Twenty-Three
Brice ran. He bolted into the corridor, never slowing. The light was dim, and he knew that should mean something, but how could he think after what he’d just seen?
There was no way that thing was Cathal. It was a shade. Wearing clothes.
Cathal had been bitten. He’d been turning into something else, and now that transformation was complete. He was a monster. Even before he’d woken, the man had started to stink like one of the shades. And now, the air was heavy with that vile stench. It was everywhere.
Brice rounded a corner, and pulled himself to a stop.
The shade lay in wait, just up the corridor. It slouched low, with its arms outstretched.
His mouth sandpaper-dry, Brice backed away. He watched the beast, ready for the first sign of movement. His feet twisted in prepara
