The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 12

I stood there, tears streaming down my face, staring at Edwin. My heart ached, heavy with grief. All around me, the gym was filled with a cacophony of wails—some from the dying, some from the dead. The sounds melded together, an indistinguishable chorus of agony and despair.

"That's it?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief. "They just leave, and I'm left to deal with the aftermath?"

Edwin's expression remained impassive, but I could see a flicker of something in his eyes—pity, maybe, or regret. "Maddison—" he began.

"No!" I snapped, cutting him off. My voice echoed in the crumbling gymnasium. "Save it. Just look at this!" I gestured wildly at the devastation around us. "Look!"

Edwin took a measured step toward me, his voice soft but firm. "You weren't even supposed to be here, Maddison. You were meant to be dead."

I clenched my fists, feeling the anger rising like a tidal wave. "You keep bringing that up. Like it's supposed to make me feel better. I'm not dead! Whether I was supposed to be or not doesn't excuse you for not warning me!"

His eyes darkened, his patience thinning. "I'm not going to argue with you. This has nothing to do with you, nothing to do with me. This is fate. This was always meant to happen. There was absolutely nothing either of us could have done to stop it." He paused, his gaze hard. "Stop thinking about your feelings for just a moment, and realize that there are bigger forces at play here."

The truth of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't get the words out. My throat closed up, and a sob tore its way free. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor, the weight of everything crashing down on me. Sirens blared in the distance, growing louder by the second. The authorities were coming, and soon this place would be swarming with people—too late to save anyone.

Edwin loomed over me, his shadow long and cold. "Stand up," he commanded. "You need to leave before anyone realizes you're still here."

I looked up at him, tears still spilling down my cheeks, but I didn't move.

"Maddy!" A familiar voice called from the back of the gym.

My head snapped around, heart leaping into my throat. Emily was helping Brayden, who was limping but alive. Relief flooded through me as I scrambled to my feet and ran toward them.

"You guys are okay!" I gasped, throwing my arms around them both, my body shaking with the intensity of my emotions.

"What happened?" Brayden's voice was small, confused.

"I-I don't know," I lied, swallowing back the rising guilt. "Everything... it all happened so fast."

"Where's Alex? And Brad?" Emily asked, her voice laced with panic.

Brad. My heart sank. I had completely forgotten about him in the chaos.

"I—" I shook my head, my voice failing me. "I don't know. Alex... he was with me, and then... I think he fell into the hole."

Brayden's eyes widened with horror. "Is there any way we can get down there? Maybe we can help him."

I shook my head, my throat tightening. "No. It's just a giant hole in the floor. There's nothing we can do."

"Are people dead?" Brayden's voice was barely a whisper.

I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes. Instead, I stared at the ground and nodded.

Emily tugged on Brayden's arm, her voice thick with urgency. "We need to get out of here. Now. The building's not safe."

Brayden winced as he tried to stand taller, clearly still in pain, but determined. "What about Alex? Brad?"