Ryan couldn't get Demo's words out of his head.
"In every timeline, the person who can see the timers says the same thing."
Even if the world ends… I still want to save the people in front of me.
Ryan stood in the school corridor, looking through the glass window into the classroom where Skye was sitting and talking to the girl who now had 4 days left to live.
Her name was Lena Hart.
Average student. Quiet. Loved art. Sat near the window every day.
A normal person.
A normal life.
And now a red timer was slowly counting down above her head because she was connected to Skye.
"That's not fair," Ryan whispered.
Shaan stood beside him. "Nothing about this is fair."
Ryan turned to him. "We're saving her."
Shaan nodded. "Yeah. We are."
Demo stood on the other side, arms crossed. "Then do it carefully. If you interfere too early, the timer will shorten. If you interfere too late, she disappears."
Ryan took a deep breath.
"Then we do what worked with Arjun," Ryan said. "We find the exact moment of fate… and interfere at the last second."
Demo nodded slowly. "That's the only way."
For the next three days, Ryan and Shaan followed Lena from a distance.
They learned her routine.
School → Bus → Art class → Walk home → Dinner → Homework → Sleep.
Normal life.
No obvious danger.
"This is the problem," Shaan said on the second day. "The dangerous moment is always something random."
Ryan nodded. "Truck. Peanut allergy. Falling branch. It can be anything."
On the third day, Lena's timer showed:
00:18:44
"Today is the day," Ryan said quietly.
They followed her after school again.
She went to her art class like usual. Stayed there for two hours. Then left around sunset and started walking home.
Ryan and Shaan followed from across the street.
Timer:
00:09:12
"Stay close," Ryan said.
Lena stopped at a small shop and bought some snacks.
Timer:
00:06:03
Nothing unusual.
She kept walking.
Timer:
00:04:21
Ryan's heart started beating faster.
"Be ready," he said.
They turned onto a quieter street with fewer people.
Street lights. Parked cars. A few pedestrians.
Timer:
00:02:10
Ryan looked everywhere.
Windows. Balconies. Cars. Road. Electric wires. Dogs. Bikes.
Anything could be the cause.
Timer:
00:01:12
Then Ryan noticed something.
A man on a motorcycle at the end of the street.
He was not moving.
Just sitting there.
Watching the road.
Watching Lena.
Ryan felt a bad feeling.
"…Shaan," he whispered. "That bike."
Shaan looked. "Yeah. I see him."
The motorcycle engine started.
Timer:
00:00:40
The bike started moving slowly toward Lena.
Timer:
00:00:28
Ryan's body tensed.
"Something's wrong," he said.
Timer:
00:00:15
The bike suddenly accelerated.
Straight toward Lena.
Timer:
00:00:08
Ryan ran.
"Shaan, NOW!"
Timer:
00:00:05
Ryan grabbed Lena and pulled her hard toward the sidewalk.
The motorcycle passed right where she had been walking.
The rider didn't stop.
He didn't shout.
He didn't even look back.
He just kept driving and disappeared at the end of the road.
Timer:
00:00:00
Ryan looked up immediately.
The red timer above Lena's head flickered.
Then disappeared.
Ryan let out a long breath.
"…We did it," he said.
Lena looked confused and scared. "What is wrong with you people?! Why do you keep grabbing me and pulling me around?!"
Shaan laughed a little. "Long story. Very long story."
Ryan was still looking at the road where the motorcycle had disappeared.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"That wasn't random," Ryan said quietly.
Shaan looked at him. "Yeah… that guy was waiting."
Ryan nodded slowly.
"That was not an accident," Ryan said.
Demo's words echoed in his mind:
"When people get connected to fixed deaths, the system pulls them in."
Ryan felt a cold chill.
"…I don't think that was fate," Ryan said.
Shaan frowned. "Then what was it?"
Ryan spoke very quietly.
"I think… someone is making sure the timers reach zero."
Shaan's expression changed.
"You mean… a person?" he asked.
Ryan looked at him.
"I don't know," Ryan said. "But that motorcycle… that didn't feel like an accident."
That night, Ryan couldn't sleep again.
Because if someone was controlling the disappearances…
Then this wasn't just a supernatural phenomenon.
It was a system.
And if it was a system…
Then somewhere…
There was someone controlling the countdown.