There was another shout, louder this time, followed by a thumpingsound.
My feet flew over the uneven ground as fast as they could, and when I reached the steps, I took them two at a time. Halfway up, there was a doorway to my left, leading into what was presumably going to be a classroom before the RFA board abandoned the plans for the newbuildings.
Dark wooden panels lined the large room, and all of the windows were gone, either damaged by the elements or destroyed by students who used the building for parties. The floorboards were dusty and littered with dried leaves that had blown inside over time, and there was a faint smell of pine, musty earth, andwoodsmoke.
I whipped my head around with narrowed eyes, searching for Adam in the dim room. I finally caught sight of him cowering in the left corner. His eyes were scrunched up, and his mouth was twisted in a pained grimace. One hand was resting on the back of hishead.
“Adam!” I hurried over to him. “What happened? Are youokay?”
His head shot upward. “Careful. They might still be here,” hecroaked.
I whirled around and scanned the room again. “It’s just us,” I said, turning back toAdam.
He lifted a shaky arm and pointed toward another door on the other side of the room; one I hadn’t even noticed until now. “I think they went through there,” hemuttered.
I crouched next to him and put a hand on his back, rubbing in slow, gentle circles. “What happened?” I asked, eyeswide.
He sucked in a series of shallow breaths and winced as he touched the back of his head again. “I was standing outside waiting for you and Trina to show up,” he finally said. “Then I heard someone in the building. I thought it was you guys. Figured you might’ve decided to take one of the back paths through the other side of the woods to freak me out.” He paused to let out a groan as he switched into a seated position on the dark, dusty floor. “I sneaked in here to try to freak you out instead, but I didn’t see you or anyone else. Then I heard footsteps behind me, and before I could turn around, someone hit me over the back of thehead.”
I winced at the thought. “Do you know what they used?” I asked as I peered at his head. There was no blood, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t injured. He could have a concussion or even a fracture in hisskull.
He exhaled deeply. “It felt like a stick. Maybe a bottle. I don’t know,” he said. “Anyway, it hurt, but it didn’t hurtthatmuch. Not like a full-on smash to the head. I think it was mostly the shock that got me. Do you know what Imean?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I getit.”
“After they hit me, I tripped over something and hit my arm on that stuff over there,” he went on, pointing to some wooden boards stacked up near the window. “That’s where I got this.” He lifted his arm to show me an angry red gash on his right wrist andforearm.
“Ouch.” I winced. “What happenedthen?”
“They grabbed me by the back of my shirt, pulled me up and shoved me against thiswall.”
“That must’ve been the thump I heard,” I saidsoftly.
He nodded weakly. “I guess so. Anyway, while they had me pinned to the wall, they pulled something out of their pocket and dropped it right next to me. It’s there,” he said, pointing to a dark red envelope on the floor. He was practically sitting on it, so I hadn’t seen it tillnow.
“Andthen?”
“They ran off, and you came in about five secondslater.”
I nodded slowly and kept rubbing his back in soothing circles. “If they grabbed you and shoved you back against the wall, that means you saw them,right?”
“Not really. They were wearing a black ski mask,” he said. “And it all happened so fast. It was like a blur. I didn’t notice what color their eyes were, or how tall they were, or anything likethat.”
I gritted my teeth. “Damn.”
Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Actually… I did see one thing. They had long dark hair. I saw it sticking out of the bottom of the skimask.”
“So it was agirl?”
“Yeah, or a guy with long hair. I honestly don’t know,” he muttered. “Like I said, it happened reallyfast.”
“I understand,” I said, nodding slowly. “Can I take a look at yourhead?”
“Sure.” He leaned closer to me and let me tentatively run my hands over the back of his head. He grimaced and let out a faint grunt when I reached a certain spot. “That’s it. That’s where they gotme.”
I frowned, carefully feeling around the area. “There’s no lump,” I said. “I think that’s a goodsign.”
“Probably. What about my back?” he asked. “Is there anythingthere?”