Alexander was on his guard. Through the glass window of the room, framed by old wooden frames, the courtyard of an ordinary nine-story building in Saratov presented a palette of gray and brown shades. But two cars parked not far from the entrance clearly stood out from this picture.

The police car with its bright blue stripes on the sides and flashing lights on the roof were alarming. But even more alarming was the Mercedes. Its black shine and tinted windows indicated that the owner of this car did not want to reveal his identity. But Alexander could guess whose people were there.

He also noticed a man in a black leather jacket leaning on the hood of a Mercedes. He was smoking a cigarette, looking up. At this moment, Alexander pulled away from her, feeling anxious. His eyes darted around, his breathing quickened. It seemed to him that everything was against him. It was as if a string, stretched from tension, sounded in his head, and at that moment it snapped, carrying with it a wave of deadly calm.

The guy straightened up and took a deep breath. He didn’t understand where it came from in him, but a cold calculation came into the world of maximum tension. The panic subsided, and my head became empty of unnecessary worries. As if switching to combat mode, the young man looked around the apartment. He could still smell the corpse odor from his own body and from the place where he was killed.

Alexander quickly cleared the stinking slurry from the living room, collecting all traces of the previous struggle, including ruined clothes in a garbage bag. He dealt with this issue, all that was left was to take care of himself. The next step was a shower, which he took, as if trying to wash away all the troubles and pollution from himself. The hot water gave him a new boost of energy and he felt alert and more focused.

After the shower, Alexander looked through the closets and found clean clothes that were quite suitable for use. He couldn’t afford to choose, and it didn’t matter to him, so he quickly got dressed, and some of his clothes were neatly folded and put in a backpack, which was also found in the closet. The pistol also found its place in the backpack, because it was the only weapon that could be very useful in the near future. However, he left the black-handled knife that he had treasured so much after his adventures in the Edge in the pocket of his sweatpants. This knife was like a symbol of his strength and determination, and Alexander felt closeness with this particular weapon.

Alexander stepped into the kitchen, and his stomach immediately reminded of its existence with a loud growl. After his labors and experience of resurrection, he was terribly hungry. Hoping to find something to eat, he opened the refrigerator door and sighed in disappointment. A depressing emptiness awaited him inside.

Of course, there were several products that remained in the refrigerator from his previous visit, which he no longer remembered, but it was difficult to call them edible. There was a half-opened bag of milk, already spoiled and unfit for consumption, judging by the smell. Slightly dried pieces of bread and a jar with the remains of inedible soup. While he was looking at these leftovers, realizing that it was impossible to get enough of them, he thought about how to solve his food problem.

The thought of neighbors came to his mind. They were the only ones who could help him in this situation. He knew he could ask them for help, but he was also careful and didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. Therefore, the refreshed appearance should have helped him with this. Perhaps they even knew him and could tell him something interesting.

Alexander felt wary and uneasy as he approached the front door. His hand with the knife was ready for any turn of events. Turning the handle slowly so as not to make a sound, he unlocked the door. The young man listened to the surrounding sounds and carefully examined the landing. Everything seemed quiet and calm.

He walked out onto the flight of stairs, looking around. Selecting the nearest wooden door, Alexander knocked on it. When the door opened, he saw a man in home clothes who looked wary. Alexander smiled the most disarming smile he could muster, said hello, and asked if he had any extra food he could borrow. But the man at the door refused him, citing the fact that he had no extra food, and closed the door.

Alexander felt disappointed, but he was not going to stop there. He needed to continue to look for help to satisfy his hunger and, preferably, to collect provisions for the journey.

He knocked on the next door, hoping that someone inside would be willing to help. After several knocks, the door opened carefully and the woman looked outside. Alexander politely asked her for help, since he found himself in a difficult situation that he could not properly communicate.

The woman, looking at him with dissatisfaction, refused, saying that they had enough problems of their own, and closed the door in Alexander’s face. He felt disappointment and helplessness overcome him. He had to continue looking for help elsewhere. So he was refused again, after which he decided to skip this step of the plan. After eating, he wanted to check the escape route from the apartment building.

Alexander carefully walked up the stairs, step by step approaching the top floor of his house. A gloomy atmosphere reigned in the dark stairwell, and the bright window at the top of the stairwell only emphasized the frightening silence. The cold air clung damply to the walls, as if it were breathing in a cloudy corner of a forgotten place.

Going out to the top floor, Alexander discovered an exit to the roof, which was a cage made of metal rods, which was locked with a padlock. The guy examined the barrier, figured out how he could break the lock, but there was nothing accessible on the site.

- It seems I saw some tools in the box...

