A few days later, when my head no longer felt like it would topple off with one wrong move, a bell tolled throughout Margin.
I jolted upright, my mind swimming only slightly, and patted the side of the bed. "Come here, Sasha."
She was busy pawing at the closed door one minute and chasing her tail the next. I couldn't decide if she was just bored or needed to pee, but she bounded toward me and sprang onto the bed, the rest of the room blurring past us both. I picked her up and angled her toward the windows, but they were too frosted to see through.
"What do you suppose that bell means?" I listened hard, feeling the vibrations shake up the legs of the bed, my bones, and my heart. It sounded low and sinister.
Sasha licked my hand, unconcerned.
The door burst open on quiet hinges then, shifting the air flow in the tiny room. There was no mistaking Thomas's silent entry or the tense energy surrounding him.
"Can you stand."
"I - " Maybe? "Yes. Why? What's going on?"