Chapter Eleven

Sean and Ellie were sitting on the tops of two desks right next to each other, talking and laughing. Catching up, in a way.

They held hands and every once in awhile Sean would use his thumb to stroke Ellie's. Every time he did, she would smile a bit. He noticed but didn't say anything.

"Ellie." Sean interrupted Ellie in the middle of her rant on cottage cheese. He stopped listening awhile back, just watching her lips and face and how they moved when she talked.

"Yeah?" Ellie gazed at him admiringly.

"I love you."

Ellie smiled and they kissed deeply.
Just as the kiss grew to as passionate as they could get it without being too inappropriate for school a loud bang was heard from the hallway.

Ellie and Sean jumped and walked over to the door.

Through the window, they saw a pair of legs on the floor. Sean nudged Ellie away so he could get a better look.

He looked up the body. Legs. Waist. Hands. Arms. Neck. Head.

Sean gasped, recognizing a dead janitor, the only janitor that's at the school on Saturdays.

"What?" Ellie asked, "Who is it?"

"Janitor. Dead janitor. Shot janitor." Sean stammered, taking a seat.

"Oh, god." Ellie whispered, after she too saw the dead body.

"We have to get Manny and Spinner. They're in the closest classroom. We have to get them and then get the rest before they're hurt too."

"And how do you suppose we get them? Walk out into the hall where the murderer might still be? Say 'we just wanna go find our friends so that you don't kill them'? I don't think that'll work." Ellie said in a mocking tone. Sean usually would've been angry but he knew she was just scared.

He nodded, surveying the room. His eyes passed over something, he did a double take, and slowly smiled.

A few minutes later he was standing on a desk pushing Ellie through a spot in the ceiling where they took out a tile. Once she was through she helped Sean up and put the tile back. Together they slowly and quietly crawled across the ceiling.

A mouse scuffled in front of Ellie and she shrieked. Sean turned around putting his finger to his lips. She nodded, regaining herself and continuing to crawl.

After a few moments they heard talking. Sean stopped and listened.

It was faint and he only caught a few words but he could tell it was Manny and Spinner.

"…we've tried this before and it…I'm just happy…" a girl's voice.

"Me too…can't believe you…this. I never would've…that happened…" a boy's voice.

Then a girl's voice again and a laugh which was unmistakably Spinner's.

Sean took out the ceiling towel and threw it down to the ground. It made a loud noise and Manny and Spinner jerked around, obviously frightened.

Sean jumped down and then reached up to help Ellie.

Manny and Spinner let out a sigh of relief.

"Dude, you scared us bad." Spinner laughed, "And I love how you guys are breaking the rules to get here with us."

"Ready to get the others?" Manny asked, excited, "And where to this time? Not the roof again."

"Listen, this is serious. There was a murder. A gunshot. The Saturday janitor is dead." Sean said.

Manny and Spinner stared and then Manny stifled a cry and huddled close to Spinner.

"We need to get the other four and stay together. There's no way we'll be able to help each other if we're all spread out." Sean tried reasoning with the crying Manny and the shocked Spinner.

"He's right. We need to get the rest." Ellie said, taking Manny's hand and pulling her away.

Manny nodded and followed Ellie who pushed her up through the space in the ceiling where Sean knocked out the tile. Then Sean helped Ellie up and then pushed Spinner through with Ellie and Manny pulling him from the other side.

Sean passed the tile up and Ellie grabbed it. He hoisted himself up through the hole and then replaced the tile.

They crawled together to the next room, JT and Marco's.

Sean dropped the tile down. JT and Marco jumped.

"Dude, man, what are you doing?" Marco stood up and walked over to Sean.

"There's been a murder. The Saturday janitor was shot. We gotta go get Emma and Jay. Now. Let's go."

"Wait, wait. What?" JT joined them under the hole.

"We'll explain on the way. Now go." Sean pushed JT up through the hole. He was followed closely by Marco, the tile, and then Sean.

After Sean replaced the tile, Marco whispered, "Okay, so what happened?"

"The Saturday janitor was shot." Ellie said, "He's dead. We need to get Emma and Jay. We need to stay together."

That seemed to satisfy JT and Marco and they all continued on in silence. Once they reached Emma and Jay's room Sean was about to drop the tile when they heard a gunshot and a bloodcurdling scream.

"Emma!"