Page 41 of Grave Matter

What is going on?

I find myself padding down the hallway in my slippers, trying to avoid creaky floorboards. As I pass by the light I realize it’s a nightlight, one that would turn on if the power went out.

As I get closer to the end of the hall, I finally hear a sound.

Coming from the shower.

A rustling sound like…

Raspy breathing.

I stop just outside the door, afraid to pull it open, afraid to ask if they’re okay, if they need any help. My chest feels constricted, like it’s squeezing my heart and making it smaller and smaller, the beat irregular as it tries to escape.

I reach out with my hand.

It’s shaking.

Cold air breathes down my spine, my skin sharp with goosebumps.

I grab the knob.

Pull it back.

I’m staring into the abyss, into a black void where there is nothing but death and infinity. There is no one in the shower, and I fear there is no one left alive anywhere. It’s just me and this never-ending darkness, swallowing me whole. It’s the lodge eating me alive.

Creak.

Behind me.

I whirl around to see my door at the end of the hall closing.

What the fuck?

I take off down the hall, running to my door, grabbing the handle.

It won’t turn. I can’t open it. I jiggle it repeatedly, but it won’t budge.

I kept the key in the lock on the other side, and now someone is in there, not letting me in.

Hell, I don’t even want to go in now.

Look through the keyhole, I think.

But I can imagine doing so. I imagine leaning down and looking through the keyhole and seeing that wolf’s white eye staring back at me.

I back away. I could ask Lauren or Rav for help, but what would they do? I need to find David Chen and get the other key.

I decide to talk to Everly. She did say to come by her place to talk, even in the middle of the night.

I quickly run down the stairs and then out into the night.

The fog is thick, obscuring the moon, and I hurry along the boardwalk, careful to not slip on the damp planks, my slippers having no tread. I pull my robe closer, the cold, damp air biting at my skin. Everything is dark, save for a few lights here and there, the water as smooth and dark as obsidian glass.

I reach Everly’s cabin and stop outside her door. I don’t want to wake her up, especially not since she already had to deal with me yesterday, but I don’t have a choice.

I rap on it quickly, my fingers hurting from the cold. God, it’s May. It’s supposed to be mild here. Why is it so cold?

Through the windows, I see a flashlight’s beam moving erratically, and then the door opens, Everly on the other side with it in her hand, wearing silk pajamas, a sleep mask pushed up on her forehead.

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