Chapter 80
- Evan -
Peering into the dark void down the stairs, our vision narrows in front of us, tunneling and elongating, making the stairs seem further away than they are.
A gust of Frigidaire burst up the stairwell, the cool stealing our breath away. Baby took the light and led the way. As we descended into the generator room below the gymnasium, our footsteps echoed against the concrete walls, with each step bringing with it a rising tension.
Only after being made a few steps down, the door burst open with the blast of wind.
"Hey, Evan!" Micah yelled back as I was last in line.
"I already got it!" I said as I slammed the door shut.
"I freaking hate this," Micah muttered, tightening her already crossed arms.
A blast of snow blared down the staircase, causing the flashlight's light to bounce off the ice crystals, making everything glow for a few seconds, including the metal downstairs. Even our concealed weapons, which were jewelry, glowed for a brief second: Micah's necklace and ring, my earrings, James's keychain, and Baby's hair charm.
"Let's just get the lights back on," James said. Then we can figure out what the heck is going on."
The generator room was colder than the outside. Frost coated the metal pipes, and a strange humming pulsed through the walls, like something alive breathing in the dark.
"Did I ever mention that basements creep me out?" I tried striking up a conversation.
"Well, then it's a good thing that it's not a basement; technically, it's a generator room." Micah smiled sarcastically.
"Haha, you got me there."
Baby handed me the flashlight. "Here, hold this for me while I try to get this thing up and running again."
Everything was already planned between her and Duke. He would stay in the gym and manage the students, keeping them calm while the power was off. Baby would try to restore the generator.
Baby got to work immediately, crouching down beside the frozen generator unit with a small toolbox handy. Baby proudly removed the frost-covered panel. Steam rose from beneath as she exclaimed, "The ice must have built up and tangled wires, blowing the fuse."
She used her teeth to pull off one of her gloves so she could get better access to some of the wires. She worked fast despite the cold freezing her fingers.
"Someone's patched this up before," James said.
"Yeah, and they did a really sloppy job," Baby said.
As sparks flew, Baby and James worked together rewiring the connections.
"Can you fix it?" I asked, glancing nervously at the shadows in the corners.
"I can try." Baby said. "Hold that light steady."
Baby removed a snagged wire and stripped a new section with a practiced flick of her blade. James helped by handing her tools and tightening bolts when her hands got too cold. Sparks popped and sizzled as she bridged a connection with a piece of copper coil.
Finally, with a deep, resounding clank and a grinding roar, the generator chugged back to life. The hum was uneven but strong enough. A few emergency lights flickered weakly overhead, casting a dim orange glow through the building, like sunrise trapped behind a snowstorm.
We returned upstairs to the gym, where the soft glow of lights brought both relief and unease. Students huddled beneath blankets, and murmurs of hope spread quickly.
But the power wasn't steady. Baby shook her head at Duke. "Generator's holding but barely. Something's draining power like crazy. It's not normal."
Duke frowned. "We'll have to heat. No lights tonight. We'll rotate flashlight duty."
That was when Micah's voice cut through the background noise. "Wait—what day is it?"
"Wednesday," Becky answered. "Why?"
Micah turned slowly toward Kaysi, realization dawning. "It's your birthday."
Kaysi blinked, stunned. "What?"
"Yeah. Today's the 18th. You didn't think we forgot, did you?" Becky grinned.
James stood up. "Well, we almost forgot, but only because of the freak blizzard."
"I seriously didn't even think about it," Kaysi admitted. "It kind of feels wrong celebrating anything right now."
"Exactly why we should celebrate," Becky insisted. "This lockdown sucks. Everything's creepy. Let's make this a little less miserable."
Within minutes, we devised a plan and fashioned a makeshift party.
Someone used glowsticks from a science kit to create neon decorations around the bleachers. Duke reluctantly allowed the group a few minutes of phone battery time to play music at low volume as the kids danced and had fun.
Baby passed out marshmallows and crackers from the snack reserves, improvising a "cake." Someone found a sparkler in the art supply room, probably left over from a chemistry demo, and lit it as a stand-in for a candle.
We all huddled around the makeshift snack table. Micah sang first—loud and off-key—then the rest of us joined in.
"Happy birthday to you…"
Kaysi laughed, the sound bright despite the cold. She blew out the sparkler with a puff of breath.
"Make a wish," Becky said.
Kaysi closed her eyes. The tension in her brow eased for a second.
"I wished for the storm to end," she said simply.
The lights flickered again. I thought the power was going to come on fully. Did Kaysi's wish come true?
But for a heartbeat, we thought the generator was going to go out again. But then there was a low growl—like ice grinding against metal—and a deep crack above.
Everyone went silent, listening to the loud, eerie sounds.
A chunk of ice smashed through a window high on the wall. Cold wind rushed in, making the lanterns flicker.
"Move away from the walls!" Duke shouted, pulling a student out of the draft.
The wind wasn't just cold—it carried a growling sound with it. Like whispers in another language, words not meant for human ears.
Micah stumbled backward, clutching her coat to her chest.
"It's here," Kaysi whispered.
"What is it?" But I knew what she meant. The presence. The warning from Kaysi's dream. The one pressing against the edges of our reality since the snow began falling. Something was trying to come through.
Duke ordered everyone to stay in the center of the gym. Baby began boarding up the broken window with help from a few others. But the damage had been done—the cold had a foothold now, and the storm's whispers would not be silenced.
Still, we huddled together under blankets, surrounding Kaysi. Her birthday wish may have gone unanswered, but for the time being, it provided us with something else—a fleeting flash of warmth and happiness against the dark times.
Later that night, when most of the students had drifted to uneasy sleep, Kaysi sat beside me, watching the emergency lantern pulse slowly.
"I didn't want to say anything before," she whispered, "but in my dream... someone told me something else."
"What?" I asked her.
"That I would have to choose. Between saving someone... or opening the gate."
My stomach dropped.
She turned to me, her head lowered, but I could see her eyes were sharp with fear. "I don't know what it means. But I think something's coming. And it's not just a storm."
Outside, the blizzard screamed against the glass, as if in arguing to get in.