As I see Chris holding the knife against April's throat I feel my face twist in pure rage. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Chris?!" I bark at him. (I swear if he even harms a hair on her head I will...!) Trying to calm my burning anger Max grabs my shoulder and stops me from advancing. I didn't even realize I started walking towards him. "What is the meaning of this?" She asks and I can clearly see how conflicted Chris' expression is. "She didn't tell you, did she? I wondered how you were all staying so calm!" He barks back at us, not letting go of April in the slightest. "I wondered if you were really that cold... but now I understand. She didn't tell you! She only told me!" Chris continues to shout like a maniac. "What are you talking about?" Sarah asks, clearly confused. Not like the rest of us are any better though. "Just give me the fucking keys! Or... or I'll kill her!" He states nervously but I can hear April's terrified breathing, her gaze fixed on me. "I swear to fucking God I'll kill you if you hurt her Chris!" I raise my voice like never before as I point at him with my finger. I can't think straight. All I see is red. (If he hurts her... If he hurts her...) "He's serious, I sense a great danger made up of fear and desperation... It's possible he'll kill her if we don't comply." Anette states and I'm tempted to lung at him, but I try to hold myself back. "Why do you need the keys?" Max simply asks, while Chris presses the blade against April's throat. "Do you want her to die?!" He barks and for a moment I'm about to attack him, but Max pulls me from the wrist. "All of us can get out of here Chris there's no need for this!" Sarah voices and Chris instinctively shakes his head. "No! No! She told me! Nora told me only one of us can get out of here! Once someone goes past the threshold of that door, it will immediately close back and the rest are left to die!" He explains while raising his voice every time he opens his mouth. (What? Can that possibly be true?) I'm instantly taken aback as a question forms inside my head. "What didn't she tell the rest of us, then?" I ask, my glare unrelenting. "How should I know? Maybe I'm the one she wanted to escape!" He barks back at me instantly. "You're the only one Nora spoke to alone..." Anette realizes suddenly. "Exactly! She told me the truth... She must have been afraid we wouldn't be able to work together long enough to get all four keys if everyone knew the truth right from the start..." Chris states, his hand trembling. (Nora thought we'd turn on each other, so she kept it a secret to make sure at least one person could escape?) "I just don't want to fucking die, okay?! I've made up my mind! I will escape this hell!" Chris' grip on April tightens and his hand stops shaking as he shouts. "I just decided who gets to live! That's all!" He goes on with his speech while a small drop of blood appears on his knife. Suddenly, a very heavy feeling of fear weighs down on me. (I'll give you the keys... Just don't do anything to her!) I scream inside my head. "Oh and that's extremely fair of you, right?!" Sarah protests as I shake my head. "How else would you decide?! Would you draw straws? Hold a vote?? I refuse to die here! Now give me the keys!" He barks and I immediately turn to Max. "Give him the keys." I say as sternly as possible. She looks at me quizzically, then back at Chris and April. She eventually takes a deep breath and tosses the keys to his feet. "Now free her!" I growl clenching my teeth. "No! You lot are going back inside the Home Ec classroom. Once you're there I'll release her!" He commands as I dig my nails into my palms, drawing blood. (Chris was always a little nervous and uptight about things, but I never imagined it would result in something like this...) "Anette, lead the way!" He shouts once again as a small cry escapes April's lips. His grip must have gotten tighter... Anette looks alarmed, but she takes the lead, as requested.

Together, we follow her through the school towards our former base, while Chris follows with April. We enter the Home Ec room in tense, electrifying silence. Chris, stands with April at the doorway until we're all inside, then shoves April in after us. She stumbles forward and falls against me. Chris closes the door, shutting us inside the room. On the other side, there's a faint clicking sound. "He's locking us in!" Max exclaims running to the door. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to end like this. I've simply taken away the need to decide who lives and who dies." And with that, his footsteps carry him away. Instinctively, I have wrapped my arms around April as soon as she was thrown inside the classroom. I feel my heart calming down as I tighten my grip around her. I'm so glad to feel her next to me. Suddenly, it hits me. "Are you okay? Let me see your neck!" I say in a midst of panic as I separate from the hug. As soon as I do, I notice tears are streaming down her face, as she locks eyes with me. "I was scared..." She whispers nuzzling her head closer to my chest. "I know... I was just as scared, trust me." I whisper in the same tone as I hold her head. "But I'm here now, and everything is going to be fine." I state reassuringly. "I swear I'll never let anything like this happen, ever again." I wrap my arms around her even tighter as she nods and relaxes against me. "I know you guys are having a moment but right now we need to get out of here!" Max drags us out of our little world as she slams her shoulder against the door. After nodding, I carefully guide April to a desk where she can sit down, then quickly join Max at the door. I turn to take a look at the others, and see Anette holding her head as if she's suffering from another headache. Sarah looks dazed, staring off into space like she doesn't know where she is. (And Chris is heading towards the door with the four keys. We have to stop him!) I immediately realize our situation and straighten up. Max continues kicking and slamming onto the door, in an attempt to break it down. "What's with this stupid door!?" She exclaims as she rams it yet again. "It's probably too late, anyway. He has a head start." Sarah bluntly states as Max shakes her head in disbelief. "It's not too late! He still has to use each key! That will buy us some time!" She replies optimistically but her efforts of breaking down the door are completely in vain. "I feel a great darkness closing in around us. I fear more than just that lock is holding us here." Anette informs us. (What? Has Emily sided with Chris?! Does that mean we're doomed no matter what we try...? No! We can't give up!) My brain is feverishly running 100kmph on a highway as I look around the room. (The door doesn't seem like it's going to work... If the door won't do then I doubt we'll be able to bust through the walls...) I check out the heater, but the vents are too small for anyone to fit through. Then I take a look at the window. We're 3 floors up but there's a narrow ledge beneath each window. "Do you guys think we can get out this way?" I instantly voice. "You mean climb down the whole school?" Sarah inquires, her expression clearly disapproving of my idea. "I don't feel the same presence of darkness around the window, if that helps..." Anette states and I try to think of something that will work. "What if I go alone and unlock the door from outside?" I suggest as Max widens her eyes. "Yes! It doesn't have to be all of us! It can only be one person! Then they could circle around and try to unlock the door for the rest of us. Maybe by breaking the window of the classroom next to this one..." She explains while April and Sarah join us at the window. Together we look at the narrow ledge and the ground, that is in fact, a long way down. (Even with death hanging over us, it's difficult for someone to step up. Somebody has to find the courage to climb across these narrow ledges, break the other window, and hope there are no traps inside the classroom...) "I'll go." I immediately voice as I raise my hand. "Are you sure about this?" April asks me and I nod confidently. "She's right. This is dangerous. Maybe I should go." Max states while I shake my head and turn around. "No, we don't have time for this guys. I'm going to be just fine, okay?" I say with a confident smile that probably eases everybody's anxiousness. (In truth, I'm not confident at all and I really don't want to do this... But I have no other choice.)

