night’s dinner all over the classroom floor. The contents of William’s head joined those of his brother’s on the wall and ceiling. Marshall’s hand, which he had thrown out in alarm, dropped back to his side. He stood there and stared for a long time.
Nancy slowly lowered her hands from where they’d landed over her mouth as she’d screamed. They were wet. She realized she was crying.
“Come on,” Marshall whispered. There was a hoarse note to his voice. “Let’s get out of here. There’s nothing we can do now.”
Chapter Six
Nancy and her companions spent the next 24 hours in a state of perpetual silence, nervousness, and cabin fever. They nibbled on the last of the good fruit, wandered the building - avoiding the basement - and otherwise tried not to talk about what had happened. Marshall kept quiet mostly out of respect for the youngsters’ feelings. Both Nancy and Greg, though neither would admit it, had been deeply disturbed by the incident. Nancy in particular couldn’t stop thinking about the pain and fear that had driven William to suicide, and she wondered if it would ever come to that for her. Would this thing get so bad that she just couldn’t handle it anymore? Was there an invisible line in her subconscious just waiting to be crossed? A line that would make her decide that survival was no longer worth it?
They were solemnly eating a quiet dinner when Greg’s ears perked up. “Do you guys hear that?” he asked in a hushed voice.
Nancy leaned to the side and listened. It was distant, but it sounded like a bird chirping at regular intervals.
Marshall frowned. “I don’t hear it,” he admitted.
“It sounds like a phone,” Nancy told him, frowning. “It definitely sounds like a phone.” Before the men could get in another word edgewise, she’d taken off at a run through the halls. Following her ears, she sprinted toward the principal’s office. They hadn’t thought to check the phones when they’d shown up at the school, so she was praying that it would keep ringing. She felt like it had been years since she’d spoken to someone on a phone, and she felt strangely giddy just to hear the familiar tone of a call coming through.
The office door was wide open, thank goodness, or they might not have heard the ringing at all. Nancy slid in the room, almost toppling over the desk, and collapsed into the chair while snatching up the receiver. “Hello?” she panted desperately.
For a moment there was only silence on the other end. “Hello?” Nancy asked again. Perhaps it was a glitch in the phone lines?
“N...Nancy?” came back a small, frightened voice.
Nancy’s eyes went wide and her throat felt dry. “Terri?” she croaked. Greg was just making it to the room as the name left her lips. His mouth dropped open in a strange mixture of surprise and disgust.
“Nancy...” said Terri-Lynn, her voice interspersed with sniffles and weak little sobs. “I’m...I’m so glad I got a hold of you... I heard you saying that you were going to a school, but I didn’t know which one so I’ve been calling them all...”
Nancy was stunned, partially because she couldn’t believe that Terri-Lynn had tracked her down and partially because - and she was only realizing this now - she had honestly never expected to hear the other woman’s voice again. “Terri, what are you-?” She didn’t know how to voice what she was thinking.
Terri-Lynn snorted loudly, a disgusting, pitiful noise. She was crying quite a lot from the sounds of it. “I wanted to talk to you,” she said. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”
For a moment Nancy said nothing. What could she say? That she forgave her for locking them out of the safe room and leaving them for dead? She didn’t. Not by a long shot.
“It’s okay if you don’t forgive me,” Terri-Lynn continued, almost as if she could read Nancy’s thoughts. “I just wanted you to know because, I’m not... I’m...”
Nancy slowly lowered her hands from where they’d landed over her mouth as she’d screamed. They were wet. She realized she was crying.
“Come on,” Marshall whispered. There was a hoarse note to his voice. “Let’s get out of here. There’s nothing we can do now.”
Chapter Six
Nancy and her companions spent the next 24 hours in a state of perpetual silence, nervousness, and cabin fever. They nibbled on the last of the good fruit, wandered the building - avoiding the basement - and otherwise tried not to talk about what had happened. Marshall kept quiet mostly out of respect for the youngsters’ feelings. Both Nancy and Greg, though neither would admit it, had been deeply disturbed by the incident. Nancy in particular couldn’t stop thinking about the pain and fear that had driven William to suicide, and she wondered if it would ever come to that for her. Would this thing get so bad that she just couldn’t handle it anymore? Was there an invisible line in her subconscious just waiting to be crossed? A line that would make her decide that survival was no longer worth it?
They were solemnly eating a quiet dinner when Greg’s ears perked up. “Do you guys hear that?” he asked in a hushed voice.
Nancy leaned to the side and listened. It was distant, but it sounded like a bird chirping at regular intervals.
Marshall frowned. “I don’t hear it,” he admitted.
“It sounds like a phone,” Nancy told him, frowning. “It definitely sounds like a phone.” Before the men could get in another word edgewise, she’d taken off at a run through the halls. Following her ears, she sprinted toward the principal’s office. They hadn’t thought to check the phones when they’d shown up at the school, so she was praying that it would keep ringing. She felt like it had been years since she’d spoken to someone on a phone, and she felt strangely giddy just to hear the familiar tone of a call coming through.
The office door was wide open, thank goodness, or they might not have heard the ringing at all. Nancy slid in the room, almost toppling over the desk, and collapsed into the chair while snatching up the receiver. “Hello?” she panted desperately.
For a moment there was only silence on the other end. “Hello?” Nancy asked again. Perhaps it was a glitch in the phone lines?
“N...Nancy?” came back a small, frightened voice.
Nancy’s eyes went wide and her throat felt dry. “Terri?” she croaked. Greg was just making it to the room as the name left her lips. His mouth dropped open in a strange mixture of surprise and disgust.
“Nancy...” said Terri-Lynn, her voice interspersed with sniffles and weak little sobs. “I’m...I’m so glad I got a hold of you... I heard you saying that you were going to a school, but I didn’t know which one so I’ve been calling them all...”
Nancy was stunned, partially because she couldn’t believe that Terri-Lynn had tracked her down and partially because - and she was only realizing this now - she had honestly never expected to hear the other woman’s voice again. “Terri, what are you-?” She didn’t know how to voice what she was thinking.
Terri-Lynn snorted loudly, a disgusting, pitiful noise. She was crying quite a lot from the sounds of it. “I wanted to talk to you,” she said. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”
For a moment Nancy said nothing. What could she say? That she forgave her for locking them out of the safe room and leaving them for dead? She didn’t. Not by a long shot.
“It’s okay if you don’t forgive me,” Terri-Lynn continued, almost as if she could read Nancy’s thoughts. “I just wanted you to know because, I’m not... I’m...”
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