Chapter 113

KATHERINE.

“Pick up the pace, Roxley!” Diana called out after I stopped to glance at the building for the nth time when I heard a scream, and I immediately resumed what I’d been tasked with doing which was surrounding the library with chains and linking them. Out of the eighteen CMES members, only eleven were present and five of them, including Theo, Blake, and Hunter, were currently in the library while the rest of us were outside, sealing the building so the ghost wouldn’t be able to leave. It had been almost ten minutes since we started and the building had been making a lot of noise since then as if it was alive. Students were leaving the building in a steady stream, most of them with serious injuries such as an arm or leg that had been twisted repeatedly, deep gashes that blood flowed from relentlessly, and limbs that were partially hanging on to their owners so there were trails of blood leading out of the library. The fact that just one ghost had done this much damage was sickening and what was even more sickening is that no adult had shown up to help us.

My frown deepened as I remembered that the dean had told Hunter that the CMES should handle it when Diana quickly moved to another bleeding student who had just stepped out of the library. I’d love to stick her in the library alone with the ghost after we were done sealing it. “Watch it, Katherine,” a shaky voice said behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to see Lilika there before realizing I’d scattered the salt circle she was creating around the library, right next to my chain circle.

“Sorry, sorry.” I quickly got down to help her correct what I’d scattered.

“For fuck’s sake, Roxley! Focus on your task!” Diana shouted and I went back to setting the chains. My mind was haywire. A little while later, I was done setting the chains and headed back to the main entrance of the library where we hadn’t set any barriers yet because we didn’t want the students who were escaping to scatter them. It was just a small area though and since the blockers were still working, we’d be able to close it up quickly once everyone was out of the library. “Roxley, you’re not setting just one line of chain! You’re setting three!”

At that, I glanced to my left to see that Lenore had just finished setting her second line of chain so I quickly found another duffel bag containing chains and began to do the same. I was almost done setting the third line when Blake stumbled out of the library, looking dazed, and I paused. His clothes were stained with blood in different areas and when it seemed like he was about to fall off the stairs as he made his way down them, I found myself moving towards him. I’d only taken a couple of steps forward when Lenore rushed over to him to safely help him get down the stairs and I frowned as I remembered him choosing to help her alone that day.

“Blake, are there any other students in there?” Diana asked just as Lenore got him past the barrier we were creating and he shook his head sideways before suddenly starting to cough blood, making my eyes widen. “What's wrong with him?”

“He's used too much of his ability,” Lenore replied just as his legs buckled, sending the both of them to the ground, and I moved forward, wanting to help again, but stopped when I saw the worried expression he gave her.

“Shit. Sorry, sorry.” He seemed more worried that he’d made her fall than the fact that his body seemed to be breaking down, and I was rather confused at the way they stared at each other because it was ‘not’ that of two ‘friends’ worried about each other.

‘Is something going on between them?’ I thought while Lenore said, “You’ve been warned to use it carefully.”

“Hunter got hurt,” he replied and my heart tightened in my chest before I glanced back at the building which was still groaning like it was about to get up and walk away.

“You said all the students are out. What are they still doing in there?” Diana asked.

“We split up to get them out and ‘he’ went to their floor after attacking Hunter, so Hunter and Enny went to see if they need help.” Just as he was done talking, the malevolent ghost suddenly burst out from the side of the building with a raspy and distorted screech that sounded like it was coming from a distant and sinister realm before he slammed into the barrier the blockers were creating and that sent him careening backwards. He tried again but only got the same result before he turned to face us and I sucked in a breath.

its body twisting and turning as it moved, its outline constantly shifting and changing, while Its face was a mass of contorted flesh, with deep, dark eyes that glowed with an eerie light. A sense of impending doom filled the air and as it moved towards us, it left a trail of darkness in its wake, as if it was leaking evil and despair, and the air around grew colder before it let out a low, guttural sound that seemed to shake the very earth.

He suddenly flew towards us and I took several steps backwards before he slammed into the barrier. The next moment the blockers began to beep, indicating that the barrier was about to go down, and since we hadn’t completed the usual barrier of salt, iron and baptisia flowers, the ghost would escape if fully charged blockers weren’t set in the ground soon.

Diana immediately moved to set a new blocker in the ground next to us since it was her and three other members were in charge of switching them, and when the second member went to do the same, I realized the other two stationed at the back of the building wouldn’t know to do the same right now since they couldn’t see that the ghost was outside. Diana seemed to realize that too because she rushed off, scattering the salt circle Lilika was still creating.

“Oh come on!” Lilika yelled and as she moved back to fix it, the ghost which she hadn’t noticed turned to face her. She was supposed to be safe. The blockers that were meant to be switched out still had about thirty seconds on them and Diana was going to get the members at the back of the building to switch them out before that time was up, so Lilika should have been safe. Which is why I couldn’t believe it when the ghost suddenly charged at her, easily passing through where the barrier should be, and it wasn’t till it was upon her that she finally glanced over her shoulder.

“Lily!” someone yelled – it could have been me, I don’t know – as the spirit passed through her and headed off at an alarming speed while she dropped to the ground. I ran over to her while she started convulsing and when I touched her, she was ice cold. Other members surrounded us and as Diana pulled her into her arms, she stopped moving.

“Is she okay?” My voice was no more than a whisper as everyone around us had become so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Diana didn't say anything; she just stared down at the wide-eyed expression frozen on Lily's face before she glanced past me, fear written all over her face. “Blake…”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Blake shaking his head sideways.

“I'm drained,” he muttered before I returned my attention to Lilika and when I listened for her heartbeat, I found none. My breath caught.

“Her heart has stopped.”