Chapter 14: Deadly sales

The air was still thick with soot from the explosion, and the patrol car lights flickered in the gloom. The group lapsed into a heavy silence after Bludworth's eerie farewell. His vague explanation had only sown more despair and fear.

Myeong felt a pressure in her chest, as if death itself had coiled around her, waiting for the exact moment to tighten its grip.

"This doesn't make sense," Maddie muttered, hugging herself. "How are we supposed to prevent something like this? One of us getting pregnant overnight? Even if we did, how the hell would we survive the next nine months?"

"So... we're screwed?" Ryan frowned, his voice thick with disbelief and fear.

"There has to be a way!" Ethan exclaimed. "We can't just accept that we're going to die."

Jason kicked a rock in frustration. "And what are you suggesting? That we hide in a bunker? That we live in plastic bubbles for the rest of our lives?"

"Stop it!" Detective O'Brien interrupted firmly. "I don't know how true any of this is, but I'm not going to let any more teenagers die on my watch."

Myeong crossed her arms.

"So what are you supposed to do, Detective?"

"Putting you all in protective custody," O'Brien declared. "I don't know if it'll help, but it's better than letting you loose in the city like sitting ducks."

"Protective custody?" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to lock us up like criminals?"

"It's for your safety," the detective replied. "And I need to know if you're the only ones left."

Ryan was quick to answer.

"Yes, we are."

But at that instant, Myeong's heart sank into her stomach.

"No…" she murmured, her eyes wide.

Everyone looked at her.

"What?" Sasha asked, worried.

Myeong felt a chill run down her spine.

"We're missing Lily and Violet."

The group was silent for a moment before Maddie broke it.

"Shit! The twins!"

"It can't be..." Chloe whispered. "They... they're next, right?"

Myeong nodded slowly.

O'Brien reacted immediately, grabbing his radio.

"This is O'Brien. I need all units in the area to locate and take Lily and Violet Spencer into custody immediately. They're top priority. I repeat: top priority."

There was a moment of static before the radio answered with the officers' confirmation.

At that instant, a piece of paper floated through the air and landed at Sasha's feet.

"What the hell...?" Sasha muttered, bending down to pick it up.

When she unfolded it, her face went pale.

"It can't be..."

Myeong snatched the paper from him and read aloud:

"DEADLY SALES IN ALL WINTER CLOTHES!"

The silence was immediate.

"What?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"It's just a flyer for a store," Chloe said, not understanding.

"It's not just any store..." Myeong looked down. "Winter Haven Boutique."

"So what?" Ryan asked impatiently.

"It's in the West Ridge Mall... which is a few blocks from here," Maddie said, instantly understanding.

"And the twins work there!" Ethan exclaimed, panic in his voice.

The group looked at each other with the same thought: this wasn't a coincidence.

"It's another sign," Myeong whispered.

Without hesitation, O'Brien turned toward his car.

"Let's go!"

Everyone ran toward the vehicles. Myeong, Ethan, his friends, and his mother squeezed into one car as O'Brien turned on the siren and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The streets blurred past as they approached the mall.

Myeong swallowed.

"Please... let's make it on time."

But in her heart, a feeling of impending doom grew stronger and stronger.


Meanwhile, across town, Lily and Violet were leaving their shift at Winter Haven Boutique. The clothing store still glowed with fluorescent lights, and a striking sign hung over the entrance:

"DEADLY SALES ON ALL WINTER CLOTHES!"

Violet yawned as she stretched, holding her purse in one hand and her phone in the other.

"God, I thought we'd never get out of there."

Lily shot her a sideways glance as she dug out her car keys.

"You said the same thing yesterday."

"And I'll say it tomorrow. Working here sucks."

Violet kicked a rock off the ground, paying no attention to her surroundings. The rock rolled to the edge of the curb and hit an empty can someone had dropped. The can slowly rolled into the street, stopping right over a loosely closed manhole cover.

A few meters away, an old man on a bicycle was approaching, pedaling slowly. He didn't see the can until it was too late; his front wheel crushed it with a metallic crunch, causing the bike to lurch slightly. The old man lost his balance and tipped to the side, hitting a table at a street food stall.

The stall owner, who was serving a bowl of hot ramen, jumped and spilled the scalding soup onto the counter, burning his hand. In his instinctive reaction, he swung his arm violently and knocked over a jar of oil he was holding. The jar fell to the ground and shattered, scattering the slippery liquid onto the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, a young couple walked by, deep in conversation, unaware of the puddle of oil. The girl, wearing high heels, stepped on the liquid and lost her balance, falling backward with a scream. Her boyfriend tried to catch her, but in the process, he knocked over a mobile traffic sign that was placed on the corner.

The sign fell to the ground with a loud crash, landing so that its metal base was upright in the path of a tire that was leaning against the wall of a nearby auto repair shop.

A stray cat, startled by the noise, darted out from between some trash cans and brushed past the tire, causing it to roll. The tire rolled down the slope of the street toward the main avenue.

At that precise moment, the patrol car from Unit 2340 turned the corner toward the shopping center, responding to O'Brien's order to locate Lily and Violet.

The driver didn't see the tire rolling at full speed until it was too late. The tire struck the patrol car's front tire, causing a slight but unexpected impact to the steering.

The officer behind the wheel cursed and tried to correct the course, but just then, an empty soda can fell from the passenger seat and rolled under the brake pedal.

The officer couldn't fully depress it.

The patrol car, still moving, swerved slightly and jumped the curb just as Lily and Violet crossed the parking lot exit.

It all happened in a split second.

The patrol car's headlights illuminated the twins' faces, and they turned their heads just as the vehicle slammed into them with brutal force.

CRACK.

The bodies were tossed through the air like rag dolls. Lily slammed into the window of a cosmetics store, her skull splitting at an unnatural angle before it crashed through the glass.

Violet fell backward against a fire hydrant, the impact shattering her spine with a dry, grotesque sound. Her body was twisted in an impossible position, blood spurting from her mouth in agonizing spasms.

The hydrant burst, releasing a jet of water that threw her body back several meters until she crashed into a lamppost.

Bones crunched once more.

The water pouring from the hydrant quickly turned red.

O'Brien's car arrived just then.

Myeong and the others barely had time to run away before witnessing the gruesome scene.

"NO!" Maddie screamed, her hands covering her mouth.

Ethan froze, his eyes reflecting horror.

Jason vomited instantly.

Myeong felt as if the air had been ripped from her lungs. Her legs shook, and for a moment, she thought she might faint.

But it was her mother who brought her out of her trance, holding her tightly.

"My God..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

O'Brien jumped out of the car, running toward patrol car 2340 while the officers inside were still in shock.

"Damn it!" he roared. "What the hell did you do?!"

But the officers could only babble without answers, their faces livid with horror.

The sound of water gushing from the hydrant was the only noise in the air, mixed with the dripping blood falling onto the sidewalk.

Myeong felt nauseous. She felt rage. She felt fear.

Two more.

Two more had died.

And she knew they wouldn't be the last.