It was dark. Sterling was breathing hard. The voice had just stopped. He had just said "no" to it but he couldn't help but wonder...Would he end up regretting it?

"Dad?" He said. his dad didn't answer. Now, the realization of the truth came like a brand-new wave. His dad was gone. Sterling will never be able to hear his voice again...or see his smile again.

"Dad...please..." he pleaded, Though he knew it was no good. there was no point. "Please dad, Don't go." 

"HELLO? ANYONE THERE?" he shouted at the top of his voice, "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"

No response. He rested his head on the back of the seat and let the tears fall. About five minutes later, he heard movement.

"HELLO?" he shouted again, finally feeling hopeful. Someone came. It was a man with broad shoulders and a handsome, calm face. He touched Sterling<s shoulder. It was not a frantic tug but a grip as unyielding as iron.

"Can you move?" he asked, his voice slow and resonant. "Yes" he said. After a long time, he felt calm.                                                                                   

                                                      ******

Sterling was walking down the hallway of the hospital to his father<s room. Suddenly, he got a text from a friend.

"Check out the news." It said, "Am I hallucinating or is that actually your cousin?"

What NOW? Sterling thought.

Under the text, there was a link. He clicked it.

"Breaking news," Said the reporter, "Famous businessman arrested for committing murder at the bar.

"Sterling slowed to a halt. Sam was about the only man in his collapsing world who seemed stable enough not to even raise his voice, let alone a knife. He looked at the headline underneath.

Samuel Vance. Arrested. Fatal altercation. The headline hit him like a blow in the stomach. The grainy photo showed a man who looked like Sam, but with eyes that were hollow and wide and unrecognizable.

"It’s a glitch," Sterling whispered, his grip tightening on the phone until his knuckles turned white. "It has to be a deepfake."

But deep down, he felt that same unnatural chill from the car wreck creeping up his legs. It wasn't just a car crash anymore. His entire world was careening off a cliff, and he was the only one left in the driver's seat.

He was still standing in the hallway like a statue, too numb to move, when suddenly, he felt extreme goosebumps which felt like an electric shock. He looked sideways and locked eyes with a woman, about 2-3 years younger then himself.

She had light brown hair falling down her shoulders, a heart-shaped face and pouty lips but the sadness in her eyes caught him off guard. He recognized her. She was one of his fans. he had once given her an autograph. At that time, she had looked so happy and cheerful but now, her eyes were red and she looked pale. She seemed to recognize him too but something about her told him that he didnt have to hide to avoid paparazzi. For some reason, in the collapsing word of his, she looked like the only one normal.

She gave him an encouraging smile and went on her way in the opposite direction. For some reason, his heart was beating fast and he felt warm all over. He tried to put his phone in his pocket, but dropped it on the floor. As he lowered down to pick it up, he saw something in the case he didn't remember putting there. 

He opened the case and took it out. It was a cream colored card. on the back, there was a message.

5th and main. we know about the voice.

IF SHE HAD SEEN HIM AT HIS WORST, WHY DID SHE NOT PULL OUT A CAMERA? 

WAS THE CARD AN INVITATION TO SALVATION, OR A TRAP BY THE VOICE?