Chapter 21: Chapter 21

The going was slow and Otho feared his joints would stop working, for the cold in them ached worse than he’d believed possible.

Once they reached the door, Otho pushed it open and stumbled inside.

Where the fuck is the ambulance?

He hauled Mason into the bedroom. His head lolled, and he’d stopped walking on his own. Shit

With shaking hands, Otho began undressing him. One garment after another landed on the hardwood floor with a wet sound. When he reached Mason’s underwear, he hesitated, but the navy-blue boxer-briefs were as soaked as everything else. With a deep breath, he pulled them down and, without looking, he guided Mason to the bed and in under the duvet. The door of the old linen cupboard shrieked as he took out a spare cover. Putting it on top of Mason, he bent over him. His skin was too pale, and he was too still, too quiet. What worried him the most was how he kept his eyes shut the entire time.

“I’ll just run out and see if I can spot the paramedics.”