Thunder

Ethan can see the lightning through the curtains as it flashes, the storm coming closer and closer. He can''t sleep, and rightfully so-- his attention is drawn every few moments to line 24''s blinking indicator light, like the eye of a demon blinking in the darkness. The thunder manages to rattle the windows, the wooden frames groaning in protest. Part of him expects to see some kind of phantom materialize from steam, or creep from his mirror while his back is turned.

A cold shiver runs up his spine and his eyes try to focus on something he knows isn''t there. On his desk, he can''t see the bells, but he knows they''re there. A memory of his death... One of his deaths.

The thunder cracks over head, it''s boom opening the sky for torrents of rain that seemed to want to wash away everything. Palazzo Rospo stood as a formidable structure in the torrents of water and flashes of light, though he feared that, soon, not even this place would be able to be considered a safe haven.

Boom...

boom...

It took him a moment to realize that it wasn''t just the thunder, someone was at his door. He slipped out from under the covers and padded sleepily over to see who it was. His imagination told him it was the ghost of Dunny, coming to ask him to go dancing in the rain. When he opened the door, however, he only found a very distressed looking Fric.

"...Fric? Do you know what time it is?"

The boy looked up at him, his face was flushed, eyes wide.

"Mister Truman..." He breathed, small hands grasping at his shirt.

"What happened?"

It seemed the boy was incapable of coherent speech, so Ethan picked him up and carried him over to the living room area, sitting him down on the couch.

"Moloch.." Fric managed to gasp out, his entire body beginning to shake.

Ethan decided it was better not to press the situation at the moment.

"M-Mister Truman..." He paused, eyes closing. "Can... Can I stay with you tonight?"

His eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded, trying to think of why the boy would possibly want to come down to his apartment this late at night.

''Moloch...''

"Yeah. But in the morning I need you to tell me what happened. Fric gave him a shaky nod and took his hand, the two moving back into the bedroom. As Ethan laid down, Fric curled up next to him, hands holding onto his midsection with a quiet kind of desperation.

"It''s okay now..." He said quietly. "...Whatever it was, it''s gone. I''m not going to let anything happen to you."

Fric sighed into his chest an mumbled something. He knew without looking the boy was starting to fall asleep. For now, the storm outside could wait-- even Dunny could wait. He was here to take care of Fric and look out for him. Even if it was just a nightmare, he could never say no to the boy.

Across the room, the indicator light for line 24 flicked off and they were left in complete darkness.