Chapter 101 Locked in
CHAPTER 101
Locked in
The celebration hadn’t slowed..Music had started to rise in the background as the ceremony transitioned into laughter, pictures, and small clusters of students celebrating their achievement. Cameras flashed. Names were called again and again not for certificates this time, but for memories.
Ruby stood with Jane near the edge of the hall, her certificate still clutched lightly in her hand as they laughed over something small and meaningless.
Life felt normal again. Her phone buzzed.
She smiled faintly, already expecting Leo’s name to appear. But when she looked it wasn't him, instead it was Blake.
Her brows furrowed slightly. “That’s strange…” she murmured.
Jane tilted her head. “What is it?”
Ruby answered the call. “Hello?”
On the other end, Blake didn’t waste time.
“Ruby, where are you?” his voice came—
urgent, controlled, but strained.
Ruby straightened slightly. “I’m at school… the graduation ceremony. Why?”
“You need to stay calm,” Blake said.
Ruby’s grip on her phone tightened instantly. “Blake… what’s wrong?”
“Leo fainted.”
The world seemed to stop. “What?”
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
“He’s at the hospital now,” Blake continued quickly. “He’s stable, but it was a shock.”
Ruby’s chest tightened painfully.
“Shock from what?” she asked, though something inside her already feared the answer.
Blake exhaled. “Check the news.”
The call ended. Just like that. Leaving her standing there frozen.
“Ruby?” Jane called softly. “What happened?”
Ruby didn’t answer. Her fingers trembled slightly as she unlocked her phone, her eyes scanning the screen and then she saw the headline.
Her breath caught. “No…”
She scrolled down more articles and accusations.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest. “This isn’t real…” she whispered.
Jane stepped closer, looking over her shoulder. “Oh my God…”
Ruby shook her head, stepping back slightly. “Leo…” she whispered.
Jane grabbed her arm gently. “Hey… look at me.”
Ruby’s eyes filled slightly, not with tears yet, but with something heavier. She was scared. “I have to go,” she said suddenly.
Jane blinked. “Now?”
“He’s at the hospital,” Ruby replied quickly. “I have to go.”
Jane nodded immediately. “Okay, okay—go.”
Ruby turned, then paused for just a second.
“Your party…” she said.
Jane waved it off. “Forget the party.”
Ruby shook her head. “No—you should enjoy it,” she said, forcing a small smile. “I’ll call you later. I promise.”
Jane studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Be careful,” she said.
“I will.”
Ruby didn’t waste another second. She moved quickly through the hallway, her steps fast, her mind racing. Her thoughts were everywhere. The hospital, the news.
None of it made sense and none of it felt real.
“I need to get my things…” she muttered, turning into the quiet corridor that led toward the storage and locker rooms. The noise from the main hall faded behind her, replaced by an eerie stillness..
She reached the door, pushing it open quickly.
The room inside was dim, the lights not fully on, shadows stretching across the floor. Ruby stepped in, heading straight toward where she had left her bag earlier.
“I just need my phone charger… and—”
The door clicked shut behind her, she paused, slowly and turned. “Hello?” she called.
No response on the other end. A faint unease crept up her spine.
“Probably just the wind…” she murmured, trying to shake it off.
She turned back toward her things and that’s when a hand clamped over her mouth.
Her eyes widened instantly. “Mmm—!”
Another arm wrapped around her tightly, pinning her in place, panic surged through her body. She struggled, kicked and tried to scream but the grip tightened.
“Stay quiet,” a low voice whispered harshly.
Her heart pounded wildly as fear took over completely.
“Please—!” she tried to speak, but it came out muffled.
Within seconds, she was dragged backward, her feet barely keeping up as she was pulled deeper into the room.
“No—please—!” she tried again, tears now filling her eyes.
The door at the far end opened, cold air rushed out instantly. Her breath hitched.
Her panic skyrocketed. “No—no—NO—!”
But it didn’t matter. The door was pulled open wider and before she could fight any further she was shoved inside the refrigerator. Her body hit the cold metal surface as she gasped, the freezing air biting instantly into her skin. The door slammed shut..
Her hands shot forward, banging against the door immediately. “HELP!” she screamed.
Her voice echoed but no one answered.
“PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!”
Her breath came out in short, panicked bursts, the cold already beginning to seep into her bones.
“Leo…” she whispered weakly, her voice trembling.
Ruby pressed her hands against the door again, her strength already shaking. “Please…” she whispered.
The hospital corridor was quiet in a way that felt unnatural. Not the usual calm of a place meant for healing but the heavy, suffocating silence that comes when something is wrong and no one knows how to fix it.
Blake stood just outside Leo’s room, his arms crossed, his back leaning against the cold wall. His eyes were fixed on the glass panel of the door, watching the faint movement inside. Leo lay on the bed, still.
Machines hummed softly around him, their steady rhythm the only reassurance that he was stable for now.
Blake exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “This wasn’t supposed to happen…” he muttered.
He had seen Leo angry, cold, untouchable but never like this, never broken.
Inside the room, Leo’s face was pale, his features relaxed in unconsciousness, but not peacefully. Even in that state, there was tension in his brow, as if his mind hadn’t stopped running.
The shock had hit him harder than anyone expected and Blake knew why..It wasn’t just the news. It was what it meant.