14

The mental voice of Katherine was noticeably less powerful than it had been four days before, when he was engaged in a battle with his brother. When I think about it, up to the time of the Founders Day celebration, he had been completely unable of communicating with his thoughts. She hadn't given it much thought when she first woke up beside the river since she was so disoriented, but now she was curious about it. What had transpired that resulted in his becoming so powerful? And why was he losing his strength at this moment?

Elizabeth had time to think about it as she sat there in the empty choir loft, watching below as the people departed the church, and below her, the gray sky progressively became darker. Outside, the atmosphere was becoming more ominous. She pondered Katherine and Dominic, and she questioned whether or not she had arrived at the appropriate conclusion. She had sworn that she would never let them compete for her attention, but she had already violated that promise. Was she completely out of her mind when she tried to broker even a short cease-fire between them?

After the sky had become completely dark, she descended the stairs to check the weather. The church was deserted and had a reverberating atmosphere. She had not given any attention to how she would escape, but thankfully, the side door was only locked from the inside. This gave her an opportunity to escape. She smiled thankfully as she slid out into the darkness.

She hadn't been in the dark enough to appreciate how much better being outdoors was for her. She hated being outside during the day because it made her eyes suffer, and she hated being inside buildings. This was the finest, since it was free and unrestricted as well as unnoticed. Her own senses must have been overjoyed by the verdant environment surrounding her. Due to the fact that the air was so calm, odors lingered in the atmosphere for a considerable amount of time, and she was able to smell a wide variety of nocturnal species. A fox was seen going through the garbage of another person. Rats with brown fur were seen in the bushes gnawing on something. The night moths communicated with one another by their fragrance.

She discovered that going to Merit's home without being seen was not difficult at all; it seemed that everyone was staying inside. But when she finally arrived, she was taken aback by the beautiful farmhouse with the enclosed front porch. She stood there staring at it in disbelief. It was impossible for her to just approach the front door and rap on it. Did Merit actually anticipate her arrival? If she were there, wouldn't she be waiting outside the door?

Elizabeth considered on the situation as she eyed the distance to the ceiling of the porch and realized that if Merit wasn't careful, she was in for a very unpleasant surprise. The window to Merit's bedroom was located just above it and just around the bend. Elizabeth believed that she would be able to pull it off, despite the fact that it was a stretch.

Her naked fingers and toes found grips between the shingles, making it simple for her to climb up onto the roof.
bricks and set her on the path to success. The effort required to peer into Merit's window while bending around the corner was considerable. She tried to block the light that was pouring in by blinking rapidly.


Merit was observing nothing in particular as she sat on the side of her bed with her elbows resting on her knees. She would do it intermittently, but it was always with her black hair. On the nightstand was a clock that said "

Merit was observing nothing in particular as she sat on the side of her bed with her elbows resting on her knees. She would do it intermittently, but it was always with her black hair. According to the clock that was placed on the nightstand, Elizabeth scratched the window pane with her fingernails.

Merit was startled and immediately glanced in the incorrect direction, toward the entrance. She pushed herself to her feet while maintaining a protective crouch and grabbed a throw pillow with one hand. She remained in a defensive stance as she inched her way forward a few of paces toward the door when it failed to open. She questioned, "Who is it?"

Again, Elizabeth tapped the glass with her fingertip.

Merit whirled around to face the window as she quickly drew in a deep breath.

"Please let me in," Elizabeth pleaded. She was unsure whether Merit could hear her, so she made her voice as loud as possible. "Crack the window open."

Merit, who was out of breath, glanced around the room as if she anticipated the appearance of someone who could assist her. She cautiously approached the window as if it were a hazardous animal when no one else did it first. On the other hand, she did not open it.

Again, Elizabeth pleaded with the guard to let her in. Then, with impatience, she continued by asking, "Why did you schedule an appointment with me if you didn't want me to come?"

She noticed the shift as Merit's shoulders became slightly more relaxed. Merit opened the window cautiously, stumbling over her fingers as she did so due to her exceptionally clumsy fingers, and then she stepped back.

"Ask me to come inside now, because until you do, I can't."

When Elizabeth, suffering, had pulled herself over the sill and was stretching her strained fingers, Merit continued, almost dazedly, "It's got to be you. Come in." Nobody else issues directives like that."

