The Death Notice Arrived Before 7:55

Mom offered to go back for Molly, but Molly waved her off, saying it was only a two-minute walk and she’d be back in no time.

I watched my sister hurry toward the house, feeling strangely uneasy.

Just then, Mom, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at me.

“Kelly, double-check your things too. You don’t want to get to the testing center and realize you’ve forgotten something.”

I looked away and checked my exam essentials once more.

My admission ticket, ID card, calculator...

Five minutes passed.

Dad tapped his fingers rhythmically against the steering wheel.

Mom lowered the window and peered toward the house.

Ten minutes passed.

It only took two minutes to walk home from where we had parked.

Molly still hadn’t returned.

Mom could no longer sit still and pushed the passenger door open.

“I’m going home to check. Maybe Molly couldn’t find her admission ticket.”

I glanced at the time on the dashboard.

6:41 a.m.

A sentence suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Tomorrow at 6:30 a.m., when we leave for the testing center, my sister will disappear.”

Just then, Mom came running back in a panic.

“Molly hasn’t come back?”

She looked into the car, her expression growing increasingly frantic.

“No one was home. I searched around the house again, but I still couldn’t find her.”

My hand trembled as I held the document envelope, and I got out of the car with Dad. “It was only a short walk. How could she have disappeared?”

“Did you call her? Try calling Molly first.”

When we called, her phone began ringing inside the car.

Molly hadn’t taken her phone with her.

Mom was frantic and wanted to go back and search again.

Dad grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“Kelly still needs to get to the testing center. She can’t afford to be late. Take her there by taxi first.

“Once I find Molly, we’ll go straight to the testing center.”

Only then did Mom turn to look at me, hesitation flickering across her face.

In the end, as if she had made up her mind, she nodded.

“Fine. Call me the moment you find Molly.”

I hurriedly gathered my things, my mind in turmoil.

The moment I got into the taxi, my phone vibrated again.

[Traffic jam. You're in the car. Your father doesn't. Dead.]

I sat bolt upright, my palms beginning to sweat.

I instinctively looked out the window.

The scenery outside drifted steadily past, though the car occasionally came to a stop at red lights.

Who was playing this prank?

Or...

Could these messages really predict the future?

“Mom, look...”

I held my phone out for her to see.

She frowned as she glanced at the screen, and anger quickly spread across her face.

“Kelly, this is no time for jokes. Don’t you know you’re about to take a very important test?

“And your sister is still missing. Why are you showing me this now? What are you trying to pull?”

I hurried to explain, wanting Mom to look at the previous message—the one that had predicted Molly’s disappearance.

But this time, Mom slapped my hand away.

“Show me another message like that, and I’ll take your phone away right now.”