Chapter 12
She nearly fell from her bunk and grabbed me so hard it hurt.
I forced my body to move, pulled her toward the door, and ran.
Reilly was still standing there.
I thought she had frozen from fear, so I smacked her shoulder. “Move!”
I grabbed the handle and yanked.
The door did not open.
For half a second, my brain refused to understand why.
Then I looked down.
Paper.
Thin strips and crumpled pieces had been jammed into every crack around the door, along the bottom and into the side gaps, enough to seal it tight with friction.
It was such a stupid trick.
And it worked.
I pulled harder. Nothing.
Reilly finally snapped out of it and came over. Together we yanked with all our strength.
The door gave way with a loud pop.
We stumbled backward, ready to run.
Then I looked toward the window again.
The shadow was gone.
My stomach dropped.
Jessica let out a scream so violent it scraped her throat raw.
I turned.
And nearly fainted.
Madison was no longer outside.
She was standing in the hallway just beyond our doorway.
Her eyes were glazed and empty.
In her hand was a knife stained dark.
And on her lips was a strange, dreamy smile.
She tilted her head and said softly, “Do you guys want braised ribs?”
Jessica kept backing away, making awful choking sounds.
Reilly and I backed up too.
Madison stepped into the room.
Then the door slammed shut behind her.
We were trapped.
“Madison,” I shouted, trying to reach whatever part of her might still be awake. “Maddie, stop. Don’t do this.”
She did not react.
She just lifted the knife a little higher and kept muttering to herself.
“Cut the ribs. Cut the ribs. I need to cut the ribs.”
Then she started toward us.