The Academy (Moving In Series Book 6) (19 page)

Brian was still unconscious on the floor, and Herman squatted down beside him. He caught sight of a cellphone in the man’s back pocket, and he took it out. Herman tried to access it, but the phone was dead. With a sigh, he put it beside Brian, stood up, and froze.

An old man stood at the top of the stairs. His age-lined face full of malice. The man’s eyes widened in surprise when he realized Herman saw him.

“How can you see me?” the man demanded.

And when he heard the old man’s voice, Herman knew who it was.

Vincent Armand
, Herman thought, and rage filled him. His left hand tightened on the trophy, and when he clenched his right hand into a fist, Herman felt the ring. The iron ring.

He remembered what Brian had said. Herman smiled grimly even as his heart beat rapidly with fear. His absent teeth thundered with pain.

“Because I can,” Herman said. “And it’s too bad. You’re uglier than I could ever have imagined.”

Vincent snarled and advanced towards Herman. Herman remained where he was, slowly raising his right fist. Vincent let out a sneering laugh, reaching out for Herman’s throat. When he did, Herman lashed out with his fist. As the iron connected with the ghost, a jolt rippled through Herman’s arm. Vincent’s eyes widened, he shrieked, and disappeared.

Herman was left panting in the hallway. He looked at his hand, felt the warmth of the ring against his flesh, and smiled.

“Thank you,” he said to Brian. “I’ll be back.”

Herman raced out of the library. He had to find help.

Chapter 52: A Shock

They had found the hairbrush where Bradley Marion had hidden it, and Mitchell had safely removed it. Beth was carrying the lead box for the silver fob. They had reached the Mather House a moment before and gone in. The two of them stood in the doorway and looked into the single room.

The fob was on the floor, and both of them eyed it warily.

I have to pick it up,
Mitchell realized. Beth, evidently, was thinking along the same line.

She opened the lead box and looked at him wordlessly.

“Right,” Mitchell said, nodding. He walked into the house, bent down and was slammed backward. He landed on the old floor with a thud, pain shooting up through his back, his head smacking the wood.

“God damn it!” Mitchell shouted.

Beth reached to help him, and a voice blasted through the stillness of the air.

“How?” a man screamed. “How could he do that?”

The man’s body flickered in and out of existence, an old face twisted with rage. The man vanished with a howl, a noise which shattered the windows of the Mather House. As glass fell, the ghost reappeared, shrieked again, and turned around.

Beth pulled Mitchell up roughly with one hand while he reached out and snatched up the fob. He shouted out, the metal was worse than dry ice to the touch, but he didn’t let go of it.

Unseen hands were suddenly at his throat, squeezing the breath out of him. Mitchell dropped the fob, clawed at the hands on his throat, and found nothing there. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out everything except for his fear and the mad rantings of the ghost choking the life out of him. Darkness clouded his vision, and Mitchell pounded his fists against the floor, desperate for air.

Then the hands were gone, and Mitchell could suddenly breathe again. His sight returned as he took in great gulps of air, coughing as he did so.

“Mitchell,” Beth said, helping him to sit up. “Are you okay?”

He tried to answer, but his throat hurt too much. Mitchell nodded instead. He looked around and saw the lead box was closed, the latch secured. He gestured towards it.

“Yeah,” Beth said, “I got him. When he was yelling, he was evidently angry about someone. Do you think he meant Brian?”

Mitchell shrugged, took his phone out, and sent another text to Brian.
Where are you?

They sat in silence for a moment, and when Brian didn’t respond, Mitchell shook his head. He cleared his throat, winced, and then managed to say in a croak, “Three down. We need to get the others before Weiss figures out what’s going on.”

“Yes,” Beth said. “My thoughts exactly. Let’s get this in the trunk, then we’ll deal with the gold ring. We still have to find Weiss’s picture right?”

“Yes,” Mitchell answered. He held up two fingers.

“And the other two,” Beth said, sighing. “Come on.”

She helped Mitchell to his feet, and he picked up the box. He let his gaze rest on the room for a minute.

