“Yeah,” was repeatedly heard as we nodded our heads in confirmation.
“I’ll wait in the hallway for three minutes,” Thomas said. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “That should give everyone enough time to find a hiding place.”
I took Nick’s hand, and he whispered, “This is going to be fun, a little cat and mouse adventure.” I smiled back, excited by the anticipation of a chase.
Thomas headed into the hallway while the rest of us scattered. Nick whisked me along the hallway towards the Sunday school rooms, my arm stretched out in front of me. “Hey, let’s start in here.” Nick guided me into a Sunday school room with a whiteboard, table, chairs, and a rolling storage cabinet. The faux wood laminate cabinet sat on large castors. Nick opened the cabinet. On the left side was a tall, empty narrow section for hanging coats. On the right side, horizontal shelves were packed with Sunday school supplies. “You’ll fit in here,” he said as he compared me with the tall opening.
“Excuse me?” I pointed at the tiny space in disbelief. “You want me to get in there?”
“Sure. Thomas will never look in here. I’ll close the doors behind you.”
“And where are you going to hide?” I placed one foot in the cart but kept my torso out, our faces inches apart.
Nick gave a crooked smile and subtly shook his head. “Don’t worry about me.” He lifted me into the narrow wardrobe space. “He’ll never see me.”
“I’d better not be transported to a world of snow, talking animals, and a white witch.” I gave him the evil eye, but it didn’t seem to unnerve him.
“Don’t worry. If you are somehow transported to another dimension, I’ll come and rescue you.” He closed the doors, encasing me in a suffocating cocoon.
“Thanks,” I mumbled in the dark. My shoulders barely fit in the narrow space. I had to hunch over and bend my knees to keep my head from hitting the top. I had no intention of staying here for long. Was this what if felt like to be a butterfly trapped in a chrysalis? Not enough space and stale air.
I placed my hand against the door, leaned forward, and listened for voices. A random shout from far away filtered through the doors, but I couldn’t make out what was said.
After a few moments, my back and legs began to ache. I stood on one leg and tried to stretch out the other leg, which caused me to hit my head on the ceiling of the rolling cart. “Ouch!” I whispered. I tried to squeeze my arm up to caress my head, but the space was so tight I had to maneuver my shoulder around to raise my arm. Being confined to a cramped space was not my idea of fun. I needed to abandon this cocoon and stretch my wings, with or without Nick.
Again I leaned on the door in order to listen for sounds, but this time the door gave way. I lost my balance and began to fall. Nick’s arms encircled my waist.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Thomas just walked by.”
“Oh, well I’m fine. Thanks. My legs are killing me.” I grabbed his shoulder and stretched out my tingling legs. “You can hide in the next tiny space.”
“Please, I’ve hidden in smaller for a lot longer. You’ll live.” He chuckled. “We can double back and hide in the library while Thomas goes and checks the other rooms.”
We tiptoed to the doorway and peeked to the right. I looked out while Nick looked over the top of my head. Thomas walked out of the room two doors down from us. Fortunately he looked the other way. We popped our heads back into our room and leaned against the wall. I gripped the door frame.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Thomas sang.
Nick and I smiled at each other. Nick clearly enjoyed this game. He signaled for me to stay put, and he peeked around the door frame into the hallway. “Thomas just went into the next room,” he said. Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hall. We ran towards the entrance to the library; our steps undetected on the carpeted floor.
I cut the turn into the library too short and collided into the pointed corner of the bookcase that lined the wall. Some books displayed on top of the bookcase crashed loudly into a pile on the floor. “Oops!” I whispered. There was no way that Thomas didn’t hear that.
Nick looked at the books and then at me. “Uh-oh, we have to move.”
“Are little mice scurrying through books?” Thomas yelled from down the hallway.
“Sorry,” I mouthed as we raced along the aisle of bookcases.
“Are you kidding? This just adds to the excitement,” Nick whispered. “He won’t catch us.”
