Beechwood Academy

chapter seventeen

Miss Drake's face fell as the building shook beneath their feet. "No!" She screamed with every bit of rage and fear she had built up in her throat.

"Come and get me, bitch." Wren said with a smile as Miss Drake approached the girl, wrapping her hands around Wren's throat. Duncan took that as his opportunity to wake from the dead. He sat up and turned to Rudy who's eyes were wide as he looked around the building watched dust fall from the ceiling.

"Rudy, Rudy, we have to go." Duncan said tugging hopelessly at Rudy's bonds.

"What the hell?" Duncan heard Jared's voice behind him swung around with his fists raised. Duncan got one hit to Jared's jaw and turned back to Rudy without another thought.

"You need to go, Duncan." Rudy said, his eyes were filled with tears. Duncan shook his head, clawing at the rope around Rudy's waist. "Duncan! If you don't get out of here you'll die." Rudy stated sternly.

"And if I don't get you out, you'll die! I'm not leaving here without you." Frustrated tears fell from Duncan's eyes, the ropes wouldn't loosen and the building shook more violently as Wren screamed for a second time as she bought off Miss Drake with her legs. Duncan's ears were ringing and his heart was in his stomach before he finally gave up. He cupped Rudy's face and wiped away the blood on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, I need you to go." Rudy's forgiveness was all Duncan needed before he turned to where Jared and Susie were kneeled down beside Sammy. Duncan shoved Susie to the side and grabbed Sammy's ankles in an attempt to drag him to safety. Duncan didn't get far before he was tackled to the ground. Jared wrestled for dominance and ended up pinning Duncan to the floor while towering over him, every sign of Jared's smirk was gone.

"If we die, you all die with us." Jared growled. Duncan shot him a smile and brought his knee up to collide with Jared's ground for the second time today. Jared howled in pain and loosened his grip enough for Duncan to slide out from underneath him and get to his feet.

"You really need to pay for attention to what goes on below the waist." Duncan resisted the urge to kick him once more just for the rush of it but decided against it. He knelt down beside Sammy held two fingers against the boy's neck to make sure his attempt to save him was going to be worth something. It wasn't, he didn't have a pulse. Tears sprang from his eyes as he turned to run. The ground vibrated beneath him but he ran out of the drama room without stumbling. He followed the crowd of screaming students down the stairs and out of the building just in time to watch it collapse to the ground.

Duncan couldn't breathe. His heart felt like it would stop beating at the sight of the building coming down on top of his friends. He was alone once again. They were all dead and he could have stopped it just like Noah said.

* * *

"It's been one week since Beechwood Academy's largest and oldest building collapsed and resulted in the death of sixteen students and thirty-two were injured. Four student and one teacher have come up missing, their bodies have to be found but according to the local authorities it would be a miracle if they were to have survived to collapse. Families are mourning and students are being sent home early to complete their studies at home online. The headmistress claims she hopes to remodel and rebuild the school for students to return next fall."

Duncan clicked off the TV and wiped his eyes. His parents were seated at either side of him, trying to give whatever support they could without making the boy break down again. Duncan hadn't spoken a word since he lost his friends but when he did it came out in screams and anger and tears. He wasn't okay. He was in the worst mind state he'd been in in a long time and his parents were beginning to worry. Being at home wasn't going to help him, sending him away to Beechwood was the best decision they'd made and it gave him happiness and friends that he could never replace.

"How would you feel about going away again? You'll get your mind off of your friends." His mother suggested one night as Duncan was getting ready for bed. The boy shrugged half heartedly, not really caring what happened to him from here on out. He didn't have anything to live for much less anything to stay at home for. If his parents wanted to send him away so be it, he didn't care. Without Sammy, without Rudy, and without Wren, he couldn't survive Beechwood and he probably couldn't survive wherever else he was being sent and maybe that's how he wanted it.

THE END
book two: beechwood descendants coming soon!