Rain whispered down from a brooding sky as black umbrellas gathered like shadows at the cemetery. The names etched into the two polished caskets stung more than the chill in the wind:
Trey Morrison and Brooke Ellington — the first to die from Leila's vision.
The group stood still, shivering with grief and fear. The funeral felt unreal. Brooke's seat at the wake was still warm in Leila's mind. Trey's laugh still echoed in the back of her memory.
"This is just the beginning," whispered Omar, arms crossed tightly.
"We know the order," Kai muttered. "Nia's next."
That name sent ice down Leila's spine. She looked around.
"Where is she?"
No one had seen her after the service started.
Somewhere Else
Nia had left early. She couldn't stomach the sight of her friends buried like strangers. She needed to breathe, to be anywhere else. Her uncle's home outside town gave her space.
The willow tree in the backyard groaned under the weight of storm clouds. The wind came in sudden, violent bursts. Nia stood in the tall grass, eyes closed, trying to forget the blood, the screaming.
Behind her, the old rusting lawnmower rattled like something alive.
She turned, eyes narrowing.
"Thought that thing was dead," she said aloud.
But the wind howled again, and suddenly the mower roared to life.
The machine lurched forward on its own, blades spinning violently.
"What the hell?!"
Nia backed up quickly—but her foot caught in a knot of roots from the willow tree. She fell, landing hard on her back.
The mower charged, jumping the ground like a hungry animal.
She screamed, but before she could move, a massive branch cracked above her.
SNAP.
It fell like a hammer—impaling her shoulder, pinning her to the ground.
She shrieked in pain as the mower closed in.
The blade struck her body with a sickening chop—and the screaming stopped.
Blood splattered the bark of the willow, which swayed gently in the wind.
Back at the Cemetery
Leila suddenly gasped, staggering.
"Nia…" she muttered.
Kai steadied her.
"What is it?"
She didn't need to say it. Everyone knew.
Nia was dead.
Cody swore under his breath. Isabel closed her eyes, shaking.
"That makes three," Luke said hoarsely. "Seven left."
"And I'm next," Omar added grimly.
Silence.
"We were wrong to think we had time," Valeria said. "It's moving fast now."
Leila wiped her face, her fingers trembling.
"We stick together from now on. No more running off. We're in this or we're next."
The others nodded.
But far away, unseen by all, a gust of wind spun an unattended wind chime into a razor-sharp spiral... just waiting.
End of Chapter 21