Twice Burned: An American Resurrection Thriller / Chapter 2: The Second Chance Spiral
Twice Burned: An American Resurrection Thriller

Twice Burned: An American Resurrection Thriller

Author: Anna Miller

Chapter 2: The Second Chance Spiral

← Prev
Next →

"Help! Help... glug glug..."

A faint cry for help floated from the riverbank, barely rising above the wind and the thump of Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” from a portable speaker. My chest tightened, déjà vu scraping at my nerves—every detail matched, from the scent of fresh-cut grass to the ice-edged air. I froze, heart pounding, fighting the urge to bolt.

Instinct forced me to look back. The sun flashed off the river’s surface, and for a heartbeat, I saw my own pale, haunted reflection.

It was Easter weekend—the air was warmer, but I still shivered from the cold. A kid shrieked nearby, someone’s grandchild maybe, while I stood rooted to the spot, my security jacket feeling thin as tissue.

Everything was the same: wide lawn, worn path, battered benches, Mrs. Rodriguez leading her crew through another shuffle. My mind raced—was I dreaming, or did fate just hand me a second chance?

"Help, help me..." The voice from the river wavered. My jaw clenched. This time, I wasn’t going to play the hero.

I’m nothing special. Dropped out of high school before graduation, never liked rules or easy answers. Mom always said I was stubborn. Dad left before I could prove him wrong. No fancy degrees—just a GED in a cracked frame. I took a job as a park security guard. It’s not glamorous, but the hours are steady. I walk the paths, shoo teens, call animal control, pick up litter. I know every stray cat in the park.

Delivery gigs—DoorDash, Uber Eats—filled in the gaps. The hours were long, the tips hit or miss, but I kept the lights on and the pantry stocked with ramen and black coffee. Most nights, I ate microwaved mac and cheese on my battered couch, reruns playing in the background, or listened to late-night talk radio after deliveries. Loneliness just came with the territory.

Every month, I took out fifty or sixty bucks to support kids in foster care. It was my ritual. Log in, send a payment, close the laptop—no fanfare, just a hope that maybe I was doing some good. Growing up in foster homes, eating cold soup and wearing hand-me-down sneakers that never fit, I knew how it felt to be forgotten. I never smoked, preferring to put that money toward something that mattered.

With Easter coming, coworkers disappeared for family gatherings. Some bragged about spiral ham and sweet potato pie. I volunteered for the overnight shift—better to keep busy, earn extra cash for the foster kids, and avoid an empty apartment.

But I never expected a simple decision would end up costing me my life. Last time, I heard the cries, rushed over, and found a girl in the river. I jumped in without thinking, training kicking in—keep her head above water, get her to shore. After I saved her, she begged me to save her dog. I dove back in, risking hypothermia, but came up empty. Helpless, I crawled back and told her I’d done my best.

My hands shook as I tried to wrap her in a blanket, offering to call paramedics or animal control. The air stung, and I craved a thermos of cocoa. But she lost it, cursing me, calling me a dog killer. I spread my arms, soaked to the skin. “You think I wanted to freeze to death for nothing?”

She shoved me, tears turning mean. “You didn’t even care! You could’ve saved him if you wanted!” I bit back a retort, thinking of all the stories about good samaritans getting burned. I started to walk away, but she ran to the roadside, screaming for help.

"Help! He assaulted me!" she cried, twisting the truth, her voice rising. The crowd’s mood shifted instantly. “You creep! When you saved me, you were feeling me up, but when it came to my dog, suddenly you couldn’t do anything!”

Her grief curdled into hatred: “That was my only friend! If you don’t save it, you should pay with your life!”

Thank God the crowd saw through her. “You think he could’ve pulled you out by telepathy?” someone snorted. A paramedic checked my pulse, warning, “You’re lucky to be alive. Next time, call 911 first.”

But the girl doubled down, insisting I’d groped her, even reaching under her shirt. The crowd muttered, unimpressed. “She’s out of her mind,” a teen whispered. My hands were blue with cold—I couldn’t have undone a shoelace, let alone something worse.

She lunged at me, clawing my face, sobbing that I’d killed her only friend. Blood welled up. The bystanders called the cops, who took us both to the station. Inside, she spun her story for the officers. I stammered my defense, feeling the floor drop out from under me. With no surveillance, the police told us to go home and wait for updates.

