Page 80 of The Circle

That’s why I was on the roof.

I was removing a thorn.

With a sniper rifle.

I need to tell them. I need to tell Alec and Danny I remember something. It may not be useful, but some information is better than none. I’ve been to this castle. They need to know.

I pull out my phone and starting texting them both:

I remember—

Which is about all I’m able to peck out before a wave of nausea takes over.

I slide the phone back in my pocket and put my hand over my mouth, making little grunting sounds, trying to keep myself from throwing up yet again. Although what would come up at this point is likely nothing. I’m not sure I have a lot left to give.

And then I feel…

A hand. On my hand. The one I have resting on my thigh. Or, more accurately, the one gripping my thigh as I strive to not paint the interior of this car with whatever might remain in the interior of me.

And now Eliza’s hand is sliding around to take my hand and is squeezing it. My hand. She’s just straight up holding my hand.

What is happening?

DANNY

I have a sinking feelingin the pit of my stomach. Because looking up at the castle, I get this weird sensation that I know it. Like I’ve seen it before. Shit. When? I think, maybe, I dreamed about it? Did I?

And then I realize that I did. When I was asleep. On the train. I dreamed about this place. There was shouting and chaos and…

And suddenly the bad feelings about this shit that have been building and building and building are done building and are now full-blown towering structures of anxiety.

“Hans,” I finally just decide to say out loud. “Where the fuck are we?”

Nobody answers. I don’t know if it’s because his name isn’t Hans and he doesn’t know I’m talking to him or because his name actually is Hans and he’s now all freaked out because he thinks I’m a mind-reader or just because he’s an asshole who refuses to answer simple questions. Whatever the reason, no one says shit.

The long, circular road leading up to the castle is for real littered with goddamn monkeys. It’s the strangest shit I’ve seen in a while. And that’s saying a lot.

Some big, some small, just scores and scores of monkeys. Families of them. Playing in the trees, some off in the distance splashing in a pond, others coming right up to the car, unafraid and curious.

And in the sky above…

Eagles. Hawks. Circling the castle. Circling us. Like they’re waiting to feast on our carrion corpses.

It’s ominous and weirdly beautiful all at the same time. The whole thing feels like a Dracula movie or some shit. The castle in front of us is ancient. Medieval. Almost a ruin. I can tell from here that some parts of it have been restored and other parts just left to decay, but I can’t tell much more than that.

I look over and find that Alec looks worried. He has a small bead of sweat forming along the edge of his eyebrow. And now I’m fucking worried. Because Alec doesn’t get worried. Or, at the very least, he never allows his worry to show. So I don’t know what the fuck is going on here. But he sees something. Or he knows something. Or something.

My skin is getting hot. I can feel myself bubbling from the inside. I’m going to pop.

Christine is pregnant. Alec is worried. We’re in the middle of Austria with fucking monkeys and an entire squadron of birds of prey over our heads, going to meet some mystery figure who seems to know everything about us and who it seems like Christine has met before and knows by name. And now I’m sitting here, rifling through the names of everyone I’ve ever fucking met. Some important and present, some just blips on my radar that I haven’t thought of in a long time:

Brasil.

David.

Cillian.

Nikhil.