Haunting Winds

Chapter 6

"We have to go back after him," Ian cried. Robert nodded and they all ran upstairs. Penny followed them still not sure what was going on. David shouted Allan's name, but there was no response. They got to the door and saw inside a beam of light on the floor where David dropped Ian's cellphone in the confusion. It still had its flashlight on, but Allan was nowhere to be seen. David called for Allan again, but there was still no answer.

Robert aimed the flashlight inside. They entered again holding each other and got to the cell phone. David picked it up and aimed down the corridor. He nearly dropped the phone again at the sight of an arm emerge from the hole in the ground a few feet in front of him. The floor vibrated with a groan and the hair on his arms stood. He wanted to scream, but it got caught in his throat. Ian sprang back letting go of his grip on David.

Robert leaped forward and cried, "No. Wait. It's Allan!" Upon realizing this, his friends helped him up from the hole in which he fell when the wooden floor beneath him gave way.

Allan's entire body was covered in dust, but he was conscious. The others tried to shake the dust off him, while he coughed and spit. His glasses were broken during the fall. "Ugh. I'm so dead," he groaned as he pocketed them.

Robert laughed as he dusted off Allan. "What happened to you, man?"

"What happened to me?" Allan replied. "What happened to you? You all ran and left me."

"We didn't leave you. We didn't even realize you were gone. At least we came back for you, right?" Robert nudged him and everyone laughed.

"Come on. I've had enough adventuring for one day," Allan said shaking his head in annoyance.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go before the school makes us pay for the hole you made on the ground," Ian said.

"You guys are going back down already? But I just got here," said Penny.

Allan was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I went out because I couldn't sleep so I went to your classroom to see if you were there. When I saw you weren't, I knew you'd be upstairs."

"You went up all alone? You're even braver than Allan here," Robert said.

"Well, the lights were on. You guys left some serious breadcrumbs."

"So you just got here then? You weren't following us since we went up?" Allan asked.

Penny looked confused and David butted in. "Allan here thought he heard a girl laughing while we were in the auditorium."

"Ha! I didn't know you were afraid of girls," Penny teased, poking Allan's ribs.

The group laughed, while Ian brushed Allan's hair. Their laughter echoed in the corridor but died as soon as they got to the door.

Outside, before the window, a little girl of about age five stood against the moonlight. The little girl's curly hair was tied in pigtails and she wore a uniform of white and gray. He was not sure if it was a trick of his eye, but Robert soon realized the girl's skin appeared gray in the moonlight. The little girl held her hand forward with all fingers up. Robert thought she was asking them to stop. The little girl smiled, gave a small giggle, which echoed louder and longer than it should have, and when the sound finally died, she took a step forward and started giggling again.

"I want to play," she said. Her mouth opened but didn't move with her voice. "I want to play," she repeated while giggling could be heard from behind her. She walked forward and paced faster to a run. "I want to plaaaaay!" her shout turned into a shriek that pierced their skins.