No one spoke.
No one moved.
They stood there—
Frozen between darkness and those unreachable lights.
The air felt heavier now.
Harder to breathe.
"…We need to go back," Daniel said again.
His voice cracked this time.
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah."
"But where?" someone asked.
That question hung in the air.
Because there was no answer.
Ethan turned slowly in a full circle.
Darkness.
In every direction.
No runway.
No plane.
No path.
Nothing.
"This isn't possible," a woman whispered.
"It's just the dark," another said quickly.
"We got disoriented."
"Yeah," someone else agreed.
"That's it."
They wanted to believe that.
They needed to.
Ethan didn't.
Because something felt wrong.
Not just lost.
But… erased.
"…Stay together," he said.
"Don't spread out."
This time, no one argued.
They formed a tighter group.
Closer.
Almost touching.
Like if they separated—
Something would happen.
"Okay," the confident man from earlier said.
"We walk in one direction. Straight."
"No stopping."
"We will find something."
Ethan didn't like his tone.
Still too sure.
But again—
No one had a better idea.
"…Fine," Daniel muttered.
They picked a direction.
And started walking.
✈️ The Return
At first—
Nothing changed.
Just footsteps.
Breathing.
Silence.
Then—
"…Wait," someone said.
Ethan looked up.
And froze.
The plane.
It was there.
Right in front of them.
Exactly where it had been before.
No transition.
No gradual appearance.
Just—
There.
"…How…?" Daniel whispered.
No one answered.
Because no one saw it coming.
"We were just—" a woman started.
"…We were walking away," someone finished.
But somehow—
They were back.
Ethan's chest tightened.
That wasn't normal.
That wasn't even explainable.
"…Okay," the man said quickly.
"Good."
"We found it."
But his voice sounded forced now.
Less confident.
They approached the plane slowly.
Like it might disappear again.
But it didn't.
It sat there.
Silent.
Damaged.
Waiting.
✈️ Back Inside
"…We should stay inside," someone said.
"It's safer."
That idea spread quickly.
Because outside—
There was nothing.
Ethan nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
They climbed back in.
One by one.
The cabin felt different now.
Darker.
Colder.
The emergency lights still flickered faintly.
Casting red shadows across the seats.
People sat down again.
Not in their original seats.
Just… wherever.
No one cared anymore.
Daniel dropped into a seat beside Ethan.
"…This is insane," he said quietly.
Ethan didn't reply.
He was counting.
Passengers.
One by one.
Something felt off.
"…How many people were there?" he asked suddenly.
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
"Passengers."
"How many?"
Daniel frowned.
"…I don't know."
"Rough estimate."
"…Maybe… 60? 70?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"…Count."
Daniel hesitated.
Then started looking around.
Counting silently.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"…Fifty-eight," Daniel said.
Ethan frowned.
"…That's not right."
"No," Daniel said.
"It's not."
A cold feeling crept into Ethan's chest.
He stood up.
"We need to count properly," he said.
People looked at him.
Confused.
Annoyed.
Scared.
"Why?" someone asked.
"Because someone's missing."
Silence.
"…What?" a woman said.
"Someone is missing," Ethan repeated.
"That's ridiculous," the confident man said.
"We all just came back together."
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
"We didn't."
"You're panicking," the man snapped.
"No," Ethan said quietly.
"I'm thinking."
That shut him up.
"…Then who's missing?" someone asked.
Ethan opened his mouth—
And stopped.
Because—
He didn't know.
"…I…" he frowned.
"…I don't remember."
A strange silence filled the cabin.
Daniel looked at him.
"…Ethan."
"…If someone's missing…"
"…Shouldn't we know who?"
Ethan's heart started racing.
"Yes."
"…We should."
But he didn't.
No name.
No face.
Just a feeling.
That someone—
Was gone.
✈️ The Realization
A woman stood up suddenly.
"…Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
"I was sitting next to someone," she said.
"…A man."
"Okay…" someone replied slowly.
"…Where is he?"
Silence.
Her face went pale.
"I—"
"…I don't remember his face."
A ripple of fear spread instantly.
"That's not possible," Daniel said.
"I know," she whispered.
"But I can't remember him."
Ethan's chest tightened.
That was it.
That was the problem.
Not just missing—
Forgotten.
Another passenger spoke up.
"…I think…"
"…I think someone was sitting behind me."
"…Think?" Ethan repeated.
"I'm not sure," the man said.
"…I can't remember clearly."
More voices joined in.
"I had a conversation with someone earlier…"
"…There was a woman near the aisle…"
"…I think…"
"I think."
"I think."
"I think."
No one knew.
No one remembered.
Ethan felt cold.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't panic.
This was something else.
"…We're forgetting them," he said quietly.
Silence.
"What?" Daniel asked.
"We're not just missing someone," Ethan continued.
"…We're forgetting them."
A chill spread through the cabin.
"No," someone said quickly.
"That's impossible."
Ethan looked at them.
"…Then prove me wrong."
No one could.
✈️ The Final Proof
Ethan moved quickly down the aisle.
Checking seats.
Seatbelts.
Blankets.
Then—
He stopped.
A seat.
Empty.
But—
The tray table was down.
A cup of coffee sat on it.
Still warm.
Ethan froze.
"…Daniel," he called.
Daniel walked over.
"…What is it?"
Ethan pointed.
"This wasn't here before."
Daniel stared.
"…Someone was sitting here."
Ethan nodded.
"But they're gone."
"And we don't remember them."
Silence.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
The woman from earlier stepped closer.
"…That's his seat," she whispered.
"…I think."
Ethan looked at her.
"…You're not sure?"
She shook her head slowly.
"…No."
That was it.
That was the moment everything changed.
Because now—
They knew.
Something was taking people.
And erasing them.
Not just from the world—
But from memory.
Ethan stepped back slowly.
His mind racing.
One thought repeating—
Who's next?
(End of Chapter 7)