The night air was crisp and cool, wrapping around Caleb and Elyra as they walked down the empty streets. The city was quiet, the distant hum of cars the only sound breaking the stillness. Caleb glanced at Elyra beside him, her small frame almost disappearing beneath the oversized jacket he had thrown over her shoulders.

"Are you sure you’re up for this?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

Elyra gave him a weak smile. "We don’t have many nights left, Caleb," she said softly. "I want to do something that makes me feel alive."

His chest ached at her words, but he nodded. He wouldn’t deny her this. Not when time was slipping through their fingers like sand.

They were heading to the old park near their childhood home, the one they used to visit when they were little. It had been years since either of them had set foot there, but Elyra had insisted.

"I want to sit on the swings again," she had whispered earlier that evening, a wistful look in her tired eyes. Caleb had grabbed the car keys before she could say another word.

When they arrived, the park was empty, bathed in the soft glow of streetlights. The swings creaked gently in the wind, the playground looking smaller than they remembered

Elyra let out a soft laugh. "It looks exactly the same."

Caleb led her to the swings, carefully helping her sit down. She held onto the chains, her fingers trembling slightly.

"You used to be the one pushing me," she said with a small smile.

"And you used to scream at me for pushing too hard," Caleb replied, a faint chuckle escaping his lips.

Elyra laughed, closing her eyes as she let the night air wash over her. "This is nice," she murmured. "For a moment, it almost feels like we never grew up. Like everything is still okay."

Caleb swallowed hard. He wished he could freeze this moment forever.

They sat in silence for a while, just listening to the rustling leaves and the occasional chirp of crickets.

Then Elyra sighed. "Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?"

He looked at her, confused. "Of what?"

"Of losing me."

His throat tightened. He wanted to lie, to tell her he wasn’t, that everything would be okay. But he couldn’t. Not anymore.

"Terrified," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Elyra nodded as if she had expected that answer. "I am too," she said, her voice softer now. "Not of dying… but of leaving you behind."

Caleb clenched his fists. "Don’t talk like that," he said roughly. "You’re still here."

"For now," she whispered.

His heart ached, but before he could say anything else, Elyra suddenly gasped.

Her hand clutched at her chest, her body convulsing as she fell forward off the swing.

"Elyra!" Caleb shouted, catching her before she hit the ground.

Her breathing was ragged, her lips trembling. "C-Caleb, I—I can't breathe," she choked out.

Panic surged through him. "Hold on, Elyra. Just hold on!"

He scooped her up, running as fast as he could toward the car. His mind was racing, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Please don’t take her yet. Please, not yet.

The night that had started as a simple escape had now turned into another battle against time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Be Continued...