The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Forty - Showdown (p.2)

IT GOT QUIET and dark in the closet. My wild heartbeat buzzed within my ribcage like an overactive hamster in a wheel. My head bobbed against the thrumming wall. Vibrations reached the quaking floor underneath me as well as blood-curdling screams. 

I'd believed I was off the hook when something clicked nearby. Sweat broke out at the nape of my neck again, making my hands shake. The doorknob turned.

"It's me. If you can hear me, let me in," Luc's voice sounded stifled outside. "Please. Say something. Where are you?"

I flinched, about to peek out the closet to check, but a knowing unease jerked my fingers right off the doorjamb. Luc would never say please. I remembered how I was positive I'd heard Luc in the clearing the night of the party, and it hadn't been him. 

It waited in case I would fall for the trap. A light scuffling sound came from the window as it sniffed the glass, and it met resistance from the chairs. The knob clicked vividly now, but that didn't last long. Chairs flew over the ground and tumbled further as the door burst wide open. 

I clamped a hand around my mouth, clutching the lighter as my lifeline.

I thought for a moment, trying my hardest to stay calm. It was very close and awfully cunning. That monster had been smart enough to keep me to itself so it could be the one to kill me. 

It would only be a matter of time until it'd decide to check the closet. I'd be utterly screwed when it'll walk near me. I'd have to get out somehow—pick out a moment that gave me enough space to run out into the hall. From there, I don't know what would happen.

I gazed through a crack and squinted. The Wanderer inspected the technician's supply shelves right next to the front desk. Too close. It sniffled curiously, then did some sort of sneeze, the sound resonating different with their slots for noses. 

It palmigraded over to the tables, slowly directing itself at the back.

Yes... Keep going... Just a little more...

It reached the furthest edge toward the windows. I didn't sit and mull over my fear because it was now or never. I sprung to my feet and kicked the door open, then made it out of the classroom in record time. I sprinted so fast I nearly tripped over my legs, catching myself with my hands on the floor.

I skidded upward and pushed my body to the limit. My sneakers squeaked, but they were quickly covered by a deafening howl. Just as a blast of light shot in my direction, I took the nearest door and shut it behind me. The hit burned a hole through the smoking wood. 

I looked ahead to see more stairs, barely holding on my feet. 

We were on the last floor. I took them nonetheless and wound up on the rooftop. I could see the forest extending in the horizon and the neighborhoods in the opposite direction stretching out for miles. The night breeze rose the little hairs on my arms and the Wanderer joined me on the roof, glaring in dislike as if I wasted its time. 

It knew I was cornered now.

Somehow, I was aware that it wouldn't kill me straight away. It wanted to make it long and painful, to make me sorry for outsmarting it and costing it an eye. 

My trembling hand flew to my back pocket, feeling for the bigger bottle—the one that had the benzyl chloride. I pulled it out and produced a fire with the lighter, bringing it close to the bottle's mouth. The solution roared into flames, and I pitched it at the Wanderer, hoping I wouldn't miss. The glass shattered over the monster's head. The fire spread all over its body, lighting up the night sky.