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Everybody was yelling, but I could hear nothing over the screeching that was turning into an ice pick in my ear Then, there was a crash fro and heavy had been knocked over Aot tobackpack I found a wall and slae So my name

I heard a door burst open

"ANNA!"

This was a new voice, a ht flooded the roouy who I thought looked like Marc Anthony I knew I had seen him before but in e flashlight and he whipped it around the roo next to the dead cohted John, as pointing his shotgun right at ht found me, and I felt the tentacle loosen fro slithered to the floor, and in the harsh shadows of the beahtmare wad of tentacles that looked like they were made of knotted clumps of black hair Somewhere in the center of it was a pair of eyes on either side of a sideways ht said, "Anna Are you okay?"

The tentacles started twisting and bundling together, fusing andIn a few seconds, there was the little girl again She straightened her nightgown and sniffled and started crying

The ain, "Are you okay?"

Anna shook her head

"No, you’re all right"

In the shadows I could see John looking back and forth, between un at me, he realized, and he pointed it at the floor instead

To ht?"

"She … turned into a … thing…"

"I know that Did she hurt you?"

"The light went off and she got me around the neck…"

"Did she hurt you?"

"No"

Anna sobbed and said, "He hurt uy said, "Now Anna, you scared him You turned and you scared hihts went out and I c-couldn’t h-help it…"

"Anna, you need to say you’re sorry to David"

Anna did not agree with this

"Anna…"

She defiantly said, "I’y, as heartfelt as it clearly wasn’t?"

I had no words "I … she turned into a … thing…"

Anna started crying in earnest once more Amy said, "Hey David" I turned and out of the darkness, an object ca toward me I flinched, threw up ut

I found it on the floor Handling it like I was passing a piece of e, I kneeled and extended the bear toward Anna

She flung herself toward irl speed I had no time to react She flew at me, and threw her arainst ed me She said, "I’m sorry I scared you, Walt"

"It’s, uh, okay" I put an arm around her, and for the tenth time in a week felt like I had become numb to the ridiculous

Anna pried herself away froated her way through the wrecked rooht ave her a kiss on the forehead

I said, "I … don’t understand Is she…"

"This is ht years old"

"And you are…"

"I’ of Undisclosed

John, reading the expression on my face, said, "You two know each other?"

Carlos answered for ether"

I said, "And you are … you’re like her? Right?"