CHAPTER 54
It’s like the moment in the Wizard of Oz when the Munchkins come out one by one to make sure the wicked witch really is dead. They don’t break into joyful singing right away. There’s that first minute of eerie silence, the fear that maybe they were wrong. Maybe a creature that evil and horrid will defy death, resurrect herself, and rain fiery torment on them for the rest of eternity.
Jake’s still standing behind the door. He’s stunned, like how a man who beats his girlfriend in a drunken rage probably feels when he wakes up sober and remembers what he’s done.
I haven’t moved from the couch, partly because I don’t want to wake up Natalie and partly because I don’t know what to expect from Jake now. I’m sure in his mind he’ll find a way to make this all my fault. I’m sure he’ll