Alisha and Luis were hiding between the bookcases. They glared at me. “Sorry,” I mouthed as we passed them.
“Here, you go down this row and hide.” Nick pointed to a row between two bookcases. “I’ll draw him to the other side of the room and circle around for you.”
“You’re leaving me?”
“Sure, I’ll mislead him, and then meet up with you. We’ll head out of here while he checks out the back of the room,” Nick said. “Do you have a better idea?”
“No. That sounds like the perfect plan. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Now don’t get caught between now and when I come back to get you.” He checked over his shoulder. “We don’t have much time.”
I headed down the row and waited at the endcap, breathing as quietly as possible. After a few moments, I decided to peek down the row ahead of me. Thomas passed by the center aisle. He paused to look under the tables and between the bookcase rows. I popped my head back and pressed my back against the endcap. He couldn’t see me from where he was unless he came down the row.
I waited another moment, squatting down — resting my bottom on my heels — and peeked down the next row. I caught a glimpse of Thomas’s back as he walked past that row and continued down the center aisle of the library.
I stood up and tiptoed over to the next endcap going away from Thomas. I waited there and looked straight ahead into the window. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly knelt down again. The window was now a mirror in the darkness of night. Thomas was headed my direction, just two rows away. What was taking Nick so long?
I remained crouched over and moved as quickly as possible away from Thomas and hid between the bookcases. I peeked above a book, into the row next to me to see where Thomas was. He wasn’t there. Where was he? I sat frozen, not knowing which way to go. Was he still coming my way?
A loud clatter of books and an, “Ouch!” filled the void. Finally, the diversion. Hopefully Thomas would fall for it. Now Nick would have to get up here without Thomas seeing him. I wasn’t sure how he would pull that off.
I remained crouched so my reflection in the window wouldn’t betray me. I peeked above the books again to see if Thomas was coming down the aisle between the wall and the bookcases, but I didn’t see him.
Desperate to know where Thomas was, I tiptoed back to the reflective window. Thomas was exiting the row and heading for the back of the library. He’d taken the bait.
I headed in the opposite direction of Thomas, towards the front of the library, between the wall and the endcaps of the bookcases. As I rushed forward, I turned my head to check behind me. Strong hands grabbed me, covered my mouth, and pulled me into the row between the bookcases.
“Hey gorgeous, where are you headed?” Nick whispered as he removed his hand from my mouth.
“How did you get here so fast? You scared me.”
“I’m quick on my feet. Where are you going?” He tilted his head and playfully narrowed his eyes. “Are you hiding from me?”
“No, I was trying to avoid Thomas.”
“All this cloak and dagger is kind of exciting.” He pulled me closer and his hand ran down my back. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“No, but I think I know what you’re thinking. You can forget it.” His lips met mine; his hand rested on my waist. The butterflies in my stomach flittered in response to his touch. I pulled away. “What if Thomas comes back. We could get caught.”
“I’ll hear him.” Nick smiled. “He’s still at the back
of the room. We’ve got time.”
“Uh, you’re pretty confident.”
“Kate, this is why we’re playing hide-and-seek.” His fingers wove into my hair, and his warm breath heightened the pleasure of his strategically placed kisses.
“Mmm,” I moaned, “you really make focusing extremely difficult.” I gripped his arm and felt his muscles flex as he moved.
“I’m completely focused. You’re the one with the divided focus,” he said between kisses. “You need to relax.” he whispered. His kisses awoke something in me. I was losing myself in the moment, enjoying him, feeling my heart race. His fingers lightly traced my back and sent shivers through me. I pressed myself against him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and felt the short strands of his hair prickle my fingers.
A shrill, piercing buzz cut through the air. I tensed and Nick released me. A strobe light flashed at the top of the ceiling.
“It’s the fire alarm,” he shouted over the buzzing.
I looked around and breathed in deeply. All my senses were on full alert. “I don’t smell any smoke.”
“Neither do I. Come on! We have to get out of here,” he yelled. His fingers gripped my arm.