I open the window and stare at the ledge. It really does look tiny, and the ground below is so far away. "I'm going to inform you if I sense any sort of danger, okay?" Anette states and I bob my head. "Jack, wait. Take this." Sarah hands me a cloth towel from the Home Ec kitchen. "What's this for?" I ask curiously taking it inside my hand. "If you have to break the window next door, wrap your hand in this before you hit the glass so you won't cut yourself." She explains and I widen my eyes in response. (Sorry if I might have underestimated your intelligence Sarah...) I think while thanking her. With the cloth in hand, I take a deep breath and climb out onto the ledge. "Don't look down." Max comments and I nod to myself. I turn around on the ledge so I'm facing the four of them again and manage a smile, yet this time, it's weaker. A few seconds later, I start moving. Gripping the side of the wall with my hands, I shuffle to the side. Despite staring at the wall right in front of me, I'm dizzyingly aware of the wind behind me, and the massive drop awaiting in case of even a small mistake. (Oh for fuck's sake, have I lost my mind?! What am I doing?!) I take a deep breath in order to compose myself. (Calm down, Jack. If it wasn't me, it would be one of the girls out here. I'm doing this for them.) I reach the edge and look at the next window. It's just close enough for me to reach the ledge beneath it without jumping. (I'm doing this for all of us, so we can stop Chris and open the door. Everybody's counting on me! I won't let them down!) With that internal battle cry to bolster my courage, I stretch out over empty space and step onto the next ledge. I grab the window and pull myself over. I check it first, just in case, but it's obviously locked. Then I quickly wrap my fist in the cloth Sarah gave me and punch the window with all the strength I can muster. The glass cracks and a few more strikes clear enough room for me to climb inside. (Yes!) Although I'm tempted to run, I carefully walk through the room, testing each spot before I go. Thankfully, there are no traps and I manage to reach the door in one piece. As soon as I make it there, I let out a long breath I didn't even realize I was holding back. Hurrying around to the other room and turning the lock, I pull the door open, praying the classrooms haven't changed locations already. "Jack!" "Yes!" "You made it!" "I'm so glad to see you unharmed!" April, Sarah, Max and Anette greet me, in that order. "I don't want to do anything like that ever again..." I mutter as I wipe some sweat off my forehead. "Now let's catch up to Chris!" Max takes the lead and we all follow behind her. As we're ready to go up the stairs, I hear those same heavy footsteps me and April heard the first night we spent here. (It's the janitor!) I think as everyone freezes. Everyone but me. "Anette, where's the room with the crumbled floor?" I ask with a sense of urgency. She looks at me quizzically at first but then nods her head and points down the hallway. "It's just around that corner. (Lucky!) I think as I rush to that spot. "You guys go on ahead I'll catch up!" I shout as I bring my bag in front of me and stuff my hand inside it. (The footsteps sound like they're coming from 2 floors down. Which means we have time to outrun him and get out of here, but just in case we have to do something about him...) I think to myself as I open the door Anette showed me and come face to face with the classroom I'm looking for. "Great." I comment as I swiftly slam it shut and bring out a pair of keys from my schoolbag. (Thank god the doors are wooden.) I comment again, this time internally. I kneel in front of the door and begin carving a big X on the door with the sharp part of one of my keys. After just a few seconds, I run back to the others and with a sprint I manage to catch up to them. As we all race up the stairs to the roof, a bloodcurdling scream rings out up ahead. (That... that sounded like Chris!) "There will be no escape for you." We hear Nora's voice and we reach the top just as she lunges at Chris. He screams again and tries to run away but she grabs his throat and he convulses wildly. From our point of view, it looks like she is draining the very life and soul out of him. Suddenly his heart-rending screams come to an end, and his body goes limp. (She... She killed him! Is she... trying to help us?) I contemplate as she turns around to face us. "Nora?" Max voices nervously and any hope I had vanishes when I see the malevolence burning in her gaze. Suddenly we hear a spine chilling laugh and a familiar voice. "Well done." Emily appears before us as she touches Nora's shoulder. With one quick snap of her fingers, Nora turns to look at us with a shocked expression, as she slowly fades away into transparent dust, which in turn disappears. "You did well my lovely pawn." She says with an evil smile. (Emily is blocking our exit, and she looks more evil than ever... Can we get out? Find out in the final chapter!)