Bad instincts are often the ones that turn out to be true.
Tommy was losing control. While watching Se7en in the theater, he caused a ruckus, yelling and pointing at the big screen. His arrogant provocations enraged the audience members who tried to protest against his behavior.
The tension in the air was palpable, ready to explode at any moment.
Keller could no longer endure it and quietly left the theater.
Evan followed her, attempting to comfort her, only to discover that Keller had a shoulder injury. It turned out that George had blamed Keller for everything and severely beaten her. Keller herself felt she deserved it.
Clumsily but sincerely, Evan tried to console her and finally mustered the courage to confess his feelings.
"Do you really have no idea how beautiful you are?"
Under the tender moment's spell, Keller's heart softened. Unable to resist, Evan and Keller shared their first kiss.
This scene, however, did not escape Tommy's eyes.
Tommy's rage was uncontainable. He glared at Evan as if he were staring at a corpse. But before Tommy could act, a prankster tripped him, unintentionally sparing Evan—for the moment.
Tommy unleashed his fury on the prankster, mercilessly beating him until the boy lay unconscious, his face bloodied.
Theater security dragged Tommy out by force, but even as he was taken away, his crazed eyes remained fixed on Evan. They glimmered with madness.
The mailbox explosion's aftermath cast a long shadow over the community. Andrea realized the negativity wouldn't dissipate easily. After much deliberation, she decided to leave the small town.
This deeply saddened Evan.
His fledgling love had barely begun to bloom, yet now they were being torn apart.
Thankfully, Lanny was discharged from the hospital, giving Evan one more chance to see his friend before leaving.
Evan and Keller secretly visited Lanny. Once assured that Tommy wasn't around, Lanny finally agreed to go out with them for some fresh air.
Unexpectedly, they discovered thick, unnatural smoke rising from the abandoned junkyard. The trio rushed over, fearing the worst.
They found Tommy stuffing Evan's pet dog, Crockett, into a burlap sack and dousing it with gasoline. Nearby, a bonfire roared ominously.
Evan snapped, charging at Tommy in a blind fury, oblivious to the wooden stick Tommy swung at him.
Evan dodged instinctively, but Tommy's blow landed squarely on Keller instead.
Keller collapsed.
A flood of memories overwhelmed Evan, paralyzing him. Tommy, lost in his rage, blamed Evan for everything, knocking him down and beating him mercilessly.
Then, Tommy turned to the bonfire, pulling out a flaming branch, a devilish grin on his face.
Evan, beyond reason, got back up and lunged at Tommy.
Tommy swung the burning stick at Evan.
The scene—visceral and immersive—felt as though the fiery branch was coming straight at the audience.
Heh.
Nicholas found himself pinned to his seat, unable to retreat any further. He instinctively shut his eyes, his ears ringing with the sound of the impact.
More terrifying than the camera work was the story's tension.
Nothing is more horrifying than watching children—barely 12 or 13—become monstrous, committing acts of cold-blooded violence. It's a direct assault on moral boundaries.
This was precisely why The Omen caused such a stir upon its release. What if the devil wasn't an adult but an innocent-looking child?
In the darkened theater, an eerie silence reigned.
Nicholas opened his eyes suddenly. On the big screen, Evan's bloodied face looked lost and confused. He clearly had no idea what had just happened.
Another blackout.
Evan glanced around, disoriented. Tommy was gone. Keller sat bloodied on the ground, drowning in despair, while Lanny stood frozen, staring at the burned burlap sack on the floor—
Crockett.
Evan let out a heart-wrenching scream.
...
Eyes closed, then open again.
The screen shifted to a college classroom. A group of students was taking an exam.
At the center of the frame was a young man scribbling furiously. Finishing with a flourish, he confidently glanced around the room.
It was Anson.
Finally! Nearly 30 minutes into the film, Anson reappeared.
Nicholas thought the theater might erupt in cheers, given the number of diehard fans present.
But no one did.
The audience was still gripped by the plot's relentless intensity. Though the repeated "memory blackout" device felt somewhat heavy-handed, the intricate web of hidden clues woven throughout ensured the tension never dissipated. Each viewer picked up on different details, unable to piece it all together just yet.
Now, as Anson finally appeared, what the audience saw wasn't him—it was Evan. As expected—
Seven years later.
Evan had grown into a university student majoring in psychology. His thesis topic was society's perception of memory.
Through dialogue, it was revealed that Evan hadn't experienced any blackouts in seven years. He seemed to have escaped his father's hereditary illness and resumed a normal life: studying hard and partying harder.
Life moved forward at last.
Yet traces of the past lingered. Evan was still searching for answers about his mind and the secrets behind his blackouts.
In fleeting moments, he recalled Keller, Lanny, and Tommy. Those friends were now scattered to the winds.
Even during a romantic night with a beautiful girl back at his dorm, Evan couldn't help but lose focus. Keller's face flickered through his mind.
He had promised her he'd come back.
But he hadn't.
The girl snapped Evan out of his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. Evan took a deep breath, ready to enjoy the evening.
Unexpectedly, the girl found a notebook hidden under his bed. Intrigued to learn it was Evan's childhood journal, she insisted he read her a passage.
Evan hesitated, staring at the journal in a daze.
Compelled by an unseen force, he opened it and began reading a random entry aloud.
Memories surged back like a tidal wave, dragging him to that fateful afternoon—
Crockett struggling in the sack, Tommy's malevolent grin, the torch in his hand. Evan tried to stop him but found himself paralyzed.
It all felt too real, as if he were reliving it.
Living it again.
(To be continued…)