“It only happens very rarely, but once they decide they’re coming in, there isn’t much to stop them,” Ray said. “But it depends on the night. Sometimes the dead ones will take their time coming to the house and then just walk around it, tapping on windows and rattling doors, until they leave again. If you’re very quiet and very lucky, you might get through to dawn without actually laying eyes on one.”
Her mouth was dry, and even drawing from the instant coffee didn’t do much to wet it. “Let’s say I’m not lucky. What then?”
“Stage three,” Kant said, his voice heavy. “Once they’re in the house.”
The dread in the back of Margot’s mind turned to full-blown static. She lifted her cup just to have something to do, but the bitter liquid caught in her throat. She lowered her head, breathing heavily. Nora fished a mini pack of tissues out of her bag and placed it beside Margot’s hand. She didn’t try to touch it.
“What do I need to do?” she asked.
“At first?” Andrew took a slow breath. He placed his own cup aside and folded his arms across his chest. “Stay quiet. And stay alert. Listen for them.”
“They’re not good at being quiet,” Ray said. “As long as you keep your ears open, you can hear them coming. When that happens, you need to move. They’ll be looking for you, and they’re going to be good at finding you. You need to keep yourself a step ahead at all times.”
“Don’t try to hide,” Kant said. “Wardrobes, cupboards, and bathrooms won’t protect you. You’ll be found eventually, and when you are, closed spaces give you no way out.”
Nora cut in. “Use the hallways and rooms with multiple exits. Places where it’s easy to get away. You can sometimes lose them for a while and get a chance to rest. Just don’t let your guard down.”
The information was flowing in too fast, and Margot felt overwhelmed trying to capture it all before it slipped away. “What about defending myself? Or is there anything that will frighten them away?”
“Nothing we’ve found so far,” Kant said. “A bat will knock them back but won’t stop them. Same with guns, knives. They’ll catch on fire but that makes it worse.”
“A flaming corpse will grapple you just as readily as a normal one,” Andrew added, a half smile twisting his lips. “Except then you have the fire to deal with too.”
Nora gave a short flick of her hand. “If they do get into the house, the best thing you can do is keep quiet, keep listening, and be ready to move somewhere else when they get close.”