Burn My Paranoia One Last Time

30. Rebels without a Cause

"I'm so sorry, Rain. So you lost contact with Sloane and Joel. And your boyfriend Darren said some hurtful things to you," Shelby summarized.

"Hurtful is an understatement," Amber muttered. "Did you ever find out who left the threats?"

Carmen's body trembled violently before her head snapped up. Her eyes rolled back, revealing the whites of her eyeballs and strained veins on her lower eyelids.

Thunder cracked outside as rain started pouring down.

"Earlier you said you saw multiple faces. Are you trying to tell us that multiple people killed you?" Amber pressed.

"Amber, I don't think we should ask any more questions," Shelby said worriedly. Rain was clearly upset, and this wasn't leading anywhere specific. It was also getting harder and harder to hold Carmen still. If they broke the circle of hands, who knew what would happen...

"They killed me with their lies, their betrayal... They're fake, all of them!"

"Who? Rain please," Amber insisted. If she could just get Carmen— Rain— to say the name. Just one name.

Carmen muttered something, her voice barely above a whisper before gradually raising and speeding up her voice. "I don't know... I don't know I don't know I don't know I DON'T KNOW!"

Carmen shook her head so fast, that it looked as if any moment it would fly off her neck.

Fingernails scraped across the blackboard behind Carmen, and Shelby let go to cover her ears from the painful screech.

"Eugh!" Amber winced and leaned her head to cover one ear with her shoulder.

Suddenly, an orchestra of dozens upon dozens of sharp fingernails scraped over every inch of the blackboard without mercy.

A terrifying realization dawned on Shelby. "Rain's not the only one here anymore," she said as her eyes widened in fear.

"We broke the circle," Amber announced, glancing at the disconnection between Carmen and Shelby. Shelby had let go when she covered her ears.

Rain poured harder outside. The candles flickered quickly as if someone had run past. A piece of chalk fell from the board and snapped in half.

"Who.. who drew that?" Shelby pointed.

On the board was a pentagram. It wasn't there before. Suddenly, the chairs behind Amber flew and crashed into the walls. The tables were tossed to either side, almost as if to let something huge cross right through the middle of all the debris.

Carmen gasped but did not regain air. Her face began to pale as her neck strained for oxygen. She stared up into the darkness above and clawed at her neck, trying to remove the invisible force choking her.

"Carmen!" Shelby shrieked. "Oh my gosh, how do we end this? We need to end it!"

"Stay calm, stay calm. That's the first rule," Amber stuttered. "We need to blow out the—"

Before any of them could react, the candles flickered out by themselves. The orchestra of nails and clash of desks had stopped. All was silent, except for Carmen's suffocation.