AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries filled the air, creating an inviting atmosphere. They ordered their food—a turkey club for Jake and a Caprese salad for Layla—and settled into conversation.
“Has it been difficult balancing your nighttime job with your paranormal investigations?” Jake inquired, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“Sometimes,” Layla admitted, pushing a cherry tomato around her plate. “But I’ve always been a bit of a night owl, so it works out all right. Plus, my friends are incredibly supportive.”
“Must be nice to have people who understand what you’re going through,” Jake said thoughtfully, wondering if he would ever truly comprehend the depth of her abilities.
“It is,” she replied, her eyes meeting his. “And I know you’ll come to understand it too, in time.”
They continued to chat about life and their shared experiences, the connection between them deepening with each passing moment. The world outside the window seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in their cozy corner of the café.
Their conversation flowed effortlessly, and before they knew it, their plates were empty. The warmth of the sun filtered through the windows, casting a golden glow on Layla’s face.
“Would you like to take a walk by the river?” Jake suggested, eager to spend more time with her. It was good to be outside of their hotbed of paranormal activity, and be able to simply get to know one another without any fear that they would run into any murderous ghosts.
“Sounds lovely,” Layla agreed, her smile brightening her features.
As they strolled along the riverbank, hand in hand, the northern wind began to pick up. Layla stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as a vision took hold of her. She saw Jake in danger, his life hanging in the balance.
“Jake,” she whispered, gripping his hand tightly. “I just had a vision. You’re going to be in danger soon.” She led him over to a park bench near the walkway.
“Thank you for telling me,” he said, his voice steady despite the fear that clenched his heart. “Tell me exactly what you saw, and I’ll know how to protect myself.”
“You’re in danger at the fire station.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his concern evident in his furrowed brow. “That’s the place in this world that I feel the safest.”
“Absolutely. It was so clear—something is going to fall, and you’ll be trapped underneath,” she explained, her eyes filled with fear.
“Okay, Layla. I trust you,” Jake said without hesitation, his tone leaving no room for doubt. Internally, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of doubt—was this vision real, or just a figment of her imagination? But he had witnessed her accuracy before, and he knew he couldn’t risk ignoring her warning.
“Let’s go to the station right now and see if we can figure out what might cause the accident,” he suggested, leading her toward his truck. “Do you have time?”
She glanced at her phone, doing some quick math. “It’s one-thirty. I have to be ready to be on air at six. It’s a half hour each way. So...If we spend less than two hours in Popsville, I’ll be all right. Do you want me to bring my car?”
He shook his head. “No, I still have some shopping to do here. I prefer to get groceries in Stephenville rather than Popsville. They’re expensive everywhere, but I save a lot of money by driving a bit.”
Layla’s fists were clenched as she thought about the vision she’d had. She couldn’t help but wonder if it connected to their little mystery with the ghosts, but she had a feeling this was separate. It was her way of showing him she wasn’t insane, and she really did have strange visions.
They chatted as they drove, but after a few minutes, they were both too tense to keep up a conversation, and they fell silent. Thankfully, he was someone she could be quiet with and not worry about entertaining.
Jake’s pulse raced as he and Layla stepped into the fire station, the unmistakable scent of smoke lingering in the air. He could still hear the faint echoes of her panicked voice from the vision she’d had less than an hour ago—a chilling premonition of danger that awaited him inside.
The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Jake took a deep breath to steady himself, then led Layla through the maze of equipment and lockers that lined the hallways. His colleagues were out on a call, leaving them free to investigate the source of Layla’s warning.
“Where do you think this might happen?” Jake asked, scanning the room for any potential hazards.
“Over there,” Layla whispered, pointing to a tall metal shelf stacked with heavy equipment. “I saw it collapsing onto you.”
“All right,” Jake nodded, moving cautiously toward the shelf. He inspected its base and noticed a small crack forming in one of the metal supports. “Looks like you were right. This thing isn’t stable.”
“Can you fix it?” Layla asked, her voice wavering.
“Let me grab a wrench and I’ll see what I can do,” Jake replied, his calm demeanor offering some comfort to Layla’s frayed nerves. He retrieved the tools he needed and began to work on reinforcing the shelf.
Suddenly, there was a loud creaking noise, and the shelf began to topple over. Jake’s quick reflexes allowed him to dive out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath the massive structure.
“Jake!” Layla cried out, rushing to his side as soon as it was safe.
