Mark's eyes snapped open with a violent gasp. The world exploded back into color—sunlight scorching his retinas, the sting of chlorine thick in the air, screams and laughter blending into an unbearable roar.
He was back in line.
In line for The Vortex.
Jamie stood in front of him, scrolling her phone. Chris argued with Devin about who'd ride first. The others laughed. The air was still thick with summer.
But Mark couldn't breathe.
It was real. Every second of it. The blood. The screams. The exact layout of the park. He could still feel the heat of the explosion under his skin.
He grabbed Jamie's arm.
"We have to leave. Now."
She turned, startled. "Dude—what the hell? You look like you saw a ghost."
"I saw all of us die." His voice trembled. "There's going to be an accident. The rides—they'll break. Water pressure. Fire. Electrical stuff. It's all wrong. We need to leave—now."
Chris laughed behind him. "What, you psychic now?"
"I'm serious!" Mark shouted. People in line turned.
Jamie hesitated. Something in his eyes made her flinch. "You're scaring me."
"Good," he snapped. "Because if we don't get out of here, you're going to die, Jamie. So is Brooke. Devin. Tanya. All of you."
"Okay, let's just take a break." Brooke moved between them. "You're dehydrated or something. You probably dreamed you pooped in the pool and woke up screaming."
Tanya snorted. "Seriously, what is this—some Final Destination meltdown?"
"No," Mark whispered, stepping back, frantic. "It's starting. I swear to God—this whole park is a trap. Come with me. Please."
Jamie hesitated again, but Brooke rolled her eyes. "We came to ride the damn slide, not follow your paranoid breakdown. Go to first aid or something."
Devin patted him on the back. "Drink water, freak."
Mark's hands trembled. "You're all gonna die. You don't understand—"
But it was too late.
The line surged forward.
Brooke and Devin pushed past. Tanya followed with a dismissive wave.
Mark turned to Jamie one last time. "Please."
She stared at him. And then, slowly… she stepped back.
"I'm sorry, Mark," she said, and turned away.
Only Leah stayed behind.
"I believe you," she whispered.
They locked eyes for one second—and then Mark grabbed her hand and ran.
—
Five Minutes Later
Mark and Leah ducked behind the lockers, breathless. Sirens hadn't started yet. The world still looked normal. Too normal. But Mark's eyes were locked on the sky, the structure, the cables, the wet glint of metal above the ride.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Then it happened.
CRACK.
A bolt of electricity sparked from the tower. A panel burst in a shower of flame and light. Screams erupted. Water pressure surged like a geyser.
The Vortex's spine cracked.
Mark watched from a distance—helpless.
Brooke was the first to die. Mid-slide, the tube split like a peeled orange. Her body shot out, slammed into the scaffolding, and vanished in a splash of red mist.
Tanya never made it inside. The gate beneath her blew apart from electrical feedback, flinging her against the metal railing. Her head collided with the concrete edge, and she dropped like a broken puppet.
Devin, already on the slide, was caught in a collapsed segment. The slide folded inward like a serpent devouring itself. His screams echoed down the tube—and then stopped.
Chris made it halfway before the platform beneath him collapsed, sending him falling twenty feet onto rebar. He twitched once, blood pouring from his mouth, before going still.
Jamie… she was trying to help.
Mark screamed her name as she ran toward the tower, calling for help.
And then the final pipe burst.
Boiling steam sprayed from below the structure. Jamie was engulfed in seconds. She screamed—a bone-deep, raw scream—as her skin blistered and her body collapsed.
Mark turned away.
He couldn't look anymore.
—
All around them, panic erupted.
Families fled. Alarms blared. Lifeguards shouted into radios. But the damage was done.
In the distance, Mark saw Leah crying into her notebook, her knuckles white. He fell to his knees beside her, the sirens washing over them.
Four of their friends were dead.
Exactly as he'd seen.
Exactly as Death intended.
But this time… Mark had interfered.
And now, Death would correct its list.