The night air outside Luke's house was thick with panic. Gravel crunched under frantic footsteps as Leila, Kai, Omar, and Luke ran without direction—only knowing they had to get away.
"We need to find and Eva!" Kai shouted.
"We need to split—get help or something!" Luke gasped.
Omar lagged behind, clutching a bruised rib. The shadows of the trees danced under the flickering street lamps. Leila turned back—
"Omar! Hurry!"
But just as he reached the edge of the sidewalk—
SCREEECH—
A massive delivery truck came hurtling out of the dark, its headlights like twin suns. Omar turned just in time to catch the screaming metal grille, and the impact was sickening.
THWACK.
His body was launched like a ragdoll—flipping in the air, then crashing hard into a parked car. Blood smeared the windshield.
"OMAR!" Leila screamed, falling to her knees.
The truck skidded to a stop yards ahead, the driver stumbling out, shaking and pale. Luke stood frozen, fists clenched, tears welling in his eyes. Omar's chest didn't move.
He was gone.
The Blue and Red Lights
Within minutes, the street was flooded with sirens, shouts, and the glow of red and blue lights. Officers cordoned off the road. The smell of smoke, oil, and blood hung in the air like death's perfume.
Leila, Kai, and Luke sat on the curb, wrapped in emergency blankets, wordless.
A police officer—Detective Harris—approached, holding a notepad. His face was calm, professional, but his eyes held concern.
"I'm going to need to ask each of you some questions."
They nodded silently.
The Questions Begin
Luke was first.
"Tell me what happened."
"We were... we were trying to run from the house. There was something wrong with it. It wasn't safe."
"What do you mean by wrong?"
"It tried to kill us. I mean—parts of it, the floor collapsed. A car drove through the wall. I don't know how."
Kai was next.
"Did you see the truck before it hit your friend?"
"No. It came out of nowhere. I don't even think there was a driver at first. It just—showed up."
"Are you suggesting this was... not an accident?"
Kai stared blankly.
"I'm saying... Death is coming for us."
Detective Harris paused, pen halfway to the page.
"Excuse me?"
"We survived something we weren't supposed to. Now it's trying to balance itself. One by one."
Leila's Interview
Finally, Leila.
"Miss... Leila, is it? Tell me what's going on."
She looked down, then back up at him. Her voice shook.
"It happened before. Years ago. Pier Seven. Everyone thought it was just an accident. But I saw it before it happened. I warned them."
"Pier Seven... the collapse?"
She nodded.
"I was supposed to die that day. But I didn't. And now... I've seen it happen again. We cheated death."
"You're saying this is... supernatural?"
She didn't answer. Just whispered:
"Death has a list. And we're on it."
The End of the Night
The bodies were loaded into ambulances. The truck driver was detained for questioning, but even he couldn't explain what happened. No brake marks. No sign of malfunction.
Just a straight, horrific impact.
The survivors were released after midnight. Leila walked alone to the end of the block and looked up at the stars.
Somewhere, she knew, Death was still watching.
And it wasn't done.
End of Chapter 23