As we ran towards the exit, I looked out a window. Across the lawn, in the student center, people ran out the doors and onto the lawn. Thick, heavy smoke billowed from the windows in the café and the rooftop above the second floor.
“Look!” I stopped and pointed out the window. “There’s a fire at the student center.”
“Hey, we have to get out of here!” Thomas yelled when he saw us. “Everyone needs to get out!” He continued running up the aisle towards the exit.
“He’s right,” Nick shouted over the blaring alarm. “I have to get you to safety.” We ran down the aisle and along the library tables towards the vestibule. The high-pitched buzzing and strobe light was killing my head, but fear for those who were surrounded by the smoke and fire overwhelmed my concern for myself. When we reached the vestibule, Nick tried to pull me into the blustery night.
“What are you doing?” I shouted and strained against him.
“We’re going outside to wait for help. It’s computerized. The firemen are already on their way.”
“No! I’m going to help my friends,” I yelled and pointed towards the student center.
“No, you’re not,” he demanded. He moved closer to me. Our faces nearly touched. “You’re coming with me where it’s safe. Let the firemen be the heroes.”
My mouth dropped. I stared at him dumbfounded. “My brother is over there. I’m not leaving him to burn. Go save yourself!” I turned and ran down the corridor towards the student center.
“Ahh, Kate,” Nick yelled behind me. “Come back here.”
I ignored him and ran. He wasn’t going to stop me. Reese and my friends were over there. I had to see if I could help. How could he even think about leaving them over there? Maybe he wasn’t a hero.
Nick caught up to me and stopped me. His scowl revealed his true feelings. “You didn’t think I’d let you do this by yourself, did you? Stay close to me.” He shook his finger in my face and looked more like an authority figure than my boyfriend.
“Fine,” I shouted back.
We took off running again and came to the doors that led into the student center’s vestibule.
“Wait!” He gripped my arm before I could open the door. “We need to test the doors to see if they’re hot.” Nick quickly placed the back of his hand on the door. Then he tested it again, holding his palm on the door longer. I looked at him impatiently. How long does it take to see if something’s hot? “We can open it, slowly,” he said. And he pulled open the door.
Smoke filled the hallway, but the overhead lights and the intermittent strobe light provided some visibility. Gray wisps circled around us. I placed my hand over my mouth and nose, trying not to breathe the suffocating smoke. Cold water sprayed down from the overhead sprinkler system.
Shouts filled with fear and panic rose above the buzzing fire alarm. Screams surrounded us on every side. People fled the café and ran through the open doors into the garden area. Anaheit, a girl from AP biology, ran towards me. I grabbed her arm. “Have you seen Reese?” I yelled over the fire alarm.
“No,” she yelled back. Her wet black hair stuck to her face and neck. “We have to get out of here! The game room is on fire!” Terror filled her big brown eyes.
Nick and I continued down the smoke-filled hallway towards the café. It was like walking into a dragon’s lair. We weren’t sure where the great beast was, but his aura surrounded us on all sides.
Smoke filled every space, making visibility poor and keeping us off-balance. We coughed and gagged in an effort to clear our lungs. Cold water showered us, dripped into our eyes and soaked our clothes.
We entered the café. Nick grabbed a wet cloth and handed it to me. “Place this over your nose and mouth,” he said. “It’ll help keep the smoke out of your lungs.” I took it and covered my face. He grabbed another cloth and did the same.
Chaperones used flashlights to guide people as they ran down the stairs from the game room and headed outside into the garden. Mrs. Edgerton shouted at me over the fire alarm. “You need to get out of here.” Her flashlight waved back and forth, cutting lines of light through the smoke.
“I know,” I yelled back. I ran up to her. “Have you seen Reese?”
“No, but I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she yelled. “We’ll help him. You need to take care of yourself.” Mrs. Edgerton pointed to the exit with her flashlight.
Frustrated, I saw a group of people head towards the exit. They shoved against me in their haste to escape. Cries of panic and tears competed with the alarm system.
