Chapter 4Three Days to Stay Human

My fingers trembled as I typed a reply. What do you mean? What monsters are you talking about?

The reply came almost instantly. If you're asking, you already know. If you don't trust me, ignore this.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I trust you. Please. The world has gone mad. I need to know what's happening before I lose my mind.

The user sent a coordinates link to an address in a neighboring state, then went completely offline.

The next morning, I packed my bag with trembling hands. "Polly, my mom just called. There's an emergency at home, I have to take the first train back," I lied. "I'll Venmo you for my half of the hotel."

I fled to the train station. Outside the terminal, my Uber driver finished his cigarette, casually unbuttoned his shirt, pulled his lungs out of his chest cavity, and shook them out to clear the soot before stuffing them back in. I swallowed my vomit, kept my face completely blank, and got into the passenger seat.

At the station, I saw the pajama-clad woman from the hotel. Had she escaped? I felt a surge of hope and took a step toward her. But before I could speak, she paused, reached into her eye sockets, pulled out both eyeballs, wiped them on her sleeve, and popped them back in.

The man from the elevator walked up, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Honey, thank god. You're finally back to normal."

She smiled, looking slightly dazed. "Did something happen? I feel fine."

She had been "corrected." Her memories of the truth were wiped. She was one of them now.

I backed away, my blood turning to ice. I couldn't let anyone know. Not my parents, who had texted me earlier saying, Your heart has been acting up, Mandy. Make sure you take it out and check the valves tonight. Not my boyfriend. No one.

I arrived at the coordinates. It was a run-down diner in a quiet town. A man was sitting in the corner booth, wearing a heavy trench coat and a low-brimmed hat despite the warmth. His voice was a dry, exhausted rasp.

"Are you BlueJay99?"

I nodded, sliding into the booth. "I'm Mandy. Please, you have to tell me. What is happening to everyone?"

He looked at me, his eyes hollowed out by a deep, eternal fatigue.

"In forty-eight hours," he whispered, "you're going to become one of them, too."