Voices rose in a clamor as everyone scrutinized each other. There was nowhere to hide.

"Who on earth is the family of seven?"

"Step forward right now! Are you really going to let us all die?"

Alex's eyes were like lanterns, cutting through the fog and sweeping over Mable and me meaningfully, like a snake coiling around its prey.

We held each other's hands tightly and lowered our heads, trying our best to make our presence as small as possible.

Suddenly, someone pointed at me. "She knows! It has to be her! She said this is all just superstitious nonsense earlier and that the flooding has nothing to do with a family of seven. She's been arguing since the very beginning."

The moment I was accused, the thick fog lifted, and the murky floodwater returned to how it looked before.

The crowd's excitement spiked.

"I overheard her mention that the woman next to her is her sister. They're siblings. The other five must be around here too."

Mable and I were instantly surrounded in a tight circle.

Mom, Dad, my brother, Julian Carter, my sister-in-law, Lindsey Barns, and their son were all standing at the edge. I signaled for them to stay quiet and not step forward.

Then, I pulled Mable behind me protectively. "What are you talking about? It's just my sister and me. We're not the family of seven," I answered relatively calmly.

Alex sneered. "Not the family of seven, huh? It's easy enough to test that. Since you're so stubborn, let's try your sister."

The crowd had found their target. They looked like they wanted to strangle us with their gazes alone.

Before long, that strange, powerful hand was slicing through the water behind us again.

Mable stiffened. "Vivian, I'm scared. That thing's going to drag me into the water."

I hurriedly moved her in front of me and held her tightly, shielding her in my arms.

"Stop pretending with this voodoo nonsense! I don't believe in ghosts! You're just framing innocent people!" I screamed at Alex, losing control.

He said nothing, only shaking his head and sighing helplessly. "There's nothing I can do, either."

The next second, the hand shot out as if it had come to life. It stretched several feet and grabbed Mable's calf hard.

In a flash, she was dragged into the water. She didn't even get a chance to draw a breath before she disappeared beneath the murky surface.

I stared in shock at the spot where she had disappeared. Mom, however, rushed forward immediately.

"Mable! No, my daughter! No!"

She lunged into the water. Without thinking, I grabbed her around the waist.

"Mom, don't! The water's dangerous. Don't stand here," I wailed desperately, my voice broken and hoarse with panic.

Mom's face was streaked with tears, her features twisting in extreme grief. "Why? We're not the family of seven, so why is this happening to us? We didn't do anything wrong!"

I trembled as I pulled her into my arms, trying to soothe her. "It's okay. It'll be okay…"

But I didn't believe my own words. How could it be okay? My dearest sister had just disappeared right in front of me.

"That's three people now—the sisters and their mother. Where are the other four?" someone questioned.

Hundreds of eyes immediately scanned the area.

Centered on Mom and me, they began searching for anyone who could be connected to us. If they suspected someone, they would pin every possible reason on us.

My voice trembled, barely able to form a full sentence. "It's just the three of us. Don't push things too far, or I'll call the police right now."

Mentioning the police caused the whole crowd to burst into laughter, as there was no signal on this island. They urged me to call the police, and someone even handed me their phone to try.

Mom stood beside me with bloodshot eyes, looking like she had lost all hope.

Suddenly, I noticed that everything was gradually becoming eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm.

Just as a chill ran down my spine, a child's voice shattered the silence.

Mom immediately ran toward the source of the voice. "Jack! My grandson!"

The child was my nephew, Jack Carter—Julian and Lindsey's son. He was only five years old.

The moment his voice rang out, I only had enough time to see the hand grab his leg and yank him into the water. It happened so quickly—without any kind of warning—and before we knew it, Jack was already underwater. Even if we had wanted to save him, it would have been impossible.

His small body was instantly swallowed by the raging flood, disappearing without a trace.

Lindsey was even more frantic than Mom. She no longer cared about staying hidden and ran to the water's edge.

"Jack!" she screamed.

Then, she ran into the deep water—and vanished.

The people around us looked increasingly clear-eyed, their expressions growing more relaxed. "That's five people now. First, she said there were only two of them, then three, and now it's five. It looks like they really are the family of seven."

"They brought disaster upon us. Serves them right for dying one after another!"

I wearily opened my eyes and stared straight at Alex, who stood there like a detached spectator. Stumbling forward, I stopped about three feet in front of him and asked, "Why? Why is this happening?"

We had done nothing wrong. Why were we being punished like this?

I'd never crossed anyone before, and I'd always followed the law and treated others kindly my whole life.

And today… was the most unbearable day of my life.

"Regardless of the reason… I want to make a deal with you. Let me die, and let my family go. Please?"

He remained expressionless. His eyes were distant and impossible to read.

I dropped to my knees, terrified yet desperate. "I'm begging you. Let me die. I want my family to live. I want my mom to live."

Tears blurred my vision as I rubbed my hands together, begging over and over, hoping that if I pleaded long enough, there might still be a chance.

"But this has nothing to do with me," Alex said calmly. "You really are being haunted by an evil ghost."

To convince me, he pulled out a stack of talismans and tossed them into the air.

All of a sudden, the wind roared to life, and clouds gathered into a tornado-like funnel above.

Even though it was daytime, everything turned pitch black.

I stared at the scene before me in shock.

"This isn't something humans can control," Alex said flatly. "I can't control it either, so there's nothing I can do."

My legs felt rooted to the ground. Mom, unable to stand up anymore, collapsed to the ground about 15 feet away.

The people around us remained cold and indifferent. "They must've committed a lot of evil deeds in their past life, so they're suffering retribution in this one. There's nothing that can be done. As long as they don't drag us down with them, it's fine."

"There are still two of them left. Hopefully, that hand can take care of them all at once."

"The remaining two still need to be found," Alex announced, raising his voice. "You all have ten minutes to find them, or the innocent will suffer in their stead."

Panic spread through the crowd again. I glanced helplessly at Dad and Julian. They were still hidden among the crowd, trying not to be noticed.

I moved over to Mom's side. "Mom, are we all going to die today?"

Her wrinkled face looked even more haggard. "Yes, we're all going to die. But I hope your dad and brother can survive. I hope they won't die."

I had nothing left to say and just waited for death to take me. I was exhausted.

The people around us continued to search… until they found Dad.

When he was singled out, he protested loudly, "What does this have to do with me? Am I supposed to be part of that family of seven? I don't even know them!

"Who's so heartless to drag an old man like me out? Are you all trying to gang up and get me killed?"

Dad remained relatively calm. At least he could string together a complete sentence and even sounded indignant. His mental fortitude was impressive.