should go upstairs,” Kamau said after a few breaths of oppressive tension. He lifted a hand as if to gesture her back down the hall.
She couldn’t help it; Lys took a step away from him.
Kamau froze. “I am not going to hurt you.”
He meant it. At least it felt like he meant it. Lys didn’t get the impression that he was about to break into crazy. However, Kamau kept shifting his weight back and forth on his feet and glancing around, as if he expected someone else to be close by.
“Sorry,” she said, willing herself to stop moving. “I, uh—”
A cry filled the hallway. This one started out as a sob, and then escalated into a full-blown, blood-curdling scream. Lys’s heart turned to ice in her chest.
“Is that Brady?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I hope not,” Kamau whispered. He stepped closer, and this time Lys didn’t step away. She would risk him wanting to braid her intestines together just so she could have someone real standing next to her. Unless he turned out to be a hallucination.
“Maybe we should go back upstairs,” he said.
“No.” Lys shook her head. “We have to help him.” The words came unbidden. She would much rather run to the end of the hall and up the stairs than go after the apparition in the basement. But she couldn’t get the image of Brady’s terrified face out of her mind.
Another scream came, this one louder than the first. If any of Lys’s blood still flowed, it froze in that instant. However, a warmth came from inside of her. From depths she hadn’t accessed in years.
She’d always had a protective streak in her. She never got busted for ditching class or writing on the bathroom walls. No, she got in trouble for being overprotective. Back in junior high, a kid in her gym class had pushed down one of the overweight girls. He and his buddies kept shoving her and laughing as the girl struggled to get back up. Lys had become so mad that she began to shake all over. Her vision blurred and she screamed at the boys to leave the girl alone. She still didn’t remember what happened after that. She must have attacked the boys, because the gym teacher had to come over and pull Lys off the leader of the pack.
She hadn’t considered it before, but the knee jerk reaction to help her friends rivaled the insistence of the Need. Not as frightening, but just as persistent.
“You saw Brady come down here?” she asked Kamau.
He hesitated. “I did not see him, but I heard him leave and followed him down the stairs.”
“Come on,” she said, grabbing Kamau by the arm. “Let’s go get him.” It was stupid. Bordering on insane really, but she didn’t see any other course of action. She had to find Brady. Kamau had the flashlight, so she was determined to drag him along, too. Besides, she didn’t want to go alone. And a tiny part of her didn’t want him lurking in the dark behind her.
“Go get him?” Kamau asked.
Now that she had backup, Lys felt better about being loud. “Brady!” she cried. “Where are you?”
Her voice drove through the air, bouncing off the walls and shooting down the hallway.
A moan answered her. It came from their left.
“Lys, maybe we should . . .” Kamau started.
Lys ignored him. She kept a hold of his arm and took them down the next hall toward the sound of what she hoped was Brady.
The beam from Kamau’s flashlight bobbed up and down as they moved, almost at a run now.
The same gray haze as she’d experienced upstairs blurred her vision, and Lys gripped Kamau’s arm tighter for support. She could see herself out of the corner of her eye, like she was looking from Kamau’s vantage point.
She shook her head, tossing the strange vision away, and kept running. They got to the corner and turned. She saw the “U” shape of missing linoleum on the floor.
“Come on,” she said, leading them to the doorway. “He’s in here.”
And she was right. Brady crouched on his hands and knees, shaking.
“Brady!” she said,
She couldn’t help it; Lys took a step away from him.
Kamau froze. “I am not going to hurt you.”
He meant it. At least it felt like he meant it. Lys didn’t get the impression that he was about to break into crazy. However, Kamau kept shifting his weight back and forth on his feet and glancing around, as if he expected someone else to be close by.
“Sorry,” she said, willing herself to stop moving. “I, uh—”
A cry filled the hallway. This one started out as a sob, and then escalated into a full-blown, blood-curdling scream. Lys’s heart turned to ice in her chest.
“Is that Brady?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I hope not,” Kamau whispered. He stepped closer, and this time Lys didn’t step away. She would risk him wanting to braid her intestines together just so she could have someone real standing next to her. Unless he turned out to be a hallucination.
“Maybe we should go back upstairs,” he said.
“No.” Lys shook her head. “We have to help him.” The words came unbidden. She would much rather run to the end of the hall and up the stairs than go after the apparition in the basement. But she couldn’t get the image of Brady’s terrified face out of her mind.
Another scream came, this one louder than the first. If any of Lys’s blood still flowed, it froze in that instant. However, a warmth came from inside of her. From depths she hadn’t accessed in years.
She’d always had a protective streak in her. She never got busted for ditching class or writing on the bathroom walls. No, she got in trouble for being overprotective. Back in junior high, a kid in her gym class had pushed down one of the overweight girls. He and his buddies kept shoving her and laughing as the girl struggled to get back up. Lys had become so mad that she began to shake all over. Her vision blurred and she screamed at the boys to leave the girl alone. She still didn’t remember what happened after that. She must have attacked the boys, because the gym teacher had to come over and pull Lys off the leader of the pack.
She hadn’t considered it before, but the knee jerk reaction to help her friends rivaled the insistence of the Need. Not as frightening, but just as persistent.
“You saw Brady come down here?” she asked Kamau.
He hesitated. “I did not see him, but I heard him leave and followed him down the stairs.”
“Come on,” she said, grabbing Kamau by the arm. “Let’s go get him.” It was stupid. Bordering on insane really, but she didn’t see any other course of action. She had to find Brady. Kamau had the flashlight, so she was determined to drag him along, too. Besides, she didn’t want to go alone. And a tiny part of her didn’t want him lurking in the dark behind her.
“Go get him?” Kamau asked.
Now that she had backup, Lys felt better about being loud. “Brady!” she cried. “Where are you?”
Her voice drove through the air, bouncing off the walls and shooting down the hallway.
A moan answered her. It came from their left.
“Lys, maybe we should . . .” Kamau started.
Lys ignored him. She kept a hold of his arm and took them down the next hall toward the sound of what she hoped was Brady.
The beam from Kamau’s flashlight bobbed up and down as they moved, almost at a run now.
The same gray haze as she’d experienced upstairs blurred her vision, and Lys gripped Kamau’s arm tighter for support. She could see herself out of the corner of her eye, like she was looking from Kamau’s vantage point.
She shook her head, tossing the strange vision away, and kept running. They got to the corner and turned. She saw the “U” shape of missing linoleum on the floor.
“Come on,” she said, leading them to the doorway. “He’s in here.”
And she was right. Brady crouched on his hands and knees, shaking.
“Brady!” she said,
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