness and struckades wrist


    Thedle slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a thud.


    Startled, Jade quiddy bent down to pick it up


    "Please don''t kill me, please don''t—"


    Driven by survival instinct, Tina seized the opportunity. With all the strength she had left, she shoved Jade away and bolted forward as fast as she could. Jade matched the de of the dim and tore alterher


    Tina didn''t get far. Her foot slipped on the edge of the pond, and her body plunged straight into the water. In an instant, she was submerged.


    She swallowed a mouthful of water before her instincts dcled in, and she began to swin


    Behind her, jade dove in with no hesitation. Herhand shot forward, catching Tina''s ankle,


    "Let''s die together," she said coldly.


    Tina k?cked furiously, trying to break free from the grip of what felt like a vengeful spirit. But Jade''s hold was tight-deathly tight. She refused to let go. Tipu''snds weakened. Her body began to sink to the water.


    jade''s mind blurred. Her consciousness began slipping away, In that final hate, she thought she saw tuentin.


    He was smiling at her just like he used to, so young and bright


    howardly, she repeated, "I''m sorry. I''m sorry I''m wory_"


    She had whispered those words through countless sleepless nights. And now,


    she would finally be free


    A ssh shattered the quiet


    Chamel 200


    Alithe figure leapt into the pond, diving into the water to pull both Tina and Jade to


    the surface. With one in each hand, they were hauled to the shore. Calvert rescued Jade first