Alexander went down the stairs, carefully making his way to the floor itself. He was alert and ready to run or hide at any moment to avoid unnecessary problems. When he was already on one of the middle floors, the door of one of the apartments slowly opened, and a girl emerged from it. She was thin, with a pale face and bright blue eyes. Although she looked slightly frightened, she had a look as if she had seen salvation.

- Sasha, are you okay? - asked the girl with lively eyes. “You’ve been gone for a long time, all sorts of guys come to see you all the time, just have time to call the police so that they don’t break down your door.” I was worried about you.

Alexander thought about it, since he didn’t remember anything about his past, but the girl clearly knew him and it could be used. He replied:

- Hello. Yes, I’ve been gone for a long time, I got into an accident and lost my memory. Right now I’m looking at you and I can’t remember your name. It seems to be on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t catch it.

- Oh, horror... Julia. You and I have known each other since childhood. You were the only one who defended me when others called me names and offended me. - the girl lowered her eyes, a strand of hair fell on her face.

- Yes, it looks like we were close. Listen, can you help me? There were all sorts of people breaking in on me in the morning, but then they left. I see them through the window, they are watching the entrance and I can’t get out. And yet I simply don’t have food. How to avoid dying of hunger. Yes, and I want to leave for a while, I need food for the trip, otherwise you never know where things will take me. Here. - Alexander rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a couple of five thousand bills. “I don’t know if this is enough, but can you get something?”

- OK, no problem. It's a pity that you're leaving, we haven't walked together for so long...

The girl came out into the light of the landing, after which Alexander realized that both her legs were atrophied and she was walking on crutches. This was a shocking discovery and confusion overwhelmed him. He started to wave it off:

- No, no, you don’t have to, I don’t even remember my past, you don’t know the current me. Yes, it will be hard for you to drag... Forgive me for not noticing it right away.

Julia, smiling, reassured him:

- Calm down, Sasha. Everything is fine. I've been like this since childhood. And all the things I had to do on crutches, it’s even funny to remember. And besides, doctors advise me to walk more, and I really need it. So I’ll go get changed and quickly run out and buy everything you love before.

Alexander remained standing on the threshold, watching Yulia go deeper into the apartment. Somewhat ashamed of his lack of observation, he sighed and returned to his apartment on the floor below. The feeling of inconvenience weighed on him, but the matter did not require delay, he began to look through the tools that he had managed to find earlier. They included an old knife, several screwdrivers of various sizes, pliers, duct tape, rope, and a small iron bar with a jagged edge. After a brief reflection, he decided to choose an iron bar, since it seemed to him the most suitable for opening the lock.

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Taking the tool, Alexander carefully opened the door and went out into the stairwell. There he saw Yulia slowly descending the stairs on her crutches. She was wearing a light summer dress and smiled warmly when she noticed Alexander.

The young man looked after Yulia, inspired by her determination and strength. He then headed to the top floor of his multi-story building. In his hand he held an iron bar. He made an effort to insert the bar into the slot of the lock and began to slowly and carefully move it up and down, applying the necessary pressure.

The castle turned out to be stubborn, but Alexander was not going to give up. He continued to move the bar until he felt the lock begin to give way. Then, with a final tug, the lock opened and the lattice door could be opened. The passage to the roof appeared before him.

Alexander climbed to the very top and looked around. The roof was covered with gravel, and there were ventilation pipes and antennas on it. In the distance was a cityscape with multi-story buildings and a skyline bathed in sunlight. The wind stirred the air a little, creating a pleasant feeling of freedom.

On the roof of his house, Alexander watched the courtyard and the cityscape, weighing his next steps. Three times he was killed, three times he was resurrected, and now he stood on the edge of the abyss, pondering his future.

Revenge seemed a tempting possibility to him. He felt inside himself a hot flame of rage and a desire to regain his lost life. Bandit Sumrak, Colonel Berezovsky and Major Markov were all responsible for his death. One shot him, the second set up an accident, the third strangled him. This is not forgiven. Revenge seemed sweet, but dangerous.

On the other hand, he could choose the route of escape. On the other side stood his new friend Roman, who could help him understand the situation and, perhaps, find answers to questions about his unusual abilities. This was a less dangerous option, but excluded revenge. He was torn by doubts.

Alexander understood that his decision would have serious consequences. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the wind, after which he looked at the horizon, weighing his possibilities and intentions.

Suddenly, Alexander realized that flight did not exclude revenge. His plan was to first take refuge with Roman, regain his strength and then attack his enemies in an ambush. The solution seemed simple and elegant.

