I put the glass of water to my lips and took a sip. It tasted warm and metallic, but I was thirsty, so I worked through it. In the distance, I could see the remaining clouds light up. The storm had ended. There was still lightning, but it was somewhere far away.

 

I looked up at the sound of the front door opening. It was Jerry, coming outside to join me on the front porch. He’d changed back into his street clothes at some point. Time must have jumped forward again, and for once I saw it as a relief. After everything that happened, it was almost like the house felt sorry for me. Like it was saying, “Don’t worry about this part, Jack. You’ve already been through enough.”

 

I looked at my hands. A glass of tepid water in one. Tobias’s gun in the other.

 

“Jerry,” I said. “What happened?”

 

He walked over and took a knee. “That entirely depends on how much you remember.”

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