The hospital waiting room was hollow and dim, filled with silence and fear. Leila stared at the floor, her fingers trembling around a cracked cup of coffee. Cody paced. Valeria sat beside her, eyes fixed forward—silent, empty, and pale.
"Two more," Cody whispered. "Just us now."
"Is it really just… fate?" Valeria asked. "What if we can break it? Like Eva tried?"
Leila shook her head. "Eva locked herself away, Cody. Isabel was careful too. Doesn't matter. Death finds us."
Cody suddenly froze. "Wait... Remember what Eva said? That one guy in Volume One—he died and came back."
Valeria's eyes widened. "That firefighter. He technically died in the ambulance and lived. He skipped the pattern."
Leila looked up. "You're not thinking of—"
"Yes," Cody interrupted. "We kill ourselves. Temporarily. Just long enough to cheat death's design. Restart the line."
They all sat in terrified silence.
Valeria slowly raised her hand. "I'll go first."
Leila's breath hitched. "What?"
"I'm allergic to shellfish. Like, badly. It won't take long. Just a bite."
They moved fast. Cody ran to the cafeteria and returned with a sealed shrimp dumpling. The three stood in a quiet corner of the facility's lower wing, outside the emergency response room. Adrenaline kits were ready. Leila's hand was shaking.
Valeria took the bite.
Within seconds, hives bloomed across her skin. Her throat swelled. Her eyes bulged. She collapsed, gasping, reaching toward the ceiling lights like stars.
Leila held her down. "Do it now, Cody!"
Cody slammed the EpiPen into her thigh. Nothing.
Seconds ticked.
Then—Valeria jerked.
A deep, wet inhale rattled from her lungs.
She coughed violently and blinked up at the ceiling, wheezing, shivering—but alive.
She was back.
The room filled with gasps, sobs, and terrified laughter. Leila clutched her friend tightly, tears streaming.
"It worked," Cody whispered. "It actually worked."
For now… they were safe.
But Death doesn't forget.
It only delays.
The End of Chapter 32