“Reese! Rylee!” I yelled over the mayhem. Everyone shouted, but few actually communicated. I looked around and followed the group towards the exit that led to the garden. Fresh air filled my lungs as I stood in the doorway and looked for Reese. Numerous students milled about the garden, coughing and hugging each other, but not nearly enough to match tonight’s attendees. Reese and Rylee were not among them.
I turned back, confused, and asked Nick, “Where is everyone?”
“Let’s check the chapel,” he shouted. We ran across the short hallway and met the problem face to face.
Now I understood. Panic welled up in my stomach and nearly exploded from me.
The chapel’s double doors were chained closed. The people I loved were locked inside. Someone had threaded a carbon steel chain through the steel handles and padlocked the chain, trapping people inside the chapel. The helpless victims pushed against the doors, slightly opening them, but not nearly opening them wide enough to escape. A small window filled the top half of each solid wood door. The small windows were broken to let in fresh air, but there was none to be had. Rylee’s face filled a window as she pleaded for help. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at the hopeless scene before me. How could we help them? At the back of the chapel, on the stage, one of the orange dragons twisted and writhed. Black smoke churned and huffed from its mouth as it spewed its sulfurous breath around the building. The sprinkler system showered water on beast, keeping the dragon at bay, but the water did not squelch it.
“Kate!” Reese yelled. His fingers, wrapped in his shirt, gripped the edge of the broken window. “Try to find something to pry off the handles. If you remove the chain, we can open the doors!”
I stood there, in shock, and stared as smoke encircled him. The breath of the great beast poured out of the window and soured the air. I stared at the carbon steel chain and padlock that entrapped them to certain death.
Those trapped in the chapel frantically screamed and coughed. Their terrified faces appeared in the window like tortured jack-in-the-boxes. Thick heavy smoke swirled around them.
“We’ll get you out,” Nick shouted. He looked at the handles on the door. He moved the chain around as he examined the design. “You’re right. We just have to remove the handles, and then we can g
et you out.” He looked at Reese through the broken window. “I’ll be back.”
I looked around for something heavy or strong enough to remove the handles. I found plastic knives and silver-plated candlesticks in the hallway, but these items were useless. Defeated, I headed back to the café. Then I noticed Mr. Parker charging down the hallway. The smoke seemed to part as he cut a path through it.
“We’re going to get them out,” Mr. Parker shouted gruffly as he strode past me. “I’m getting the fire ax.”
“Great!” Nick shouted and followed Mr. Parker. “Is there another one?”
“Yes, in the hallway at the main entrance to the chapel. It’s in the closet under the strobe light sensor.” Mr. Parker opened the closet and then the metal lockbox that contained the fire ax. He tossed Nick the keys. “You know what to do?”
Nick caught the keys. “Yes. Kate, you’re coming with me.” Suddenly my fingers were in the vise of his grip. We took off, down the hallway towards the strobe light, its flashing a beacon of hope. In the distance, the shriek of fire truck sirens promised help.
Inside the closet, mounted on the wall was a large metal lockbox with a padlock. Fear shook my body. I felt sick. Nick’s hand was steady as he eased the key into the padlock and removed it. When he opened the box, Nick picked up the fiberglass handle and carefully wielded the twelve inch steel head. He quickly strode over to the chapel door and planted his feet.
“Help us!” shouted Matt through the opening in the window.
“Step back!” Nick ordered. Matt and Lauren moved people away from the doors.
Nick raised the steel ax above his shoulders and swung down, above the door handle, cutting a huge wedge in the wood. He raised the ax and swung again, placing his second swing to the side at the top of the handle, leaving another wedge in the wood. For his third swing, he placed it squarely in the middle along the side of the handle. This cut a large chunk of wood from the door and loosened the handle. Then he used the five inch poll to pry off the handle and unthreaded the chain that had locked the doors. The chain hung limply from the other door and allowed both doors to open.
Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1) Page 20