How much worse will it be when we face Weiss?
he wondered. He kept his concern to himself, and together they left the Mather House.

Chapter 53: Back at the Academy

Willis Anderson had a cup of coffee, and he drank it as he walked around the grounds of the Academy. He was uncomfortable as he did so, the strange and terrible events which had been occurring weighed heavily on his mind. Usually his evening stroll was peaceful; the school was a reminder of days when he didn’t have the worries of adulthood.

Willis stopped in front of Adrienne Hall.
A man was beaten to death here,
he thought. Willis had read the newspaper, watched the news reports.
Beaten to death.

He shook his head and started along the walkway again.

A man stepped out of an archway and Willis nearly collided with him. Willis came to a sharp stop, the coffee splashing around the interior of the paper cup.

“Oh,” Willis said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“That’s alright, quite alright,” the stranger said, smiling.

He was an old man, a thick, majestic beard reaching down to his chest. He wore a magnificent black suit and he exuded an air of elegance.

“I’m Nathaniel,” the man said.

“Willis,” he replied.

Nathaniel stepped forward, inclined his head slightly before he confidentially said, “Do you know there are trespassers here?”

Willis shook his head.

“Are you an alumnus?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes,” Willis answered.

“I think these trespassers mean to cause harm to the Academy,” Nathanial said. “I’m afraid I’m too old to do much about it.”

A strange urge to protect the Academy rose up within Willis. Frowning, he asked, “Where are they?”

“By the Administration building,” Nathaniel answered. His words had a curious rhythm to them, and Willis felt as though he could listen to the man speak for hours. “I know some terrible events have occurred here at the Academy recently. I wonder if they might be responsible.”

Willis clenched his teeth, turned his attention to the Administration building, and felt anger build up within him. “Yeah, some really bad stuff has happened.”

“I would hate,” Nathaniel said, “for something else to be done this evening. Alas, I do not know what I could do to help.”

“No,” Willis said, “don’t worry about it. I can take care of it. I won’t let anything happen. Not to the Academy.”

“Are you certain?” Nathaniel asked, concern thick in his voice. “I don’t want you to be troubled. I’m afraid they are, well, crafty. Dangerous. I know they have a disturbing ability to confuse a man with their words.”

“I won’t listen,” Willis said fiercely. “I won’t listen to anything they have to say. Call the police, I’ll go handle them until the cops arrive.”

“Of course,” Nathaniel said, “if you’re quite certain?”

“Yeah,” Willis said. “I’m certain.”

Willis put his coffee down on the walkway and headed towards the Admin building.

Chapter 54: Hidden

Herman crouched down in a bush, hidden by the broad, green leaves and the steps leading into the Admin building. From his position, Herman could see a man with a cup of coffee, and the man was speaking with Nathaniel Weiss. Herman couldn’t understand what the two men spoke about, but as he watched, the stranger’s face became a mask of anger. Red crept into the man’s cheeks, and he put his drink down on the walkway. When the stranger turned away from Weiss, Herman saw a smile appear on the old man’s face.

As the living man drew closer, Weiss nodded and left. Herman watched him walk away for a moment. Once the old man had vanished, Herman left the safety of the bush.

The angry man barely glanced at Herman, pausing only when Herman called out, “Hey!”

The man stopped, stared at Herman and said, “Get out of here, kid. There’s some bad stuff going on here.”

“The people who are here,” Herman said, “they’re trying to help.”

“No,” the man said, shaking his head. “They’re not. I just talked with a guy, he knows what’s going on.”

“Nathaniel Weiss,” Herman said bitterly, “is a liar.” He shifted the trophy of the archer from his left hand to his right. “Weiss is the reason bad things are happening,” Herman continued, “and will keep happening.”

Behind Herman, the main door of the Admin building opened and he glanced back.

Mitchell Roy and Detective Skillings exited and came to a stop. Mitchell held a metal container about the size of a shoebox.

“Herman?” the detective asked.

With a snarl, the stranger pushed past Herman and started up the stairs.

