THE BLACKLIST SYSTEM: REBIRTH OF NOAH VALE

CHAPTER 3 – THE END OF THE FIRST LIFE

“Sign it and this nightmare ends tonight.”

Noah stared at the contract on the table. The room was small, windowless, lit by a single fluorescent bulb that looked like it had seen better days. His name was printed at the top of the page, bold and clean, like it belonged to someone else.

“But…I didn’t do anything,” Noah said.

The man across from him folded his hands. His suit was expensive but plain. His expression, wicked. “That is not what this is about anymore.”

“So you want me to lie,” Noah said. “You want me to confess to something I didn’t do.”

“We want to help you,” the man replied. “Help you get out of this.”

Noah let out a tired breath. “Help yourself …you mean?”

The man smiled faintly.

“And what do I get in return?” Noah asked.

The man slid another document forward. “No jail time. No more lawsuits. Your debt disappears. You leave the city and start over somewhere else.”

Noah laughed quietly. “With a criminal record.”

“With your freedom,” the man corrected impatiently.

“I'll lose my name,” Noah slammed his hand on the table. “That’s not freedom.”

The man’s smile faded. “You are not in a position to negotiate.”

Noah leaned back in the chair. It creaked under his weight. “You already took everything. My job. My reputation. My future. What more do you want from me?”

The man’s voice hardened. “Your cooperation.”

“No ... .no way in hell,” Noah shouted.

The room went still.

“Think carefully,” the man said. “This is your last chance to control how this ends.”

Noah looked at the paper again. At the empty signature line.

“I won’t do it,” he said. “I will not admit to a crime I know nothing about.”

The man stood up. “Then you leave us no choice.”

Two other men stepped into the room. Noah had not heard the door open.

“What does that mean,” Noah asked, his chest tightening.

“It means,” the man said calmly, “that you're responsible for whatever happens next.”

Noah stood abruptly. “You can’t do anything to me that you haven't done before. You see…i have nothing left to lose.”

The man tilted his head. “You really still believe that?”

“ You may leave now.”

They escorted him out through a back corridor. No shouting. No struggle. Just hands on his arms, firm and practiced.

“This is insane,” Noah said. “People will ask questions.”

“You're so mistaken, Noah.They won’t ” the man replied, smirking. “They already believe you are guilty.”

They led him to the underground garage. The smell of oil and damp concrete filled the air.

“No…no,” Noah said, terrified. “You said I could leave.”

“You can,” the man said. “In your car.”

Noah’s car was parked near the ramp. The lights were off. The garage was quiet.

One of the men opened the driver’s door. “Get in.”

Noah hesitated. “What did you do to my car?”

The man smiled again. “Nothing that can be traced.”

Noah’s heart pounded. “I….I'm not getting in.”

The grip on his arm tightened. “Of course,you are.”

They forced him into the seat and shut the door. The lock clicked.

The man leaned down to the open window. “You should have just signed those papers.”

Noah shook his head. “You’re evil. You're all evil.I never deserved this. I never did anything wrong.”

The man straightened. “Hmm..Life is never fair, you know.”

The window rolled up.

The gate lifted.

The engine started easily. Too easily. Too suspicious

Noah drove out of the garage, his hands were shaking on the wheel. His phone buzzed on the seat beside him.

A message appeared.

“Drive safe.”

“No….no….i need to stop,” Noah panicked.

The road sloped downward toward the main intersection. The grounds were soaked from the rain. Streetlights blurred through the windshield.

Noah pressed the brake lightly.

Nothing happened.

His breath caught. He pressed harder.

Still nothing.

“No,” he said, panic flooding his voice. “No no no. Please…stop”

He pumped the pedal. It didn’t work.

The intersection rushed toward him. The light turned red.

Cars stopped.

“No,” Noah shouted.

He pulled the handbrake.

It snapped loose with a sharp crack.

His heart slammed against his ribs. “Help, Somebody…please help me” he gasped,shouted, though no one could hear him.

He swerved. Tires screamed. A horn blared to his right.

“Stop,” Noah screamed. “Please stop.”

The impact was violent.

Metal crushed inward. Glass exploded across his face. His body slammed against the door.

Pain tore through him instantly. White and blinding.

The car spun and slammed again.

His chest collapsed inward. Air burst from his lungs.

He tasted blood.

“Oh God,” he choked, tears dripping down his bloodied face.

The car finally came to a stop.

Smoke filled the cabin.

Noah tried to move his legs. They did not respond.

“My legs...I can’t,” he whispered weakly. “I can’t feel them.”

People shouted outside. “Call an ambulance.”

“ Call 911”

The door was forced open.

He heard a woman’s voice.

“Sir, can you hear me?”

Noah nodded weakly. His vision swam.

“My brakes,” he muttered. “They failed.”

The woman hesitated. “Try not to talk.”

“They cut them,” Noah gasped. “They made me do this.”

Hands pressed against his chest.

The pain became worse, unbearable, like fire spreading under his skin.

He screamed, the events of the past week flashing before his eyes.

“I know,” the woman said, her voice shaking. “I know it hurts.”

“I can’t breathe,” Noah cried.

“Stay with me, Sir .” she said. “Look at me.”

He tried. Her face blurred and doubled.

“I refused,” he said. “I didn’t confess.”

Sirens wailed in the distance.

“Hold on alright, help is coming,” a young man said.

Noah laughed weakly. But he felt his life leaving him.“It's…. too late.”

The pressure in his chest increased. Each breath felt sharper than the last.

“They planned this,” he whispered. “All of it.”

The woman’s hands trembled. “S...Stay awake.”

“I didn’t lie,” Noah said. “I won’t die a liar.”

His heartbeat stuttered. Pain ripped through his spine like a wave.

“I don’t want to die,” he stammered. “ Please… help me. I…I don't want to die like this.”

Blood soaked through his clothes. Warm. Endless.

“I just wanted a normal life,” he whispered.

The world dimmed.

The sounds faded.

The pain became distant.

Then nothing. Everywhere went black.

Silence.

For a moment.

“Hey.”

…Then something pulled him back.

Noah sucked in air violently, choking.

He bolted upright, gasping, clutching his chest.

“What,” he rasped. “What happened?”

Sunlight flooded his vision.

A familiar ceiling.

A familiar room.

Where was he?

Wait!! He knew this place.

The office.

He was back at the office.

But the decorations and settings were outdated. From years ago.

“You scared me,” a voice said. “You slept off again. Thank God you weren't caught. ”

Noah turned slowly.

Mark, his roommate and colleague, stood by the door, younger. Alive.

The same Mark that betrayed him in the blink of an eye.

Noah couldn't believe this .

His hands shook. “What…what day is it?”

The man frowned. “June fifteenth. Are you alright?”

Noah grabbed his phone and unlocked it. The old phone he had long trashed.

The old wallpaper loaded. The date stared back at him.

June 15th, 2025

The date confirmed it.

Ten years earlier. Ten years before his death.

“No,” Noah whispered. “That’s not possible.”

He pressed his hand to his chest. His heart was strong. Steady.

"But…I died," he said. "They killed me."

He touched his face. No cuts. No blood. No broken glass in his skin.

He looked down at his hands. Whole. Steady. No scars from the impact.

Noah stared at his reflection in the dark monitor screen. He looked...younger. Unbroken.

His breath came fast.

“This can’t be real,” he whispered.