Case File 13 #2 by J. Scott Savage

it seemed to be leaning over him.
    Cody bit the back of his thumb. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”
    For once Nick agreed with him. Angelo was right—with the heavy security around the rest of the school, leaving the front doors unlocked made no sense. Either someone wanted them to come in, or else they didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try. Neither of the options sounded particularly promising.
    With the rest of his friends already inside the school, though, Nick didn’t really have a choice.
    â€œI’m going in,” he said. “You can do what you want.” He hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake. If something happened to them, no one knew where they were. Cody waited a second, then hurried through the door.
    Nick’s first impression was that the hallway was completely lightless. Blinking, he could barely make out the other kids standing around him. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed a row of small, fluttering flames along each of the stone walls.
    â€œWhat kind of school uses gas lamps?” Dana whispered. “Isn’t that some sort of code violation?”
    â€œI don’t have the impression they get a lot safety inspections,” Angelo said, his voice hushed.
    Something banged right behind Nick, and he nearly peed his pants before realizing it was only the door blowing shut from the wind.
    â€œWhat do we do now?” Tiffany asked. All of them were speaking softly as though they were in a library or a museum.
    Angie pointed to a series of doors set into the stone walls. “I guess we could try one of those.”
    â€œLet’s take out our lights,” Angelo said.
    Everyone except Frankenstein reached into their backpacks and pulled out a flashlight. “Why don’t I get one?” he asked.
    Dana turned on her light and shined it into his eyes. “Next time you follow us, come a little more prepared.”
    Nick turned to Carter and whispered, “I can’t believe you walked right into the school like that. You are seriously one brave dude.”
    Clutching his light in one hand, Carter hopped from one foot to the other as if he were in pain. “It’s not exactly what you think.”
    â€œAre you okay?” Nick asked.
    â€œI gotta go, man,” Carter squeaked, his face pinched.
    â€œWe just got here,” Angie said.
    â€œNot that kind of go.” Carter pressed his hands to the front of his pants, bit his lips, and blurted, “I gotta go whiz.” Without another word he raced down the hall, his footsteps echoing as he ran in search of a bathroom. In a couple of seconds he was out of sight.
    â€œThat’s what he gets for drinking his weight in soda,” Tiffany said.
    â€œShouldn’t one of us should go with him?” Cody asked.
    Nick wasn’t surprised when no one volunteered. The idea of leaving the group and exploring this freaky building alone was more than a little frightening. Who knew what might be around the next corner?
    â€œI’m sure he’ll be right back,” Nick said. “We might as well get started.” He walked to the nearest door. It had a narrow window next to it, but the glass was frosted, making it impossible to see through. He reached out and tried the door as the other kids watched with bated breath. The knob turned under his fingers and the door swung silently open a few inches.
    â€œWhat do you see?” Angie asked, trying to peer around him.
    Nick aimed his light through the opening, dreading what he might find.
    Cody, who was tall enough to look over Nick’s head, huffed. “It’s just a plain old classroom.”
    Nick pushed the door the rest of the way open. Frankenstein was right. After everything they’d seen outside, he’d expected to find something a little more exciting than rows of desks and a dusty chalkboard.
    As the rest of the kids filed into the classroom, anticipation turned to