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Jagged streaks of lightening photograph the terror in front of me.
For half a second, all that traps my vision is the image of the man's corpse. His head is bent by a blue-ribbon noose, swelling the area around his hollow eye sockets. Long grey hair sticks to the side of his equally pale suit. In the pocket above the chest, an hydrangea flower sticks out. Then, the images wipes into black.
I exhale shakily.
The dead man's feet slam against the window, cracking it.
I flinch and duck my head in the opposite direction, which happens to be Ralphie's chest. He thwarts my attempt to escape by pulling me closer. My cheek presses against the silk of his shirt and all the warmth in his body seeps into mine. It's suffocating.
"The man is outside," Ralphie murmurs. "He cannot get to you."
His tone is familiar in the way it's patronizing. I recognize it from the way my father speaks to me, the way Wilson speaks to me.
"That doesn't make him any less dangerous," I say.
My voice is muffled so I pull myself away from his grip. Ralphie's coat falls off my shoulders once I rise to my feet. Since the my own robe does nothing to protect me, the cold is free to nip at my skin.
"We shouldn't have separated from Nikita," I swallow the tremor that threatens to shatter my voice. "Let's go back."
But Ralphie isn't listening to me. He's examining the crack in the window. Half of me wants to leave without him, but the stronger half knows I shouldn't go off alone. I call Ralphie's name twice, but he doesn't respond.
"Hey," I tap his shoulder.
His hand cover mine so fast it makes me flinch. But Ralphie doesn't do anything besides run his fingers over mine, circling his thumb on the back of my hand. Little shivers run up my arm.
What is he doing?
I take my hand away. "We need to find Nikita. She's asleep and alone."
"A dangerous situation," Ralphie agrees and finally stands up.
Still a little dazed from our contact in the last few minutes, I stumble into the hallway.
Everything feels twice as threatening now. The tiles are extra slippery, the shadows extra dark, the air extra cold, the edges of the railing extra sharp. My senses take everything at once until it makes me dizzy.
