Vic's laughter rang out, sharp and nasty, bouncing off the blood-smeared walls.
"You really think this is gonna last?" Eddie spat, stepping forward, fists clenched at his sides. His voice was low, but it shook with rage. "Once the police get here, you're done."
Vic cocked his head like he was studying a bug.
He lifted the gun casually, pointing it straight at Eddie's forehead. His grin stretched too wide, too cruel.
"No shit, Eddie," Vic said mockingly, fake fear dripping from his voice. "I'm so scared."
Eddie didn't flinch. Neither did Maya.
She took a step toward Vic, hands out, trembling but firm.
"Please," she said, voice cracking. "Leave him alone. Please, Vic. It's me you want."
Vic's eyes gleamed with sick excitement.
"Aww, that's sweet," he crooned. "Alright, let's make it interesting."
He pulled a battered stopwatch from his pocket, flipping it open with a theatrical flair.
"Five minutes. You run. You hide. You pray." He tapped the button. Beep. "Time starts now."
Maya didn't wait for another breath. She grabbed Eddie's hand and yanked him into a sprint.
The halls blurred past them, blood-slick tiles almost sending them sprawling. Shouts echoed somewhere distant, metal clanging, screams getting cut off mid-sentence.
They rounded a corner and saw Sally limping alone, her hands flailing uselessly at the walls.
"Sally! Over here!" Maya yelled.
Sally tried to run but barely made two steps before she slipped on a puddle of blood, crashing down onto a bed of shattered glass. The sickening crunch of her fall made Maya's stomach twist.
Sally cried out, hands scrabbling weakly, blood soaking her jeans.
"I can't!" she sobbed. "I can't move!"
Maya rushed to her, heart hammering. "Get up! Please!"
Sally's eyes were wild with terror. "It hurts—Maya, I can't!"
Without hesitating, Eddie crouched, slinging Sally over his back with a grunt.
"Go!" he barked. "Find somewhere safe!"
Maya led the way, running flat out toward the theater. The doors loomed ahead, a dark mouth swallowing them whole. She slammed into them shoulder-first, forcing them open.
Inside, kids were huddled under the stage, trembling. Fear leaked from them like smoke.
Eddie staggered toward the back, dropping to his knees as he laid Sally down.
Blood spread in a wide pool beneath her. Sally whimpered, barely conscious.
Maya ripped her sweater off, pressing it against Sally's wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"You're okay, you're okay," she whispered, even though Sally's eyelids were fluttering, even though the blood was way too much.
CRACKLE.
The intercom screeched, a high-pitched whine cutting through the heavy air.
"Times up, princess," Vic's voice sang out, syrupy and giddy. "Pick up the phone, Maya."
Maya's hands shook as she grabbed the stage's landline.
Her throat burned as she pressed it to her ear.
"Vic, please," she rasped. "Please stop."
The only answer was his laughter. High, broken, frantic. It went on and on until she thought it would never end.
"You think you can just cry your way out of this?" he sneered. "Pathetic."
Across the room, Eddie's fingers flew over his phone. School under attack. Urgent. Please send help. He shoved it back into his pocket without looking up.
On the massive stage screen, static flared — then cleared to show Zeke.
Blood streaked his face. His wrists were zip-tied to a chair. His head lolled to the side like he was already half-dead.
Vic's voice purred through the line.
"Got your little friend," he said, grabbing Zeke's hair and jerking his head upright. "Should I start with him?"
Maya's stomach dropped.
"I'll come!" she cried. "Just don't hurt him!"
Vic chuckled darkly.
"Bring the whole crew," he said. "You, Eddie, Sally, Luna — the whole sad little gang."
The screen flickered again — Jakie appeared, shoved hard into view by one of Vic's masked friends.
"Maya!" Jakie sobbed, struggling uselessly against the ropes binding her wrists. "Please! Please, I don't wanna die!"
"You got two minutes," Vic said. "Or they both bleed out. Your call."
The screen went black.
Maya turned to Eddie, heart in her throat.
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed Sally again, her body limp and frighteningly light, and they took off.
They tore through the halls, Maya leading, Eddie grunting with every step under Sally's weight. Luna stumbled behind them, silent tears streaming down her face.
They turned the final corner — and there he was.
Vic stood in front of a classroom door, gun dangling lazily from his fingers. Two of his friends flanked him, armed and dead-eyed.
He smiled when he saw them. A real, wolfish smile.
"You made it," he said brightly, like they were old friends meeting for coffee.
Maya barely had time to blink before Vic lunged forward.
He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her hard against his chest. The barrel of the gun pressed cold and unforgiving against her temple.
"Move and she's dead," Vic warned the others.
Eddie froze, muscles locked with rage and helplessness.
The two masked boys swarmed Eddie and Luna. Eddie fought — hard — elbowing one in the gut, sending him staggering back.
But a hard punch to Eddie's ribs dropped him to his knees.
They zip-tied him viciously, ignoring his struggles. Blood streamed from his split lip.
Luna cried out as they wrenched her arms behind her back, tying her wrists so tightly she whimpered.
Vic laughed as he tied Maya's wrists roughly, yanking the rope so tight it burned her skin.
"Down," he barked, shoving her toward the ground.
Maya collapsed onto her knees beside Eddie, barely able to catch herself.
He looked at her, his eyes wide, frantic.
Vic stepped back, surveying them like a proud artist admiring his work.
"You thought you could win," Vic said softly, almost wonderingly. "That's adorable."
The gun in his hand twitched upward — aimed now at Eddie's head.
Maya opened her mouth to scream — to beg — but Vic just smiled wider.
"You think anyone's coming to save you?" he said. "Newsflash, princess. No one's coming."
Somewhere, faint and almost lost beneath the pounding in her ears, Maya thought she heard sirens.
Vic heard them too.
And he smiled like he was looking forward to it.
He leaned down, pressed his mouth to Maya's ear, and whispered:
"Let's see who dies first."