Whispers echoed through dusty rooms, making outrageous claims or revealing hurtful secrets. It was difficult to tell the one from the other.
The thing stood on the threshold of what had once been a family room.
“They said you managed to contact the girl again.”
“Is that what they said?” Joshua White stood (after a fashion) at the front window, watching sleeting rain slide down the dirty glass. He did not turn to face the thing speaking.
“Yeah.”
“Well”—Joshua leaned forward until his hand seemed to rest on the wall—“I suppose they’re right. They seem to know about things like that.”
“They do.” The thing shifted in the doorway, for all the world like a child afraid to approach an angry parent. “They also say you sent a message to Gluen.” One bright eye glimmered in the gloom. “How did you do that?”
Joshua almost turned. His head moved a few inches toward his shoulder and the thing standing in the doorway. “They don’t just talk to you.” His eyes flickered. “Not anymore.”
The thing blinked. “I’m . . . sorry about that. That’s not why I—”
“She didn’t like Vikous, did she?” There was a hint of a smile in Joshua’s voice. His eyes were distant and far away.
Again, the thing blinked. “No.” It straightened, its arm scraping like a rasp on the door frame. “No, she didn’t.”
“I didn’t figure she would.” This time, it was clear Joshua was smiling, and the room was silent for so long that he thought the thing had gone. “That’ll change.”
“Do you want to—”
“No.” Joshua’s smile faded. His voice, if it could be called that anymore, went flat. “I don’t.”
The thing didn’t seem to know how to reply. Silence filled up the room like cold water. “This isn’t—I thought this would be different,” it finally said.
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
It took a short step into the room. “That’s not true! You—” It stopped short, panting through an almost-normal mouth. “It doesn’t matter how it starts with her, you know; it always starts different, but it always ends the same.”
“Does it?” Joshua had turned back to his original position, but during the conversation, the rain had stopped, while the whispering in the corners had gotten stronger.
“It’s a long way to have to go.” The thing tried to sneer, but its lips trembled. “A very long way.”