The new intern in our department, Astrid Stokes, had a soft, harmless look people viewed as innocent.

She also claimed she could see a countdown over people's heads, ticking down to their deaths.

Most of us just laughed it off and told her she had been reading way too many web novels.

When an elderly man was rushed into the ER, she told the department head, Melanie Brooks, not to bother. She said the man wouldn't make it through the day.

Melanie ignored her and pushed ahead with everything we had.

The old man still died.

The attending doctor even got slashed by the patient's family during the fallout.

After that, people started to waver.

During a team outing, Astrid suddenly screamed and told us not to get on a specific bus. She said if we did, we would all die.

With no other choice, we switched vehicles.

By the time we reached our destination, news came in. The bus we were supposed to take had lost its brakes and gone off a bridge.

After that, almost everyone believed her.

Everyone except me.

The next day, she pointed straight at me.

"Ruth shouldn't be a doctor anymore. If she stays, she'll get caught up in a medical dispute, and the whole department will end up dead or injured."

Just like that, Melanie reassigned me.

I went from doctor to janitor, handling medical waste.

One day, I got scratched by a contaminated needle. Yet, no one would treat me.

"Astrid already said it. This is her destiny. Anyone who gets involved will die, too."

My body rotted from infection, sores breaking open across my skin. I died alone on the street, full of fury.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Astrid first claimed she could see those death countdowns.

"Hurry! The patient's vitals are crashing!"

The shout cut through the room as an elderly man was wheeled in. His thigh had been mangled after getting caught in farm machinery.

"Prep for surgery now!"

The department head, Melanie Brooks, moved fast. She was already pulling on her mask as she gave orders, calm and precise.

The tension in the room and the sight of the man in shock on the bed made me blink hard.

I snapped back to myself.

Wait… Why was I here? I should be…

I looked down at my gloved hands, my whole body starting to shake.

I was back?

"Don't bother, Dr. Brooks. He's not making it past today."

The cold voice hit me before I could process anything else.

Astrid Stokes, the intern who had just started at the hospital, suddenly spoke up. Her tone was flat and detached. It was the same line she had used last time, delivered with calm and unquestioning confidence.

Melanie's face darkened, and she immediately barked at Astrid. "Is that something a doctor should say? Astrid, I don't care what you think you can see. As long as there's a chance, we don't give up on a patient!"

The others chimed in, clearly annoyed.

"You just got here, and you're already talking about this supernatural stuff?"

"We're doctors. We save people. That's the job."

Astrid lifted her chin, stubborn and sure of herself. "Believe it or not, it's still a waste of effort…"

"Enough!" Melanie cut her off sharply. "Get ready for surgery!"

At that moment, Colin Spencer pulled on his gloves and stepped forward.

"Dr. Brooks, maybe Dr. Fadeley should take the lead. He specializes in amputations, right? He's got the doctorate, too."

Melanie nodded.

I glanced at Keith Fadeley, already prepping, and my chest tightened.

In my last life, he had led this exact surgery.

He failed.

The old man died, and the family turned violent. Keith got slashed in the fallout, and he never practiced medicine again. After that, his whole family struggled.

Since I was back here now, there must be a reason.

I stepped forward before I could hesitate.

"Dr. Brooks, let me take the lead on this one. My graduate work focused on this, and I've handled major cases this year. I can do it."

Every head turned toward me.

Colin frowned, his voice tense as he looked at the patient. "Ruth, don't be reckless. You don't have enough experience for something this delicate."

He was my boyfriend. Once he said that, the rest of them followed his lead.

No one trusted me.

Melanie and Keith tried to talk me down as well, saying this wasn't something to take lightly.

Last time, however, I had assisted in this exact surgery. I knew where it would go wrong. Right now, no one here was more suited for this than I was.

Astrid looked me up and down, then let out a short laugh. "Doesn't matter who does it. He's dead by tonight."

I ignored her completely and met her gaze.

"Is that why you became a doctor? So you can stand there and watch people die? If that's how you think, you'll never be a good doctor."

Her face tightened for a second before she forced it back under control.

I didn't back down.

Melanie studied me for a long moment, then gave a small nod.

"Do your best, Dr. Johnson."

That settled it.

No one argued after that.

Once I started the procedure, though, something felt off.

In my last life, there had been a major vascular rupture in his leg. This time, it never happened. The amputation went smoothly. His vitals stabilized faster than expected.

By every standard we had, he was out of danger.

I stood there, thinking, a strange unease settling in my chest.

After the surgery, word spread quickly. The others laughed openly about Astrid.

"Death countdown, huh? Astrid, maybe lay off the TV dramas and web novels."

She clenched her fists, said nothing, and left as soon as her shift ended.

The day passed without incident.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Colin was on night duty, so I wasn't worried.

The next morning, however, a coworker rushed up to me the moment I walked in, pale and shaking.

"Dr. Johnson, something's wrong! The amputee patient died last night!"

"What? That's not possible!"

I grabbed my coworker by the arm, disbelief hitting me all at once.

"We all checked him yesterday. Every one of us signed off before we ended the shift. How does he just die overnight?"

He looked just as pale, swallowing hard before answering.

"Looks like a sudden infection. When Dr. Spencer got there, the old man was barely breathing. The funeral home showed up around four in the morning. He's probably already been cremated by now."

My grip loosened.

All the strength drained out of me.

How… How did he still die?

Astrid's voice cut in from the side, light and mocking. "Dr. Johnson, you said I'd never make a good doctor. Turns out you were dead wrong."

