Without a second thought, I tried hugging Victor’s arm.

And, I felt it. It isn’t exactly a felt per say, more like a numbing pressure against me?

Victor jolted up ever so slightly, and looked towards my direction.

I looked back at the little girl who’s less than 10 feet away from me, then back at Victor; his face turn pale.

“What do we have here?” The little girl hissed. The blood dripped down her thin summer dress. She tilted her head from side to side.

“Detective Kuznetsov? Hey,” Mr. Reed said, waving his hand in front of Victor, “Sure doesn’t look like you’re fine. Go home.”

“Alright, you caught me,” Victor’s voice slightly trembled, “I’ll see you later.”

Victor began walking out of the room, I followed, still holding on to his arm, looking at the little girl.

We stayed quiet until we reached his car.

I let go of his arm; he walked towards his car, leaned back, and slid all the way down to the floor.

“What the hell was that?” He asked as he put his hands on his head.

“I-I d-don’t know,”I whispered, unsure what to say.

Victor took some deep breaths, trying to collect his thoughts.

I squatted down and tried to pat his shoulder, but it went straight through him. I jolted back a bit.

Victor brings out his hand in front of me, palm open, as if asking for a high-five. I smiled a bit, and reached out, resting my hand just a millimeter away. I was scared my hand would go right through him again.

“I’m sorry, this might be weird for you, it just a way for me to remember that…” I trailed off.

“That you’re alive?” Victor asked, finishing my sentence.

I nodded.

“So… where next?” I asked as I retrieved my hand and got up.

“My apartment,” Victor replied as he got up from the ground and started cleaning his pants, “If you don’t mind. It’s just… It’s already getting dark, and I’m not sure when’s the last I slept.”

Oh.