My grip on Rosalie’s hand was tight as I dragged the her through the building, struggling to stay calm. Every second felt like an eternity, like the clock had suddenly stopped ticking and we were all trapped there in suspended time forever. On the other hand, it felt as though time was moving too swiftly. We didn’t have enough of it. One minute, Samantha said. We had one minute to hide before our time was up.
One minute until people began to die.
Rosalie’s breaths were as labored as mine as we rushed through the hall, toward one of the rooms. The building, I observed through a frantic gaze, was set up strangely. The halls were wide and long, as though in a public building, but the rooms were set up like rooms from a house. My mind didn’t linger on the building’s setup however, because my terror battled out almost everything else.
Teenagers ran in all directions, the horror and anxiety clear on all of their faces. I knew that my expression mirrored theirs, and I also knew that they were searching for the door in a panic, only wanting to get out before the abductors could have any time to try and find them. But that was completely futile—I felt it deep inside. Our abductors wouldn’t place us anywhere near the door. Our abductors wanted the game to drag on.
I tugged Rosalie into what looked like an office. There was no door for us to hide behind, but I wasn’t surprised. The three of them probably came in here and removed all the doors just to make things “interesting.” I glanced around, my eyes raking our surroundings as I searched for a proper hiding spot. There was a desk on the far right that leaned against the wall with a chair sitting in front of it. A torn-up couch rested in the middle of the room, dust like a blanket covering the top. Other than that, there was absolutely no furniture—none. None.
“There’s a window,” Rosalie whispered, pointing ahead.
And there was. In a rush I pulled Rosalie toward the window, my chest heaving. I dropped Rosalie’s hand as I struggled to pull the window open, to throw it upward so that me and Rosalie could climb out and escape. But it didn’t open. No. It wouldn’t budge at all. “Dammit,” I whispered harshly. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.”
Rosalie let out a shaky sigh. “It won’t open,” she muttered in despair. “We’re going to die aren’t we, Serenity?”
I shook my head and backed away from the window, my hands shaking. “I don’t know, Rosalie. But I don’t plan on it.” I gestured to the desk. “Hide under there. We don’t have time to go find somewhere else.”
Rosalie nodded, and, with a sniffle, she hurried over to the desk, pushing the chair away so that she could hide underneath. I moved toward her, grimacing as I ripped off the top part of the chair. If it weren’t so worn with age I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it. I handed the piece to Rosalie, whispering for her to use it against anyone who tried to attack her. And, after that, I ripped off a piece for myself.
I could hear Rosalie sniffling as I pushed the chair back in to conceal her. Even with the pieces missing it was difficult to see the girl—which I was grateful for. At least Rosalie would be hidden from the evildoers, even if it was only for a little while. And as for me? I stood back, my eyes wide as I attempted to find somewhere to hide. There was nowhere except for behind the couch. And that was like asking to be shot.
I brought a hand through my hair, hysteria rising within me. I could easily leave the room and attempt to find somewhere adequate to hide, but I refused to abandon Rosalie. Even if it meant dying, I would not leave Rosalie alone in the dark. I was terrified at the prospect of being alone, so I couldn’t expect anything less from Rosalie. And she was so young….
