“Of course you do,” he said finally. “Of course you want to help me, but… don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want your help.”

Something changed in Sean then. Something resolute and restrained took over his presence. In other words, it didn’t feel like he actually meant what he was saying.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you pushing me away because you want to protect me from something? Or are you too proud to admit that you really need help?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” This time it was Sean who raised his voice.

My eyes narrowed. “Get what?”

“The numbers,” he said. Then he laughed. “They’ve stopped.”

I wanted to congratulate him, but he didn’t look all that happy about it. 

“Um, isn’t that a good thing?”

Sean looked down at his cell. “They’ve stopped because they’re over now. Done.” For a moment, he hesitated before saying, “Zero six, zero eight, eight twenty-five. It’s a date and time. I didn’t realize it until it was happening.”

No.

The words left my mouth before I even realized it.

No. No. He couldn’t have predicted that man’s death –

“Yes. It’s June – zero six.”

 It happened on the eighth…

Sean kept up with my thinking. “The time was 8:25 AM. It’s too perfect, Aqua.”

I braced my hands on my knees and leaned on them. 

God, I’m going to be sick.

“How could you know that?”

Sean ignored my question and said, “Now do you still want to see the video? Don’t you want to see exactly what the mall was counting down to?”

He held out the phone right under my nose.

All I could focus on was catching my breath. I didn’t even want to look at that thing. 

“No? That’s fine.” He took it back. “I’ll just tell you.”

I shook my head and tried to stand up straight once more. I think I understood now why Sean was trying to push me away earlier, but I couldn’t chicken out now. I told him that I would be there to talk if he needed it. As raw as he was in this moment, Sean was being more forthcoming with me than he had been in the past.

“The guy had a bad heart. That much was true. He collapsed, but I don’t think it was from a full blown heart attack. Because when I got to him, he was still… anyway.” He shook the memory from his head. 

When Sean looked at me again, his green eyes seemed to burn with an even greener fire.

“The mall took advantage of an opportunity. I don’t think that man was going to die. I think the mall just took what it wanted and killed him.”

Was I hearing him correctly? The mall did what now?

Sean scanned our surroundings and said as casually as ever, “Offerings take place around the mall at all hours of the day. The trash receptacles just hide it. The mall takes what it wants. For food. Or if it needs the energy.”

Okay. Enough of this.

I walked past Sean, taking his phone in the process. If he was going to stop making sense, then I would figure this out on my own. Regardless of how sarcastic he had been, he had technically given me permission to watch the video.  

Sean didn’t stop me from finding the answers myself. If anything, he seemed relaxed. As if all the cards were on the table now and there was no going back.

I smashed play on the phone. What struck me right away was the roughness of Sean’s breathing over the playback.

He was repeating the numbers, sounding crazy and desperate.

“0 6, 0 8, 8 25. Christ. It’s happening. It’s almost there.”

The frame quivered. My heart thrummed in my chest as I watched the time 8:23 stamp stuttering in the top right corner of the screen while Sean approached the collapsed individual. 

The man groaned.

I nearly dropped the phone. On the playback, Sean actually dropped his phone. It landed in a way that let it still record, though not everything was in the frame. I could only see Sean from the neck down as he scrambled to help the man. He flipped him over, making it possible for the camera to record his features.

Then that’s when I noticed the stuff trailing from the victim’s face down to the creases in the floor tiles.

“Stop! He didn’t do anything!” Sean hissed at no one in particular. “No. Let him go. NO!” 

Webbing of glowing silk formed a net from the floor and attached to the old man’s chest. Blood broke out along his mouth with a little splurt. His eyes were unfocused, his head lolled as Sean tried to protect his heart from being ripped out. But it happened. The glowing net won. It enveloped the poor man’s heart like a caught fish and dragged it down between the speckled tiles. 

By this time, the time stamp on the recording read 8:25.

Crumpled in Sean’s arms, now the man was truly gone. Sean’s face was out of frame, but I could see his body shaking from shock. 

The leftover blood was not as much as you would think. It was as if the heart had been strained from the body like you would wring water out from a towel. I closed the phone. 

Sean gently removed the phone from my hands. “They are not your friends, Aqua.”

His voice felt far away. I looked up from my hand where his phone had been until our gazes connected.

“The orcas,” he emphasized. “I know that’s why you’re here. The numbers didn’t start until Pacifico bought out this space. I’ve had enough time to put the pieces together.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I don’t care about the stupid orcas, Sean. I just wanted to find you.”

Because you’re the one I care about.

I had no idea when it happened, but there were tears running down my face. Not only was I scared, but now I felt dumb for crying over a boy. I had just witnessed a paranormal phenomenon grate a man’s heart out from his chest like it was a block of cheese, yet I cared more about the boy I liked being here with me in the flesh.

I used my sleeve to wipe my face. This wasn’t how I wanted Sean to see me.

“I’m sorry. I… I won’t tell anyone about the video. I don’t think the paranormal crew plan on it either.”

Sean was silent for a moment. Once again, I had no idea what he was thinking. 

“You did find me, Aqua.” 

The response was a little delayed, but I appreciated him saying that. 

Then softer, he added, “I’d still be lost if you hadn’t.”

Part of me wondered if I was really supposed to hear that. Didn’t he say earlier that he was already back to work?

Before I could ask about it, He said, “I don’t know why the ghosts are talking to you. But I really think you should stay away from them. And… stay away from me.”