Chapter Twenty-Eight

The sirens exploded throughout the school, its wailing adding to the already eerie atmosphere that had enveloped Ravenspire for as long as it stood tall. Lucianne grabbed onto the gash on her arm as droplets of blood stained the floor with red circles that had jagged edges.

The library doors were thrown open, and the first person that came through them was Gabriel, his face contorted in fury and worry. His eyes found her and widened at the sight of her bloody arm. Wasting no time, he sped to her and held her forearm firmly, covering the gash which her hand couldn't.

"Lucianne!" he exclaimed.

"Calm down," she said. "I'm alright."

"What were you thinking? Coming out alone at night to the school library?"

"I'm okay."

"You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing - " Lucianne said. Gabriel's hands left her and he lifted her off the floor into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"You're going to the infirmary," he said. "Now."

She nodded her head and he carried her out of the school library. As he walked, she rested her head on his chest. She could hear the soft, slightly rushed beating of his heartbeat and she liked the way it sounded. She looked up at his face and saw worry etched all over it. The corners of her lips lifted.

"I'm okay, Gabriel," she said.

"No, you're not."

"It's just a bleeder."

"You need stitches."

"I'm really fine," she said but Gabriel kicked the infirmary door open with his feet and the door whammed into the wall beside it. The nurse jumped in her seat and glared at them. But once she realised Gabriel was the one who had barged in, she stood up and bowed deeply.

"Mr. Blacken, how may I help you?" the nurse said.

Gabriel walked over and placed Lucianne on the bed. The nurse came over to study her and watch her wound closely.

"Please patch her up," he instructed.

"What's your name, girl?" the nurse asked her.

"Lucianne."

"Alright, Lucianne," the nurse said as she lifted her bloody arm out. "I'll clean your wound out, then give you some stitches. Come back after a week or so."

Lucianne only nodded. The nurse removed some apparatus and pushed her swivel chair to the bed. Bit by bit, she used cotton buds to soak up the blood and wipe it away from her skin. Then she poured saline water onto the wound to clean it. After that, she stitched her up slowly. Lucianne winced as the needle poked through her skin.

"You're a brave one, Lucianne," the nurse said.

"Thanks."

"There, all done," she said. "I'll be back in a while." The nurse disappeared into the next room.

Lucianne stared at Gabriel, who was leaning against one wall with his arms folded, his features still marred with extreme worry.

"Who did this to you, Lucianne?" Gabriel said. "I'll make them pay with their lives."

"I don't know."

"Do you have any suspects?"

"Well, actually I do."

"Tell me," Gabriel said. "I'll kill those bastards."

"I think it has something to do with the Hex Beast."

"The Hex Beast? That's myth - "

"Yes, I know. But many people of Crestfall do not believe that. There is a campus murderer who is using that myth to get away with killing people in Ravenspire."

"And he attacked you tonight?"

"I don't know if it was him. Besides," she said. "I recently found out that the campus murderer was not one person, but three."

"There are three killers in Ravenspire?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"My friends. Jonas, Harper and Abbie."

"Why do you think that?"

"I caught them having a sacrificial ritual at Glacier Forest. I gave my position away and Abbie was looking for me with a machete dripping with blood. But I got away. When I went back to investigate, I found charred bones. Then just earlier today, I caught Jonas and Harper arguing heatedly about something, and I overheard some words. Words like the library. So I went there and discovered a trapdoor. Someone was trapped inside and he escaped because of me. Stuff happened and I was attacked. Now, here I am."

Gabriel stayed quiet.

"Well? Aren't you going to catch the campus murderers?"

He didn't say anything.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Lucianne said with a sigh.

"There is no Hex Beast, Lucianne. And no campus murderers."

"What do you mean? There have been murders - "

"Look at the facts. All the deaths were actually suicides. The first girl went through a hard breakup recently and poisoned herself to end her pain. Her friend touched her body and became poisoned as well, so she died. The next victim was a boy who fell from a height. He jumped to his death."

"No, you did not talk to him. He was afraid to die."

"People who take their lives sometimes regret it right after they do the act."

"But - "

"There is no trapdoor. No escaped prisoner. You imagined everything, Lucianne. You're scared, you're not thinking straight. Nothing that you think is happening is real."

Lucianne stared at him, at a complete loss for words. Then she opened her mouth to speak.

"Fuck you, Gabriel," she said.