His head ached with terror. He wanted to flee, slam the door, and run. Save my skin or I’m going to die... Andreas was down in the hallway, flattened against the front door, still here only because Ben forbade him to go. He said in a hollow voice, “I wouldn’t desert you, Ben. But come away with me, please.” Ben didn’t move. He heard the dull thuds of something sliding down the attic stairs. Not breathing, he climbed slowly to meet it. “Don’t go up!” Andreas called. “Leave them, let’s get out!” Andreas’s panic was contagious. A head and torso appeared at the top of the stairs; a skeleton clad in rags and ash. It reached down to him with a taut, bony arm. Andreas ran up the stairs and grabbed Ben’s elbow. “What the hell are you doing? They’ll kill you!” “You tried, but I stopped you,” Ben said grimly. “I was alone and weak, but it was still a near-death struggle between us.” Andreas held him back. “How can you fight so many? They’ll be stronger, more desperate -”
