If I told you I was scared, that would be an understatement. Words could not describe how I felt.
"Nate?" I called out into the darkness
It was only fourth period. Why in the world was it this dark?
"Jaden?" Nate's voice rang out. Where was he?
Clumsily, I got up and tried to see. It was impossible. I went forward, tripped on something, and fell on Nate.
"Sorry!" I whispered. He laughed.
"C'mon," he said, "let's get outta here."
As if on cue, the speaker came on with our new principal's voice, "Students and staff- please remain calm. We are going into lock-down. This is not a drill."
The only thing you could hear, in that moment, was the beating of our hearts. Holding hands, Nate and I got up. Where were we suppose to go? It's not like there was a classroom near us. We were near the cafeteria- the closest room -that wouldn't be locked- would have to be the stage. With little vision, that was where we headed. When we got to the end of the stage -closest to the cafeteria- we each hoist ourselves up, Nate first, then me. Once up, we silently slipped through the crack of curtains, where it was pitch black. Now, though, my eyes were getting used to the dark. I could make out some objects, like the backstage curtains and the props, but not much else. There could be a person anywhere in here.
A noise sounded from the rear of the stage, and I huddled close to Nate and held his hand tighter. He held me back, and I almost felt safe. Almost.
"Don't be scared," I heard his husky voice in my ear, "I've got you. We are safe. Safe."
In spite of him, I tried to slow my breathing, but thoughts continued whirling in my head. We are in lockdown. There's someone in our school.
Safe I told myself, We will be safe
That feeling didn't last for long, because before I knew it, I felt Nate's hand slip from my grip. Before I could call out, a hand was to my mouth, an arm holding my waist.
"Shhhhh...." the voice willed, "Don't be afraid." I struggled against his grip. Where was Nate?! I bit down on the hand on my mouth.
"You think that hurts? This will only be a moment." I tried to talk against his hand, get something to come out.
"It's alright," the voice caressed, "your friend is okay. We are not interested in him. In fact, we'll let him go."
The face of the man came close to my ear as my heart hammered in my chest.
"As for you? You might not be so lucky." He put a damp cloth to my face as I felt my knees give out.
"Jaden? I'm going to find you." Nate's voice sounded a hundred miles away.
It was the last thing I heard.
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The room was damp and my throat felt like I had just screamed my lungs out for two days. A single, bare light hung from the ceiling, just out of arm's reach. My eyelids felt heavy, and there was a cloth tied around my mouth so I couldn't speak. Shifting my position, I realized I was also chained to wherever I was. Panic filled my ears, and I suddenly got light headed.
After a few minutes of struggling, I got the cloth out of my mouth. "Hello?" I called. My voice was raw. My throat screamed. I tried louder. "Hello?"
I heard moaning to my left, and gagged when I saw another girl, around my age, sitting a few feet away from me. The panic in her eyes mirrored mine. I took this moment to really assess my surroundings. There were three people in the room, besides me. One for each wall, each of us chained to separate ones. The girl to my left was already trying to get her cloth out, to say something. To my right, there was a slightly older girl, maybe seventeen, who was still unconscious. Then I looked in front of me, straight into the bright blue eyes of a little girl, perhaps five at the most. My heart skipped a beat, my breathing stopped. What kind of sick thing is this?
