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A creak breaks the moment of tranquility when I reach the top of the steps, and when I turn around, I catch a glimpse of a silver reflection moving hurriedly further down the steps.
Silver Mask grabs Ty’s leg and pullshard.The force makes Ty lose balance and fall forward on the stairs, his chin hitting the edge of one sharp step. He lets out a pained groan as he tries to recover from the attack, but there’s not enough time because Silver Mask tugs again, dragging him down. Like a trapped prey, Ty’s hands fly around, trying to hold on to something, yet what he finds is the last thing I would’ve wanted. His fingers trap the base of Nancy’s ankle, yanking her with him.
“Sadie!”
“Don’t let go!” I yell, clinging to my friend’s hand as she’s being towed down by the jock.
Jen surrounds my waist with her arms, preventing me from falling too. I use the weight of my body to balance myself while stopping Nancy from meeting the same end as him.
Sweat pools on the palm of my hands.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I won’t be able to pull her free, not when the bodies trapping Nance are stronger than I am, not when my palms are sweaty. Another yank by Silver Mask, and Ty’s hold overpowers mine because her hand loosens its grip and slips away, falling down the stairs alongside him.
The sudden weight shift hauls Jennifer and me back, and our butts meet the floor. But I’m too overwhelmed with the adrenaline and the need to help Nancy that I can’t process the pain. I know I’ll have some bruising from the solid tip of Jen’s boot hitting my thigh, but it’s the least of my concerns.
What happens later is a blur.
Jen screams louder than I’ve ever heard her before—almost screeching like a banshee.
One moment I’m staring at Nancy’s horrified expression, blue eyes gawking back at me with tears spilling from them, and the next, Steve’s figure blocks my view as he closes the door.
“What have you done?!” The scream abandons me, raw and gritty as I jump to my feet and grab the knob.
I need to help Nancy.
I must…I…
The metal of the knob clanks with the way I rattle it, trying my hardest to get it to push it, but it doesn’t bulge. It stays put. Immobile, frozen as the time standing still in front of me as realize what’s happening.
It can’t open from this side.
Jen slams the palm of her hands against the heavy wood as she screams, “Nancy! Oh, God, Nance!”
And I stand there helpless, listening to the sharp shrieks of my scared friend on the other side.
ChapterThree
Second Act
I’ve never experienced cardiac problems in my life. According to my health checkups, I’m considered a healthy and average twenty-two-year-old woman with no underlying issues or risk factors. Yet, as I stand in the hall, listening to Nancy’s screams, I feel my ribs constrict and send a twinge of pain. My sternum aches with the pressure lying on my chest, almost as if it were close to imploding on itself and crushing everything in its path.
Time drags around us as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button on the film to focus on the details, which is the same thing my mind does to process the scene unfolding in front of me.
Jen bangs her fists harder against the wood. Thumps echo in my skull, vibrating against the soft tissue of my brain. Sparks of adrenaline erupt in my nerves, making my muscles twitch.
“Nancy!” my friend bellows, her voice cracking with emotion. “Are you okay?”
“Stop being dramatic,” Steve interrupts with a pitch of annoyance. “You’ll see her again soon. She isn’t actually getting killed.”
The reminder is as sharp as a knife when it slices through the walls of panic around my mind.
This isn’t real.
Nausea sways in my stomach.
It isn’t fucking real.
