It had been a night of shocks, but for some reason this latest one was hitting Blair the hardest. The night's other horrors had been immediately, terrifyingly dangerous, she'd reacted to them with fear and a rush of adrenaline. But this lonely body splayed out on the kitchen floor clearly posed no threat. It was just a grisly reminder that as much as she wanted to brush this all away, there was no going back to a time when worrying abut her reputation and Nate's fidelity was the most pressing problem facing her.
She barely registered Chuck's presence, his words echoed distantly in her head as if he were speaking to her from a great distance. Her gaze was fixed on the lifeless body as she braced herself against the opposite wall. Chuck's fingers were solid and warm as they wrapped around her forearm, tugging her away from the gory sight that confronted them. She finally managed to look up at him, strangely reassured to find his dark eyes on hers. She forced herself to breathe once more, the air rattling around her lungs.
"Chuck," she said shakily, trying to calm the erratic staccato of her heartbeat. "What the hell is going on?"
She half-covered her face with her hand then, running her fingers along her temples anxiously. But then her hand froze and her entire body grew still as she heard a sound coming from behind them, from the very area he had just pulled her away from. It sounded like something was moving against the ground and metal workstation. And then, another noise joined that strange, clanging sound: a moan. Blair shook her head in disbelief, slowly pivoting away from Chuck so she could stare into the space she had just recently occupied. She couldn't see anything, the workstation was blocking the body from their sight. But then, a hand suddenly shot out in the air, landing heavily on the surface. Blair gasped, her muscles tightening instantly for flight. But that thing was between her and Chuck and the only exit. The thing that was now struggling to rise, its bloodied, bruised hand scratching at the polished surface and trying to gain purchase.