Time stopped.

Stephanie stood frozen in the doorway, her hand pressed against her mouth, mascara running down her cheeks in black streams. Her chest rose and fell too quickly.

"Stephanie.." I started forward, but she jerked backward like I'd struck her.

"Don't." The word came out broken. "Don't come near me."

She turned and stumbled down the hallway, one hand trailing along the wall for balance. Both Durex and I followed, drawn by the same horrible magnetism of disaster.

She pushed through ...