Chapter 2The Midnight Knock

In the previous timeline, David and I opened the door immediately.

We helped them carry the gasping old man into our backseat.

Rick and his wife, Karen, sat in the back, screaming at us to drive faster.

David ran two red lights. Then, at the third intersection... crash.

We sideswiped another car.

It was minor. Just a fender bender. No one was hurt.

But that little bump was the beginning of the end.

By the time we got to the hospital, the old man was gone.

Rick and Karen’s faces changed instantly.

They screamed in the hospital lobby, calling us criminals.

They claimed our reckless driving caused the "accident" that took the old man out.

They said his head hit the seat frame during the collision.

And sure enough, there was a wound on the back of his head.

Before we could defend ourselves, the driver of the other car jumped in.

"I saw it! They sped up when they saw me! They hit me on purpose!"

"You knew you had a sick passenger and you still drove like maniacs? You monsters!"

There were no traffic cameras on that specific stretch of road.

The man passed away in our car. We had to take the fall.

We paid the settlement they demanded. We emptied our savings.

But it wasn't enough.

They stood outside our office building with banners and the old man’s medical records.

They claimed he was recovering. That he would have lived if not for us.

They said the old man was the pillar of their family.

Now their kids were too traumatized to go to school.

They painted us as heartless villains.

They forced us to pay for their living expenses. Their kids' tuition. Everything.

They were a black hole.

When we ran out of money, they didn't stop.

One night, they spiked our drinks, stole our IDs, and took out massive loans in our names.

We were drowning in debt.

I will never forget the day the loan sharks came. Rick stood there, eating sunflower seeds, cheering them on.

"These two are garbage!" he shouted.

"Get 'em! They deserve it!"

"Do society a favor!"

"Hey, take it easy on the woman, though. She’s got a nice figure. You guys could have some fun with her."

"Just let me watch."

David and I didn't make it. We were beaten until everything went black.

Even after we were gone, they didn't stop.

They livestreamed lies about us, inciting strangers to desecrate our graves.

But fate gave me a second chance. I woke up on the day the nightmare began.