Ethan’s hand touches my back, and I shudder at his touch, and not in a good way. I close my eyes, trying to block out what I just saw in the compartment under the floorboards. But I can’t. I’ll be seeing that image until the day I die.

I’m sorry we came here. Sorry we got started on any of this.

“I guess we know what happened to Dr. Hale now,” Ethan says in a husky voice.

“I guess so,” I choke out.

I didn’t know what to expect when Ethan opened up that compartment. But that was like nothing I’d ever seen before. A rotting corpse, stuffed under the floorboards. I don’t know how long it takes for a human to turn into nothing but bones after death, but this body hadn’t reached that stage yet. There was still dried-out black skin clinging to the bones.

And scraps of clothing. What possibly used to be a blue shirt. Denim pants. Evidence that once upon a time, that desiccated corpse was a real person. They put on pants and a shirt that morning, never suspecting how their day would end.

“I need some air,” I gasp.

Before Ethan can protest, I push past him and stumble toward the front door. It takes me a second to fumble with the locks, but when I finally get it open, I almost cry with relief. I step out onto the front porch, my socks sinking into the snow that accumulated there last night.

Now that the sun is down, the temperature is definitely below freezing. And all I’m wearing is a pair of blue jeans, a flimsy blouse, that white cashmere sweater, and my socks. By all rights, I should be freezing my ass off. But it feels good. It gives me a distraction from the horrible image I will never get out of my head.

“Christ, Tricia, it’s freezing out here!”

Naturally, Ethan has followed me out to the front porch. At least he was smart enough to put on his boots and tug on his coat. He’s also holding my coat.

“Put this on,” he orders me.

I let him lace my arms into the coat, although it probably feels to him like he’s dressing a rag doll. He throws an arm around my shoulders, but I shrug him off. I don’t want him to touch me right now.

“You should put on shoes,” he says quietly. “You’re going to get frostbite.”

I stare off into the distance. Snow, as far as I can see. How are we ever going to get out of here? And we’re stuck here, with a dead body.

“Tricia? Are you okay?”

“No.”

Ethan grimaces. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I never should have opened the compartment.”

“I’ve never seen a dead body before.” I glance over at him. “Have you?”