With these thoughts in his head, he decided to continue his research work on the roof and, ultimately, discovered an unlocked exit to another entrance. True, I had to climb the panels to do this, but it was worth it. This could be useful when choosing an escape strategy.

Having checked everything and made sure of the possibilities of escape, Alexander returned to the apartment in anticipation of Yulia’s return. His bag was almost ready, except for food, he wanted to wait until evening to eliminate any possibility of failure. He was suddenly brought out of his calm state by a noise on the staircase. The muffled sounds caused a storm of anxiety in his chest. However, the worst thing was that soon after the noise, there was a gloomy silence, as if it foreshadowed trouble.

Alexander felt the danger in his gut and the wind blew in his ears, Cassandra’s whisper sounded “Danger”. A chill of worry ran down his spine and he prepared himself for the worst. After several long seconds of silence, there was a confused knock on the door, in the depths of his apartment. Alexander slowly walked to the door, not even thinking about making fun of him and opening it. Cassandra was never wrong, there was danger waiting for him there.

They knocked again, and then, mixed with the man’s threats and swearing, he heard a squeak of pain that left no doubt: it was Yulia. Alexander acted quickly, without really thinking. He turned the key sharply in the lock, ready to act.

Full of rage and fear, the guy kicked the door with all his might, hitting the man he had previously seen near a black car in the yard. He suddenly stumbled, and then fell down with a roar, while clutching at Yulia, who already had abrasions on her face. The young man managed to notice not only the damage, but also her frightened eyes when she flew after the bandit onto the hard steps.

Only a moment passed from the moment of contact with the door to the fall, and the roar was not strong from the impact and fall, but the result was terrible. Alexander descended quickly and by the time he reached the crash site, the man lay motionless. Alexander approached him, felt a vein in his neck, but did not find a pulse. Quickly turning over, he realized that the girl was choking on her own blood. Her weak body took the fall hard. The guy picked up Yulia in his arms, frightened by her lightness and weightlessness. She winced and coughed up blood, dripping onto Alexander’s face. He quickly ran into the apartment.

The girl, still frightened and in a state of shock, was breathing heavily, occasionally knocking bloody bubbles out of her mouth. Alexander was torn by a storm of emotions, mixed with anger and fear for Yulia. After placing her on the sofa in his apartment, he quickly returned to the stairwell to collect his scattered things, his backpack and crutches. After collecting them, he threw them into the apartment.

Then his gaze returned to the bandit's dead body. Alexander looked at him, mixed feelings reflected on his face. It was clear that he was angry and upset at the same time.

Alexander realized that he could not leave the man’s body on the staircase. It was too dangerous since he could resurrect at any moment, but even if he didn't, the dead bandit could attract attention if someone discovered him. He heavily lifted the man's body and with great difficulty carried him into his apartment. The entire journey to the apartment was incredibly difficult, and his muscles quickly tired. Finally, after carrying the body over the threshold, the guy laid the dead body down and closed all the locks on the door.

Alexander knew that he needed to take some measures to avoid future problems. He took the rope he found and began to quickly and tightly tie the bandit's body. Then he decisively took a kitchen hammer, turned the man onto his stomach and crushed his lower spine. It was a tough and terrible moment, but Alexander knew that it was necessary to eliminate any possibility of a bad outcome for himself..

After he had completed this grim task, Alexander returned to the room where Yulia was on the verge of consciousness. Pale and exhausted, she reached out to him with her hand, as if seeking comfort and support.

Alexander sat down on his knees next to Yulia and took her cold, trembling hand in his. She looked at him carefully, as if perceiving something. The trembling smile could not be marred by the blood flowing from her mouth.

- Now you will die, but this is not the end. There's still a chance. - he began, - You will find yourself in the Edge, the world between life and death. There you will see pyramids made of ash, and daggers stuck into their tops. Light smoke emanates from them, which indicates a portal leading to the real world. You must find this way back. When you return you will feel better...

As he spoke, an idea came to his mind.

“If I could heal myself by absorbing souls, then perhaps I can help her too.” Her atrophied legs can be healed in the same way. But I won’t have time to explain everything to her...

He felt there was no time for doubt now. Her life was in danger, and he was ready to take any steps to save his neighbor. Alexander saw Yulia's eyes roll back and her breathing became weaker. Realizing that there was very little time left, he decided to commit a horrific act. The stupidest idea that could work with a fifty percent probability.

Holding her hand tightly, he took out his knife and whispered to her that they would be together, that he would help. Then, with a determination that was mingled with desperation, he swung the knife sharply at his arm. Blood sprayed and he struck again. His consciousness began to melt, and the last thing he saw was Yulia’s shocked eyes, which were frozen in her last breath. The death of one may be the beginning of the salvation of another...