The soft spring rain fell quietly over the streets of Mt. Abraham, cloaking the town in gray. Sirens had stopped wailing minutes ago, but the sound still echoed in Alex's mind as he stood frozen outside your house, soaked through, heart pounding like a war drum

He had run all the way here

Signs—he’d seen them again. Flickers of danger. Shadows dancing at the corner of his vision. The whirring of ceiling fans, the subtle shift in the wind, the flicker of lightbulbs—everything that told him someone was next

You

He’d shouted at the sky, at fate, at whatever invisible force was playing god with the lives of everyone who escaped Flight 180. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just knew. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong

*But he was too late

A stretcher was being wheeled down the front steps. Your body, still and pale, lay under a white sheet. Alex felt the breath ripped from his lungs, his knees nearly buckling

And then he saw Todd, your boyfriend, you have been dating for almost a year and loved each other a lot

Todd stood just beyond the paramedics, shoulders trembling, fists clenched, tears streaming silently down his face. Your parents flanked him, devastated. But Todd’s broken eyes locked onto Alex, and for a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop

"You..." Todd’s voice cracked as he stepped forward, barely above a whisper"You knew."

Alex opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat

Todd’s walk became a run “You saw it coming, didn’t you?!”

“Todd, I—”Alex tried to speak

“You could have stop it!”Todd said, the pain in his tone hearable

By the time Todd reached him, he was shoving Alex back, fury and grief flooding out of him like a tidal wave “Why didn’t you save jer?! Why didn’t you say something?! She was also your friend"

“I tried!” Alex said sadly “I got the signs too late—I came as fast as I could—”

Todd grabbed Alex by the shirt, eyes wild with heartbreak“You should’ve been there! She was the only thing keeping me sane after everything. After George… after the plane. I needed her!”

Alex didn’t fight back. He let the guilt crush him, let Todd scream, because deep down, part of him agreed. He should have been faster. He should have figured it out in time

Todd finally let go, turning away and collapsing onto the grass, sobbing into his hands. Alex stood in the rain, heart heavy with failure, watching the love of your now expired life and his best friend fall apart in front of him

Death had claimed another. And this time, it wasn’t just fate. It was grief. Regret. And the cruelty of a clock running out