274 (Complex Series, #4)

Chapter Nine

I stop when my lungs feel like they are collapsing.

Forcing myself to a quick stride, I struggle to recapture my breath. I need to be as silent as possible, I can’t do that if I’m gasping for breath.

I breathe deeply through my nose, sticking to the sides of the walls. I’ll most likely be less visible there than in the middle of the halls.

For once, I appreciate the darkness of the Unknown. It hides me. But it also hides the Things.

I have no idea what I’ll do if I run into one of the Things. I’m in no condition to fight another one off.

What happens if you can’t fight them off? What do they do? Do they just continue screeching in your face while scratching you? Do they take you somewhere? Can they kill you? What’s their purpose?

Maybe, your ‘disappearance’ happens when you can’t fight off a Thing. Maybe they take you somewhere or kill you.

The thought sends shivers over my skin, my hair rising. I can’t give up. I won’t let a Thing win and take me away. No matter what, I will always fight it off.

 When my breathing becomes even again, I force myself to begin running again. I need to put distance between me and The Distress.

Fear and exhaustion weight down my legs. I absentmindedly begin keeping count of my steps, just to think about something. I lose count multiple times, forcing myself to start over. It becomes almost a game to myself, seeing how high I can count without losing my place.

I lose my breath again and have to slow down my pace. This time, I can’t force myself back into a run. I’m simply too tired.

I have no idea how long I’ve been running or how far away I am from The Distress. My entire body aches, my head pounds, and sweat runs off of me. My throat is dry, making it difficult to swallow.

I walk aimlessly through the halls, keeping track of which way I turn. I have to be sure that I don’t loop back around. I still stride closely to the walls, hoping it will hide me from view.

I nearly scream as I hear the horrible patter of light footsteps directly in front of me.

Biting my tongue to keep from shouting, I sprint the other way. I glance over my shoulder and see a silhouette of someone running after me.

I hear a distinctly female voice hiss, “Wait.”

I stop immediately. The Things, whatever they are, certainly can’t talk. That means that the person must be human, a girl.

The girl catches up to me. As she comes closer, the floor illuminates more of her features.

I’m surprised, “Christina?”

She nods, “Claire?”

“What are you doing here? Where’s Grace?”

Christina was the one who was againstthem helping me. Why would she want to join up with now?

Christina brushes something away from under her eye, “I…Grace…Grace had her disappearance.”

“What?” I’m at a loss of what to say. I don’t understand what a disappearance exactly means.

Christina sighs, her voice wavers, “I…we went to sleep last night and when I woke up, she was gone. It was like she never even existed. I don’t…I don’t know what happened or where she went and...” Christina’s voice breaks.

 “I’m so sorry. I’m at a loss of what to say.”

 “I know, it’s just so sudden. I always knew that one of us would disappear, but I didn’t think it would actually happen, you know? You hear stories of it happening to other people, but you don’t expect it to actually happen to you. It makes my own disappearance so much more real for me.”

The whole idea of disappearance isn’t just some idea that The Distress made up to scare me. I met Grace myself, I know she existed. Now she’s simply disappeared.

The same will someday happen to me.

I ask, “How long had Grace been here?”

 “I have no idea. She was here longer than I was, but I don’t think too much longer. I’ve been here for what I think are a couple nights, but I’m not sure.”

I might only be here for a couple more nights until I myself will disappear.

Christina hesitantly says, “I know I was a little rude to you, back when you first arrived. I was just worried about my own safety. But, now that Grace is gone…and it’s obvious that you don’t have an alliance, would you like to work together?”

I still don’t know whether they meant to leave me behind while running from The Distress. Is there some catch hidden in our deal?

Should I tell her that The Distress is after me? He’s undoubtedly searching for me. He doesn’t see like the type to easily give up. If Christina knows that he is after me, will she abandon me again?

 Being with her is better than being completely alone. If she does anything too suspicious, I can always leave her.

I nod, “Okay, let’s be alliances.”

Christina smiles, “Should we continue walking, then? First rule of the Unknown, always keep moving unless you absolutely have to stop. Movement is harder for the Things and The Distress to track.”

Her casual reference to The Distress causes me to flinch. She doesn’t seem to notice as she begins striding down the hallway.

I follow, trying to figure out what she knows about The Distress. Maybe I can figure out whether she meant to leave me behind with him. I ask, “What exactly is The Distress?”

 “Nobody truly knows. We’ve only heard rumors. Someone told me that he’s actually worse than the Things that haunt the hallways. He has a gang of boys, a lot of them. At least ten, but the exact number isn’t known.”

There were only two other boys besides The Distress, definitely not ten. Although The Distress was arrogant and mean, he was definitely better than being alone with the Things. At least I didn’t have to try to futilely defend myself against them.

Christina continues, “Numerous kids have been released after spending days with The Distress. They’re practically delirious, mumbling about horrible, terrifying things. You never want to be caught by The Distress.”

“How long has he been in the Unknown? If he’s been here for awhile, shouldn’t he have had his disappearance?”

Christina nods, “That’s the crazy part. He’s been here for weeks and weeks, but he’s never disappeared. That’s longer than anyone has stayed. We think he might be immune to the disappearances.”