I felt irritation spike in my chest. I pulled out my phone and called Colin.

"What happened to that patient last night? Why did everything move so fast? Dr. Brooks and I didn't even get a chance to take a look!"

Colin sounded calm, almost detached. "Don't get worked up, Ruth. You haven't seen what Astrid can do, but I believe her. If she says someone won't make it, then… Well, you see the result."

My anger flared, sharp and immediate. "You actually believe all that occult nonsense she's spouting? Colin, you graduated from North Valley Med! What about all those papers you wrote?"

Before I could finish, shouting erupted outside.

"You'd better give us an explanation today! My dad was fine yesterday, and now he's gone?

"What kind of hospital is this? Don't tell me you're responsible for his death!"

The patient's family was here.

My body reacted before my mind caught up. I took a step back, the memory of blades flashing from my last life hitting me hard.

When I looked back at my phone, the call had already ended.

This time, things didn't spiral out of control.

The family didn't go wild. They just argued loudly, venting their anger. No one threw punches, or pulled a knife. They all stuck to the same demand: compensation.

In the end, it was settled without bloodshed.

It was a close call, but still, something felt off.

No one in the department blamed me. The surgery had been clean; everyone saw that. The man's death was written off as a rare complication.

The family just wanted an explanation.

Once it was over, even Melanie seemed to relax. She clapped her hands lightly, trying to lift the mood.

"We've been slammed with major cases for two straight months. Everyone's been working hard. I'll talk to the admin and get us a day off. Let's have a team picnic."

That got people talking again.

"I found a couple of charter buses we can book. We can pick whichever one looks better."

Melanie pulled out her phone and showed us the options.

I leaned in and saw two buses; one blue, one green. It was exactly the same as last time.

I glanced at Astrid. She looked completely normal.

My thoughts shifted fast. This time, I spoke first.

"Let's take the green one. Looks like it's got a little more space."

Most people had been leaning toward the blue one with the bigger windows, but no one cared enough to argue.

"Green it is."

Melanie made the call.

The second she did, Astrid suddenly jerked her head up, fear flashing across her face.

"Don't get on the green bus! If we do, we're all dead!"

Her sharp, panicked voice made everyone jump.

What happened with the old man the day before lined up a little too well with what Astrid had said. Now she stood there with that twisted look on her face, warning us again.

A few people couldn't help but take it seriously.

Still, something about it didn't sit right with me.

Last time, we picked the blue bus, and she said that one would crash. This time, I skipped the blue one entirely and chose the green bus first. Suddenly, the green one was the problem too.

A thought started forming in the back of my mind.

Before I could speak, Melanie shut Astrid down. "Astrid, I already told you yesterday. We don't do this. We're medical professionals. We trust science."

With her speaking up, the tension eased. People started nodding along.

"Yeah, Astrid. You're new, so maybe you don't get it yet. What happened yesterday was rare, but it happens."

"Both of these buses are from reputable companies. Nothing's going to happen. Relax."

Some tried to reason with her.

Others were already getting annoyed.

"Why do you keep saying stuff like this? We're trying to enjoy a day off, and you're killing the mood."

One of the more blunt coworkers didn't hold back, and someone else piled on.

"If you've got time to scare people, maybe spend it studying. Yesterday, you kept trying to step in during surgery and didn't actually help."

Astrid's expression darkened when she saw no one was on her side. She let out a cold laugh.

"Fine! If you all trust Ruth so much, then take her green bus. Live or die, that's on you. I try to warn you, and this is what I get."

That shut everyone up for a second.

Colin stepped in, smoothing things over.

"Alright, everyone, relax. Let's just pick the blue one. If something really is wrong with the green one, why take the risk? We've got a choice, so let's go with the safer option. Call it playing it safe."

He handed them an easy way out, and they took it. One by one, people agreed.

I just looked at him.

He felt it. His eyes flicked away for a second before he forced a smile at me.

With him leading, the rest quickly switched sides.

I crossed my arms. "Go ahead. If none of you want the green one, I'll take it myself. I want to see how I'm supposed to die. I don't buy any of this."

"Ruth, don't do this. I know you're upset about last night, but this isn't the time to dig your heels in." Colin frowned, trying to talk me down.

The others joined in.

"Ruth, just ride with us. No need to risk it."

I didn't budge. "No. I'm taking the green bus tomorrow. That's final."

Astrid's face went cold, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you insist, I guess I'll be the one arranging your funeral."

My temples started pounding. I snapped back at her without hesitation.

"You won't be doing anything for me. Did you finish your rounds today? Charts updated? Or are you too busy standing here, wishing something bad happens to me? Get back to work!"

Astrid's expression hardened, and she turned on her heel without another word. By the time our shift ended, the look she gave me was sharp enough to cut.

I brushed it off. I had no interest in getting involved with someone like her.

The next morning, I went straight to the green bus.

A few coworkers stood off to the side, watching me with worried looks.

I waved it off. "I'm good."

The driver leaned out the window. "Ms. Johnson? If everything's set, we'll head out."

He was reaching for the key when I stopped him. "Hold on. When was the last time this bus got a full inspection? We've got a long mountain route today. Let's check it again."

He looked reluctant at first, but I had booked the entire bus.

After a bit of back-and-forth, he gave in and started another inspection. By then, the rest of the department had already left on the blue bus.

A few minutes later, the driver suddenly shouted.

I walked over.

The moment I saw it, anger surged straight up my chest.