Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(94)

We left Victor in the cafeteria, and Nathan led the way through the dark school. I’d gotten accustomed to the evening hours in the office, but it was a new experience to walk through the school when most of the lights were off this late.

We crossed the cafeteria, to doors that led out into the courtyard. We walked through, for the brief moment outside, and then back in on the other side into the main hallway. It was darker than the cafeteria and courtyard. My eyes needed to adjust.

I kept myself close to Nathan. “It’s a little spooky in here.”

He chuckled once, and then picked up his head, looking around. “Just don’t go up the stairs if you see an axe murderer running at you.”

I laughed at that. “Do you think I can get tomorrow afternoon off?”

“I don’t think there’s anything. Mr. Blackbourne has exams. More research into what happened the other night. Victor and the others have to monitor the school.”

Since Kota had spoken to me, I knew Nathan hadn’t gone to Lily, despite Kota saying he should. I wanted to suggest maybe we go to see her together, but I didn’t know how without revealing what Kota said to me. But I thought maybe at some point I could get Kota to come over and talk to him. And if Nathan had nothing else to do, maybe this time he’d go. I’d go with him if he wanted.

“Maybe we can do something together,” I said carefully. Would it help if I said I wanted to go see her? If I suggested maybe he could take me along?

Nathan slowed his walking. We were in the main hallway, right below the balcony where I’d jumped off earlier in the school year. He looked up at it, and then over to the stairs, avoiding my eyes. “I don’t know...”

He paused at that.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He kept looking away. “Yeah.”

I waited. When he didn’t look or answer more than that, but continued to stand there, I turned to him more. “No,” I said. “You’re not. What’s wrong?”

His gaze lifted until he met my eyes. His expression was deep, serious. “I’m just tired,” he said.

My fingers and lips twitched, wanting to ask him further, knowing something was off and unable to pin point it. Did I dare press him any further?

I let it go, motioning to the doors. We had all night and possibly tomorrow. “Should we go? We shouldn’t leave Luke alone out there.” Maybe after he slept, I could question him further about this. If he didn’t want to tell me now, I didn’t want to start an argument.

“Probably a good idea,” he said, and he turned his attention to the doors. He stopped and frowned. “Shit. Fuck us.”

I turned to figure out what he was looking at.

On the glass doors, masks were hanging high and center, facing inward.

Volto masks.

My jaw unhinged. How did those get there?

I spoke, “Maybe we shouldn’t go that way...”

Suddenly the lights all around us went out. The space had been dim before but now every bit of artificial light was gone.

The only light source was what came in through the windows.

And the masks glowing an eerie green.

Nathan marched over, ripping off one of them, and heaving it at the door. It bounced off and slid across the floor.

He tried the door handle. He paused, and then shook the door again. “Locked.”

Panic webbed up inside of me. I tried to stay rational. This was what Volto did. Frighten us. Get us to do what he wanted. I didn’t want to let him. “We need to get to Luke,” I said. “He’s out there by himself.”

“Let’s go back and get the others,” Nathan said. “Let’s show them this.” He picked up another mask and stuffed it into his back pocket. “We need more than just us.”

We jogged to the other side of the hall, back to the doors we’d come in front through the courtyard. We pushed against them.

Locked.

I pushed and pulled at the door again in disbelief. “He’s locked us in?”

“We might just have to go the long way around instead of going through the courtyard.” Nathan pulled a phone from his back pocket. It was newer, without a case since it had been replaced. “I should call them.”

I felt for my phone in my bra, ready to do the same and call or make some other use out of it.

He and I backed away from the doors, examining the dark main hallway. I kept near him. Each end of the hallway seemed darker than where we were. Each side was without wide windows that allowed what little light from outside to shine in. I dreaded the thought of having to go around.

He reached for my hand while he was holding the phone with the other. He pushed the green button and held it to his ear. He squeezed my hand as he held on.

After a moment, he lowered the phone and looked at the screen. “What the hell?”

He showed me the screen, presenting a distorted picture and the sound coming from it was static. On a cell phone?

“He’s messing with them,” I said. “Turn it off.”

He pushed a button along the side to shut it down completely. I did the same with mine. “There’s got to be a way out,” he said. He looked at the doorway through the courtyard again and kicked at it with a heel. It didn’t budge. “We’ll have to go around.”

I looked down the hallway, where it led away from windows at all, and the darkness was thick and foreboding. “I’m not sure we should. I think that’s where he wants us to go.”