Elizabeth murmured, "It's me," and then she stopped wringing out her cramped hands and looked into the eyes of her friend, Merit. "It truly is me," she added. "It's me," Elizabeth continued.

Merit gave Elizabeth a little smile before visibly swallowing. At that moment, Elizabeth would have loved nothing more than for the other girl to offer her a hug, but Merit wasn't much of the embracing kind, and just now she was pulling away slowly to sit on the bed once more.

"Sit down," she replied in an intentionally calm voice. Elizabeth pulled out the desk chair and, without thinking, took up the same posture Merit had been in before, with her elbows on her knees and her head down. Then she glanced up and said, "How did you know?

"
"I..." Merit did nothing but gaze at her for a time before shaking her head and saying, "Well." You, of course, your dead corpse has never been discovered. That was rather peculiar. And then there were the assaults on the elderly guy, Vickie, Tanner, and Katherine, as well as the pieces of information I'd pieced together about him, but he remained unknown to me. Not without a doubt. She finished her sentence in a tone that was so soft it was nearly a whisper.

Merit was behaving as if she could not stand to look at Elizabeth, which made Elizabeth feel more lonely and alone than she could ever have imagined feeling. "Well, that was a decent guess," Elizabeth murmured. She was trying to behave normally, but what was normal in this situation?


remember being in her life. recall being in her life.
I called Denis's house and invited her to come over at seven o'clock, provided that her mother would allow her. It's most likely her doing it. I'll go check it out," said Merit, who seemed to be in an almost impure hurry to go.

"Wait. Does she have any idea? "

"No... Oh, you mean I should break it to her gently," Elizabeth thought to herself as she flicked on the little reading light that was located next to the bed. Merit continued to gaze about the room uncertainly.

"Turn off the light in the room. She said, "Even if it doesn't, it makes my eyes ache," and when Merit turned around, she was able to hide in the shadows since the bedroom was so dark.

She stood in a corner, gripping her elbows with her hands as she waited for Merit to return with Denis. Maybe it was a poor idea to attempt to get Merit and Denis involved. If calm Merit was unable to manage the issue, what would Denis do?

Merit announced their presence by repeating over and over, "Don't scream now; don't scream," as she carried Denis through the front door of the house in her arms.

"Why are you acting like that? What are you doing at the moment? "Let go of me," Denis spat in response. "Let go of me. Do you have any idea what I had to say to my mother before she agreed to allow me leave the home tonight? She is planning on taking me to the medical facility in Roanoke.

After Merit had finished speaking, she slammed the door shut and told Denis, "Okay, now you're gone."
in order to see something that... So, this is going to come as a surprise. But you won't be able to shout, do you get what I'm saying? I'll release go of you if you promise."

"I can't see anything since it's so dark, and you're making me nervous. What exactly is the matter with you, Merit? Oh, I'll keep my word, I swear to it, but what are you talking about?

When Merit called out "Elizabeth," Elizabeth saw this as an invitation to come forward and did so.

She scowled and leaned forward, peering in the dim light. When she saw Elizabeth's form, she gasped. But then, as she stared at Elizabeth's face, she clapped her hands together with a shriek of joy. Denis's reaction was not what she had anticipated. She scowled and leaned forward, peering in the dim light.

"I had no doubt! I was sure they were in the wrong! That being said, there, Merit, as well as you and Katherine
believed you understood a lot about drowning and everything else along with it. On the other hand, I should have known better! Oh, Elizabeth, I am very sorry for my absence. It's going to seem like everyone is so-"

"Be calm, Denis! Be silent! "I warned you not to scream," Merit stated in an agitated tone. "I told you not to scream." Listen, you dummy, do you really believe that if Elizabeth were in fact OK, she would be here in the middle of the night without anybody being aware of her presence? "

"But she is doing well; just take a look at her. There she is, standing at that spot. You, Elizabeth, are the one in question, aren't you? Denis made a move to approach her, but Merit caught hold of her once again.

Elizabeth got the peculiar sensation that she had strayed into a bizarre comedy, maybe one written by Kafka, except she didn't know her lines. She didn't know how to respond to this situation. "Yes, it's me."


know what to say to Denis, who seemed to be in rapt attention. know what to say to Denis, who appeared to be in rapt attention.