The Recall Trials
Chapter 68: He Doesn’t Deserve to Wake Up

Chapter 68: He Doesn’t Deserve to Wake Up

Luca’s lip quivered.

"She’s gone," he said.

And just like that...Dinesh’s entire expression collapsed.

His whole body just froze, like his brain needed time to reboot.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, and then another...and then he collapsed, hands to his face, sobbing like the grief had punched the air out of him.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as he stood up, trembling.

"No! You’re joking," he whispered. "You must be lying."

But no one said anything.

No one could.

Then....he snapped.

"I didn’t get the chance," he whispered. "I was gonna tell her. I liked her... I liked her so much..."

He turned.

"NO!"

He didn’t hesitate.

Before I could blink, Dinesh bolted across the room, and threw himself onto Vincent’s unconscious body, and like instinct his hands flew to his throat.

"DINESH, NO!" I shouted....but it was too late.

And then he squeezed.

"You killed her!" he screamed. "YOU KILLED ALL OF THEM!"

Vincent didn’t move.

Didn’t twitch.

Didn’t even flinch.

He just lay there....silent, drenched in blood and bruises, the silver mask knocked loose beside him.

But Dinesh didn’t care.

"YOU MONSTER!" he howled.

His knuckles were white, veins bulging from his arms as he pressed harder.

Spit flew from his mouth as the rage consumed him.

"I trusted you!" he cried. "I thought you were one of us. YOU SICK, TWISTED FREAK!"

I rushed forward, heart racing, fear clawing at my chest.

"I’ll kill you, you sick bastard! I’LL KILL YOU!"

"Dinesh, stop!" I yelled, grabbing his arms, trying to pry his fingers loose. "He’s not even awake! You’re going to kill him!"

"HE DOESN’T DESERVE TO WAKE UP!" he roared.

Vincent was motionless.

And somewhere deep inside me. I hated myself.

Because a part of me... wasn’t sure I wanted Dinesh to stop either.

A part of me...an ugly, broken part, wanted to let him finish it.

To let the boy who once made me feel safe take his final breath.

And if Dinesh ended him right here...maybe it would mean justice.

Or at least... something close.

Because Vincent killed her.

Asha’s face flashed in my mind.

Her lifeless body in my arms.

My best friend. My anchor.

Gone.

Because of him.

Because of the boy I once believed in.

I gritted my teeth and whispered, "Please...let him wake up. Let him say something. Let him show us there’s still something human left in him ..."

Dinesh snapped his head toward me,. "Explain?" he spat. "Are you fucking serious? Are you out of your mind?"

I flinched.

"Why the hell are you defending him?" he spat. "Are you trying to protect him because he’s your boyfriend or something?!"

My heart clenched. The words stung more than they should have.

"He’s not my boyfriend," I said, my voice kept trembling. "That’s not why...I just..."

I couldn’t finish.

Because what could I say?

That part of me still saw the boy who once made me feel seen?

That I couldn’t reconcile the killer with the boy who held my hand in the dark?

"Shut the HELL up!" he yelled.

And then.....it happened.

His fist swung.

Not toward Vincent.

But toward me.

The blow hit my jaw with a crack. I stumbled backward, tasting blood.

A gasp echoed across the room. No one moved.

And for the first time....I saw it.

This game had destroyed more than bodies.

It had shattered minds.

It had turned survivors into animals.

I wiped the blood from my mouth, steadying myself. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream.

I just looked at him....at Dinesh and whispered.

"You’re not the only one who lost her."

He froze.

My voice shook, but I kept going.

"She was my best friend. My family. And he took her from me, too. But if we lose ourselves now... if we let them turn us into this....then we’re no better than them."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Vincent remained unconscious on the floor.

Dinesh slowly unclenched his fists, his shoulders shaking.

And me?

I felt nothing.

Just...empty.

Because something inside me had died with Asha.

And the only thing keeping me going now...

Was vengeance.

And the promise that this hell?

This fucking hell would burn.

Even if I had to light the match myself.

The room had erupted into chaos.

The shouting...the pain, the violence in the air must’ve been loud enough to wake the dead.

It was loud enough to wake jojo from behind me.

She pushed herself upright with a wince, saw what was happening, and limped over. Blood still seeped through her bandages, but she didn’t care.

Without a second thought, she grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back from Vincent’s unconscious body and away from me.

"Are you out of your mind?! Control yourself!"

He stumbled, caught off guard by her strength and her words.

But Jojo wasn’t finished.

"No one in this damn room gets to yell at Zaara for his sins," she said, stepping protectively in front of me. "His sins are not hers to carry. Don’t even try it."

For a second, I just stood there... stunned.

My jaw still ached. My hands were still trembling.

But Jojo stood for me.

And in that moment, even with blood crusted on my lip and my heart shattered inside my chest, I was grateful.

Before anyone could respond, the heavy door creaked open.

Theo and Nomi walked in.

Theo’s gaze swept across the blood-soaked room, the broken furniture, the stained floor... and the chaos brewing in everyone’s eyes.

"The hell happened last night?" he asked, strutting in like he already knew the answer. "Looks like a damn war zone."

Then....

The second Dinesh saw him, he exploded again.

"Fuck it. Theo was right. We should’ve listened to him from the start!"

The whole room turned.

"We should’ve listened to you from the beginning Theo," he growled. "You were right about everything. Vincent is a fucking monster...and I swear to God, I’m going to kill him."

Theo froze. His mouth parted

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.