The apartment was silent.
Eva hadn't moved from the couch. She barely blinked. The city outside continued as if lives hadn't been lost like petals in a storm. She felt like the last living name on a burned-out marquee.
Until—
Knock knock knock.
Her head snapped up. She gripped the knife beside her and inched toward the door.
Another knock. Softer this time.
"Eva? Hey… it's me. It's… Lorenzo."
A familiar voice. Old friend. College buddy. Someone not on the list.
She hesitated. Then opened the door.
Lorenzo stood there, soaked from the rain, carrying a duffel bag and a crooked smile. "Heard about what happened. I tried calling. You didn't answer. Thought maybe you could use someone."
Eva blinked, stunned. "Lorenzo… you shouldn't be here."
7:21 PM – The Illusion of Safety
Lorenzo warmed his hands over the electric stove. Eva made tea with trembling fingers.
He cracked a joke. She barely responded.
"What's going on, Eva?" he finally asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
She laughed bitterly. "Not a ghost. Just… Death."
"Right."
She stared at him. "You have to leave."
"You serious?"
"Now. It kills people. I don't know how, but it's coming. It's not done. I wasn't even supposed to live, and it's trying to finish what it started."
Lorenzo raised an eyebrow. "You mean like—Final Destination stuff?"
Eva nodded slowly.
He laughed. "You watched too many horror movies, Ev—"
Fzzzzzzzt.
The lights flickered.
A surge screamed through the apartment.
7:24 PM – Death Comes for the Uninvited
Lorenzo stepped toward the hall—then slipped on a puddle Eva hadn't noticed.
He tumbled into the laundry closet, arms flailing, grabbing for anything to stop his fall. His hand struck the shelf—hard.
A canister of bleach fell, bursting open across his face.
He screamed, clutching his eyes, blind with chemical agony.
Eva rushed forward—only for the washer door to burst open.
Inside, one of the belts had snapped, spinning wildly like a steel whip.
It lashed out—
Crack.
Lorenzo's neck twisted violently to the side.
But he wasn't dead yet.
Still crawling, he stumbled back into the kitchen, face burned, vision gone.
He tripped again.
This time, his head slammed into the corner of the stove.
His body twitched.
And the kettle—whistling, forgotten—tipped over.
Boiling water spilled across his face.
Eva screamed and pulled him back, but it was over.
Lorenzo was dead.
Eyes open.
Steam rising from skin that shouldn't have blistered like that.
Death had claimed a new soul.
One not even on the list.
7:45 PM – Eva's Realization
Eva sat on the floor, hands shaking.
Her friend had died because of her.
Because he got too close.
Death wasn't following a list anymore.
It was improvising.
"God," she whispered. "It doesn't end with me… It's anyone I touch."
She looked at her phone.
A dozen missed calls.
Texts.
People worried. Wanting to visit.
They'd all die.
Unless she left.
Unless she made sure no one ever got close again.
She grabbed her coat, one bag, and her car keys.
It was time to run.
But as she opened the door—
The wind howled through the hallway like a breath from the grave.
Death was close.
Watching.
End of Chapter Nine