Amanda didn’t like the way the town looked in the morning.
It wasn’t emptier.
That would have made sense.
It was… fuller.
People were outside.
Walking.
Talking.
Living.
Exactly like they always had.
And that was the problem.
“They’re acting normal,” Amanda whispered.
Kofi stood beside her, his eyes scanning the street carefully.
“Too normal,” he said.
Amanda clutched her notebook tighter.
The words "AMANDA EXISTS" were still there.
Still solid.
Still real.
She checked it again anyway.
Just to be sure.
Still there.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Okay, that’s something.”
Kofi didn’t respond.
He was watching a woman across the street.
“She’s been walking past that same spot for five minutes,” he said.
Amanda frowned. “What?”
“Look.”
Amanda followed his gaze.
The woman walked down the road.
Turned.
Walked back.
Turned again.
Same pace.
Same expression.
Same steps.
Over.
And over.
And over.
Amanda’s stomach twisted.
“…Maybe she’s just thinking? ” she said weakly.
Kofi didn’t answer.
Because even as Amanda said it
She knew it wasn’t true.
The woman’s face didn’t change.
Not once.
No distraction.
No hesitation.
Just repetition.
Like a loop.
Amanda stepped outside.
“Hey!” she called.
The woman didn’t react.
Amanda tried again, louder.
“Excuse me!”
This time—
The woman stopped.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
Then she turned.
Her eyes landed on Amanda.
And for a second—
They looked normal.
Relief flickered.
“Hi,” Amanda said, forcing a small smile. “I just wanted to ask—”
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
The words were flat.
Empty.
Amanda blinked. “What?”
The woman tilted her head slightly.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she repeated.
Same tone.
Same rhythm.
Like it wasn’t a response.
Like it was a line.
Amanda’s pulse quickened.
“I live here,” she said carefully. “This is my house.”
The woman stared at her.
Unblinking.
Then—
“I don’t remember you.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Amanda swallowed.
“That’s okay,” she said quickly. “Things are… strange right now. People are forgetting things—”
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
Amanda’s breath faltered.
Kofi stepped forward slightly. “She just said she lives here.”
The woman’s eyes shifted to him.
“I remember you,” she said.
Amanda turned sharply. “What?”
Kofi stiffened.
“That’s… not possible,” he said quietly.
The woman didn’t react.
Her gaze moved back to Amanda.
Cold.
Certain.
“You’re wrong,” she said.
Amanda’s chest tightened.
“Wrong about what?”
The woman took a step closer.
“You don’t belong in Duase.”
Amanda’s grip on the notebook tightened.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
The woman’s expression didn’t change.
“People who don’t belong are removed.”
A chill ran through Amanda.
Removed.
Not forgotten.
Not erased.
Removed.
Kofi stepped between them slightly. “Who removes them?”
The woman didn’t answer.
Instead, she smiled.
It was small.
Barely there.
But it felt… wrong.
Like a shape her face wasn’t meant to make.
“They already started,” she said.
Amanda’s breath caught. “What did?”
The woman’s eyes flicked to Amanda’s notebook.
Then to her hand.
The scar.
Her smile widened just a fraction.
“You’re still holding on,” she said.
Amanda instinctively pulled her hand back.
“What are you talking about?”
The woman leaned in slightly.
Close enough that Amanda could hear her breathing.
Slow.
Measured.
Controlled.
“They see you,” she whispered.
Amanda’s heart slammed against her ribs.
“Who does?”
The woman straightened.
And just like that—
Her face reset.
Blank.
Neutral.
Normal.
She turned away.
And began walking again.
Same path.
Same steps.
Like nothing had happened.
Amanda stood frozen.
“What was that?” she whispered.
Kofi didn’t answer immediately.
When he did
His voice was lower than before.
“…They’re not forgetting.”
Amanda turned to him.
“What?”
“They’re being rewritten,” he said.
The words landed heavy.
Amanda shook her head. “No, that’s—no. She recognized you. But not me. That doesn’t—”
“It means something is deciding what stays and what doesn’t,” Kofi cut in.
Amanda’s thoughts spiraled.
“If that’s true… then why me?”
Kofi looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Like he was seeing something he hadn’t before.
“…I don’t know.”
Amanda stepped back slightly.
That answer felt wrong.
Incomplete.
Like he wasn’t telling her everything.
“You hesitated,” she said.
Kofi’s expression hardened. “Now’s not the time—”
“You hesitated,” she repeated.
Silence.
Tense.
Sharp.
Then—
Kofi exhaled.
“There are… stories,” he said carefully. “About Duase.”
Amanda frowned. “What kind of stories?”
“About people who weren’t from here,” he said. “People the town… rejected.”
Amanda’s chest tightened.
“Rejected how?”
Kofi didn’t answer directly.
Instead—
“They disappeared faster than everything else.”
The air felt colder.
Amanda’s grip on the notebook loosened slightly.
“That’s not happening to me,” she said.
Kofi didn’t respond.
That scared her more than anything.
A sudden movement caught Amanda’s eye.
Across the street—
The woman had stopped again.
But this time
She wasn’t alone.
Someone stood beside her.
A man.
Still.
Watching.
Then
another.
And another.
One by one
People stopped what they were doing.
And turned.
All of them
Looking at Amanda.
Not curious.
Not confused.
Certain.
Amanda’s breath shortened.
“Kofi…”
“I see them,” he said quietly.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Just staring.
Waiting.
Judging.
The same thought hit both of them at once.
Amanda could feel it.
“They don’t think I belong here,” she whispered.
Kofi’s voice was tight.
“…No.”
Amanda’s heart pounded.
“Then what happens next?”
No answer.
Just silence.
And then
One of them stepped forward.