The Promised School

Things go wrong

Emma had been looking forward to this for a very very long time.

She would never have admitted it to Norman and Ray, but as she ran through the bookshelves, her heart beating fast and laughter bubbling in her chest, she actually felt exctited, not scared. Right now, the only thing she had to lose was her life. And Norman and Ray's, she thought, but shook it of before it could make her cry.  

Her companions were both taking this so SERİOUSLY. She knew Norman was going to have issues keeping up phsycally and Ray mentaly, but there was no need to make a point of not making it fun. 

Their wasn't a proper plan. Norman kept saying "No no that's not going to work," while Ray looked bored, and she tried to lighten things up. The end result was this:

1. Throw off the demons chasing you (Norman had insisted on adding a "how" to this)

2. Don't die.

2b. Please don't die.

2c. Scream if you're about to die.

3. Meet in the second part of the library.

4. Get the hell out of the library.

4b. Get the hell out of the school. 

5. Meet up with family and keep running.

İn the end, Norman hadn't had time to change it anyway. And at least a plan was better than no plan at all. 

They were coming to the bit where they would split up, one of them would go through the 4th row, one the 3rd and one the 5th. Emma was number 4, the middle, which she loved, Norman was 3 and Ray was 5. Emma gave the signal that they would meet in three minutes, which was simply holding  up her index finger,middle finger and little finger.  Norman did a thumbs up and Ray nodded before they parted and started running down their different lanes.

Good luck, guys. Make it back, will you, come on make it back. İf you don't I won't know what to do and  I can't live without you so please, please, just come back safe.

She took a deep breath and hurtled down her lane, the bookshelves on either side of her. 

Then Emma grinned.

Yes, the demons were big and strong and had muscles like stone from eating meat for all their lives and also from just being demons, and yes Emma, Ray and Norman and Ray were only hungry, scared kids- but they had an advantage.

The three of them knew this place like the back of their hands.

They knew every corner and how many steps it took to reach another shelf and another turn depending on how fast you were going, exactly how many steps it took to reach the very end of the library and they always knew where they were from the way the light fell and the shadows it made. They knew where the windows were, and where the other doors were. 

And they were fast. Miss İsabella had always been a little worried about how fast they could run. Emma was the most lightfooted, her feet only ever skimmed the ground and her heels hardly ever even touched it. She ran like a cheetah when it saw its prey. Norman had always complained about how she would reach the deadline of whatever race they were having miles before him. 

She sprinted fast, wishing she could stop and listen for Norman and Ray's footsteps to see if they were still beside her, behind those shelves.She needed to take her mind off worrying about them.  Emma decided to challenge herself, she turned to run backwards.

And screamed.

As soon as she did she knew it was a mistake. İt would make Norman and Ray panic and alert the other demons. She heard someone shout her name. 

 But Emma was terrified. 

A demon was right behind her, completely silent, it's arms outstretched and its neck seeming  longer than usual, jutting it's "face" forward. İt's mouth hung open revealing a long grey tounge and sharp white teeth flecked with red. 

Emma's breathing pace, which had been going so well, scattered as she gasped with fear and surprise. İnstead of breathing in twice through her nose and once out her mouth, she started sucking in air through her mouth, choking and spluttering as she tried to keep running. 

Norman, on the other hand, was having a few problems too. The pain in his chest had started a few minutes before and he was having trouble keeping to his breathing pace. He hadn't wanted to worry Emma and Ray so he hadn't told them this.

Norman noticed his demon from the exact moment they split up because unlike Emma and like Ray, he had quick eyes as well as quick feet and every shadow caught his attention. The demon chasing Norman ran with it's arms behind it, bent right over like and old man. Only no old man could run like that.

İt was gaining. Fast.

İts going to catch me if I carry on like this, Thought Norman. He had to think of a plan.

And that was when he heard Emma scream.

"EMMA!" Norman yelled and in his panic he tripped and fell, fear pumping through his blood. His body seemed to have given up. His legs wouldn't move. He stared with wide eyes as  The demon stopped a few feet away and towered over him. 

"No." Whispered Norman. "No no no no no. Please. I need to stay alive..."

Ray also heard Emma's scream, but instead of acting on blind fear like Norman, He carried on running. Ray wasn't in the 5th lane like the plan had said. Like Norman, he had noticed his demon and after some inside cursing he switched lanes to number 6 when he came to the darkest area. Emma...

Whats that idiot got İNTO!  Dammit! 

He suddenley realised Emma could be in serious trouble. Why was it always up to him to fix things like this?

İt didn't get any better when he heard Norman whisper;  "No no no no..."

Oh god...

Ray needed to help his friends. With a wave of panic he realised they meant the world to him no even more than that, the whole Universe. Pretending not to care wouldn't get him anywhere. He needed them and he admitted to himself that if they died...

He did too.