The news spread fast.
Local Hero Saves Theater Crowd From Tragedy.
Leila's photo circled the internet—her drenched shirt, her wild eyes, her hands gripping the fire alarm. They called her brave. A survivor. A visionary. The girl who stopped death.
But the truth was… she didn't stop anything. She delayed it.
She knew that.
Cody's house was dim that night. Rain tapped on the roof like a countdown. The group—now only Cody and Valeria—stayed together. They were safe, they thought. They had cheated Death once. Maybe it had grown tired.
But Death doesn't get tired.
Leila stood in the garage, searching for Cody's extra blankets. The storm had knocked the power out earlier, and flickering bulbs gave the garage an eerie strobe. Coils of extension cords tangled on the floor. A broken heater buzzed weakly in the corner.
Then—Valeria's scream.
A flash from the corner: the heater sparked to life.
And the cords began moving.
As if yanked by invisible hands, they snaked toward the puddle of rainwater Valeria had just stepped in by the threshold.
"Valeria, STOP!" Leila screamed.
Valeria froze.
It was enough.
Leila lunged forward, shoving her back—
—and the wires wrapped around her ankles.
The electricity hit hard.
A blinding flash lit the garage.
Her scream was short, sudden—cut off as her body convulsed, limbs jerking like a puppet on fire. Sparks exploded from the walls. The smell of burning fabric and hair filled the air.
Cody rushed in just in time to see her body collapse, smoke curling from her fingertips.
Valeria knelt by her, sobbing. "She… she saved me."
Cody fell to his knees, gripping Leila's scorched hand.
"She saved all of us."
But Death had claimed her.
The hero of the list.
The End of Chapter 34