[ The next image that shimmers within the drink is that of an elderly woman dressed in mourning garb, her face obscured by a heavy veil. Darkness pours from her, radiating outward like smoke from a smothered fire, swallowing the light around her. Rose goes pale. She blinks hard, dragging her gaze away and back to Midge, trying to steady herself. ]

The Darkness got to him. [ quietly ] It touched me, too. But... it took Rusty. And once you’ve been Taken, there’s no coming back. [ She knows that Alan was the one who ended it. Who did what had to be done. Rose tells herself she’s grateful for that. She wants to be.

But mostly, it just hurts. Even thirteen years later. ]