Louisa had a strange day.
First thing in the morning, her boyfriend Jack had mumbled something about bad luck running in his family as he read the latest news about his missing cousin.
Then came the phone call.
A man — calm, confident, familiar somehow. He told her there was something important she needed to see. Something connected to Jack. If she really loved him, she had to know.
She could've ignored it. Blocked the number. Laughed it off.
But there was something in his voice—something too familiar to dismiss.
And he knew things. Personal things. Like who her boyfriend was. Where he lived. That she only stayed over at Jack's place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Stranger still, he knew her plans for the night. Knew she was going out with friends. Knew their names. Knew she was staying over at Vanessa's afterward.
That made her hesitate.
Still, Louisa decided to go out as planned. Jack was going to have a friend over anyway, and she didn't want to be the third wheel in their strange, too-close friendship.
It would be good for Jack to see someone. He'd been struggling. People he knew — family, old friends, coworkers — kept… dying.
Some by suicide. Some in accidents. Some just… vanished.
Jack blamed himself, even though he had nothing to do with it. When it got bad, he couldn't do anything alone. That was when Sebastian, Jack's best friend, became the only person allowed in.
Sebastian had been through it all with Jack. He always showed up, always knew what to do. And somehow, Jack always got better — at least for a while.
Louisa wasn't allowed over during those stretches. Sebastian said Jack couldn't handle more than one person. That Jack needed peace, quiet, and isolation. So Sebastian stayed, and she stayed away. What happened behind closed doors was a mystery.
She'd tried not to dwell on it, but sometimes, she couldn't help wondering.
Why did everyone around Jack disappear?
Cousins, college roommates, and his sister.
Maybe it was just a tragic coincidence. Things like that happen.
But it still didn't sit right.
That evening, Louisa got dressed for dinner. Jack dropped her off outside the restaurant, and she waved as he drove away.
She and her friends laughed, chatted, and drank. At 8:00 p.m., she excused herself to go to the bathroom and slipped out through the emergency exit.
Just like the man on the phone had told her to.
A car waited at the curb. She opened the passenger side door and froze.
Sebastian was behind the wheel.
His blue eyes were as calm as a still lake, but there was something different about them tonight. Something colder. Like the water had frozen over. Louisa hesitated, then slid in and buckled her seatbelt.
"I'm sorry I had to do it this way," he said quietly.
"Where are we going?" she asked, arms crossed.
"It's somewhere important. I thought you should see it at least once before you get engaged."
Her heart skipped. "Wait. He's going to propose?"
Sebastian nodded, visibly reluctant. "He just told me he bought the ring. He's waiting for the right moment. Don't tell him I told you. When he proposes, act surprised."
"Oh, trust me. I'll give the best reaction you've ever seen."
"Good." He started the car and merged onto the highway.
They drove in silence for a long while. Eventually, Sebastian pulled off onto a desolate road, far from anywhere she recognized. No houses. No streetlights. No signs of life.
Was this where Jack planned to propose?
The car came to a stop in an empty clearing — no picnic benches, no trails, nothing. Just dirt and dry air.
Louisa stepped out quickly. She wasn't scared, exactly… but she didn't want to be in the car any longer than necessary. Sebastian had always been strange, and tonight, he felt different. Not dangerous. Just off.
The wind picked up, pushing small circles of sand across the ground. The field stretched wide beneath a pale sky, sloping in soft, eroded waves. Beautiful. Lonely. Silent.
Too silent.
She looked around. No birds. No cars. No footsteps but their own.
It didn't feel like a place Jack would go. He'd never mentioned anything like this before.
Why was she here?
Her mind spun with possibilities — none of them comforting.
Was Sebastian going to tell her something about Jack?
Had they argued? Was this some twisted peace offering?
She turned to ask him.
Why are we here?
What did you mean by 'somewhere important'?
Why now?
But before she could speak, she saw it.
The barrel of a gun aimed straight at her.
BANG.
And just like that, another one was gone.
A new bump appeared on the field.
And Jack was once again left alone by someone who was supposed to love him.