“Yeah, we noticed,” Braylon answered. “Did you forget your umbrella?”
“Of course, I did.” I giggled. “I didn’t remember it until I stepped out of class and saw that it was pouring.”
“Sounds about right.”
“So, are we good for tonight and this crazy storm?”
“Yeah, we’ve been watching the weather, and it looks like the worst of it should be past us in an hour or so.” Braylon glanced over at Widow and said, “I’ll keep watch tonight and make sure the generator kicks on if the power goes out.”
“Okay, great. I’m going to do my rounds, then I’ve got some studying to do. Just let me know if you guys need anything.”
“Will do.”
I left them both and headed down the hall. I stopped by each room, checked the timers on the lights, and made sure the daily checklist had been completed. Once I was done, I hurried back to my place. As soon as I’d dried off, I made myself a batch of ramen noodles and a glass of chocolate milk, then carried them into the living room. I spent the next couple of hours watching a scary movie while finishing up an assignment for my genetics class. By the time I was done, the storm had started to let up, so I took a long, hot bath and put on my pj’s. I was so looking forward to a good night’s sleep as I crawled into bed and snuggled under my covers. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
I’d barely drifted off when I heard someone pounding on my door. It was well after midnight, so I knew something had to be wrong. I shot out of bed and rushed to the door. When I opened it, I found Mia on my front step, looking absolutely panicked. “What’s wrong?”
“I was, umm... I was with Braylon, and he got some warning or something that there was a fire.”
“What? Where?”
“Over at the gym. He went to check it out and told me to come and get you.”
“Oh shit!”
I pulled on my boots and rushed out of the house, quickly closing the door behind me. The cold night air was damp from the rain and made me shudder, but thankfully the rain itself had let up. It was barely sprinkling as I ran to the gym to find Braylon. I didn’t bother to stop and see if Mia was following me. I was too worried about everything I’d worked so hard for going up in flames. I charged through the front doors of the gym as I called out, “Braylon!”
When he didn’t answer, I called out again, “Bray! Where are you?”
Still no answer. While I didn’t see any flames, I smelled the overwhelming stench of burnt siding. I started searching for the source of the smell when I noticed an orange glow coming from one of the outside windows. I quickly rushed out the back door and over to the side of the building where a small fire was inching across the exterior siding. I was surprised to see that there was a white film covering most of the wall and part of the grass, and then, I spotted the two fire extinguishers. Braylon and Duggar had been there, but I had no idea where they’d gone. I picked up one of the extinguishers and tried to spray it, but it was already empty. I hated there wasn’t more I could do, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the gym’s sprinkler system went off. I was trying to figure out what I should do next when Mia rushed up behind me and asked, “Where’s Bray?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
“Well, it looks like he was here.”
“Yes, but where is he now?” I looked around, and there was no one in sight. Suddenly, the power went out, and the entire place went black. Even though it was no longer storming, I assumed it had something to do with the crazy weather. Maybe a downed tree or a blown breaker. Regardless, I knew it would be only a short amount of time before the generator kicked on. I had an uneasy feeling as I stood there watching the flames continue to inch their way up the building. Trying my best not to panic, I turned to Mia and asked her, “What about Timms or Widow? Any idea where they might be?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them.”
I didn’t know what it was, but something was wrong—very, very wrong.
Unnerved, I rushed to the back doors of the school, but stopped dead in my tracks the second I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from inside. With my heart drumming in my chest, I stood frozen, waiting to see if I heard it again. I turned and searched the grounds for any sign of Braylon or the others. That was when I spotted three figures dressed in all black darting across the back field. I knew then this wasn’t just an accidental fire.