Samantha woke up in her bedroom with tears in her eyes—but no cold sweat. Oddly, she felt at peace. It didn't feel like she had just lived through a nightmare. Her breathing was steady, and her body didn't ache from restless sleep.
She didn't even notice she was crying until she sat up and a tear dropped onto her lap.
"Why am I crying?" she whispered to herself. "What... happened again?"
Liam woke up the same way, minus the tears. He felt strangely energized, far more refreshed than usual. He typically ran on four to six hours of sleep, but today, it felt like a full eight.
His first instinct was to sit up and grab at his hair. It wasn't pain—not a headache—but more like a void, as if something was missing from his mind, something important, but impossible to grasp.
Samantha felt it too. She cradled her head in her palms, trying to remember what she'd forgotten.
**Creak.**
A door opened somewhere outside her room. The sound startled her. She shot out of bed and hurried into the hallway.
It was Nick, walking down the stairs with a blank expression. The moment she saw him, everything came rushing back.
Liam turned to his right. Tyler was already awake, standing in front of the dorm room window, his back to him. When Liam laid eyes on him, he remembered too.
"Dad?" Samantha called softly. No response. Nick continued walking, stiff and robotic.
"Dad, where are you going?" she tried again, trailing behind him down the stairs.
Liam stared, stunned. The man who'd died in his arms now stood alive—but wrong. Tyler's presence lacked any trace of emotion, energy, or humanity. It was just... an empty shell.
Samantha followed Nick through the living room.
"Oh hey, good morning, you two! How was the show last night?" Heather greeted them warmly from the dining table, flipping pancakes.
Neither responded. They brushed right past her.
"Nick?" she asked, confused.
Liam stayed frozen, waiting for Tyler to speak—he was never the one to start their conversations. But Tyler said nothing. Instead, he stepped up onto the desk in front of the window.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Samantha's voice trembled.
Nick stopped in front of the kitchen counter and stared at the knife set. He fixated on the largest, sharpest blade.
"Dad?"
He reached out slowly.
Liam's eyes widened. Tyler had opened the window. He bolted forward—but too late. Tyler stepped off the ledge before Liam could even reach him.
Nick grasped the knife with both hands. His eyes were still vacant. Without hesitation, he drove the blade toward his throat.
"DAD!" Samantha lunged, intercepting the strike just in time.
"Nick?!" Heather screamed, rushing over. All three of them collapsed in a violent struggle.
"DAD!"
"Nick?!"
They fought for control, but Nick's strength was overwhelming. Samantha wrapped her arms around his neck in a chokehold, kicking at the knife.
"MOM! TAKE THE KNIFE! TAKE IT NOW!"
Heather grabbed his arms, trying to hold them back.
For a moment, it looked like they might succeed—until Nick's legs moved. Like a machine, he kicked Heather square in the stomach, sending her stumbling back. He yanked his arms free and, in the process, slashed her palm.
"Argh!"
Samantha held on, veins bulging from Nick's face and eyes—but still, he showed no pain, no resistance. Just pure, inhuman determination.
Then he struck. The knife plunged forward, piercing Samantha's forearm on its way into his own throat.
"NO! NO! ARGHHH!" she wailed.
Heather gasped and dropped to her knees, helping to pull the blade out. But the damage was done.
Heather broke down, her sobs shaking the floor. Samantha had already been crying long before. She clutched her father's limp body, pressing her forehead against his, rocking and howling through gritted teeth.
Blood mixed with their tears on the cold kitchen floor as both women wept over the man they had just lost—again.
Meanwhile, Liam stared out the window. Four stories below, Tyler's body lay surrounded by a crowd of horrified students.
"Holy shit! It came from up there!" someone yelled, pointing at him.
Liam didn't react. His eyes were locked on the lifeless figure below.
"Yo, someone call the police!"
"Already did! There was another jump like ten seconds ago!"
"GUYS! SOMEONE FELL OVER HERE TOO!"
A distant cry rang across campus, announcing yet another suicide.
"What the hell is happening?!" someone shouted.
Liam backed away from the window, pale and shaking. It wasn't a dream. But it wasn't quite reality either.
Then what the hell was last night?