Lydia jolted as someone pulled and tugged on her. She fought, but alas, the spirit who had been following her for days succeeded in ripping her soul out of her body.
When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by blurry shades of white.
Swoosh
Woosh
A gust of wind brushed past her cheek as the cold seeped into her bones and she became aware of the dampness around her body.
She tried to move her hand but was overcomed by a sense of numbness instead.
When her eyes narrowed, a clump of snow fell from her lashes and her vision gradually cleared.
In front of her, tiny balls of snow were slamming on a snowfield, and a few inches away, the wind was roaring, swirling the fog in chaotic patterns.
"D…damn…" Lydia said as balls of mist rolled out of her quivering lips.
'Where the fuck am I now?'
…
Lydia raised her slender hands to cover the blinding rays of the sun.
The streetlight across was red, so she stood still and watched the cars pass by. However, when a speeding Lamborghini drew near, something pushed her from behind and pulled her into the road.
Screech
Bam…
When Lydia came to her senses, she was already face to face with the pavement.
A small pool of blood was around her hand and from a distance, a faint trembling voice was calling for an ambulance.
Her hand twitched as she tried to figure out who the familiar voice belonged to. However, before she could pinpoint who it was, a feminine hum drew near and a translucent white dress invaded her vision.
Thinking she was seeing things, Lydia closed her eyes but opened them again when chilly hands cupped her face.
She blinked weakly before staring at a translucent lady who looked somewhat like her.
"Oh, my, look at your face…" the lady said. Her voice was soft but cold. Her speech was eloquent and classy, "so pretty, so suitable for me."
Lydia's eyes narrowed as soon as she processed what the lady said.
Before she could respond, intense pain and throbbing emanated above her hips.
"Ugh"
Lydia bit her lower lip as the pain intensified.
When she could no longer handle it and she was about to scream, the translucent lady gripped her face and pulled her forward with such strong force, an electrocuting and paralyzing feeling washed over her body.
For a few seconds, she could not move. Despite that, she could tell the lady was pulling her bit by bit, and as she did, she felt like her skin was gradually being ripped off.
When the intense pain in her upper body subsided, a sense of lightness and liberation overcame her.
Then she noticed that her hands and torso had become translucent. However, her legs remained connected to her physical body.
Somewhat understanding what was happening, Lydia grabbed the translucent lady's wrist and pushed her hands away. However, the translucent lady did not budge. She tightened her grip on Lydia's face instead.
"Let go, you devil. No wonder I felt like I was being watched for the past few days." Lydia sank her nails into the lady's hand, but the lady only chuckled and drew all her strength before pulling Lydia's soul out of her body with one last tug.
Once she was out, the lady swung and smashed her on the pavement before hurrying to enter her body.
Seeing this, Lydia's eyes widened. Then she dived forward and grabbed the lady's ankle before pulling her on the ground with her.
"Damn you, I was right, you're not a grim reaper at all, but a thief."
Lydia climbed on top of her, but before she could pin her down, the lady quickly shifted their position and strangled her before pinning her down with her knees.
"I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine," the lady said while gripping her tighter. A spark of fury flashed in her eyes before it fizzled into puddles of emotion and vanished.
Lydia searched the lady's eyes. For a moment, two figures were reflected in her orbs. Then they were gone.
For some reason, their fuzzy image triggered a pang of sadness in her. However, it was quickly overtaken by suffocation.
"Ugh," Lydia grunted. Her body twitched as she tried to loosen the lady's fingers around her neck.
When it did not work, she gathered all her strength and punched the lady in the head instead. "You're delusional."
Lydia tried to launch another punch while the lady's grip on her neck was loose. However, this time, the lady caught her hand and twisted it.
"My, how pathetic of you. Your soul is weak, I see," the translucent lady said while looking down at her.
"You'll die there pretty fast, poor you." She freed Lydia's neck and patted her head slowly.
"Poor you," she repeated with a sneer while cupping Lydia's face.
Irritated, Lydia swiftly tilted her head to the side and bit the lady's hand. Then she reached out and tugged on both sides of the lady's hair before using her knee to hit her back.
Since the lady hadn't lost her balance yet, Lydia head-butted her before wriggling out of her grasp with a buzzing head.
Before her mind and vision could clear up, the translucent lady stood and hit the back of her neck.
Despite her efforts to keep standing, Lydia fell to the ground. She tried to stand up again, but her body did not listen.
As her consciousness started to fade, the translucent lady rushed to her physical body. However, instead of occupying it immediately as she expected, the lady circled the owner of the Lamborghini who was looking at her physical body with a mix of intense emotions.
'So it was him, Ivan. No wonder the voice was familiar,' Lydia thought as her vision blurred.
Despite that, she was still able to make out the shapes, enabling her to know that the translucent lady hugged Ivan and kissed him on the cheek before positioning herself on her physical body.
Seemingly aware that someone was watching, the translucent lady looked in Lydia's direction.
"Don't worry, you can have my husband instead."
Those were the last words that registered in Lydia's mind before she lost consciousness.