Both Drew and Casper lunged at Zoë. However, it was Zoë herself who managed to dodge it. It swung past her and hit the wall, shattering. Now only the cable was swinging.
Casper helped Zoë to a seat, as the other customers drew back. "It's okay," Casper whispered to Zoë. "You're okay. It skipped you."
"Did it, though?" said Drew.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, take Zack for example. How did Death know he would fall forwards? It must have known how Zack would react. Death expected Zoë to avoid that light. It wanted her to sit down…" Drew suddenly realised that Zoë's photo showed her sitting on a plastic seat very like the one she was on now.
The cable swung back again. It brushed against the microphone on the stage.
The wire running from the microphone to the speakers immediately went wild. The electrical charge ran all the way to the speakers.
These speakers were fenced off by a length of steel wire. This was to deter party-goers from wandering over and spilling beer on them.
The sudden burst of electricity caused the speaker to vibrate dangerously. They shook so much, the wire came out of the wall. Suddenly free, it whipped through the air.
Drew and Casper ducked. Zoë, already sitting, couldn't.
It cut straight through her stomach.
Drew and Casper looked at her. A thin red line appeared around her waist. A dark red stain spread on the sequined dress.
Zoë's upper half toppled over. So did the back of the chair.
She had been sliced in half.
It was the new topless dancing.
"Look at the photo again," said Casper. Drew did so.
"See the line?" Casper pointed and traced his finger along the picture. There was a thin line running along Zoë's waist, in almost exactly the same place she had been cut. The line was, in fact, the edge of the table she was sitting at. From this angle, it was only a line.
Drew turned, and showed it to the others. Leo, Danny and Sam had agreed to come and meet with them in Drew's house. The five of them were the only survivors left.
Drew had spent the past hour explaining the situation to them. In light of the fact that seven of them had died, the others were willing to believe her story. She then showed them the print-outs of the photographs, the ones of the people who had died. Jerry and the gun. Seb and the window and the fire. Zack, with his arm raised, and the doors. Brett and the mattress and the spike. Alexa and the mirror. Zoë with the line across her waist.
The three of them had listened in silence. Finally, it was Sam who asked the question Drew had been dreading: "So, according to you, the order we died in your premonition is the same as the order we die now?"
Drew nodded.
"So… who's next?"
Casper, who had been leaning on the mantelpiece, straightened up and said, "First, you guys, remember this: Drew and I both beat it. We survived. You can too!"
"So who is it?" demanded Leo.
Drew looked at the floor. "The order we should die in is… Leo, Danny, Sam, me, and Casper last."
Everyone looked at Leo.
"Oh, that's just great," he said.
They were all silent for a moment, thinking about the events that had happened that day – chiefly, the death of Alexa and Zoë.
"Do we have any idea of how soon Death could come after me?" asked Leo.
Drew shrugged. "I don't think so. Seb died a day after Jerry. Then the day after that, Zack, Phoebe and Brett all died. And attempts were made on both me and Casper. Then four days went by. Only now, today, has anyone else died. There seems to be no set timescale."
Leo twisted his fingers aimlessly. There was clearly something he wanted to say. Eventually, he did. "You two have seen your photos…"
"It's your decision whether or not you see your own photo. You own choice," said Casper.
"I want to see mine," said Danny.
"So do I," said Sam.
Leo shrugged. "It would be better for me to look at mine, I think."
Drew nodded, and turned to the two pages she had set aside. She handed one to Leo, and the other to Danny and Sam.
"Oh," said Leo.
"Ah," said Sam.
"Right," said Danny.
Leo's photo was him posing on the front of the silver BMW at the department store.
Danny and Sam were also posing, this time in front of a film poster. The film was Duel, by Steven Spielberg. It showed a huge truck racing right at you.
Right at Danny and Sam.