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Cold sweat broke down her forehead, as her breathing became unstable. Rain wasn't sure when her dream had turned into reality.
Her eyes were wide in shock watching it all play out, like a movie no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take her eyes off it.
One moment, there was laughter. The music too loud. The ground trembling under her feet like there was something alive beneath the party.
Then the rock. The split.
The crash. And suddenly, a crack of darkness split open, as she was pulled inside.
Rain's body jerked upright.
She held herself quickly, her breathing uneven still processing if it was real or still a dream.
She exhaled, but remained still for a second.
She noticed it, the stillness of the room. She wasn't sure if it was because everyone around her was fast asleep.
Or…
The air just felt wrong.
Her head turned slowly, and Lily wasn't there.
Panic shot through her.
She hadn't steadied from the nightmare she woke from, and her heart had plummeted much more than before.
She pushed herself from the floor, as she scanned the sleeping room again, like the first glance she had taken was mistaken.
Her fingers twitched at her side, then she turned to Nora.
A swift shake, "Nora!" She called, her voice merely a whisper but panic faintly heard. "Nora, wake up."
Nora stirred, groggy, pulling herself with slow breath. "What….what time is it?"
"I can't find Lily."
That woke her fully. Nora sat up immediately, her hands rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
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The school's corridor felt larger than it should have been. Longer even.
Rain paced through each door and back onto the next searching for Lily. Nora did the same, as Mason groaned, taking slow steps behind, but still keeping up.
"Remind me why I'm here." He yawned, sleep still heavy on him.
"To find Lily." Nora shot at him, "so do something."
He shook his head, "I got dragged out of sleep for a missing girl, in a locked school, in the middle of whatever this is?" His tone came flat.
"Lower your voice." Nora warned.
"I'm just saying." He insisted
"Stop saying."
Mason stared at her in disbelief. A sigh escaped his lips as he carried on with the search.
Rain couldn't hear them, her pulse drowned everything else.
They checked every room fast, it was all empty. Each door opened the same way and darkness stared back like it had been waiting.
Rain breathing started to change, it wasn't fear. But a quiet recognition she couldn't explain settling in.
Mason's eyes scanned a class. As he echoed the words. "Empty." Moving on to the next.
A swift movement caught his eyes at the end of the corridor.
He froze.
Mason looked again, and a shadow slipped past.
"Lily?" He muttered quietly, but was meant with the stillness of the night.
Mason swallowed, then turned to the rest. "Over here." He yelled.
Rain stopped, then rushed toward him. "Where?"
Nora ran out from an empty room toward them. Mason pointed to the direction, Rain didn't hesitate.
"Lily…" she called out, as she ran.
Mason paused for a second, his body stiff from fear.
"Come on." Nora said to him, then went after Rain.
He hesitated, his feet frozen. Then he let out a heavy groan, before going after them. They came to a halt in front of a classroom door, at the end of the corridor.
About to push it, the door slammed open.
"Shit…"
Luke stumbled back inside. His back nearly hitting a desk.
All four of them froze.
"The hell—" Luke's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
Mason exhaled sharply. "You scared the life out of me."
Rain rushed into the room quickly scanning through just Incase.
Luke stared at her. His expression shifted into one of curiosity, as Nora stepped forward grabbing his attention. "Why are you here?" annoyance faint in her tone.
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to check around."
Rain walked back to them, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "She's not here." She tried to walk out the room, Luke held onto her hand stopping her.
"Wait. what's going on?" His brows raised.
Nora answered quickly. "Lily is missing."
Luke frowned. "You checked everywhere?"
"I checked everywhere she could have gone." Rain corrected instantly. "I don't know….she just…she wasn't there."
Luke's eyes didn't leave her, but her focus was unsteady. His grip tightened slightly on her hand, and he could feel her fingers tremble.
"Rain. " He called, his voice unexpectedly soft. "Calm down." Both hands rested on her shoulders, pulling her a bit close. "Let's look again. The school is locked, she couldn't have gone out."
Rain's body slowly regained composure. Not fully, just enough for her gaze to settle on him.
She nodded.
Suddenly a sharp shriek cut through the hallway.
A female's voice.
Rain's head spun to the corridor.
"...Lily?"
"No…" Nora wasn't sure so sje tried to stop her, but before she could conclude her statement, Rain dashed out of the room, following the sound.
"Rain, wait." Luke yelled, running after her. The others immediately followed.
She ran through the hall, and came to a stop where the sound came from.
Art room.
The words spelled out above the door. Rain didn't hesitate, she pushed the door open.
Relief hitting her immediately.
"Lily" she called.
Lily stood still in the art room, her gaze pinned on the long windows that trailed the walls. She rushed to her knees before her, leaning into a hug.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" The question spilled out her mouth. She scanned her carefully and thankfully there weren't any injuries.
But Lily didn't answer.
The others ran into the room, relief sighs filling the air.
Luke walked closer to them. His voice lowered slightly. "What's wrong Lily?"
She didn't look at them, she only pointed. Rain's gaze turned to the window.
"Is there something out there?" She looked out, but could barely see a thing.
"I saw something."
They paused.
Luke quickly scanned the area. But the only thing he could see were trees and darkness. "I don't see anything."
"Neither do I." Nora cut in. "Maybe she's still sleepy?"
Rain glanced at Nora then back at Lily. No matter how she put it, Nora's words didn't settle.
Something weighed in her chest, and the look in her sister's eyes didn't seem right.
"Lily?" Rain gently swept her hair to the side. "What did you see?"
The question hung between them. Lily did not answer instantly.
Her lips parted.
Then….
Another scream tore through the air.
Mason's body jerked violently from it. Their heads snapped to the door.
"What was that?" Nora asked, a voice filled with panic.
The scream came again, louder.
Closer.
Luke's eyes changed.
"That's Grayson." He ran.
"Shit!" Mason cursed, clenching his fingers into a fist. "I don't like this." He said quickly.
Nora pulled him along, both of them hurrying through the door.
Rain turned back to Lily. Her breathing was uneven.
"Go back to the sleeping area." She said quickly, "Don't come out no matter what."
Lily nodded.
They rushed into the stretched out hallway running in different directions.
Rain went ahead finding her friends. Their steps slowed as they reached the back of the school.
The door was ajar, then Luke pushed it open completely. The cold air poured in fast, as he took a step out.
Nothing.
Mason was the next to walk out. "Where is he?" He looked around. Then Nora stepped out after him, before Rain.
"Grayson." She called.
No answer.
Hazel appeared suddenly. "Where is he? Babe?" She demanded, her eyes wild.
"Grayson…"
A pause.
"Grayson," her voice broke. "He said he was just stepping out…he said—" Her body begun trembling. "He was right here."
Rain's eyes dropped, something was on the ground.
Marks.
"Guys." She called, her finger pointed to the floor.
Drag lines cut into the dirt, leading away from the school and into the trees. Hazel saw it too, her breath collapsed.
"No…" she whispered. Then louder, "GRAYSON."
Her voice echoed into the night. But nothing moved. Rain stood there, her head turned to Hazel in tears on the floor and something flashed through her mind.
Her dream.
Darkness splitting open and something pulling her in. Her fingers clenched into a fist, then her gaze returned back to the trees.