"Someone's following us, Abe," Ava whispered. "Someone definitely grabbed my shoulder."

"I hate to argue," he said, "but if someone was following us, why would they grab your shoulder?"

Nonetheless, she stared back the way they'd come--but there was no one in the shadowed hallway. She was breathing much too quickly, and tried for a deep breath to calm herself.

But she jumped again when she felt Abe brush a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Stop it!" she said. "What on earth do you think you're doing?!"

"Stop what? I didn't do a thing!"

Ava realized he stood about a foot behind her. He hadn't reached out at all.
She spun right and left, but they were still alone. "I thought I felt--"

And then against her neck, the sharp, cold gasps of someone's breath.

"No!" she screamed, and spun around again. Her knees gave way, and she caught herself against the wall--her palm directly on the forehead of a smooth, cool human skull.
A lurch of nausea swung through her stomach. "Abe?!" she cried as she twisted back around.

But Abe was gone.