I Am Number Four- Sarah's Perspective of the Arrival

From Chapter Twenty Eight

All I can hear is the sound of my own breathing. All around me is darkness as I hide under the counter in the locked darkroom of my high school. The darkness feels like it's shoving its way down my throat, suffocating me.

I came here after last period, sensing something terrible was going to happen. My boyfriend, John (or Number Four?), had fled during the last few minutes of school by jumping through the principal's window. This could only mean one thing: They're here. My heart sank at the thought of them killing Four, he was so good and kind I just don't understand. How can something be so evil?

I almost jump as I hear noises in the hallway beyond my hiding spot. I pray they don't find me, I have no idea what they're capable of, but it can't be good. The door opens slowly and I feel my breath catch in my throat. Lights, as if from a flashlight, come on, but I breathe a sigh of relief because I know them well.

"Sarah?" Four whispers.

"They're here, aren't they?" I ask, shaking.

"If they aren't yet, they will be soon." He lifts me from the floor and I hug him tightly. I never want to let go, I can't bear the thought of losing him. He eventually pulls away and I sense his urgency and, could it be, fear? We leave the room, tightly holding hands. Everything is dark and the air is tense as if the entire school is holding its breath with me. Suddenly, the lights come back on.

"What's happening?" I whisper, trying not to seem scared.

"I don't know." He replies.

We walk through the quiet hallways, trying not to disturb the eerie silence. I've been in the school after hours before, for a game back when I was a cheerleader. That felt fun and carefree, with a little mystery. This was nothing like that. As we reach the end of the hallway, the lights turn off again. We stop and wait for them to come back on, but they don't. I hear the sound of the custodian's floor polisher in the next room. Why is he polishing in the dark? He continues, regardless of my silent questioning. Four walks toward the sound, following the cord along the floor to find the machine running itself, bumping into the wall over and over. Dread courses through me like boiling water. We need to leave, now. Four unplugs the machine, and far down the hall, I hear a door slowly creak open. We crouch against the wall and I grip Four's arm, more scared than I think I've ever been. I listen to him struggle to keep his panicked breath quiet, and I try and do the same. The door comes to a stop and a feel a breeze, but can't picture where it would be coming from. Before I can think, the door slams, and glass breaks and shatters on the floor. Shocked and afraid, I can't help but scream, immediately cursing myself as it leaves my mouth. Four grabs my hand and pulls me down the hallway, running. We burst through the door and into the parking lot, but before I can feel any sense of relief, I see it and I freeze.

Four doesn't see it until I gasp and stop dead in my tracks. The parking lot lights feel muted and strange and I can hear my heart beating in my ears. A trenchcoat, flapping in the wind, hat pulled low over its eyes. I don't need to see them to know they are black. It lifts its head and grins.

I don't want to die, I think. I don't want to die.