The garage was quiet, except for the distant ticking of a box fan.
Eva clutched her notebook like it could save a life.
"Rafi's dead," she said, her voice shaking. "Just like in my vision."
The other six survivors—Carmen, Jonas, Maya, Zeke, and Imani—stood in a loose circle, stunned. Shock hadn't worn off. But something else had taken root now.
Dread.
"You really saw it?" Jonas asked. "All of us?"
Eva nodded. "The pier collapsing… and how each of us died. It was like a movie playing behind my eyes. Rafi was first. Then…"
She looked at Maya.
"What?" Maya blinked. "Don't look at me like that."
"You were second."
The words froze the room.
"I remember your scream," Eva whispered. "You were crushed—steel beams, maybe lights. Something big fell."
Maya's mouth opened, then shut.
"Okay," Zeke said, pacing. "If we believe this—if Death is following some kind of… order—can we break it?"
"We have to try," Carmen said. "We can protect Maya. Keep her from being alone. Watch everything."
Maya crossed her arms. "So I'm just… what? A walking target?"
"Not if we get ahead of it," Jonas said. "If we can change the sequence—if someone skips or survives—we might screw up the pattern."
Eva flipped to her notes. Her hands were shaky, but she scribbled a new timeline:
> 1. Rafi – Drowned (Confirmed)
2. Maya – Pending
3. Carmen
4. Jonas
5. Zeke
6. Imani
7. Eva
She circled Maya's name.
"We stay with her. Nonstop. Until the pattern breaks."
The Next 48 Hours
The group stuck to Maya like glue.
She stayed at Carmen's place. Slept in the living room, surrounded by bodies and bags of snacks. Imani insisted on keeping the lights on all night. Jonas made coffee like it was war rations.
They joked, watched bad TV, played card games—but the fear was constant, even in silence.
Carmen taped foam pads over sharp furniture corners.
Zeke unplugged everything he could: microwaves, fans, anything with wires.
Maya hated it. "I'm not a baby."
"You're Death's next appointment," Jonas muttered. "So yeah, you kinda are."
She flipped him off, but laughed.
That moment felt real.
Normal.
Until the power went out.
Day Three – 6:32 P.M.
A thunderstorm hit the town. Heavy winds. Sirens in the distance.
Maya insisted on going to the bathroom alone. "I'll be two minutes," she said. "I swear."
Eva started to argue, but Maya waved her off.
The hallway light flickered as Maya walked down.
She turned the knob, stepped inside.
And locked the door.
Carmen stood close. "Maya?"
"Relax," Maya called. "I'm—"
CRASH.
They all jumped.
Inside, the mirror had fallen from the wall.
Screams erupted.
Carmen shoved the door. It was locked.
Jonas slammed his shoulder into it.
Inside, Maya gasped.
The mirror had missed her by inches.
But the light fixture above sparked, then caught flame.
The shower curtain went up like a torch.
"Maya!" Eva screamed.
The door flew open.
Maya stumbled out, coughing, smoke chasing her.
Zeke used a fire extinguisher to douse the bathroom.
Maya collapsed into Carmen's arms.
Alive.
Shaking.
Later That Night
Eva looked down at her notebook.
2. Maya – Survived?
A new thought entered her head.
If Maya skipped…
Then maybe the order changed.
Maybe Carmen's next.
Or maybe Death was recalculating.
She felt her stomach twist.
Then her phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number:
"You think skipping a step cancels the game?"
"Death waits."
End of Chapter Three