I am the Enemy ~ S.M [3]

The Bait

Chapter 19

The heaviness in the room is almost intoxicating as we wait in the brewing silence. The jammers are all in place and the room is secured but the uneasiness is harder to cover. Malia stands in the hallway while I linger by the entrance to the locker room. Inside, Lydia, Scott, Hayden, and Liam sit in suffocating silence, their faces drawn with the same heavy apprehension.

My eyes land on Scott as he does another mental checklist of all the security measures. It's the fifth time he's done this routine in the past two minutes. His jaw is tight, as his eyes flicker from corner to corner like he's expecting something to slip through the cracks.

I exhale and relax my head against the doorframe. Hayden and Liam's chatter fades in and out of focus. They look happy. A lot more so than I've seen them in the past. A smile flickers across my lips as I divert my gaze from their not-so-subtle flirting.

My eyes drift back to Scott. This time, he isn't scanning for threats, instead they are planted on Hayden and Liam. There's a strange look in his eyes. Something I can't quite place. Sadness, guilt, longing? Either way, it makes a pit form in my stomach.

I push off the doorframe and step into the hallway, needing air. As I walk a few steps, the atmosphere shifts - the kind of feeling that makes the hairs on my arms stand up before I even realize why.

Something isn't right.

I turn.

Nothing. The hallway is empty. But the feeling doesn't leave.

A prickle of unease creeps up my spine as I step forward, my gaze sweeping the corridor.

"Weird," I mutter, about to turn around when something catches the corner of my eye - a glint of metal reflected in the streaks of moonlight from the window. It lies in the middle of the hallway, just a few feet away. I take a few steps towards it, squinting my eyes.

A hand brushes my back.

I jolt, my heart slamming against my ribs. I spin around only to come face to face with one very confused Werecoyote.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying not to die of a heart attack," I breathe out trying to calm my heartbeat, which earns me an eye-roll.

"Did you see something?" She asks, arms crossed, unimpressed.

I turn back to the hallway. "There's something-" The words die on my lips.

The metallic object is gone.

The breath catches in my throat. I blink, scanning the spot where it had been just seconds ago.

"What?" Malia questions, moving around to see past me with a quizzical look.

"Ah... nothing," I shake my head, " I must have imagined it."

Her brows knit together, but she doesn't push.

"And I thought Lydia was the crazy one." She mutters.

"Yes, because in our friend group, you're the poster child for sanity," I quip back, shaking off the lingering unease as my eyes flicker back to the hallway.

"Well, If you see any more imaginary things, don't call me."

And this time, it's my turn to roll my eyes.