Chapter 16 Marlene
Marlene
Fifteen minutes ago, I told Lucas I was going outside and asked him to meet me there. I waited for him, but he never came.
Now he’s on the floor, covered in blood and barely breathing.
The sob that seizes me isn’t the usual kind.
This one throws its hand down my throat and yanks on my heart until my vision is spotted and I’ve dropped to my knees.
I’m shaking; everything is shaking, and Avery is there now, holding my hands, whispering for me to breathe.
But how can I breathe when Lucas is laid out on the ground behind her, when Lucas might be taking his last breaths?
Caulder understands. I can tell. He’s frozen. How can anyone move when Lucas can’t?
“We need to get the teachers,” Javi says. “I can’t believe they didn’t hear any of this already.”
As he speaks, Javi holds on to Kaitlyn’s hand, and she’s leaning on him like she’ll fall over if she doesn’t. But he’s speaking. Can I speak? It’s like my jaw is glued shut, like words are gummy and unable to be extricated from my mouth.
“I never saw Jay come in,” Kaitlyn says. “Unless he did it while we were hiding.”
“Oh, so that’s where you guys were?” Caulder says, cold anger slipping into his voice. “You were hiding?”
“It was supposed to be some bullshit prank,” Kaitlyn says. “Something Emerson could post. But we never thought…”
Kaitlyn’s voice peters out, caught up in another sob.
“Maybe Jay’s with Emerson,” Javi says. “I didn’t see where Emerson ended up.”
“Let’s get Dorman and McCullough first,” Caulder says, his voice as hollow as I feel. “They should be right down the hall.”
“I can go downstairs and call 911,” Avery says. “I’ll—”
“We need to stay together,” Caulder says, shaking his head. “Let’s get the teachers and then call 911.”
No one questions him. I think everyone’s hoping the same thing: that the adults will fix this—whatever it is.
“Dorman’s room first,” Caulder continues. “Everyone together. And everyone be on alert, okay?”
“Should someone stay with Lucas?” I ask, barely trusting myself to speak.
Caulder meets my gaze, then looks at Lucas.
“We’ll be quick,” he says, not answering my question but answering it all the same. “Come on. Let’s hurry.”
I force myself to move, to follow, if only so that I don’t have to keep looking at Lucas. Avery stays close to me as we walk down the hall to the rooms with closed doors, knocking on each one as we go. The ones Dorman and McCullough should be in.
But there’s no answer.
“This is taking too long,” Kaitlyn says, throwing her body forward to seize the doorknob.
Fear surges inside me all at once. What if the killer’s in there, waiting for us?
“Hold on,” I start to say, but it’s too late. The door is open, and she’s stepping into the darkness, blond hair swishing behind her.
The lights go on and the room’s huge, some sort of suite that clearly has at least two walk-in closets, plus the bathroom.
There’s a gilded chandelier at the center of the room hanging over a bed that looks untouched.
It feels like a dead end until I see Ms. Dorman’s luggage, which Kaitlyn must also see, as she starts opening doors and calling out, “Dormy? Where are you hiding? Did you realize someone had literally been attacked on your wa—”
Her last syllable’s cut off, and I turn to Javi. I see the flash of his eyes; then he rushes forward. I glance at Avery, her face even whiter and paler than usual, and follow after her.
We all freeze behind Kaitlyn, who’s come to a standstill in the en suite bathroom.
There’s blood everywhere. And on the floor is Emerson…absolutely still.