Chapter 140

"We find that if you shower off, it’s just about enough time to let them kick in," Juliet added.

So we took turns showering -- it was too small to accommodate more than one person. I went last, which meant there really wasn’t any hot water left, but it didn’t matter. Just as I toweled off, that’s when I noticed something was different. It was subtle at first, but I noticed the walls of the bathroom were undulating. I stared at them. They looked like lungs, inhaling and exhaling. There was a knock on the door, and the wood looked like it was vibrating and was surrounded by a halo that flashed with each rap from the other side.

"Are you going to come out and play, John?" Juliet said in a singsong voice.

I hadn’t even realized it, but I had been just standing in the bathroom for almost fifteen minutes.

"They’re hitting you, aren’t they?" Melanie said. Her voice seemed as aquiline as her nose.

"I think so," I said, my