The rain hadn't stopped in two days.
Carmen sat at the kitchen table, her coffee untouched. The others were scattered around the house—some pretending to sleep, others pacing or staring at the TV that played news they weren't hearing.
Eva stared at her notebook like it might bleed. Maya had survived… but that didn't feel like a victory.
"I should be dead," Maya mumbled from the couch, her voice hoarse.
"But you're not," Imani said, half-relieved, half-terrified. "Which means the order is broken."
"No," Eva said. "Just… twisted. Delayed."
She crossed Maya's name with a dashed line.
2. Maya — (Survived? Delayed?)
3. Carmen — ???
Carmen looked up from her cup. "Okay. Let's say I'm next. What do I do?"
Zeke chuckled nervously. "Maybe wrap yourself in bubble wrap?"
No one laughed.
Jonas rubbed his face. "We're acting like we're in a movie. But we're not. This is real. Rafi is dead. Maya almost was. We need a real plan."
Eva nodded. "We need to know how Death is working. Is it proximity-based? Time-based? Random variables?"
"Or just cruel," Carmen said softly.
They spent the rest of the day researching: plane crash survivors, bridge collapses, interviews, conspiracy threads. Final Destination-style forums were full of theories, but none had real solutions. Most ended in memorial pages.
9:17 PM – That Night
Carmen refused to leave the living room. "If I'm gonna die, I want people around me when it happens."
She sat on the floor with a blanket around her shoulders. Jonas nearby. Zeke checking windows. Imani texting her sister. Eva watching everything.
The TV flickered.
"Static," Zeke muttered. "That's not creepy at all."
Jonas tried to change the channel. The screen stayed snowy.
"Maybe signal's down," Maya offered.
Carmen shifted. "Guys… I feel weird."
Eva stood. "What kind of weird?"
"Pressure. Like something's coming."
Suddenly, the static snapped to black.
Then a loud bang outside the house.
Everyone jumped.
"Back door!" Jonas shouted.
They ran. The door had blown open from the wind—but nothing was there.
Carmen stepped outside. "It's just—"
SLAM.
The door shut behind her.
"Carmen!" Eva screamed.
Zeke yanked the door, but it wouldn't budge.
Inside, Carmen turned—and saw a hanging wind chime by the porch swing begin to spin violently, even though the air had gone still.
She backed up. "Guys?!"
Then she slipped.
She hadn't noticed the rainwater pooling by the steps.
Her foot slid forward—
And she fell.
Right into the porch railing.
CRACK.
A spike of broken wood from the storm-pummeled fence drove clean through her side.
She gasped, coughing blood.
"CARMEN!" Jonas yelled, finally forcing the door open.
They rushed outside.
But Carmen was already still.
Her eyes wide.
Mouth open like she'd tried to scream.
11:34 PM – After
The police left with little more than pity and confusion. "Accidental fall," they called it.
But the group knew.
Eva sat alone in the hallway.
Zeke stood by the wall, arms folded. "It was supposed to be Maya."
Eva nodded. "Maya skipped."
"So Death jumped to Carmen."
"Or recalculated."
Eva flipped to the notebook.
Rafi — Drowned
Maya — Survived/delayed
Carmen — Pierced by railing
Jonas — Next?
She looked up.
Jonas was quiet now. Pale.
"Me?" he asked. "No. No, no—"
"I think you're next," Eva said gently.
"Then help me. Please."
She looked to the others.
No one had answers.
But Death did.
And it was already waiting.
End of Chapter Four