Chaos Theory
Act 1: Bang (October 13th, 2011)
Bang!
The slam of the door makes you flinch. The sound is too sharp, too sudden, and it drags you back into a memory you’ve never escaped.
[Flashback — February 14th, 1996 | Age 6]
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Bang!
The gunshot cracked through the building, echoing like thunder. Your small legs stumbled as you ran, nearly tripping in your panic. The air reeked of smoke and gunpowder, your lungs burning as you forced yourself forward. Behind you, boots pounded steadily, closing in. You didn’t dare look back. You knew if you slowed, you wouldn’t survive.
Act 2: Confusion (October 13th, 2011)
"I'm sorry, kid, but you’re not on the list?" Roxie frowned, scanning the clipboard.
You forced a smile. "Oh, I get it—you must not have been updated. If you checked again, you’d see my name." The lie slid out smooth, though your pulse betrayed you.
[Flashback — July 9th, 1998 | Age 8]
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Confusion
Why you? Why always you?
You curled in the corner, knees to your chest, trying to vanish into the shadows. The monster’s presence filled the room, every creak of the floorboards making your heart leap. Others laughed and played outside, but you carried silence like a chain. You whispered to yourself that tomorrow would be different. But tomorrow never was.
Act 3: Screams (October 20th, 2011)
The night split with screams as you and the others—Ben, Darius, Kenji, Brooklyn, Yaz, and Sammy—ran from the carnotaurus. Its roars shook the ground, its teeth snapping just out of reach. Every step was survival, every breath fire in your chest.
[Flashback — December 3rd, 2000 | Age 10]
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Screams
The whip cracked before it struck, and pain seared across your back. A scream tore from your throat, raw and unrestrained. You collapsed, clawing at the dirt, but the lash came again, and again, until your voice broke. You wanted to vanish, but you endured. The echoes of your own screams lingered long after the pain dulled.
Act 4: Agony (May 7th, 2011)
Your heart split when the news came—Brooklyn was gone. One of the few anchors in your life, ripped away without warning. The world tilted, and you felt yourself unraveling.
[Flashback — April 21st, 2002 | Age 12]
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Agony
The bullet tore through your Achilles heel, and you collapsed. Agony flared, sharp and unrelenting, but instinct screamed at you to crawl. Inch by inch, you dragged yourself forward, blood pooling beneath you. Every pull was a battle, every breath a war. You cried out, but you refused to stop.
Act 5: Denial (May 8th, 2011)
Your mind refused to accept it. Another death. Another person you let close, gone. You sat in silence, staring at nothing, your body numb while your heart screamed.
[Flashback — August 30th, 2004 | Age 14]
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Denial
You sat frozen as your father dragged the blade across your brother’s throat. The world slowed—the glint of steel, the widening of his eyes, the breath that stopped. You whispered it wasn’t real, that if you closed your eyes, he’d still be alive. But silence answered you, and nothing changed.
Act 6: The Choice (November 13th, 2011)
"Who do we get next? Vera, Sammy, Kenji, Yaz? Who, Darius!?" Ben’s voice cracked, panic lacing every word. The weight of the decision pressed down on all of you, heavy and suffocating. One wrong choice could mean another friend lost forever.
The silence that followed was unbearable.