The doorknob rattles again. “Chase!”

The voice raises to a pitch that I’ve never heard Gries use before—a high whine, like an insect buzz.

“Get the fuck away from us!” Chase shouts. “Whoever you are, leave us alone!”

Nothing responds at first. And then—

“Chase.” It’s a different voice this time, feminine and light and sweet. “Chase, sweetheart. Please let me in.”

Chase shakes so hard he would have fallen to the floor if I hadn’t grabbed him. “No,” he says, a near sob. “N-no. That’s impossible. She can’t. It couldn’t have—”

“Chase,” the voice croons, and I make the belated connection. “I’ve missed you. Come and kiss me. I’ll tuck you in, and we’ll read Velveteen Rabbit together like we—”

“No!” This time I’m the one shouting. “No! You’re not going to make a mockery of his mother! Kung may gusto kang sabihin sa akin—sabihin mo na!”

The voice that sounds like Chase’s mother breaks off unexpectedly. And then, horrifyingly enough, it is Chase’s voice that begins to scream back at us.

“Fuck you, Riley!” It sounds so near, like the voice is in the room with us. “I hope you get an STD, you cheating ho! Fuck you, Riley! I hope you get an STD, you cheating ho! Fuck you, Riley! I hope you get a—”

“Wait!” Chase cries out, but I am already racing toward the door, steeling myself to face whatever I might find outside. Askal is at my side, hackles raised, prepared to do the same. I grab the doorknob, take a deep breath, and twist.

The door swings open.

There is nothing waiting for me there.

Breathing hard, I stare at the empty space. I turn back toward Chase, who watches me with fright. There is nothing amiss in the room. The makahiya on the windowsill are gone.

“Why did it do that?” Chase whispers.

I drop my head into my hands. “Because He wants to scare you away from me,” I say quietly. “Because as soon as the sacrifices are done, He’s going to open up a way to get out of this island, and He doesn’t want you staying for me. And He’s right. You’re not going to want to be here when the ritual’s complete.”

Gries steps through the doorway, exhausted. “Hey,” he says and then pauses, seeing the expression on our faces. “What’s wrong with you two?”

***

The rescue team has yet to find Karl. We relay everything that’s happened while Gries was gone, and he’s horrified for Chase’s sake.

“Why’s it doing this to him?” he asks me accusingly. “You said this god spares the innocent. Chase is the last person it should be haunting!”

“He doesn’t understand boundaries the way humans do,” I say slowly.

“And it’s haunting him because it’s—curious about him? Wants to get him away from the island to protect him?” Gries lets out an incredulous-sounding laugh. “So this god thinks it’s some sort of surrogate parent of yours?”

“The Diwata is protective of me, but He doesn’t process emotions like a human. He heard Chase shouting about his ex. He might have thought that scaring her would stop her from harassing him further. He wants Chase away from Kisapmata. I know it sounds bad, but that’s how He—”