Chapter 8
The hallway in which Sandy and the girls were running was becoming shorter and shorter. Sandy couldn't find much purpose in running. They were going to be at the end of the hallway soon and then they would only be trapped with no where to go. Just then Chantel disappeared. He was about to turn and ask Joanne if she knew where her sister went but she was gone too. He was alone. They deserted me Sandy pouted looking around the empty hallway.
"Psst, Sandy!" Joanne stuck her head out from behind a board in the wall, which she had taken out. "Get over here!" She ordered. So he did.
She put the board back in it's place then turned and glared at Sandy he turned to Chantel she was glaring at him too. Oh no! What could I have done now?! Sandy thought to himself, not daring to speak aloud.
"What were you trying to do? Why did you take so long?" Joanne snapped.
"I didn't know where you went." Sandy mumbled at the ground too afraid to look up at either of them.
"What do you mean you didn't know? How did you get in the basement?" Chantel asked.
"I fell out of a wardrobe." Sandy confessed, shrinking back a little from the two angry girls. He still wasn't quite sure what they were so mad about.
"Fell out of a . . . oh never mind!" Chantel gave up. "We should be safe . . . excuse me . . . safer in here I think it leads to the library."
Chantel stood still thinking for a second afterwards. She wanted to be completely sure of where they were going before they got there. She would have thought longer if Joanne hadn't already started ahead with a very quiet Sandy tagging along behind.
"Yes, it leads to the library!" Chantel confirmed.
"Chantel, how much further?" Joanne complained, twirling around and cutting off Sandy.
Chantel shrugged her shoulders and ran up to meet the other two.
The area they had entered was part of the secret passage that Zac and Isaac had found but this part wasn't quite as dirty, possibly because it had been used more.
"So how did you lose Isaac and Zac?" Chantel asked once she had finally met up with the other two.
"Yeah, you never told us anything about them!" Joanne added. So Sandy told them everything from the scary story Isaac had told them in the woods, to falling down the wardrobe and finding the candle in the basement.
"So you have no real proof that the guys are dead?" Chantel said trying to comfort Sandy who was now looking at the ground concentrating on not crying. There was no way he was crying in front of girls.
"No." He mumbled. "But you guys got no proof of Taylor being dead." He added.
"That's why we're saying he's alive!" Joanne answered wiping away a few of her own tears. It didn't take much to make Joanne cry.
They were all silent after that, even Joanne. About two minutes later they reached the secret door to the library.
(scuffle scuffle) A noise was heard through the passage way. (scuffle scuffle) (scratch)
"What was that?" Chantel twirled around to look down the passage way. She didn't waste time in looking, she ran up the little flight of stairs to the library door.
"The door's stuck!" She whispered loudly shoving at the door. Joanne ran up to help her. "Sandy, help us!" Chantel ordered getting frustrated at Sandy for simply looking down the passage. "Their getting closer!" Joanne started to panic.
Sandy stood at the bottom of the stairs, still looking down the passage. (scuffle scuffle) He could hear the noise getting closer, he could also hear the two hysterical girls snapping at him to help, but for some reason he didn't care to move.
"Sandy, get up here!" Chantel was trying her best not to yell at him so the murderer wouldn't hear them. "Get over here now! Hey, where are you going?"
Sandy started walking towards the noise. He didn't know why, but he felt it was the better choice.
"What are you doing?!" Chantel starting crying out of frustration and fear. She left Joanne to tend to the door, and went to go drag that rock headed, idiot of a boy, back. That's when she saw them. There was Zac dragging some person's body through the passage.
"He's not dead!" Chantel squealed but as she ran over to hug Zac her smile, vanished. Sandy had recognized the body from the second he saw it and walked solemnly over.
"Help me!" Zac cried to Chantel once he saw her. He didn't know how she got there but he needed help. Chantel picked up Isaac's arms and Dennies took his feet.
Sandy ran back and helped Joanne open the door. They got it open in plenty of time for the body.
They heaved him up the stairs and put him down on the carpet of the library.
"He's dead!" Sandy cried. "We all made it and now he's dead! Just how allergic was he to dust?" Sandy asked Zac who had just finished explaining the whole thing.
Zac shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't know he really meant it when he told me before! I should have just given up on the footprints before this happened." Zac sobbed.
"Well, you didn't know!" Sandy tried to comfort his brother, it didn't really work though. "If you had known he was really allergic to dust you would have left the . . . FOOTPRINTS!"
"Yeah, there were some footprints in the secret passage that I was following." Zac answered.
"Just where did these footprints lead?" Joanne asked getting worried.
"I don't know. I lost interest in them when Isaac fell over. I guess they just keep on going." Zac answered.
Joanne got up and looked out into the secret passage. "No they don't go on any further. Actually there's a really weird set of footprints over there. Do either of you guys have big feet?" Joanne asked the twins.
"No," Zac answered for both of them "the big ones were the ones I was following!" Zac yelled back.
"They lead right into this room!" Joanne started jumping and pointing.
"What? In here?!" Zac jumped up and started looking wildly around the room.
Chantel spoke calmly "Maybe Mason has already left the room those footprints may have been there for hours or years." She explained.
Just to be sure Joanne, Zac and Sandy closed all the doors and started to search the room. Throughout all the commotion no one seemed to noticed that Chantel wasn't helping until about ten minutes later.
"Chantel help us!" Sandy ordered. "Our lives could be at stake."
Chantel just turned and gave him a look which made Sandy wonder if he had done something wrong again.
"If I go and help you guys rampage around the room searching for hidden murderers, then who will look after Isaac." She answered flatly.
"The guys dead!" Sandy replied not meaning to sound as cold as he did.
"The guy," Chantel continued, "has a pulse and is lying here catching his breath watching you three act like morons."
The three came over and sure enough there was Isaac as calm as could be, looking at them as if nothing had happened.
Zac stood there and looked at Isaac. Isaac sat and looked at Zac neither one said anything. Then Isaac started to smile. Zac didn't find it so amusing, luckily just before Zac was about to start yelling, Isaac said quietly yet gratefully.
"Thanks."
Zac was stuck with his mouth open not quite sure what to say now, so he went back to searching the room.
Isaac really had been very sick and might have died if he hadn't been able to get some fresh air but luckily he had. He wasn't quite able to find the strength to get up for a little while and it took him even longer to be able to walk around, somewhat, normally but after an hour or so he was back to normal.