Blood Moon Diner.

First Call

Marcus lets out a short laugh, the kind that tries to make things feel normal. “Alright, what do I do?” he asks, leaning back like this is still light, still easy. Amia looks at the paper, then at him. “You’re The Lover,” she says. “So prove it.” “Prove it how?” Marcus asks. “That’s up to you,” she replies. Lila crosses her arms, watching him closely. “Should be easy, right?” He glances at her, then away. “Yeah. Easy.” But he doesn’t move. The room feels tighter now. Not quiet, just… focused. Like everyone is waiting for something more than just a joke. “Come on,” Kunle says. “Do something. Confess your undying love or something.” “Relax,” Marcus mutters. “I got this.” He stands up slowly, brushing his hands against his jeans. His eyes flick around the room, avoiding Lila for a second before landing back on her. “You know I care about you,” he says. It sounds right. It sounds practiced. Lila doesn’t react. “That’s it?” Amia says. “That’s your big moment?” Marcus frowns. “What do you want me to do?” “Mean it,” Fola says quietly. Marcus exhales. “I do mean it.” The lights flicker. This time no one laughs. Marcus pauses. “Okay, that’s getting old,” he says, forcing a smile. Then his expression shifts. His hand moves to his throat. At first, it looks small. Like he’s just clearing it. “You good?” Dami asks, already stepping forward. Marcus nods, but the motion is stiff. “Yeah… just…” His voice tightens. His fingers press harder against his neck. “Marcus?” Lila says, her tone changing now. He tries to speak again, but the words don’t come out right. His breath catches. Not sharp, not loud. Just wrong. Dami moves faster now, reaching him. “Hey, look at me,” he says. “Breathe.” Marcus shakes his head slightly, eyes wide. His other hand grips the edge of the table. The room goes still. No music. No movement. Just the sound of uneven breathing. “This isn’t funny,” Lila says, stepping closer. “Stop playing.” Marcus looks at her, really looks this time. There’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before. Fear. Real fear. Then his body jerks slightly. The table rattles. A glass tips over and spills, unnoticed. “Okay, no,” Dami says quickly. “Everyone back up. Give him space.” No one moves. They can’t. It’s like the room has locked them in place. Marcus gasps, a sharp, broken sound. His grip tightens on the table, then slips. For a second, it looks like he’s going to fall. Then suddenly, just as quickly as it started, it stops. He inhales hard. Deep. Loud. Air rushes back into him like it was never gone. Dami steadies him. “Hey. Hey, you’re good. You’re good.” Marcus blinks, disoriented. His hands drop from his throat. “I… I’m fine,” he says, though his voice is shaky. Too shaky. Lila stares at him. “What was that?” He shakes his head. “I don’t know.” No one speaks for a moment. The silence feels heavier now. Not awkward. Not uncertain. Just heavy. Amia looks at the paper again, her confidence flickering for the first time. “Okay… that was weird,” she says. “But it’s still just…” Her voice trails off. Because it doesn’t sound convincing anymore. Simy lowers her phone slightly. For once, she’s not recording. Kunle doesn’t joke. Fola watches, expression unreadable. Jonah finally shifts in his seat, just slightly. “It started,” he says quietly. Elara’s eyes snap to him. “What?” He doesn’t look at her. “You shouldn’t have played.” Across the room, Michel hasn’t moved. His gaze is fixed on the paper. “That wasn’t random,” he says. Dami looks at him. “What do you mean?” Michel lifts his eyes slowly. Calm. Certain. “It responded.” The words settle into the room like something alive. No one laughs. No one argues. Because deep down, they all felt it. This wasn’t part of the plan. This wasn’t something they controlled. Marcus exhales again, slower now, but his hands are still shaking. Lila reaches for him, hesitant this time. “We’re stopping this,” she says. It sounds like a decision. It doesn’t feel like one. Amia looks at the paper again. Just for a second. Then she looks away. Like it might be looking back. The room holds still. Waiting.