The air felt different—dense, charged, alive. A storm was coming. Jas could smell it in the wind, feel it in the pressure shifting around them. The dark clouds crept in from the west, swallowing the last streaks of daylight.
Then, just as they braced for the first crash of thunder, the power surged.
Jas's phone buzzed, vibrating against the table. An unknown number. A message. They hesitated before opening it.
"The end begins when you stop looking up."
No sender name. No explanation. Just those words.
Before Jas could type a response, the screen flickered and went dark. The overhead lights sputtered, dimmed, then steadied. The storm hadn’t even begun, but something was already shifting.
Trying to shake off the unease, Jas turned to their bookshelf. Their fingers traced along the spines, seeking distraction. But then—something they didn’t remember owning.
A book. Dusty, thick, wedged between two others like it had been waiting for them.
Vanished: Chronicles of the Billionaires’ Exodus.
Jas pulled it free, heart pounding. The cover was weathered, the title embossed in gold. Flipping it open, they skimmed the first few lines. Their breath caught.
Names. Dates. Events that hadn’t happened yet—or had, but in ways the world was never told.
The billionaire class. Their quiet disappearances. Their hidden exit strategy.
Jas turned the page.
Then another.
And another.
And then—
The lights cut out.
Total darkness.
The storm had begun.
To be continued...