But she wasn’t done. She posted a five-thousand-word rant online, painting herself as the ultimate victim. I tried to defend myself, but it only made things worse. She called me a loser, a twisted old bachelor. #BelieveWomen trended, and my inbox flooded with threats. The park put me on leave.

A burner account messaged: “$30k or this gets much worse.” I deleted it. Soon after, my address was posted online. Someone spray-painted “Creep” on my door. I posted screenshots of my donations, hoping to prove my character. A few people believed me, but not enough.

Then she found my apartment, poured gasoline, and set it on fire. I woke to the hiss of flames, clawed at the windows, caught a glimpse of her through the smoke, and then—nothing. The pain of burning alive never left me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the park, the river glittering under the morning sun. I forced cheer into my step and joined the line-dancers. “Ladies, crank up the music! Let’s get hyped!”

Mrs. Rodriguez and the crew grinned, blasting the music, their laughter rising above the river’s call. I joined in, stumbling through the steps, trying to forget why my heart was racing. The music drowned out everything—including the girl’s cries for help.

← Prev
Next →

You may also like

Burned Alive, Sent Back Home
Burned Alive, Sent Back Home
4.9
Death should have been the end—so why did I wake up right before my aunt poured boiling oil over my head? When Eli tries to save his entitled cousin from a shady warehouse job, he’s blamed, betrayed, and killed by the family he tried to protect. But fate grants him a cruel gift: a second chance to survive the same toxic kitchen, the same manipulations, and the same doomed choices. This time, every word and action could spark another explosion—or finally break the chains of blame. Can Eli rewrite his family’s fate, or will he burn all over again? When the truth goes live, who will survive the fallout?
Burned Once, Betrayed Twice
Burned Once, Betrayed Twice
4.8
Betrayal tastes bitter, but regret burns even deeper. I died choking on rat poison, flames licking at my skin, all because my family tried to save the wrong people. Margaret Davis, our housekeeper, and her daughter Emily—who I once called my sister—destroyed us out of jealousy and rage. My acceptance to Columbia became the spark that turned kindness into a weapon, and our home into an inferno. But fate gave me a second chance. I wake up on the day Emily moves in, armed with every memory of how they twisted my family's love and generosity into a nightmare. Now I see the hunger in Emily's eyes, the cold calculation behind Margaret's smiles, and the cracks in my parents' trust. Each choice I make ripples through the future—every warning, every confrontation, every moment I refuse to play the victim. Can I rewrite our story and stop history from repeating itself? Or will the seeds of betrayal bloom again, no matter what I do?
Burned Alive, Reborn for Revenge
Burned Alive, Reborn for Revenge
4.9
Betrayed, burned alive, and blamed for a tragedy he tried to prevent—my own brother and his wife destroyed me to steal my savings, twisting my sacrifice into a lifelong curse. But death wasn’t the end. When I wake up on the day of the accident, I know what’s coming: the fire, the accusations, the heartbreak. This time, I refuse to be their scapegoat. As fate circles back, can I rewrite the story and save myself—or will the ones I love set me ablaze again? When blood runs colder than fire, is revenge the only way out?
Twice Broken, Twice Reborn
Twice Broken, Twice Reborn
4.9
Death gave me a second chance—but the people I loved had changed into strangers. After dying of cancer, I woke up in my teenage body, desperate to find the husband who once swore he couldn’t live without me. But high school is a battlefield: I’m hunted by queen bees, abandoned by the boy I loved, and haunted by rumors that threaten to erase me. Every scar, every betrayal, every night spent fighting for survival leaves me wondering if I’m the villain in my own story. Only Jamie, a quiet outcast with bruises of his own, seems to truly see me, and with him I glimpse hope—a future that might finally belong to me, if I’m brave enough to seize it. But when old memories return and hidden truths about my past lives surface, I realize someone paid the ultimate price for my survival. Can I break free from the cycle of pain—or am I doomed to lose everything all over again? If you had two lives to make it right, who would you save—and who would you finally let go?
Twice Betrayed, Never Again
Twice Betrayed, Never Again
4.9
