Enoch had a whole script prepared for this call, designed to chip away at Crysta's cynicism and make her wonder if this macabre illusion might be a sign that her dear older brother is experiencing terrible and debilitating effects from the storm, and maybe, just maybe, she should worry about him.

But the only thing on the other end of the line is a long silence, before Enoch's irritated voice comes through. "You know very well that Nutsy was not a friend, he was simply a squirrel that lived in the tree outside my bedroom window and which I happened to name because I was nine years old."