Tales Untold

Trapped

Kai pulled on the door with one last angry tug to no avail. The door was most definitely locked, and no amount of kicking and screaming was going to get it opened. Kai was locked inside. Inside of the library.

It had all started when he and his friends had gone to gather information for next week's newspaper addition. Kai, the editor of Lunar Phases, had decided that the crew should go to the library more information on the Blackburn Murder case ten-year anniversary. They hadn't learned anything they didn't know before, but it had been a fun night with the gang.

Everyone had walked down to the parking garage together, laughing and arguing about what to do over the issue. The girls—Cress, Iko, Scarlet and Winter— were heading off to Scarlet's house for a sleepover. The guys had plans at Thorne's house. Everything was a go— until Kai had to go pee.

From the time Kai was a small child, he always had a pea-sized bladder; this night was no exception. He'd thrown his backpack in his car, telling the boys that he needed to go to the restroom before they left. Thorne had snickered as Kai had casually thrown his backpack in the trunk of his car and told the boys he'd meet them back a Thorne's place. Wolf and Jacin had shrugged the whole thing off, but now all of his friends were gone.

When Kai had walked back down to the parking garage, the door was locked. He had left his phone in his backpack, and now his only possessions were the clothes on his back and a pair of useless keys. He was trapped inside of the library.

Not only trapped, but completely alone.

Kai kicked the locked door one last time before walking back upstairs and into the library. Already the temperature was beginning to drop, seemingly by the second. Kai had only a long sleeved T-shirt and jeans to keep him warm, and it was the middle of the winter. This was going to be a long night.

A small hope that Thorne would notice Kai missing and come looking for him still remained inside Kai's chest. Wouldn't Thorne wonder where Kai had gone? Shouldn't he be worried about his best friend?

No, he wouldn't worry. Thorne wouldn't find Kai's disappearance odd, because Kai had a habit of leaving without notice. If only Kai hadn't left his phone in his backpack.

It wasn't that Kai was flighty or unpredictable, he just hadn't told Thorne his secret. In fact, the only people who knew about Kai's anxiety disorder were his father and Kai's therapist, Torin. Kai always came up with an excuse for his absences, and Thorne never became suspicious.

"Why am I so stupid?" Kai kicked a bookcase, which did nothing except cause a shooting pain in his foot. He cursed as well as he could, hopping up and down— and then he heard a noise.

Kai dropped his foot, momentarily forgetting the pain. A nearly silent shuffle resounded in the deserted library. Kai could see his breath better than anything else in the room, but he could sense something lurking about within the shadows. He picked up a heavy volume, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it. Kai had terrible aim.

"Hello?" Kai whispered, not comfortable talking at a normal pitch while within the library. He tiptoed a couple steps forward, book raised above his head and ready to be thrown. "Is anybody here?"

Kai turned to an intersection of bookcases and felt the sharp edge of a blade pressed against his throat. He sucked in a quick gasp of air, silver fog filling the gap between him and whoever held the knife.

Blood pounded through Kai's skull at an alarming speed and volume. An uncontrollable panic sat on Kai's lungs like an enormous Indiana Jones boulder. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know how to get air into his lungs. His heartbeat began to slow. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.