Betrayal wears a familiar face when your own family would rather trade your life for a shot at luxury. The first time around, I tried to save my sister from a sleazy fiancé with a secret—only to be blamed, beaten, and betrayed by the two people I called family. But fate gave me a second chance: I wake up in my own past, watching my mother and sister chase after money, blind to the danger at our door. Now, every meal is a test, every insult a reminder—I’m just the cash machine, never the son. My mother will break anything sacred for a payday, and my sister's ambition leaves no room for brotherly love. But this time, I’m not giving in. With my memories as armor and nothing left to lose, I’ll play their game—only I’m changing the rules. Can I rewrite my fate before their greed destroys us all… or will my own blood betray me twice?
Stolen Twice: My Family’s Last Chance
Stolen Twice: My Family’s Last Chance
4.9
Some families shatter in an instant—others claw their way back from the edge. When I was kidnapped and sold, my family was destroyed: my mother broken by grief, my father buried by guilt, my sister lost to regret. Ten years in darkness taught me how loss eats you alive—but after death, I wake up in the past, a child again, heart pounding with one last shot to save us all. I’ll outwit the traffickers, escape the monsters, and claw my way home—no matter what it costs. But every moment I change ripples outward, and every choice could break my family all over again. Can I rewrite fate, or am I doomed to lose everything—twice?
Betrayed, Burned, and Back for Blood
Betrayed, Burned, and Back for Blood
4.9
Betrayed by my wife and fed to monsters, I died screaming on Memorial Day—only to wake up three hours before the end. Now, with the world on the brink of a supernatural apocalypse, I’m armed with knowledge, rage, and a mountain of ritual play money—the only currency that can buy time from the things hunting us. My cheating wife, her backstabbing family, and their smug ex are circling like vultures, scheming to offer me up to save themselves. But this time, I’m not the victim. I’ll use every loophole, every forbidden ritual, and every ounce of power my new afterlife stash can buy to rewrite the rules. The city outside is already screaming, shadows feasting, and the red moon rising. The only question left: who will I sacrifice first? As monsters close in and old betrayals come due, will I turn into the monster they always feared—or become the survivor this nightmare demands? When trust is dead and the only way out is through fire, how far would you go to make your second chance count?
Second Chance: I Refuse to Die for Them
Second Chance: I Refuse to Die for Them
4.7
Some betrayals burn hotter than fire—and some scars never heal. Simon Grant died once, betrayed by his family, forsaken by his fiancée, and sacrificed for a father who never loved him. When he wakes up on the day everything went wrong, he seizes his second chance—volunteering to take his father’s place in a deadly cartel ransom in Mexico. With nothing left to lose, he vows to sever every toxic tie and carve his own path, even as his family conspires to erase him and old wounds are ripped open anew. But when Simon falls into the hands of a ruthless syndicate, he discovers his high school friend Olivia Chen is now the enigmatic boss—and his only hope of survival. In a world of shifting alliances, betrayal, and blood debts, Simon must outwit the family that abandoned him and the underworld that wants him dead. Every choice could mean freedom—or damnation. As enemies close in and love turns lethal, can Simon finally break free, or is he doomed to lose everything again? What will Simon sacrifice for revenge, redemption, and a chance to love on his own terms?
Burned for Love, Betrayed for Blood
Burned for Love, Betrayed for Blood
4.8
They called me the Golden Girl of Oakridge—until the fire turned me into a scapegoat and an outcast. Stripped of my career, imprisoned, and betrayed by the two people I trusted most, I lost everything: my reputation, my pride, even the clothes off my back. Every humiliation was orchestrated by my wife Naomi and my own brother, their secret affair twisting the knife deeper as they paraded their victory in my stolen life. Now, I’m forced to crawl—literally—for scraps of dignity at their lavish brunches, the city’s scorn burning hotter than the flames that destroyed me. But when a cryptic letter slips under my door, a new kind of hope ignites. If I have nothing left to lose, how far will I go to reclaim my name—and make them pay?
I Died Once—Now I’ll Save Us Both
I Died Once—Now I’ll Save Us Both
4.9
Death wasn’t my ending—it was my reset button. Ten years after tragedy and betrayal, I woke up in my teenage body, the weight of heartbreak and regret pressing down like a second skin. My mother still sees me as a burden, my small town still suffocates dreams, and the boy I loved—Logan—doesn’t know I’m the reason he died. But this time, I won’t let anyone decide my fate. I’ll claw my way out of Maple Heights, expose every secret, and fight for the future I lost—no matter who tries to drag me down. When the shadows of my past life come hunting and my killer returns with a smile, I have one shot to rewrite everything. Can I save us both—or will history repeat, even with a second chance?