"Did you all hear that?" you ask the others.
They turn to look. You hear the knocking again, but see no one.
"Yeah, what is—" Diego begins to say.
Above your heads, the lights flicker. The group huddles together closer and watches in silence.
Across the room, one of the lightbulbs shatters. The children with the family scream. Another shatters nearby, followed by another, then another, each one a bit closer to you.
You all cover your heads and duck as the bulbs above you burst. Once it goes silent, you look up.
"Damn," Addy says, looking at their bleeding hand. The blood is dripping down their wrist and while Addy doesn't look too alarmed, they are gritting their teeth in pain. "Hey lady, you need to get your wiring checked!" they call over to the gallery owner who is standing there bewildered with her jaw hanging open.
You look back over to the front of the store. The fog is beginning to clear, but five long, diagonal smudges mark the glass. Like someone had dragged their fingers along it in those few seconds you weren't looking.
Next Chapter