“All right. Thanks.” Karl laces his fingers with mine, and I sense the change in him as well. We’re on the same boat—a very filthy one.
KARL
Despite not being tired when we accepted Adrian’s offer to use his bedroom, Manu and I did fall asleep eventually. I suppose all the lovemaking took a toll on our bodies even in this strange place.
She’s in my arms, tucked snugly against my chest, when a bloodcurdling scream jars me fully awake. Manu lifts her head and stares at me. Her eyes are round and frightened. “What the hell was that?”
The scream comes again, and I recognize his voice. “It’s Adrian.”
We both jump out of bed and rush into the living room. The sky is dark outside, and the fire in the fireplace rages on, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. Adrian is lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, curled in a fetal position. His eyes are closed, and he’s holding something in his hand close to his throat.
“He’s having a nightmare,” Manu says.
I run to his side and shake him. “Adrian, wake up.”
“Ophelia… no, please, no,” he whimpers.
A loud explosion shakes the entire room, as if we’ve been hit by an earthquake. Hell! We need to get out of here.
I shake him harder. “Adrian! Wake up, damn it!”
His blue eyes finally fly open, but his pupils are fully dilated and his gaze is unfocused. “Ophelia,” he mumbles, and then his expression falls as he closes his eyes again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“You had a nightmare, Adrian. Whatever happened, it’s long in the past,” Manu tells him.
Another explosion rocks our world. It’s much closer now. “Adrian, danger is coming. We can’t stay here.”
He releases his hold on the object around his throat, and I see the gold medallion Manu described earlier.
“Are you seeing this?” she asks.
“Yes.”
Adrian pulls on the medallion, stretching the gold chain so he can look at what’s in his hand. “I’ve never seen this before.”
A loudwhooshrips through the silence, and then an entire wall explodes inward in a deafeningboom, sending us flying backward. I hit the far wall hard, banging my head. Smoke and dust fill the room, and the ringing in my ears seems to go on forever. I’m dizzy and seeing double.
“Karl?” Manu’s voice sounds far away. “Are you all right?”
I blink fast, trying to clear my sight.
She appears in front of me, eyes startled and frantic. “Can you move?”
“I… I think so,” I rasp, and a coughing fit hits me. “Where’s Adrian?”
“I’m right here.” He helps me up, and then I notice the huge gap where the wall used to be, and the flames that are alreadyeating that part of the chalet. “Come on. We need to go before the fire turns into an inferno.”
We run in the opposite direction, flying through the front door only to step into another nightmare. Flames as tall as buildings circle us like a towering furnace. There’s no escape.
“What the hell is this? I thought this place was supposed to be one of your happy memories, Adrian,” Manu blurts out.
He doesn’t offer a reply. He’s frozen, staring in horror at the ring of fire.
“We’re obviously trapped in one of his bad memories,” I say. “He needs to snap out of it.”
Manu stands in front of Adrian and slaps his face hard.Okay, that’s one way to do it.
Touching his cheek, he looks at her. “What did you do that for?”
