Crisis Lurks: Who Is the Real Culprit Behind Her Death

Zoe was dead.

The moment I saw Zoe’s lifeless body floating face down in the pool, my legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed in shock.

“Oh my god!”

Beside me, Sam, who had come up to help me gather clothes, let out a piercing scream, clearly terrified.

A few minutes later, everyone had gathered on the rooftop terrace of the villa, staring at Zoe’s floating body. The blood drained from all of our faces.

“Zoe!”

Finally snapping out of my daze, I lunged toward the pool. “What are you all standing there for? Evelyn, aren’t you a doctor? Save her, quickly!”

With that, the group sprang into action.

Boom–

Another clap of thunder echoed overhead as the rain pelted the glass roof, as if trying to shatter it. But I didn’t care about anything else. With the help of my friends, we managed to pull Zoe out of the water.

Her skin, once slightly tanned, was now ghostly pale from the water, her face swollen. Her long black dress clung to her body, making her look even more lifeless.

Something about her appearance struck me as odd, but before I could think about it further, I heard Evelyn shake her head after a quick examination. “She’s been dead for over six hours. There’s nothing we can do.”

I felt dizzy and nearly lost my balance.

Zoe was really gone!

Yesterday had been Zoe’s birthday. She had rented this villa to host a big party and invited all of us, her closest friends, to celebrate.

We spent the night drinking, singing, and sharing stories until we were all completely drunk.

What should have been a night filled with happy memories had turned into a tragic nightmare.

“Zoe drowned. She must have been drunk last night, wandered up to the rooftop, and mistook the pool for her bed,” Evelyn said, choking up.

Even though she was a doctor who had seen death countless times, the loss of a close friend was too much.

Tears began to spread among us.

I couldn’t process the fact that the vibrant Zoe, who had been laughing and dancing just hours ago, was now a cold, lifeless body.

“What’s going on here?”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice interrupted.

A seventh person had appeared in the villa.

This villa was perched on a mountainside, surrounded by dense forests. There were no nearby stores or houses, and the only way to get food was for the landlord to send supplies.

The stranger who had appeared was Mike Jenkins, the son of the landlord, who had come to deliver food.

Mike immediately noticed Zoe’s body, his expression darkening.

“Have you called the police?” he asked.

We froze for a moment, realizing we hadn’t even thought to call.

“I’ll do it now!” I said, rushing downstairs to grab my phone.

Boom–

Another clap of thunder rattled the house, and the sky outside was so dark it didn’t even look like daytime.

I hurried through the house, turning on the lights, and grabbed my phone. But when I looked, there was no signal.

It was then that I realized something was very wrong with the weather.

The rain had been pouring relentlessly since last night, and in the mountains, this kind of storm could easily trigger a landslide.

And we were right in the middle of it.

“There’s a landslide,” Mike said, descending the stairs with the others. His face was grim. “The road’s blocked. It looks like the cell tower’s down too. We’re trapped in the villa.”