Mind you, we had never fallen asleep together. While comfortable for me, I realized it may have made him feel uncomfortable - especially this early on. With a shrug, I switched off the TV and pulled my hair into a bun. I had homework to finish anyway.
Around 10pm, I closed my books, sighing. I was well into the work I needed to do, and I could have kept going, had it not been for that sound again. Every evening, around this time, I could hear someone crying as if their soul was breaking through the walls. At first I assumed it was a homesick student, or maybe a student who had a bad day - something that would be temporary and go away. But this was continuous as if they were on a timer. Every night at dark, it sounded like someone was being tortured.
I checked my phone for messages; something to distract me. It seemed the whole world was busy tonight, and there was still no word from Liam. I stood up to grab a sweater, checked my appearance in the mirror briefly and went out the door.
The hallways were quiet and empty. I knew the sound was always coming from my left side, and so I ventured that way, careful to make sure my steps were quiet. Just a little way down, to my left, was a hallway that led to a fire escape. No one ever went down there. The light was constantly broken and the door was always locked. But, glancing back to my room, I realized it would make sense if the sound was coming from there.
I walked down the hallway, using my phone as a flashlight as I neared the end of it. Biting my lip, I casually tried the door, looking around for another alternative. To my surprise, it was open this time.
I looked up quickly, to make sure I wasn’t about to set off a trip wire and a fire alarm. One thing I had learned from sneaking around the school in my younger days was what the alarm system looked like. However, this door had no wiring, just the sign, and I wondered if it was just a decoy.
There was a set of stairs behind the door, again badly lit. Using my phone, I could see that there was dust everywhere, aside from the middle, where there were footprints. Someone had been here, and recently as well.
Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I started down the steps, making sure my foot was firmly on one step before I went to the next one. I was definitely moving in the right direction, the noise was getting louder.
At the bottom of the steps was a huge steel door that looked like it was left over from another century. The moaning was coming from in there, and the door was slightly ajar. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I couldn’t resist. Creeping forward, I peered through the crack.
What I saw was a sight I will never forget.
Liam was chained to the wall, cuffs around his wrists and hands that he was trying to break free of. But it was his face that would stick in my mind forever. Pale as a corpse, his teeth nearly poking out of his mouth in their length and sharpness, his eyes were black, and his muscles seemed more defined. He didn’t look like the Liam I knew at all, more like a dark shadow of himself. What softened me was that he seemed to be in pain.
“Liam?” I squeaked, my voice barely above a whisper. His head snapped up and he snarled at me, causing me to jump back.
“Amy,” he said his voice devoid of emotion. I turned, but he reached out, confined by the chains. “Wait, Amy….don’t go. You’re going to have to find out eventually, anyway.”
“Find out WHAT?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off what he had become. Liam laughed, although there was no humor in his tone.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Look at me. Look at me and tell me what do you think?”
“Are you…sick?” I asked, taking a step forward again. “Is there something wrong? Because I can deal with being sick, Liam, obviously.”