Nightfall (Devil's Night #4) - Penelope Douglas Page 0,25

and glancing into classrooms as I passed, all dark and not a soul to be found. Everyone was either home or downstairs on the first floor.

I rounded the corner and then the next, coming up on the teacher’s lounge and found the door cracked.

Creeping up, I pushed it open a sliver more. “Hello?” I said. “Coach, are you in here?”

Every hair on my arms stood on end, and all I could see was dark.

What the hell?

Then, a shadow suddenly moved across the wall in my view, and I sucked in a breath.

I swallowed. “Coach?” I choked out.

Rain tapped the windows behind me, and I knew someone was in the room.

I almost pushed the door open, but whoever was in there heard me.

And they weren’t responding.

To hell with this. I tried. She could talk to me Monday.

Jetting off, I ran to the end of the hall and threw my body into the door leading to the other stairwell.

But it didn’t budge.

I grabbed hold of the bar and shoved again, the door jiggling but not opening.

“No, no, no…” I pushed again and then tried the other one, kicking at it and growling. “They don’t really lock the doors,” I mocked myself.

Shit!

Running back the way I came, I bolted past the teachers’ lounge and whoever might be in there, heading back toward the lab, passing it, and trying the doors I came through when I arrived.

I shook the handles, yanking and shoving, but they wouldn’t open. Dammit! Did they lock behind me automatically or…

I shook my head, not wanting to think about the other option.

I slipped my hands inside the pocket of my hoodie, but when I pulled out the items inside, all I had were the granola bar and the lock-in ticket.

“Where’s my phone?”

I breathed hard, my hair tickling my nose as I searched my brain.

My locker. I’d left my phone in my backpack inside my locker.

I couldn’t call home anyway. Not yet. Martin was a last resort.

I could call the office.

Or Elle.

I closed my eyes. “Shit.” I didn’t even know her number. I didn’t know anyone’s number. A friend would be useful right now, loser.

There had to be speed dial on a classroom telephone for the front office. Please, please, please, let someone be in there.

I rushed back to the biology lab and swung inside the door, grabbing the receiver off the wall and squinting at the keypad.

I couldn’t see shit. I flipped the light switch.

But nothing happened. “What?” I breathed out, confused.

I flipped the switch up and down a few more times, looking up at the lights and hoping for a flicker, but they were dead. The room was black.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my thighs, because I felt like I was about to pee my pants. I pushed my glasses back up my nose and squinted at the keypad again, trying to make out the writing.

Before I could dial, something glinted to my left, and I looked down on the floor, seeing a large, wet footprint.

I stopped breathing, following the trail, but it disappeared out the door and into the hallway. Whipping around, I dropped the phone, seeing the window on the other side of the room open with rain pouring across the roof outside, splattering the windowsill.

I was just in here, looking for Dorn. That window wasn’t open.

I dropped the phone and backed into the hallway, keeping my eyes peeled.

“This isn’t funny!” I barked. “And I’m not scared!”

Twisting my head left and right, I continued retreating to the wall of windows that wrapped around the third level, glancing over my shoulder to see if I could signal anyone outside in the courtyard.

There was no one, though. Just dark and rain and trees below.

So the lights were cut off. The doors were suddenly locked. Someone creepy was playing around, probably the same creep who sent me the invite to the lock-in.

Fucking Will Grayson.

I squared my shoulder, looking left and then right. “How flattered I am that you have nothing better to do with your time than this,” I bit out. “Come on. I’m almost excited. Let’s go.”

This was bullshit. I had things to do. I had to get home.

But no. Everyone was at their disposal for their entertainment. No one else’s time was important.

“You think you can scare me?” I said, not yelling anymore, because I knew he was close. “You’re boring.”

I didn’t know anything about fighting back or protecting myself, but I knew that nothing surprised me.

I might not win, but I wouldn’t scream.

Dashing back into the