Getting Back To You (Book 2 of Under The Floorboards)

Chapter 14: Mark

With everyone back together, things are good. And I'm not talking good as normal, I mean really good. I have never been happier. Everything is looking better for us. Home is so close I can almost feel it. I almost feel how I felt before the house, maybe I can just live a normal happy life after this.

I'm not going to lie. At first when I saw how she looked at him, I couldn't help but reminisce to when she looked at me like that. But the way she looks at him is a little different, she is genuinely happy. That's all I want for her. Happiness. I flash Kendall a friendly smile as she glances over to me. She is smiling, love glistening in her chocolate brown eyes as Leo tickles her. Her laugh dances through the air while she nudges him away from her, squirming around. She is my first love. But I know she won't be my last. Pushing myself from the ground, I head over to Ivy, Hazel, Lazaro, and Cole.

"Look at these beauties," Cole jokingly winks as he flexes his arms, his sleeves are rolled up. Hazel shakes her head, laughing along with everyone else.

"Oh my god, Cole. Get over yourself," Lazaro nudges him as a grin spreads across his face.

"Yeah, okay. Not as beautiful as me," Ivy jokes around, flicking her hair over her shoulder with a wink.

"Really?" I laugh with them, happiness flowing through the air.

Leo, Ty, Pen, Holland, Maria, and Wren fit right in with us. It is as if we have known them forever. Leo is still goofing around with Kendall, Ty flirts with Yvoni. Ty and Yvoni openly have a thing for each other, Yvoni giggles while he spins her around in the air. Holland twiddles with her hair while Damon, Zane, and Alaska are telling her a story about life before all of this, they are telling a story about one of our many parties in Kendall's basement back home, when we danced and laughed, living like there was no tomorrow and when love was a word without an ending. Maria and Arizona are singing an old song from our childhood, swaying back and forth with happiness. Nina and Chase are cuddling together in the corner, Chase runs his fingers through her hair as she lays her head in his lap. Everything is right again.

Our blissful happiness is interrupted by the sound of an alarm going off. Everyone freezes, confused faces look around the room. "Oh no. Shit," Holland curses at the ground.

"What is it?" I almost shout at her.

"That's the alert system. Something is in the building that shouldn't be. The only thing I can think of is one of those demon things. We've never had it go off before," she speaks rapidly.

Chaos breaks out, the lights flicker off. An alarm light flashes on and off on the ceiling, people scramble around the room to grab their things as voices echo over each-other in fear. Adrenaline rushes over me as the alarm stops. Everything goes dark. Suddenly, a flashlight flicks on. Wren is holding it, scanning it around the room. Everyone goes silent. "Is everyone okay?" he whispers. A few faces nod, others just remain still. "Okay. Stay calm, follow me. I know where the emergency exit is. We have to be quiet and we have to stay close together," Wren orders. People whisper agreements.

We all huddle together, only centimeters apart. I can hear people breathing around me, everyone is silent as Wren leads the way. Cole and I walk furthest in the back, keeping an eye out for anything that might come. The only source of light is Wren's flashlight, everything else is dark. Anyone else in the camp must've made it out, the place looks vacant. We shuffle down a narrow hallway, Wren's light flickers every once in a while. I can't hear anything coming yet. We go through a couple of doors, turn a few corners, walk through a few rooms. People left things behind; clothes, books, and other things are left scattered on the floor, other things seemed as if someone had just left it how it was and walked away. "The exit is in the room down the hall. Let's go," Wren motions, quickening his pace.

My heart drops as I hear running footsteps in the distance. "Something's coming. Hurry," Cole orders in an urgent whisper. The footsteps are getting closer. We pick up our pace, everyone scrambles toward the room. A figure appears from around the corner behind us. Hollow black eyes glisten as they glare at me. The figure stops at the end of the hallway, tilting its head slightly. It is a boy, his veins pulse across his pale skin. He can't be more than 10 years old. He looks young. "Can you help me?" he whimpers.

Cole and I glance at each other with uncertainty. "Hurry up guys," I whisper.

"Don't you wanna play?" the little boy cries. Wren gets the door open, people shove each-other in. The little boy begins to walk toward us, his lips quiver. "It's so cold and lonely. Can't you play?" he repeats himself. The group is halfway in, the boy is only a few feet away.

"Stay back." Cole orders the boy.

"But why? I just want to play with you guys. I'm all alone," the boy inches closer. He is only a few feet away. If he runs, he could reach us in seconds. It is just Cole and I left.

The boy runs forward, latching on to my arm. I shove him back, but he is too strong. My friends scream behind me, Cole rushes to my aid. The boy is growling, spitting through his rotten teeth. Cole pries his pale fingers off of my wrist, pulling me into the door. The boy reaches in, I slam the door on his fingers. They twitch for a second, pulling out as he lets out a screech. Once the door is shut, I lock it. I hear the boy angrily beating on it from the other side as I push a desk in front of the door.

Wren shines the light onto my wrist, little fingerprints are bruised onto my skin. "It's fine," I shrug it off, looks of concern come from a few of my friends.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Kendall bites her lip.

"I'm fine," I repeat.