*this is a time of great change in your life keep your eyes open, you may be rewarded*

Gianna doesn’t believe in horoscopes or anything like that, but her friend had sent it to her so she doesn’t see any harm in reading it.

Gianna finishes her morning coffee and goes to the back mud room where the laundry machine is to start her chores for the day. She starts separating her darks and lights and checks the pockets of all her jackets and pants.

She gets to her last pair of jeans and shoved her hand into the front pocket and pulls out a $20 bill.

“You may be rewarded!” She laughs to herself.

She starts shoving her dirty laundry into the machine when her phone dings and she pulls it out of her back pocket.

A new notification ‘your new horoscope is ready.’ She never signed up for any horoscope app so what is this? She clicks on it to curb her curiosity.

*your words have power watch your intention today*

Gianna scoffs “ok sure.” But half way through getting her words out her voice gave out and no more sound came. She tries to say something, anything, but it just comes out in strained squeaking noises.

Her phone dings again. Another horoscope notification and Gianna clicks on it.

*health should be your top priority take care of yourself or you may pay the price*

Gianna locks her phone and sets it face down on the washing machine. She immediately starts to feel woozy and faint, her stomach starts to bubble and she turns her head and throws up at her feet.

This cannot be happening. “Horoscopes aren’t real.” Her rational brain tells her, but something is happening to her, and it coincides with these notifications. “Correlation is not causation, Gianna” she scolds herself.

Another ding and Gianna fills with dread. She looks slowly at her phone screen.

*if you can’t handle the heat get out of the kitchen, today may be stressful*

It suddenly gets so hot it feels like the mud room is on fire and sweat pours from Gianna’s entire body.

Another ding, but Gianna can’t even move it’s so excruciatingly hot. She wants to make it stop but her brain won’t work. She’s panting and her legs start to wobble from exhaustion the unexplainable heat is starting to cause.

***

Amy hasn’t heard from Gianna in days and is starting to worry. ‘I’m probably over reacting’ she tells herself ‘I’ll just check on her and she’ll have an explanation.’

Amy opens her friend’s front door with the spare key left under the mat. She slowly steps in and peers around.

“Gianna?” Amy shouts from the doorway. “It’s me Gianna, I’m coming in!” She slowly walks in, and with just her eyes, searches the parts of the house she can see. Amy turns into the kitchen, but there’s no sign of her. The house is completely silent but her car is out front so she has to be here.

Amy turns her head to look for Gianna down the hall and she’s a foot poking out of the mud room. She rushes over and is stunned to find her friend laying on the ground, mummified.