“Jenni, you’re scaring me,” Katie whispered.
“Get your jeans on!” Jenni flung them at Katie and whirled around, her long hair fanning out around her. “Shit, shit, shit! I got the time fucked up in my head. I was thinking of Nerit’s time, not Travis’!”
Fumbling with her jeans, Katie struggled into them, nearly tripping as she tried to also shove her feet into her jogging shoes. “Jenni, you’re scaring the hell out of me! What is going on?”
“Curtis is about to kill Travis! We have to hurry or he’ll do it!” Jenni grabbed at Katie’s hand. Their fingers did not touch, but passed
through each other. “Oh, damn! I’m already fading!”
“Jenni, what do you mean Curtis will kill Travis?” Katie felt as if she couldn’t breathe as she tied her shoes.
“Come with me! Hurry! I’m sorry, Katie. I got the times wrong!” Jenni waved at her best friend again, her body seeming not as solid as before.
“C’mon! We have to save Travis!”
“What do you mean Nerit’s time? Jenni, what is happening?” Katie raced after her friend throwing open the bedroom door that Jenni simply ran through. She followed Jenni into the hallway. “Jenni, what do you mean?”
* * * * * “Nerit,” a voice whispered softly.
Standing on the shores of the Red Sea, Nerit turned slowly. Raising her hand to shield her eyes, she looked for the source of the soft voice.
“Nerit, come to my voice,” it came again softly.
Turning completely around, she looked into the horizon as the sun blazed down on her. Her long blond hair whipped around her face and she could feel the sand and salt tucked into the creases of her uniform and rubbing against her skin.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“Here. Come here. ” The voice was behind her on the waves.
Stepping into the water slowly, she felt disoriented and afraid. Behind her the wind howled.
“Come deeper into the water, Nerit,” the voice called out again. “Come to my voice. ”
“Ralph?”
Now in water up to her waist, she felt the warm water lapping up around her hands as she held them out at her sides.
The howl of the wind was louder now, almost screaming in her ears.
“Don’t look behind you, Nerit, just come here,” Ralph’s voice persisted.
Slowly, despite his words, Nerit turned. Behind her the shore was filled with the undead, screaming, howling, reaching toward her. A few were daring to enter the water behind her.
Then a hand reached out of the water, grabbed her and dragged her down into the salty depths.
In the tiny clinic room, Nerit’s eyes opened from her nightmare. Her fingers trembling against her heaving chest, she tried to focus her eyes and take a deep breath. It hurt at first, then the pain in her chest lessened and she pressed her hand to her forehead.
The I. V. was an annoying pain in her wrist, but she ignored it as she caught sight of Kevin asleep in a chair near the door.
“Kevin?”
She was sure the voice in her dream had been Ralph, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Slowly, Ralph stepped out of the shadows near the bed and sat down in the chair closest to her. He smiled softly at her and reached out to take the hand still clutching the bed covers.
“Nerit, you’re okay. You’re awake. It was hard to get you back. You were so far gone. ”
“Ralph,” she whispered, laying her other hand over his. “I can feel your hand. ”