Kate POV:
“Kate, have you heard? Rina passed away.”
I stared at Daniella, unable to process what she had just said.
“What? How?”
“No one knows what happened except her family. If you want, you can come with us tomorrow. We’re going to visit her at the wake.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
I didn't hesitate. The next day, I went with Daniella and our other friends to Rina's wake.
But the moment I arrived, I froze.
My mother was there too.
I slowly approached Rina's coffin. My hands trembled as I looked at her peaceful face. Tears immediately filled my eyes.
“How did this happen?” I whispered. “It feels like we were just talking yesterday…”
I remembered our last conversation. Everything had seemed completely normal.
I couldn't stop crying.
Daniella noticed me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Kate, are you okay? Were you really that close to Rina?”
“Yes,” I answered through my tears. “She was one of my closest friends. Just yesterday, Raymond was the one we lost… and now Rina too.”
Daniella hugged me.
“Please stop crying. Today is the last day of her wake. They're going to take her to the cemetery soon. We need to prepare.”
I nodded.
A few minutes later, the coffin was carried outside and placed inside the funeral van. Everyone began walking behind it for the final procession.
My mother called out to us.
“Kate, Daniella! Come on.”
“Yes, Mom.”
As we walked under the scorching sun, Daniella wiped her forehead.
“Kate, it's so hot. Didn't you bring an umbrella?”
“Oh! I did!”
I searched through my things.
“Wait… where is it?”
Then I remembered.
“Oh no. I left it inside. I remember looking at Rina's face before I sat down. I'll just get it.”
“Don't, honey,” my mother warned.
But it was already too late.
I had turned around.
I looked back at the building where Rina's wake had been held.
Daniella's face suddenly became pale.
“Kate…”
I stopped.
“Don't turn around,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Don't turn around or go back while you're walking with a dead person's body.”
My heart began pounding.
But I had already started walking back.
I reached the building.
The door was closed.
Slowly, I pushed it open.
Creeeeak…
My blood ran cold.
The room was empty.
The chairs were gone.
The candles were gone.
The flowers were gone.
Even the table where Rina's coffin had been placed was gone.
It looked as though nobody had ever held a wake there.
“What…?”
I stepped farther inside.
“How is this possible? They didn't take any of this out…”
Then I heard my mother's voice from outside.
“Kate! Kate! Come out! We have to go!”
“Mom… they're gone.”
“What is?”
“The things inside. Everything from Rina's wake.”
My mother didn't answer.
Instead, she said quietly,
“Kate… come outside. Now.”
I stepped out.
“Mom, where's Daniella? And everyone else?”
My mother's face went pale.
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I looked back when you turned around. I followed you… but everyone else was suddenly gone.”
My stomach dropped.
“We need to catch up with them,” I said.
My mother grabbed my hand.
We walked toward the gate.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
The gate was right in front of us.
But somehow, we never reached it.
“Mom…”
“Yes?”
“I'm scared.”
She stopped.
“Why are we still here? We've been walking toward that gate for so long.”
My mother stared at the gate.
Then she whispered,
“Kate… when I count to ten, we're going to run.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me.”
She tightened her grip around my hand.
“One…”
I waited.
“Two…”
She suddenly pulled me forward.
We ran.
I could barely keep up.
“Mom! You said we'd run after ten!”
“I know!”
“Then why did you start before—”
She stopped suddenly.
I almost crashed into her.
She was staring behind us.
“What is it?”
Her voice trembled.
“I’m sorry, Kate.”
“For what?”
“That was the only way I could think of to trick whatever is playing with us.”
My breathing stopped.
“What… whatever?”
She didn't answer.
We continued walking.
Then I noticed something.
The gate was getting farther away.
No matter how long we walked, it never got closer.
And then…
I heard footsteps behind us.
Step.
My mother stopped.
Step.
I stopped too.
Step.
Someone was walking behind us.
I slowly looked at my mother.
“Mom…”
“Don't look back.”
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Then a familiar voice whispered from behind us.
“Kate…”
My heart nearly stopped.
It was Daniella.
“Kate… wait for me.”
I almost turned around.
But my mother squeezed my hand.
“Don't.”
The voice came closer.
“Kate…”
Then another voice spoke.
This time, it was Rina.
“Kate…”
My entire body went cold.
I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
Rina's voice sounded exactly like it had the day before.
“Kate… you forgot your umbrella.”
My eyes widened.
The umbrella.
The reason I had gone back.
Then my mother whispered something that made my blood run cold.
“Kate… you never brought an umbrella with you today.”
I looked down.
My hand was holding something.
An umbrella.
But I didn't remember picking it up.
And tied around its handle was a small white ribbon.
The same ribbon that had been placed on Rina's coffin.
Then, from behind us, I heard Rina whisper:
“Why did you come back for me?”
I felt my mother's hand trembling.
And then the gate in front of us suddenly disappeared.
There was only a long, empty road.
My mother looked at me.
“Kate…”
“What?”
“Whatever happens…”
She swallowed hard.
“Don't answer if they call your name.”
Behind us, dozens of voices suddenly whispered together.
“Kate…”
“Kate…”
“Kate…”
And one voice sounded exactly like my own.
“Mom… I'm scared.”
My mother looked at me in horror.
Because I hadn't said anything.
The voice behind us laughed.
Then the gate appeared again.
But this time, someone was standing beside it.
It was Rina.
She was smiling.
And she was holding the same umbrella I had in my hand.
Then she whispered:
“Don't turn back when someone says goodbye.”
