She heard screams again.
"What's happening?"
"It's time for us to go up to the bedroom, Ella."
He stood up and extended his hand. Ella looked at his hand without reacting, until Helena nudged her, indicating there was no way out.
They went up the stairs to the sound of screams and some words whose meaning she didn't fully understand, but she knew they were obscene.
They entered the room, and he closed the door.
At that moment, the word "fear" seemed meaningless. What Ella felt went far beyond: a mix of pure terror, despair, and an insane urge to run, even if it was into the arms of death.
The bed was right in the middle of the room. Ella walked to the headboard, trying somehow to keep Xavier at a distance. He noticed her intention and smiled.
"Do you really think that staying huddl
