I rush up the stairs, heart hammering.
✧
I have no idea what time it is down here—Caim only said he’d be back *“by late afternoon.”*
The soft light filtering through the window looks exactly that: end of day, the last rays glinting off the hall.
✧
Suddenly, a heavy sound *bursts* in the air.
Like thick rain.
✧
Instinctively, I stare out the window—and my blood freezes.
✧
Red streams down the glass, as if someone flipped the sky inside out.
My hands shake.
My lips too.
✧
Is it… *raining blood?*
✧
My legs nearly give out. I bolt toward the bedroom.
I fling the door open—empty.
No sign of Caim.
The bed is made, untouched.
✧
I dive into the closet, the “rain” growing louder.
Nina trots behind me, restless.
I stuff the map into the pocket of a hanging dres
