Eoghan took one look at Shanane's pale face, her shaking hands, the strain in her voiceand simply nodded.
He grabbed her bag off the floor without a word, slinging it over his shoulder. Then he placed a hand gently at the small of her back and guided her toward the door. Shanane didn't look back. She couldn't. She felt its eyes on her, no longer hidden behind warmth or gentleness, but staring through her like it already knew how this would end.
As the door closed behind them, the air outside hit her like a breath she hadn't realized she needed. Cold. Clean. Real.
Eoghan didn't let go of her as they walked. His hand remained light on her back, grounding her. She moved stiffly beside him, heart still pounding, chest tight, throat raw.
She didn't speak the entire way back. Neither did he.
Not until they were inside his cottage again. The fire was still burning low in the hearth. The soft smell of herbs and pine clung to the air. It should have felt safe. But it didn't.
Eoghan set her bag down and turned to her, studying her face with a furrowed brow. His voice was soft, cautious.
__Eoghan: "What happened?"
She shook her head slowly, her arms wrapped around herself.
__Shanane: "I can't talk about it. Not yet."
He didn't press her. He just nodded once and crossed the room to stoke the fire, giving her the space she didn't know how to ask for.
She sat down heavily on the edge of the couch, staring into the flames. Her wrist ached. The stone necklace he gave her still hung warm against her chest, but it didn't make her feel protected now. It made her feel watched.
He returned, crouching in front of her.
__Eoghan: "You don't have to explain. But whatever it is…" He hesitated. Then his voice dropped lower. "It's scaring you more than anything I've seen shake you so far."
She looked at him then. Really looked at him. And for a moment, she wanted to tell him everything.
But how could she? How could she put it into words that something had taken her grandmother's face and smiled at her like it had been waiting her whole life?
So instead, she whispered the only truth she could manage.
__Shanane: "It's getting worse."
His eyes didn't leave hers.
__Eoghan: "Then we'll face it together."
But deep down, she already knew the truth.
Some things you had to face alone. Because no one else could see the monster in the room.