The Aftermath
Rhea
The door swung wide open, hitting the stone wall with a c***k that sounded like a gunshot. I flinched, my nails digging into the rough wood of the crate I was huddled behind.
My heart was trying to punch its way out of my ribs, a frantic, trapped bird.
It was Julian.
He stood there, silhouetted by the torchlight of the hallway, looking like he’d crawled out of a sewer. His eyes were wild, darting around the tiny room like he was counting the cracks in the walls.
He held his hand out, and there it was, the silver chain glinting with the crescent moon pendant hanging limp and pathetic from his grip.
"Empty," Julian grunted, his voice sounding like gravel being crushed under a boot.
He didn't come in. He just stood there, staring at the empty room where I had been s
