"Alright, it's about time. Femi Foster should be calling soon." To save battery, Jack Young and Femi Foster agreed on a daily phone call to exchange updates. The rest of the time, Jack kept his phone in his storage space. Thanks to the freshness-preserving storage, Femi Foster's phone had achieved the legendary feat of seven days of standby power.
"Hey Jack, I've got three pieces of good news for you."
This girl is awesome—she starts off with good news, and not just one, but three: "What good news?"
"First, I found that mortician—Mr. Graves. He's in the city right now, working on the far side of town."
Feeling awkward and a bit sorry, Julie stood up: "Uh, I think I'll take your advice and get some sleep." She hurried off, her steps betraying her nervousness.
"Second, I finally tracked down the old man Cool B saved. Turns out, he's the CEO of a big company, so after he got hurt, he had private medical care. No wonder we couldn't find any info on him at the hospital—it took forever to get a lead. The old guy just recovered, and he's alive and kicking."
"Oh! That really is good news. What's the third one?"
"Third, I've smoothed out all the connections. You can come out anytime and move around freely—no cops will be chasing you. But, do you actually want to come out, or are you enjoying your stay in the little black room and thinking of extending your vacation?"
Logically, Jack Young should keep hiding out in the little black room until he returns to the real world. That way, he'd be safe, Death wouldn't be able to find him, and everyone else would be out of danger too. But lately, his increasingly sharp intuition told him things wouldn't be that simple. Plus, the growing gloom and oppressive atmosphere all around made it impossible to sense when he'd be able to return.
Kevin looked at Wendy, feeling a pang of concern. He gently touched her cheek, and Wendy didn't pull away. Kevin spoke softly: "Hey, you've lost a lot of weight lately. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're a medium, but even mediums can't do everything. Signs of danger don't just show up because you want them to. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."
Noticing Wendy’s mindset was slipping, Kevin quickly tried to reassure her. "Wendy, that's not true. Even if we were supposed to die back then, it just means every day we have now is precious. We should cherish life even more. You're just exhausted—go get some rest. Remember, no matter how bad things get, I'll always be here for you."
Feeling awkward and a bit sorry, Julie stood up. "Uh, I think I'll take your advice and get some sleep." She hurried off, her steps betraying her nervousness.
"Mr. Graves, the Black mortician?" Kevin flipped through the papers. Sure enough, they were all about Mr. Graves. Glancing in the direction Wendy had gone, Kevin clenched his teeth and whispered to himself, "I won't let you live in fear forever."
Cool B grumbled loudly, "Whatever, suit yourself!" Then, with a dramatic sigh, he made up his mind: "Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks—there's only one way Cool B is going to die, and that's in a woman's arms!"
Half an hour later, he arrived at the entrance of a shop radiating a flirty vibe. Cool B strutted in, grinning from ear to ear. "Now this—this is Cool B's kind of world!"