Chapter 11: The pattern of Death

Myeong had barely slept a wink all night.

From her bedroom window, she watched the gray dawn in Salem. Outside, life went on as it went: cars zooming down the street, children with backpacks waiting for the bus, adults rushing to work. But none of it mattered. Her mind was caught up in the events of the previous night.

The fire at the school.

The chaos.

The deaths of Dylan and Emma.

The man in the trench coat.

The photo of Mrs. Wilkes.

She had been checking her phone tirelessly, hoping to confirm that it was all just a rumor. But when she turned on the television that morning, the harsh reality hit her like an avalanche.

"...the brutal accident occurred around midnight. Witnesses say that Mrs. Wilkes lost control of her vehicle, colliding with another car before being hit by an out-of-control truck. The images you will see below may be disturbing..."

Myeong felt a lump in her throat. On the screen, footage of the crash showed Professor Wilkes's car reduced to a wreck of metal. The guardrail was bent and stained red.

She pressed her lips together.

It wasn't a coincidence.

First the fire. Then Dylan and Emma. Now this. Something was happening. Something that had no logical explanation... and yet, it was real.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

From the kitchen, her mother went to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Park... is Myeong home?"

Ethan's voice.

Myeong heard it from her room and felt her stomach clench.

"Yes, she's in her room. Would you like to come in?"

"If it's not a bother. I need to talk to her. It's important."

"Sure, go ahead."

Ethan's footsteps echoed through the house, and Myeong barely had time to react when her bedroom door opened. Ethan stood in the doorway, his expression tense.

"Can we talk privately?"

Myeong blinked, still in shock, but nodded slowly.

"Yes... yes, of course."

Ethan closed the door behind him.

Myeong looked at him, his face pale, his eyes still fixed on the television screen.

"She died."

Ethan frowned.

"Who?"

"Mrs. Wilkes."

She nodded toward the television.

"It was an accident. A crash. They say she lost control, but I know it wasn't just that."

Her voice trembled, and her hands clenched at her sides.

"First at the gym... now this..."

Ethan watched her silently.

—Myeong...

"It's following us! This isn't normal!" Her breathing quickened. "Something's wrong! Something's stalking us, Ethan! And you still won't see it. You still don't believe me!"

Ethan pursed his lips and said nothing.

"Say it! Tell me it's all just a coincidence! Tell me I'm crazy, that this is all just paranoia, that Mrs. Wilkes died for no reason, that the fire was a mere accident, that what I saw was just my imagination! Tell me, Ethan! Tell me!"

Her words came out in a shout, her eyes burning with a mixture of fear and rage.

Ethan let her speak, let her vent all her fear and frustration. And when she finally stopped, her face flushed and her breathing ragged, he only said three words:

"I believe you."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I believe you."

Myeong felt the floor shake beneath her feet.

"Why...?"

Ethan sighed and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Because I looked into it."

He sat down on the bed next to her and opened his phone's gallery.

"Look at this."

He showed her a series of images and documents.

"This is the North Bay Bridge collapse. It happened years ago. Seven people survived... because a guy had a vision that the bridge was going to collapse and managed to pull some people out before it happened."

He moved to the next image.

"Flight 180. A plane that exploded in mid-air. There was a group of students who got off before takeoff because one of them had a vision of what was going to happen."

Another image.

"Route 23. A pileup caused by a log truck that went out of control. A girl saw it before it happened and managed to pull a few people out of the wreckage."

Myeong covered her mouth with her hand.

Ethan continued.

"Devil's Flight. A group of students were riding a roller coaster when one of them had a vision of the derailment. They got off in time. The rest died."

He flipped to the last image.

"The Megatech 300. A car race. Someone saw what was going to happen before it happened and managed to get some people out before the cars exploded and killed 52 people."

Myeong felt a chill run down her spine.

"All these cases have something in common."

Ethan looked into her eyes.

"There's always someone who has a vision. They manage to save a few people... but then, one by one, those who survived begin to die in increasingly strange and brutal accidents."

Myeong felt her heart beating wildly.

"We're cursed..." she whispered.

Ethan swallowed.

"I don't know what it is. I don't know how to explain it. But I know it's not a coincidence."

Myeong hugged herself.

"So what do we do?"

Ethan looked at her determinedly.

"We figure out how to stop it. Before it's too late."

Myeong frowned.

"Before Mrs. Wilkes's accident... I saw another sign."

Ethan tensed.

"What sign?"

Myeong stood up and pulled the photo from his desk.

"The frame on this photo was broken. Before Wilkes."

Ethan looked at it worriedly.

"Maybe the signs indicate how the next person will die. So what we need to do is figure out who's next, and maybe we can stop it."

Myeong swallowed.

"There's... there's something else. I hadn't noticed it until now, but... the victims are dying in the same order as in my vision. First Dylan and Emma, then Mrs. Wilkes..."

Ethan got out of bed.

"Think about your vision. Who's next?"

Myeong closed her eyes, trying to remember.

Suddenly, her face filled with horror.

"Zack."

At that moment, a crow flew in through the open window, cawing furiously and launching itself at Myeong. She screamed, and Ethan reacted quickly, scaring it away. In the process, he stepped on the TV remote, snapping it on.

An advertisement appeared on the screen:

"Dark Mark Tattoo – The Best in Body Ink. Located at 2340 West Hollow."

Myeong and Ethan looked at each other.

"That's the sign!" Myeong whispered. "If so... it might be too late."

They darted for the door.

"Or maybe not," Ethan said. "Let's go."

Without wasting a second, they ran out of the house and jumped into Ethan's car.

The engine roared as Ethan pressed the accelerator.

They had to get there before Death did.