“That remains to be seen,” Judas said as the atmosphere took on an otherworldly light. Sporadic bursts of lightning eerily licked the room. Soft rumblings of thunder rolled across the sky, distant, cold, and unfriendly—as if it were traveling through the belly of a giant beast. Each burst of angry thunder sounded farther away, but in an abstract, extraneous way until finally it passed, sinking the room into an unsettling quiet.
* * * *
A slight movement poised on the edge of Judas’s peripheral vision. His head turned quickly toward Sugar. Had she moved? A feeling of dread washed over him when he realized she was awake. How much had she heard? More importantly, how much had she understood?
“Sugar?”
He waited as she slowly turned and sat up, her eyes fearful as she looked around the room. The words she finally spoke came out in a breathy whisper. “W-Who are you talking to?”