rushing forward.
“Wait.” Kamau’s hand shot out, holding her back.
“But—”
“Look at him,” he said.
The flashlight beam cut through the settling dust. Lys got the reflection of it right in her eye as Kamau shined it across the mirror behind Brady. A crack ran the length of the glass, and a spread of shards lay on the floor. Blood trailed from the mirror to Brady’s hands. Lys followed the spot of light as it moved up to Brady’s head. Sweat dripped from his hair, and his whole body shook.
“Brady?” Kamau said, gently pushing past Lys and into the room.
Brady flinched at the sound of his name, moving away like a frightened dog.
“Brady,” Kamau repeated. “Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?” He stepped forward, holding his hand out behind him to keep Lys from coming any closer.
Lys couldn’t see around Kamau, but she heard Brady whimper as well as the scraping of glass shards on the linoleum floor.
The light around her faded, once again replaced by the gray haze. She could see the hallway, and her perspective followed the footprints in the dust with its eyes. Up ahead a glow came from one of the rooms.
She shook her head. Hallucinating again? Is this what happened to the others when Kenny freaked out? Seeing things that weren’t there, remembering things that hadn’t happened?
“Brady,” Kamau said again, moving closer to Brady and squatting down next to him. “Can you hear me?”
“Get away,” Brady said, pleading in his tone. Lys knew that tone, she knew those words.
“Get back,” she said, going after Kamau and pulling him up.
He turned on her, a questioning look in his eyes.
For a moment she was mesmerized by his dark, deep eyes. They’d seen things she never had. Why couldn’t she see them, too?
Another scream from Brady brought her out of it. The sound cut through the silent room, severing Lys from herself for a moment.
“We need to find a counselor,” Kamau said.
“Help me,” Brady whimpered, gasping for air after screaming. He writhed on the floor, curling up into a ball. “Please.”
“What’s that?” Kamau asked, looking behind Lys.
She whipped her head around. Behind her, at the end of another hallway, floated the sneering, glowing head of a wolf as big as a table. It snapped its jaws and slowly came toward them.
“We have to get out of here!” she said, going to Brady and trying to pull him to his feet.
Kamau stood transfixed, watching the light come toward him.
“Help me!” Lys said. All of the ghost hunting shows she’d ever watched late at night were coming back to her. They’d never seen anything like this!
Kamau finally turned and came to help her. Brady twitched and moaned, but it didn’t sound like pain. Lys’s thoughts turned back to the Need, and how she felt after she took the eyes from the frog. Pure ecstasy.
She almost dropped Brady and ran for it, but Kamau grabbed his other arm—the one with a deep gash in it from the mirror—and hauled the smaller boy to his feet.
“This way,” Kamau said, pulling them both out the door and away from the advancing wolf head.
“Is there an exit down here?” Lys asked, glancing back over her shoulder. The glowing apparition glided at them.
“There’s an exit sign,” Kamau said, pointing his flashlight ahead.
Sure enough, a steel door stood at the end of the hall, and above it, an exit sign.
“Uh, that door is locked,” Lys said, noticing the security bar and stout lock.
“I can open it,” Brady said in a hoarse voice. Lys barely recognized it as human.
The light behind them grew brighter as they moved. Lys and Kamau dragged Brady between them. He couldn’t get his feet under him. How did he plan to open the door?
Unfortunately, they had no other direction to choose from. Everything else along the corridor led into rooms. She couldn’t see any other hallways or turns to take. It was either the exit door or go back and face the apparition behind
“Wait.” Kamau’s hand shot out, holding her back.
“But—”
“Look at him,” he said.
The flashlight beam cut through the settling dust. Lys got the reflection of it right in her eye as Kamau shined it across the mirror behind Brady. A crack ran the length of the glass, and a spread of shards lay on the floor. Blood trailed from the mirror to Brady’s hands. Lys followed the spot of light as it moved up to Brady’s head. Sweat dripped from his hair, and his whole body shook.
“Brady?” Kamau said, gently pushing past Lys and into the room.
Brady flinched at the sound of his name, moving away like a frightened dog.
“Brady,” Kamau repeated. “Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?” He stepped forward, holding his hand out behind him to keep Lys from coming any closer.
Lys couldn’t see around Kamau, but she heard Brady whimper as well as the scraping of glass shards on the linoleum floor.
The light around her faded, once again replaced by the gray haze. She could see the hallway, and her perspective followed the footprints in the dust with its eyes. Up ahead a glow came from one of the rooms.
She shook her head. Hallucinating again? Is this what happened to the others when Kenny freaked out? Seeing things that weren’t there, remembering things that hadn’t happened?
“Brady,” Kamau said again, moving closer to Brady and squatting down next to him. “Can you hear me?”
“Get away,” Brady said, pleading in his tone. Lys knew that tone, she knew those words.
“Get back,” she said, going after Kamau and pulling him up.
He turned on her, a questioning look in his eyes.
For a moment she was mesmerized by his dark, deep eyes. They’d seen things she never had. Why couldn’t she see them, too?
Another scream from Brady brought her out of it. The sound cut through the silent room, severing Lys from herself for a moment.
“We need to find a counselor,” Kamau said.
“Help me,” Brady whimpered, gasping for air after screaming. He writhed on the floor, curling up into a ball. “Please.”
“What’s that?” Kamau asked, looking behind Lys.
She whipped her head around. Behind her, at the end of another hallway, floated the sneering, glowing head of a wolf as big as a table. It snapped its jaws and slowly came toward them.
“We have to get out of here!” she said, going to Brady and trying to pull him to his feet.
Kamau stood transfixed, watching the light come toward him.
“Help me!” Lys said. All of the ghost hunting shows she’d ever watched late at night were coming back to her. They’d never seen anything like this!
Kamau finally turned and came to help her. Brady twitched and moaned, but it didn’t sound like pain. Lys’s thoughts turned back to the Need, and how she felt after she took the eyes from the frog. Pure ecstasy.
She almost dropped Brady and ran for it, but Kamau grabbed his other arm—the one with a deep gash in it from the mirror—and hauled the smaller boy to his feet.
“This way,” Kamau said, pulling them both out the door and away from the advancing wolf head.
“Is there an exit down here?” Lys asked, glancing back over her shoulder. The glowing apparition glided at them.
“There’s an exit sign,” Kamau said, pointing his flashlight ahead.
Sure enough, a steel door stood at the end of the hall, and above it, an exit sign.
“Uh, that door is locked,” Lys said, noticing the security bar and stout lock.
“I can open it,” Brady said in a hoarse voice. Lys barely recognized it as human.
The light behind them grew brighter as they moved. Lys and Kamau dragged Brady between them. He couldn’t get his feet under him. How did he plan to open the door?
Unfortunately, they had no other direction to choose from. Everything else along the corridor led into rooms. She couldn’t see any other hallways or turns to take. It was either the exit door or go back and face the apparition behind
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