Manhunt

Chapter 31

"Oh, he's cute." Sydney suddenly spoke up, leaning forward to look closer.

"Who is?" Julia asked, quickly glancing up at Sydney before shifting her attention back to her phone.

"The guy who came in just now." Sydney informed, pointing to the front of the room. "Look." Julia looked over at Caroline, watching her face contort from curiosity to absolute horror. Her body went rigid, and Julia's spine immediately straightened out in alarm.

"That's—that's the guy. The stalker." Julia's blood ran cold, and she whipped her head around to see Matthew casually talking to Mr. Torrez in a low voice, right in the front of the room. In a quick motion, Julia slid her unlocked phone to Caroline.

"Text my mom. Now." She hissed at her, watching as Caroline's fingers flew across the screen to send out a text message. "Mention the name Matthew and tell her to come here." Ripping her gaze back over to Matthew, Julia slowly slid out of her chair before backing into the closet that sat behind her seat.

"What are you doing?" Sydney whispered at her friend, shifting her gaze between Julia and her enemy. Julia brought a finger to her lips before gliding her hand around the shelves next to her, looking for the box cutter that she had convinced Joey to get. With an anxious whimper, Sydney tilted her head away, moving closer to Caroline. Julia's mouth went dry when she heard Joey's voice grow louder.

"Sir, you need to leave." He ordered firmly, pointing to the door. "You're not allowed in any classroom, nor may you personally remove a student from their room—" He broke off when Matthew landed a blow to his stomach, causing him to double over. There were a few screams that immediately cut off when he ripped his hand out of his pocket and shoved a needle into the side of Joey's neck. In seconds, the teacher was out cold.

Julia heard her friends inhale sharply over the roaring of her heart.

"Listen to me carefully or else I will break every single one of your tiny, feeble necks." Matthew purred, grinning at everyone around the room. "Now, who's going to tell me where Julia is? Hm?"

She released a shaky sigh before calming herself down and mentally preparing myself for what was to come. Scanning the shelves, she located the box cutter, grabbing it before extending the blade. She looked through the opening of the door, readying herself for his inevitable approach.

"No one? That's fine." He shrugged before walking around the room slowly, peering into each person's face as he slid a knife out of his pocket. "I like a good hunt. If anyone tries leaving the room, I'll rip your throat out." He threatened casually, shooting everyone a grin as he balanced the dagger in his palm. "Slowly, of course."

Julia heard gentle footfalls as Matthew approached her table, growing closer to the closet she was hiding in. From the shaky breaths that Caroline took, she knew he'd locked eyes with her.

"Friend One." Matthew greeted from just beyond the door frame, stopping in front of it. "Ah, and Friend Two. Hello. Mind telling me where Julia is?" He had a mocking tone, clearly aware that she was somewhere in the room. She allowed him to seek her, coming to the realization that he couldn't possibly do anything to the students in this classroom. The longer this game took, the better the chance of reinforcements coming to get him.

When he took a step closer, she leapt out of the closet as she swung the blade down on him, aiming to get his shoulder. He must have expected her, for he raised his dagger to catch the blade before it could do him any damage. A grin stretched his lips as he tilted his head to look at her.

"There you are, sweetheart."

She pulled her blade back, sending a kick at his ankles to create some distance between him and her friends. He obliged, twirling the blade between his fingers as she pushed forward, swinging the box cutter at him. It wasn't her ideal weapon, but it was better than nothing compared to the lethal item he held himself.