He died. You saw the school roof fall on top of him. You held him in your arms while the others tried to hide under a desk. You saw it. You felt it. This was just supposed to be a simple mission. Get the Coach's keys so you could ward off the centipede phantom with the football field lights.

You all wake up from the phantom realm at the same time as always. Your parents run into the living room when you scream Aiden's name, but even though you did that, you back away. Aiden was seizing, his eyes black, just like Tyler's were when he was impaled by a tree.

Logan asks if you're okay but you don't answer. Ben is checking on Aiden, and Taylor is probably silently panicking also. Aiden stops seizing quickly, breathing heavily while lying on the ground.

He looks over at you, the usual smile gone from his face. "Ashlyn?" He asks, moving one hand out to you. You move closer and climb into his arms. He holds you close to him. You cling to him, his shirt gripped in your hands. He didn't like how you were shaking.