The apartment was quiet for the first time in days.
Kai stretched out on the floor, his legs crossed over a pillow. Valeria sat cross-legged beside Isabel, scrolling through videos. Cody paced aimlessly near the window.
Luke remained in Leila's bedroom, headphones in, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think.
Leila sat in the kitchen, sipping coffee and watching the clock tick. The silence had a weight to it—a countdown they couldn't hear.
"We need to do something," Kai finally groaned. "I'm losing my mind in here."
"Agreed," Isabel said, tossing her phone aside. "Let's go out. Just for a bit."
Valeria nodded. "The theme park down by Harbor Drive reopened. We can just… pretend it's normal. Even for a moment."
Leila hesitated. Her gut twisted. "What about Luke?"
"He said he's staying," Cody replied. "Didn't sleep much. Wants to rest."
After a moment, Leila gave in. "Fine. But only for a little while."
The Harborview Theme Park shimmered beneath the afternoon sun. Families laughed, neon lights blinked, the scent of buttered popcorn and sizzling hot dogs drifted through the air.
It almost felt like the world was okay.
They bought snacks—corn dogs, pretzels, snow cones—and played a few games. Isabel won a stuffed snake, Valeria filmed a TikTok, and Cody lost five times at ring toss.
They stopped by the Ferris wheel, the tallest ride in the park, freshly repainted with golden trim and soft lights. The line wasn't long.
"Let's do it," Kai grinned. "C'mon. Look at that view."
Leila froze.
The smell of cotton candy turned metallic. The laughter faded. The sky darkened in her eyes.
She blinked—and the vision hit her like lightning.
The Ferris wheel groaned. Metal shrieked. Sparks flew from its base. The bolts ripped from the ground like teeth tearing free.
It tipped. Slowly at first, then faster—
It rolled.
Screams were drowned by crushing steel, by fountains of blood spraying into the air like fireworks. Bodies thrown. Cars flattened.
The wheel—an enormous, spinning coffin—crashed through the boardwalk like a god's fist.
Leila gasped, staggering back, almost dropping her drink.
"Don't!" she shouted. "Get away from the Ferris wheel! Get away from it now!"
The others looked at her in shock, but something in her voice—raw, terrified—made them listen.
They backed away quickly, as parkgoers boarded the ride.
And then it happened.
The wheel let out a shriek.
It tilted.
People screamed.
The bolts snapped.
The Ferris wheel tore from its foundation and began to roll—slow, like her vision. Then faster. A horrifying ballet of steel and death.
Leila and the others ducked behind a food stand as the giant structure flattened everything in its path. The people inside had no chance. Shattered metal, crushed bodies, blood soaking the wooden pier.
It came to a stop nearly two blocks away.
Silence fell.
Leila, trembling, turned to the others.
"Death is catching up," she whispered.
No one said a word.
They knew it wasn't over.
The End of Chapter 26