No Way Out

No signal

3:38 AM

Beck's POV:

"Sinjin?" My heart raced as I pulled the phone away from my ear. "You're talking to Sinjin?!" Andre exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. Everyone else turned to me, confusion etched on their faces. "He's alive?!"

Jade stepped forward, snatching the phone from my hand. "Sinjin?! Where the hell are you?"

I quickly mounted her to put him on speaker, and though she rolled her eyes, she complied.

"I'm here at Tori's locker," Sinjin gasped, punctuated by a cough. "I've been trying to call for help, but Robbie's phone was the only one ringing. Hiss Guys, help me! I—I've been stabbed... I saw Sikowitz earlier, and I don't think he's breathing anymore."

"What do you mean you made sure Sikowitz was okay?!" Jade hissed, anger flashing in her eyes.

"We did—" I tried to interject, but she cut me off, turning off the speaker. "Hey, Sinjin, go back to Sikowitz and keep him alive. Just wait for us... beep"

"Guys, what about the plan?" Tori asked before Jade could lead the way back to the lobby.

"What plan?" Cat looked confused, as if she'd been oblivious to the chaos around us. "Didn't we all agree that Jade would be the bait once we got Robbie back?" Tori pressed.

"I agreed to that, but... I can't believe I'm saying this. What about Sinjin and Sikowitz?!" Jade shot back, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Not that I don't care about them, but we know how this ends. Once we trap the killer, we'll be safe enough to get everybody out!" Tori explained, trying to maintain her composure.

"Alright, fine. Let's say I throw myself out there as bait. What if he stumbles into Sinjin and Sikowitz? They won't survive him a second time, Tori. He will kill them."

I felt trapped between their arguments. They both had valid points, but I had to think of a way to make this work. "What if only two of us go to Sinjin and Sikowitz while the other two help you trap the killer?" I suggested, looking straight at Tori.

"You want to split up?" They looked at me like I was out of my mind. I hated the idea, especially after everything we'd been through, but it was the only way to make our plan work. Jade was ready to be bait, but I couldn't let her face that alone.

"That's the only way this plan works. It's not like we have any other options anymore. We have Robbie's phone, and once we reach Sinjin, we can use it to call each other."

"But—" Tori hesitated, clearly conflicted.

"Like you said, they won't survive that fucker a second time. They need us," I added, giving her a reassuring smile.

She forced a smile back and nodded. "Okay."

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No One's POV:

"Beck? Andre? Tori? Where are you?" Jade called out, her voice shaky as she continued down the dark hall. Her heart pounded as she scanned the area, searching for any sign of danger. "Hello?" She swallowed hard, feeling the lump in her throat as the vent above emitted a low hum.

"Try to speak louder, like your normal voice," Tori whispered from her hiding spot. Jade turned to roll her eyes but took a deep breath, leaning against the wall.

"Where did you guys go?!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the empty space.

"I hope this stupid plan works, or else I'll be—" she began, but a loud bang from above cut her off, sending a jolt of fear through her.

"Jade?" Tori called, her voice tense.

"I don't see him," Jade mumbled, fear paralyzing her as she stared at the small gap in the old vent.

"It doesn't matter; just come back," Andre urged, his tone firm.

"I—I can't just leave. I have to know what that was!" Jade protested, her instincts screaming at her to stay.

"Yeah, Jade, listen to—LOOK OUT!" Tori shouted.

Squeak! Squeak!

They all let out a relieved breath. "It's just a rat," Jade sighed, trying to shake off her nerves.

"Thank god... You—are you okay?" Andre asked, his concern palpable.

She forced a smile, though her heart raced. "I'm fine. Just get back to your post; that psycho freak won't come after me if he sees you two guarding me."

"Just tell us if there's something wrong," Andre said, and Jade nodded, trying to reassure them.

As she walked past the corner of the hall, she noticed a small gap in a door and rushed toward it. She grabbed the handle, twisting and pulling with all her strength. When it flung open, a gleeful laugh escaped her lips. "Tori! Andre! Come here! The door to the rooftop is open!"

The two rushed toward her, excitement lighting up their faces. "We can finally get out! We can escape hell!" Tori cheered, wrapping her arms around Andre in a spontaneous hug.

"Then what are we waiting for? C'mon!" Andre said, leading the way up the stairs.

"Wait! Andre, we still need to get the others!" Jade reminded him, her heart racing with urgency.

"Shit! I forgot about them! Uh—The phone!" Tori exclaimed, quickly pulling out Robbie's phone to dial Sinjin's number, but to their dismay, the line was dead.

"Maybe there's no signal?" Andre suggested, glancing at the phone. "Two bars..."

Looking closer, he noticed the battery was down to 6%.

"Try it again—" Jade suggested, but Andre quickly cut her off.

"No! Stop! We're only at 6%! If that phone dies, we have no choice but to get them."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Jade pressed her anxiety mounting.

"I think we should leave..."