Crown of Shadows

Chapter 5

"Everybody, get inside the school!" Mrs. Glinger shouted, shoving students paralyzed by wonder and fear forward. But there was no way for us to get into the school. We were surrounded before we could even figure out what was going on. But all I could think was, why? Why attack us?

"Raven!" Lala shrieked. A male Gromlar dropped behind me, hissing like a snake. I jumped, yelping. I tried to fly upward, but he grabbed my ankle and yanked me down. I landed with a thump, groaning. He lunged toward me again, but he was stopped this time. Mrs. Glinger tackled him, shoving him into the dirt. He grunted, and it was all too easy for him to shove her off. She was too light, and he was too strong. He rolled, pinning her down to the ground. I didn't have any time to make a move before his hand was raised, and I saw something gleaming in it.

A knife. I choked on my gasp as the Gromlar brought it down into Mrs. Glinger's chest. Blood soaked through her suit and I felt tears sting my eyes. Screams filled the air, and I knew one of them was mine. I had been scared before, but now it seemed real. I was going to die. I was going to die here. The Gromlar yanked his knife out of Mrs. Glinger, howling. I watched as my teacher's eyes rolled into the back of her head. She was motionless. I stumbled backwards, into Laila.

"Raven, we have to get out of here-"

"We can't just leave her!" I cried.

"She's gone already, Raven, there's nothing we can do but save ourselves!"

"How?" I sobbed.

"Just calm down- Raven, I need you to calm down!" She shook my shoulders, staring at me, seeming surprisingly calm for what she had just witnessed. "We have to get out of here. I just need you to follow me!"

"Where?" I asked, my entire body shaking, scanning the sky. More Gromlar were coming. Surrounding us. Trapping us. The whole school was under siege.

"We need to hide, inside the school," Laila said. "I looked at the map- if we can get to the Headmistress's office, there's a bunker there. We can hide out until its safe."

I looked at her like she was insane. Tears stung my eyes. "I- I can't-"

"You need to trust me," Laila said, grabbing my wrist. "We'll be okay. Okay?" I nodded, blinking back my tears. "This way," she said, pointing past a Gromlar fighting with a student and towards the school. She dragged me forward, and I stumbled. I heard more screams, and more than anything I wished I could have just disappeared. It seemed so unreal. Like a nightmare that I might wake up from at any moment. But the fear and terror was very real. I felt my heart pounding against my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I was so busy thinking about the tightness in my chest that I didn't even notice when Laila stopped. I bumped into her, breathing heavily.

"What-" I began, before peeking over her shoulder. A wingless woman stood in front of her, knife in hand. I inhaled sharply, ready to scream my lungs out. But Laila took action. She swung her leg up and I heard a crack as her foot collided with the Gromlar's jaw. The woman grabbed her jaw, dropping the knife.

"Go!" Laila shouted, flapping her wings and leaping over the Gromlar. I flew behind her, eyes wide. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure I was following, before diving to the side. I dove after her, and we landed beside the school. There was a door there. For once, I was glad Laila had spent so much time preparing and studying the map of the school. There was no way we could have gotten back to the front entrance without getting ourselves killed.

Laila twisted the knob on the door and swung it open. She let me dart in first and then slammed the door behind us. I was still shaking tremendously. She looked at me and sighed. "I think we're fairly safe now. But we should still get to that bunker, just to be sure."