I cry out as I hit the floor hard, my head slamming against the side of my desk. The room tilts, and my vision blurs for a moment.
Through the pounding in my skull, I hear his voice, low and unnervingly calm.
“I can’t let you leave, Ashlyn. Iwantto make you mine. Iwillmake you mine.”
He turns his back to me, walking toward the door.
Hope flares in my chest. Maybe he’s leaving. Maybe I can run, but then I see it. He’s not leaving. He’s closing the door.
Panic surges through me. My hand scrambles beneath my desk, my fingers finding the hidden panic button Ben had installed when he became principal. I press it quickly, praying someone sees the alert in time.
“What… what are you doing?” I ask, forcing myself to stand, ignoring the throbbing in my head.
“Closing the door,” he murmurs, his back still to me. “There’s only you and me here. I made sure of that. But that’s how we like it, isn’t it? We always talk when everyone else is gone.” He turns to face me, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “That’s how Iknowyou like me, Ashlyn.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. My stomach churns as reality sinks in. I thought Eddie was harmless. I was just being nice, thinking he was lonely. But he’s not lonely. He’s unhinged.
His gaze drops to the blood trickling down my forehead, his expression unreadable.
“If you’d just agreed to have dinner with me, none of this would’ve happened,” he says, his voice eerily calm. “You brought this on yourself, Ashlyn.”
A cold shiver runs through me. “You’re insane,” I mutter, sinking heavily into the chair behind my desk, my legs barely holding me up.
His demeanor changes in an instant.
“Don’t call mefuckinginsane!” he roars, slamming his hands down on a nearby desk. The sudden outburst makes me flinch.
“Okay,” I say quickly, my voice shaking. “I’m sorry. You’re just… scaring me, Eddie.”
His face crumples, and he buries his head in his hands.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he mutters, rocking slightly as he clenches his fists and presses them to his forehead. “Iloveyou. You’re not supposed to be scared.”
Terror knots in my chest, but I force myself to stay calm.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, scrambling for something to defuse the situation. “I’m not scared now.” It’s a lie, but I need him to believe it. My eyes dart to the grocery bag, and I latch onto the first thought that comes to mind.
“Why don’t you show me what you brought?” I suggest softly.
I need to keep him talking. I need to keep himcalm. I exhale quietly in relief as he seems to like the idea. While he’s distracted, rummaging through the grocery bag, I take my chance.
Slipping my phone from my pocket, I keep it hidden under the table as I open my messages. The last person I texted was Laney. There’s no time to find another contact. My fingers move quickly, typing a single word:Eddie. I hit send and shove the phone back into my pocket.
Laney won’t have a clue what it means, but I’m hoping that the panic alarm I pressed earlier has already reached Ben. And if Laney’s with him, maybe she’ll put the pieces together.
Ben
More police arriveby the minute. With Hope Creek being such a small town, they must be bringing in reinforcements from nearby. There are also EMTs, which I hope to God we don’t need.
“I know this is a long shot,” Nash says, his voice low. “But can you access the school’s CCTV from your phone?”
My eyes widen. “Yes! I usually use my laptop, but I should be able to log into the server. Hang on.”
With shaking hands, I pull my phone from my pocket and open the web browser, quickly logging in. The classrooms won’t have cameras, but every entrance and exit is covered. If someone got inside, we’ll see them.
“Here,” I say, turning the screen toward Nash.
“Is it live?”