Chapter 55: Joining Forces

Beth recognized the man who approached them. Willis Anderson, a good Samaritan, who had helped some victims in a car fire a few months back. Willis, who was not looking at all like a
good
Samaritan, as he climbed the stairs. Beth had been a cop for years, and she knew a potential threat when she saw one. Willis fell heavily into that category.

“Stop where you are,” she said, filling her voice with authority and command.

Willis hesitated, then continued up. His momentary hesitation, however, was enough time for her to draw her weapon. The sight of the Glock brought him up short, his eyes widening but losing none of the anger filling them.

“Willis,” Beth said firmly, “Willis, look at me. Do you know who I am?”

“Trouble,” he grumbled.

“My name is Detective Beth Skillings, I helped take your statement after the car fire on Monroe Street” she said, keeping the weapon aimed at him. “You need to take several steps down the stairs and calm down.”

“You want to hurt the boy,” Willis hissed. “I know it. He told me so.”

Without taking her eyes off of Willis, Beth asked Herman, “Did you tell him that?”

“No, Detective,” Herman answered. “He’s talking about someone else.”

“Weiss?” Mitchell asked.

“Yes,” Herman said, shock in his voice. “Yeah, Weiss.”

“I’m a police officer,” Beth said. “You’re going to do what I tell you to do.”

Willis charged up the stairs and Beth fired once.

The round took him in the left shoulder, the force of the impact spinning him around and off balance. He tumbled down the stairs, rolling into the legs of Herman and knocking him down as well.

“Damn it!” Beth snapped. She reached for her phone to call in the shooting and someone punched her in the side of the head.

Chapter 56: Attacked

The world was spinning into chaos.

Herman stood still, unable to move as violence continued to erupt around him. Willis screamed in agony as Herman managed to get back to his feet. He saw first the detective, then Mitchell fall, and Herman also saw why. A pair of teenagers, one boy and one girl, were beating them. Both Mr. Roy and the detective tried to defend themselves, but their punches and blows passed right through the teens.

Every kick and every slap struck the principal and Detective Skillings. The man and the woman were helpless against the onslaught of the teens. Both of the teenagers had grim, determined looks on their faces. They were focused solely on the task at hand, which seemed to be the destruction of the living adults.

Over the sickening cries and shouts of Mitchell and the detective, Herman heard a laugh. A soft chuckle which was barely audible.

Slowly, fearfully, Herman turned to find the source of the sound. A short distance away, stood Nathaniel Weiss. The man had his hands clasped loosely in front of him. His eyes were bright, a look of sincere pleasure on his face as the beating unfolded on the granite steps of the Administration building. What disturbed Herman the most was how Mr. Weiss enjoyed the violence. The man’s smile was wide and full of joy. He loved the agony which was being inflicted. The old man pulsed with a strange light, faint at first, but it grew steadily stronger until Weiss was glowing.

He needs to be stopped,
Herman realized.
He’s making those kids do that. And if he doesn’t tell them to knock it off, Mitchell Roy and Detective Skillings are going to be killed.

Numbly, Herman looked from Mr. Weiss to the teens and back again.

Nathaniel Weiss let out a deep, throaty laugh, and he nodded happily.

Terrified, Herman didn’t know what to do.

Chapter 57: A Wake-Up

“Brian.”

Brian groaned in response.

“Brian.”

He managed to open one eye and saw Leo. The man stood over him and smiled gently down at him.

“Hello, Brian Roy,” Leo said.

“Leo,” Brian said groggily, forcing himself to sit up. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to help,” Leo said.

“Appreciate it,” Brian said.

Leo reached down, took hold of Brian’s hand, and helped him to his feet. Brian’s head pounded, his vision swam, his entire body screamed as Leo said, “Lean on me.”

Brian nodded and did so. Everything ached as Leo led him over to the stairs, waited for Brian to get a grip on the banister, and then they walked down to the first floor together. The library was a mess, as though a group of rowdy, drunk teens had ripped through, raging against order.

“Damn,” Brian said. “This place is destroyed.”

“No,” Leo said, confused. “The structure is still upright and quite sound.”

Brian chuckled. “No, I mean someone has made a mess, Leo.”