The fire from the tanker truck lit the street in a violent orange glow.
Smoke climbed high into the night sky.
Sirens screamed from every direction now.
Fire trucks.
Ambulances.
Police cars.
The entire city block had become chaos.
Liya sat on the pavement, still trying to steady her breathing.
Ethan stood beside her, staring at the burning wreckage.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The heat from the flames reached them even from a distance.
Finally, Ethan checked his phone again.
11:47 PM.
"Thirteen minutes."
Liya looked up at him.
"Every attempt is bigger than the last."
"Yeah."
"The next one might destroy half the city."
"Possibly."
He didn't sound dramatic.
Just honest.
That scared her more.
Liya stood up slowly.
"So what do we do?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked around the disaster zone.
Collapsed scaffolding.
Broken power lines.
Burning vehicles.
Emergency lights flashing across every building.
All of it had happened because fate wanted one thing.
His death.
Ethan finally spoke quietly.
"We stop running."
Liya's eyes widened.
"What?"
"We stop trying to escape."
"That's insane!"
"Think about it."
He pointed toward the burning tanker.
"Every time we avoid death…"
"…the universe creates something worse."
"That's not a reason to give up!"
"I'm not giving up."
His voice stayed calm.
"I'm changing the strategy."
Liya shook her head.
"You're talking about sacrificing yourself."
"Maybe."
"No!"
Her voice cracked slightly.
"You can't do that."
Ethan looked at her carefully.
"Why not?"
"Because—"
She stopped.
The words caught in her throat.
Ethan waited.
"Because what?"
She clenched her fists.
Because she didn't want to lose him.
Even though she had only known him for a single repeating day.
Even though he didn't remember any of the other timelines.
Somehow…
He still mattered.
A lot.
Ethan seemed to understand.
His expression softened.
"You care."
She didn't answer.
He sighed gently.
"That's unfortunate."
"Unfortunate?!"
"Yeah."
He glanced at the burning street again.
"Because I think I finally understand the loop."
Liya frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The loop exists because fate wants something to happen."
"Yes."
"My death."
"Yes."
"So as long as I avoid it…"
"…the universe keeps resetting."
Her stomach dropped.
"You think the loop only ends if you die?"
"Possibly."
"And you're willing to test that?!"
Ethan checked the time again.
11:50 PM.
Ten minutes left.
He looked back at her.
"There might be another option."
"What?"
"If I face fate directly…"
"…maybe we can break the pattern."
"How?"
He shrugged slightly.
"Not sure yet."
"That's not a plan."
"No."
He smiled faintly.
"But it's better than waiting for another explosion."
The flames from the tanker continued roaring behind them.
Emergency crews were finally arriving at the scene.
Liya's mind raced.
She hated his idea.
But deep down…
Part of her feared he was right.
Fate wouldn't stop escalating.
Eventually the entire city could be destroyed just to reach him.
Ethan suddenly stepped away from the burning street.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
He looked toward the center of the city.
Where the tall clock tower stood above the skyline.
Its glowing face showed the time clearly.
11:51 PM.
Ethan pointed at it.
"The place where time rules everything."
Liya followed his gaze.
"The clock tower?"
"Yeah."
"Why there?"
He began walking.
"Because if this loop is about time…"
"…that seems like the right place to end it."
Liya hesitated for only a second.
Then she followed him.
Because whether his plan was right or wrong…
The final minutes of the night had already begun. ⏳