CHAPTER EIGHT: CONFINEMENT

Adam paced back and forth across the lunchroom with one hand in his hair. Dave, Connor, Wesley, and Sadie were in one corner. Anya, Alli, and Jenna were in another one. And Bianca, Bobby, and Owen were all whispering to each other at the lunch table closest to Adam.

Fiona watched her boyfriend with her back to Bobby, Owen, and Bianca's whispers. "Would you stop pacing already?"

Adam didn't even falter his step. Actually, it looked like he'd actually sped up quite a bit.

"Adam, I'm serious. Just sit down and relax a little bit," she suggested with her hand resting on the seat beside her.

Owen, Bobby, and Bianca glanced up when they noticed that he'd actually stopped walking. But he wasn't anywhere near sitting down and relaxing.

"I can't relax right now, Fiona. The last time we were here this late, a lot of our friends died. And don't blame me for this, but it looks like the nightmare is alive again."

Her eyebrows furrowed while her head cocked to the side slightly. "Adam tonight has nothing to do with what happened last December. You need to get over yourself and forget about that already."

"Forget?" he asked unbelievably. Every person there looked over at Adam who had raised his voice at Fiona just now. "I can't just forget about what happened here! I'm sorry I'm not like you, or Bianca, or Holly J. I really am. But I'm the one who's been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I'm the one who sees things that aren't there."

Adam leaned closer and said in a low voice, "I'm the one who talks to Eli and Clare at school and who laughs with my brother every night at home."

Everyone was shocked by Adam's truthful words. None of them besides Bianca, Owen, Bobby, and Fiona had known about him being schizophrenic. But not even these select few had known that his hallucinations had been the friends he'd lost that night.

"Adam…," she began slowly, but even she was lost for words now. Adam stepped back to his place in the middle of the lunchroom.

"Now I can't wait here any longer. And yes it's because I am frightened and haunted about what might happen again tonight. I don't care who stays or goes, but Ms. Oh is the only one with the keys to get out of here. And I would like to leave this place and go home before KC murders everyone here."

Everyone was silent as they watched Adam speak with force and order in his broken tone. Last year, no one would've ever expected poor bullied Adam Torres to be the one speaking over them now.

"So who's coming with me?" he finally asked.

Dave was the first one to step forward who was immediately followed by Connor, Wesley, and Sadie. Next were Bianca, Anya, and Jenna.

Owen quickly followed behind Bianca, who was followed by an unwilling Bobby. Adam finally glanced down at a hesitant Fiona.

He kneeled down in front of her and placed a hand on her knee. "I can't do this without you, Fiona. I need you."

Her blue eyes met his, only hers were a lot more shame-filled. She searched his face slowly before finally taking his hand and standing in front of him.

They were staring at each other when Bobby rudely interrupted them.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but we might be in a life or death situation here. Do you mind if we go now?"

Adam rolled his eyes and moved to lead the group. Fiona stood next to Bianca with Bobby walking dangerously close behind them.

Adam glanced back at them a couple times to make sure Bobby was nowhere near even brushing his hand against her on accident. He would make sure to lock him up in a classroom if he did.

Both Fiona and Adam shared awkward glances at each other when they passed another hall. They knew that hall too well. It was the exact place where Adam had pulled Fiona away while Holly J made her fake sacrifice to KC's deformed father.

They both quickly looked away and began walking faster down the hall. But Bianca got to Adam before Fiona could.

"Do you know what we're going to do if Ms. Oh really is dead?" she asked him lowly.

He didn't have to even think before whispering, "We're going to grab her keys and run right back to my house. Everyone can just stay there."

"Adam, you know that none of us can take another series of murders here again. It'll eat us from the inside."

"I know, Bianca," he answered. "None of us want that, and I'm going to do my best to stick through this so that we can all get out alive."

This time Bianca didn't respond as Adam's words satisfied her hunger pains for knowledge. She just didn't want to end up trapped in this school again with no ideas on what they were supposed to do.

But she still had that tight knot in the pit of her stomach when she thought about having this nightmare revisited.

Fiona suddenly yanked Adam to a stop when she saw what was on the floor of their high school. "Adam, what's that?" she asked in a light and scared voice.

He frowned and followed her eyes with everyone else copying their movements. Blood stained the floor as if someone bleeding had been pulled across it. It continued around the corner.

Tears appeared in Jenna's eyes as she took a step back. "Oh, my God," she wept. "It's happening again, isn't it?"

Adam quickly turned and rested his hands comfortingly on Jenna's shoulders. She already had a kid at home. It wasn't like she needed to start hyperventilating right now.

"Jenna, everything is going to be fine. Stay calm, and I promise I'm going to pull everyone out of this alive."

Adam's words seemed to have gotten through to a few of the other students with him. Jenna nodded through her tears and sniffled as Adam turned around to look back at the blood.

"Let's go," he ordered softly. He didn't sound like he really wanted to follow the pathway of blood, but did he really have a choice right now?

Adam slowly crept around the corner with everyone following him. Their footsteps were light and unnoticeable as they continued to creep behind Adam.

As soon as Adam saw what they'd been left with, his lip rose into a scornful expression. He looked away as quick a possible, but he wasn't quick enough to warn the others for the sight they were about to see.

There was Ms. Oh. Well…at least the pieces of Ms. Oh. It looked as if someone had chopped most of her body parts off of her and had left them in a pile in the corner of the hallway.

Adam took a step back with Fiona gripping his sleeve tightly.

"KC is back, isn't he?" she whispered only loud enough for him to hear. Adam didn't need to answer thanks to the bloody hatchet resting next to Ms. Oh's head.

Most of the other students had retreated back around the corner, but Bianca, Fiona, and Adam still stood together.

They stood united as they looked over the crime scene KC had left them. Adam suddenly noticed a wrinkled piece of paper not too far away from Ms. Oh's stray body parts.

He approached it slowly, making sure that KC didn't plan on jumping out on him anytime soon. Adam snatched the paper from the ground slowly and began to read out loud for Bianca and Fiona to hear.

"Dear Adam and other victims," he began. "I'm sure by now that you realize this was my doing. But I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that I don't plan on murdering anyone else tonight. No, I'm leaving that up to the creatures I've let out of my father's basement."

Adam stopped to look up at the two girls still standing there with their ears perked up. "Does he mean the creatures we saw when we went to save Riley?" Bianca questioned.

Adam nodded and continued, "This is just my revenge. It's your friends for my father. Play nicely please. P.S. I have the keys."

Adam's hands shook with rage as he finished the note. Fiona huffed, and Bianca glanced between the two of them.

"So we're stuck in this place all over again?" she asked shockingly.

"Yeah, it seems that way. I can't believe that he's doing this again. Doesn't he realize that the mother of his child is with us?" Fiona asked.

Adam kept his face serious and tried to let the rage die within him. "I honestly don't think he cares. All I know is that I'm getting out of here alive. And no one is going to die tonight."

"Adam, there are creatures in this place. Creatures that we know nothing about," Bianca lectured. "Do you really intend on getting all of us out alive with unknown monsters in this place?"

Adam's determination never faltered as he stepped past his girlfriend and friend. He glanced back at them with angry eyes, "The first thing we'll need is weapons. Then we'll focus on our way out."

Bianca sighed and turned to join him with Fiona copying her. "I guess we don't really have a choice."

Adam said nothing as he turned the corner to inform everyone of the plan for the night. Bianca glanced at Fiona worriedly before joining Adam with the others.

Fiona looked over at the window to her right. It was raining again.