Jack Brooks’s brows knit together in a deep frown as he looked at the exposed face of Claire Lynch.
The scar was horrific. It was far worse than when he had seen it at the riverbank just yesterday.
Originally, it had been a jagged, red line. Now, it had mutated into something monstrous. It looked like a dried, twisted centipede had burrowed under her skin, stretching from the corner of her mouth all the way up to her earlobe. The flesh around the scar was inflamed and purple, contracting tightly and pulling her features into a permanent, ghoulish grimace. It looked necrotic, like the skin of a mummy.
"Ahhh!"
Several young women in the front row screamed in terror, covering their eyes. The sight was too visceral, too ugly for the glamorous setting of the ballroom.
Tanya stared at the s
