Vampire High Sophomore Year - By Douglas Rees Page 0,69

there.”

“No, me!” came a voice from the back.

And then everybody started volunteering to be arrested, laughing and clapping.

“Nobody gets arrested,” the first cop said. “Those are the damned orders. We just shut this thing down, okay?”

“Not really okay. No,” Dad purred, coming forward. “And if you try, I’ll sue New Sodom for everything but the sidewalks. And believe me, I can do it.”

“Dad, you would? What about Leach, Swindol and Twist?” I said.

“We can’t lose this,” Dad said. “This has to go on.”

Everyone cheered, except Ms. Shadwell, who howled.

“We will not go gentle into that good night,” Mom said, laughing and punching Mr. Shadwell on the foreleg.

“Rrrrrrrrr,” Mr. Shadwell agreed.

“Don’t tread on me,” Pestilence shouted.

“Don’t tread on us!” Mrs. Warrener cried, and banged on her piano.

“Oh, come on, people,” the second cop said. “Give us a break.”

Ms. Shadwell howled, and everyone clapped.

“All right, then. We’re gonna call for backup,” the first cop said.

And he did.

And we all stood around talking about what a great Halloween it was turning out to be, and how there’d never been anything like it, and why hadn’t somebody started a center like this fifty years ago, and what would we do next?

And right about then, somebody standing near the entrance to the basement said, “Hey, I smell smoke.”

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I pushed through the crowd over to the basement doorway.

Smoke was pouring out. Fierce, gray smoke, racing up to join us. And behind it I could see the flicker of orange flames.

Fire extinguishers. We didn’t have them. Hadn’t thought of them. Sprinkler system? That would have been a good idea.

“We’ve got to get everybody out,” I said, to no one and everyone.

I put my arms over my face, went down the stairs, found the door by touch, and slammed it. That might cut off the air supply, I hoped. At least it would buy a little time.

I didn’t ask myself why the door was even open.

“My art,” Turk said, and ducked back through the crowd. “Okay, everybody, we’re getting out,” she said. “Everybody grab one piece and take it with you. Save the art. Save the art.”

Some people picked things up, or yanked them off the walls. Someone even grabbed The Scream from the wigwam. But others just headed for the doors. In a few seconds, everyone was jammed together trying to get out.

“Somebody call the fire department!” I heard a voice say.

“Come on, people, calm down. Line up,” the first cop said. “Weren’t you ever in second grade? Line up.”

But people weren’t really listening. The stairs were filling up as people on the upper floors realized there was something wrong. I heard some people scream.

Justin and Gregor thought to open the windows, and people started to jump through them. Ilie and Constantin picked up Mrs. Warrener’s piano, twisted the legs off, and rescued it. Blasts of cold air came into the room, and somehow that seemed to increase the panic.

“Cody, come on,” Dad called to me. He had his arm around Mom and they were about to go out by one of the front windows.

“Right with you, Dad,” I said. Then I pushed my way to the stairs. I was going to make sure that the top two floors were clear.

But how to get up there? People were choking the steps.

“Mosh pit!” I shouted, and jumped for their shoulders.

People yelled, and some of them cursed me, but enough of them got the idea, and I went up on their hands.

I fell onto the floor of the second story, picked myself up, and heard another thump behind me.

“Keep going, Cody,” Justin said. “I’m right behind you.”

“Check the right,” I said, and went left.

It only took a minute. No one was there except for the last people trying to get down the stairs. The dancing had drawn almost everybody down to the first floor before the fire started.

“All clear on this side,” Justin called to me.

And we went up to the third floor.

Nobody was there.

“We’re done here,” I said. “Let’s get out.”

Then I looked toward the office.

“But first we’ve got to save Gregor’s posters and stuff,” I said. “Come on.”

“We’d better go,” Justin said. “Wouldn’t be so good to get trapped up here.”

“Oh, we’ve got time,” I said. “The fire’s down in the basement, for pete’s sake.”

“Cody, this is an old building,” Justin said. “The wood’s dry as straw. Trust me, I live in an old house.”

“Five minutes,” I said, and tried the door. I guess Ileana had locked it again. “Uh-oh,” I said, and leaned on it with