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On the glass doors,inward

Volto masks

My jaw unhinged How did those get there?

I spoke, “Maybe we shouldn’t go that way”

Suddenly the lights all around us went out The space had been dione

The only light source hat cah the s

And the reen

Nathanit at the door It bounced off and slid across the floor

He tried the door handle He paused, and then shook the door again “Locked”

Panic webbed up inside of hten us Get us to do what he wanted I didn’t want to let hiet to Luke,” I said “He’s out there by himself”

“Let’s go back and get the others,” Nathan said “Let’s show them this” He picked up another mask and stuffed it into his back pocket “We need more than just us”

We jogged to the other side of the hall, back to the doors we’d coainst them

Locked

I pushed and pulled at the door again in disbelief “He’s locked us in?”

“Wethrough the courtyard” Nathan pulled a phone from his back pocket It was neithout a case since it had been replaced “I should call them”

I felt for my phone in my bra, ready to do the same and call or make some other use out of it

He and I backed away fro the dark main hallway I kept near him Each end of the hallway seemed darker than where ere Each side ithout s that allohat little light froo around

He reached forthe phone with the other He pushed the green button and held it to his ear He squeezed my hand as he held on

After a moment, he lowered the phone and looked at the screen “What the hell?”

He showeda distorted picture and the sound co from it was static On a cell phone?

“He’swith them,” I said “Turn it off”

He pushed a button along the side to shut it down coot to be a way out,” he said He looked at the doorway through the courtyard again and kicked at it with a heel It didn’t budge “We’ll have to go around”

I looked down the hallhere it led away fro “I’o”

“We can’t stay here and wait for hi to rattle us They’re on the other side We need to get around We’ll need to stick together”

I had to agree with that, but withhtly “Let’s go”

We faced off with the dark hallith, as if expecting to see soh on the other side

There were options to go around We could go upstairs We could take the hallway in front of the office We could go into the office and call them from a landline

All of these options were the sao to But he couldn't be everywhere at once

Could he?

We tiptoed forward to the shortest hallway that would lead us to the cafeteria Nathan was right We needed to get to the was silent

Then a wailing sounded It was distant at first, but co closer

Nathan's hand strengthened in squeezing mine “It's the police Someone called them”

Oh no Not now!

Nathan nudged et you out of here We need to hide in the school So”

“We can't just leave the others to handle this alone,” I said

“You have to” He turned to ation”