Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The pain had been so real that you could no longer doubt the reality of Death Return. And so, you began to think through a few questions.

First: who had killed you? Your father, your mother, or someone else?

Second: why would anyone want to kill you?

Third: what was going on with Death Return and all these bizarre events?

And last, the most important question of all: what should you do now?

You had nowhere to even begin with the first few questions, so you had no choice but to start with the last one and think of a way to respond.

First, you called out to That Voice in your mind. When that yielded nothing, you decided to follow its advice: keep pretending to be blind and stay still for now.

You spent a few minutes getting your expression under control, then picked up the white cane beside you, preparing to leave before your parents came home.

Step by careful step, you made your way to the door, ready to peer through the peephole and check the situation outside.

The living room was deathly quiet. The only sound was the ticking of the second hand-thump, thump, thump-each beat striking against your heart.

You held your breath. In the oppressive silence, your heartbeat quickened despite yourself.

Your eye slowly drew closer to the peephole. You even swallowed unconsciously.

Through that tiny opening, you saw two blank-faced people standing at the door like wooden dolls.

They were your parents.

You kept your composure, only to see the man outside suddenly move. His mouth stretched open into an eerie grin.

The next instant, an eye abruptly appeared against the peephole, staring back at you from the other side of the door!

You jolted in fright. It felt as if your heart had stopped for a moment.

In that instant, courage came from nowhere. You straightened up and opened the door.

Outside, your parents stood there in utter silence, as if they had never moved at all.

You tapped ahead with your cane and pretended not to see them.

But behind you, where you could not see, they stiffly turned their heads inch by inch, their gazes fixed straight on you.

Your hand found the stair railing, and for some reason, relief washed through you. At last, you thought, you could go downstairs.

But in the next moment, you felt a sudden, powerful shove from behind.

You tumbled straight down the stairs. Before you could even feel the pain, your vision went black, and you lost consciousness.

…

Time: 5:45 p.m.

You let out a long breath to ease the terror. This time, you did not linger. You decided to head straight for the door.

After finding that eye in the peephole once more, something flashed through your mind. In the end, you opened the door anyway.

…

Time: 5:45 p.m.

You opened your eyes thoughtfully. After dying twice in a row, you had realized something.

Through the window, your gaze drifted toward the boundless dusk.

“Don’t tell them you can see.” That Voice rang out again, unhurried and faint.

These were your third and fourth deaths.