The heartstopper

Chapter 39

5 things you can see: Doors upon doors upon doors, the flickering ceiling light, the ugly carpeted halls, a trashcan, his friends; Tara, Darcy, Elle and Isaac.

4 things you can physically feel: his toes clenched in his tight shoes, a light draft, the texture of his shirt, and his pounding heart.

3 things you can hear: his friends' shaky breath, the screams of children, and the partially broken air conditioner that they'd barely got working again.

2 things you can smell: the stench of bleach, and blood, although that might have just been his imagination.

1 thing you can taste: The same minty toothpaste he'd been using since he was seven.

Nick and Tao had to be in one of the many doors. His friends could be right beside them but hidden behind a door, unable to scream for help.

His friends could have been dead. They could be lying dead behind one of the doors.

How are you supposed to 'sit still' when your friends could be dead? How was he supposed to stop himself from yelling their names at the top of his lungs until either he finds his best friend and boyfriend, or someone else does.

Fewer and fewer people in the hotel were 'alright' how could anyone be 'alright', everyone was in danger whether you notice it or not.

They walked down each and every hall on each floor. They took the elevator up one way and the stairs down the other, making sure to check every last place.

They peaked through the windows of the room with the pool. The pool was still closed for sanitary reasons from when Imogen's dead body was found in the water. The room was dark and looked empty. The gym had a couple of people occupying it, but no one who they recognized. The lobby was still packed, and so was the restaurant.

The only places that were left unsearched were the hotel rooms -which hadn't been researched since their friends went missing- and any room marked for 'staff only', unfortunately, those rooms were locked.

They had to return to their room eventually. They couldn't keep wandering around the hotel aimlessly when it wasn't getting them anywhere. Their friends weren't in the open, they wouldn't be able to find them by walking down commonly used hallways. No successful criminal would hide their victims right outside of occupied guest rooms. The person behind these attacks was smarter than that, hence why they'd yet to be caught.

After returning to one of their rooms, they didn't leave. They stayed in the boy's room because it was also Tao and Nicks. If they were to return and were somehow alive, they'd go to their room first. Room 414.

Before curfew, the doorknob shook. The door was locked, but someone was trying to get in from the other side. Seeing as how the door didn't open for them, they knocked on the door.

Their hearts were racing. Those on the bed closest to the door; Charlie, Tara and Darcy, moved to the opposite bed, getting themselves further from the door.

"It's probably Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouq," Darcy reasoned. It was about time for nightly check-in.

"They would have knocked on the door before trying to enter," Elle pointed out, not removing her eyes from the still closed door.

"Hello?" A voice spoke from the other side.

"Tao?" Charlie mumbled. The others stayed completely still. Was it Tao or was it them hearing things.

"Charlie? Isaac? Nick?" The voice called out. Nick. That meant Nick wasn't with him. There was a mix of relief at the sound of Tao but a load of fear that came with it. Nick wasn't there. Nick was still missing.

"Hello?" Tao yelled a bit louder. Footsteps could be heard starting to walk down the hall. He probably assumed they had been in the girl's room.

Elle was the first to stand up, with her shaky legs. She quickly walked to the door and unlocked it, also unhooking the additional chain lock.

Swinging the door open, she saw Tao who had turned to face her after hearing the door being unlocked. He stood there with a male police officer.

"Tao!" Elle exclaimed with relief.

"Elle," He breathed. Elle pulled her friend into a hug as the others got off the far bed, approaching the door.

"It's actually Tao," Tara exhaled as her heartbeat started to slow back down to a normal pace.

"What happened?" Charlie worriedly questioned. He looked completely fine, minus the small cut underneath his eye that was starting to form a bruise around it.

"It's a bit of a long story, I can't really talk about it right now though," He explained, as Elle slowly pulled away from the hug.

"What about Nick?" Isaac looked from Tao to the officer.

"Is he not here?" Tao looked at his friends.

"He disappeared about an hour after you," Darcy's breath hitched.

Charlie felt like a weight had fallen on top of him all over again.

The officer was just there to walk Tao back. He had left once the group of teenagers were back inside room 414, safely.

Tao explained how he was blindfolded so he wasn't able to see anyone, he also had duct tape over his mouth, making screaming for help next to impossible. He'd been scratched on the face from what Tao said might have been a sharp ring or piece of metal.

He was actually found in a hallway on the second floor two hours before. Security rounded the corner to find him and he was checked up by an EMT and had spent the rest of the time speaking with the investigators.

After hearing bits and pieces of Tao's story, they expressed their worry.

Of course, their teachers had been notified that one of their students was found and immediately felt relieved. They weren't going to lose another student. Things could have been looking up, a student was found with no serious injuries and was reunited with his friends.

It wasn't until they'd gone to take attendance of their students that they properly saw him well and alive. That's when they knew they might be able to get a bit of sleep that night. Hopefully, that was just enough of a sign that things were ending that would allow them to have peaceful, nightmare-less, sleep.