[There’s no heartbeat where it should be, and yet Whelk imagine’s it stopping when he sees Noah touch his cheek, withdraw into himself, drain the life from his eyes. It’s an image he’s seen ten thousand times over the last seven years. Sleepless nights were spent picturing the gaunt, broken face, hovering over him or standing just outside his field of vision, watching.

[He’d never wanted to accept that that really could have been Czerny haunting him, but seeing him like this now, his body prickles like its covered in ice. Even in all of his imaginings, in all of his nightmares, in every memory of that wretched night, never before could he have known how frightening Noah Czerny really could be. Were his blood still flowing, it would flow cold.]

Wait...[His voice sounds weak again, raw and hollow just as it had before. All at once, Whelk is struck with an all-consuming fear that Czerny will fade away, never to be seen again. He shakes his head, repeating:] Wait. Don’t go...

Please, don’t...

I-I’ll listen, I will. I want to listen, I just...

I just want you to say what you have to say, Czerny! Dammit, be angry! Be...[His jaw clenches and he squeezes his eyes shut tight. Never before had he wished for a nightmare, but he know this isn’t one.]

Be whatever you want. But please don’t go. I don’t want...you to go.