7:00 PM.Three left.Jared. Maria. Kevin—though Kevin hadn't spoken a word since Alya vanished.
Tonight… no one lit the candle.
It lit itself.
Red.Like fresh blood.
Maria stared at it, whispering to herself."No. No no no. This wasn't in the rules. The rules said we had to light it."
Jared stood up. "What rules, Maria? There are no rules. There never were."
Kevin looked up—first time in days.His eyes were clear. Calm.Too calm.
"I remember now," he said.
They both turned to him.
"What?" Jared snapped. "Remember what?"
Kevin smiled.
"The game. We played it before."
Maria's face went pale."No. No, that's not possible. I'd remember—"
"You died first last time," Kevin interrupted.
The candle flared.The lights exploded.Screaming. Shattering. Smoke.
When it cleared…
Two people were left.
But this time, it wasn't just the candle burning.The wall behind them now had a message—scrawled in black soot:
"This is your second chance."