Adam Slater - Hunted

‘Thanks, but you’re better off out of it,’ Callum said. He shook his scruffy hair out of his face and went to get a paper towel to wipe away the mess before one of the teachers saw it. Never in all his life had a school day dragged so slowly.

Just as there were more ghosts on the streets of Marlock lately, they also seemed to have multiplied in the halls of Marlock High School that morning. Callum saw one that must be hundreds of years older than the school itself; a man in a homemade peasant smock digging what looked like a grave outside the gym. Even from a distance, Callum could see that the man’s face was covered in sores, like a plague victim, and the cold wind that seemed to swirl about him carried the faint scent of rotten flesh.

Why were there so many of them? Why now? Callum smashed his fist against his locker in frustration, prompting a hail of giggles from a group of year seven girls on their way to lessons. Owen, the rugby team captain, slapped Callum lightly on the back. ‘Cool it, Scott. Nearly the weekend!’ Callum nodded and forced a smile. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He didn’t want Ed to notice him.

Callum made his way quietly to the school library. Melissa was waiting for him at one of the tables, books already stacked in front of her. She looked up as Callum came in and shrugged her shoulders sadly.

‘There’s a ton of stuff here about Cheshire during World War Two. But nothing about chime children. Or big black dog ghosts. You didn’t manage to bring your gran’s scrapbook, did you?’

‘No such luck,’ said Callum, shifting awkwardly. ‘I, er, couldn’t get to it.’

Truth be told, he had completely forgotten about the old book. Although it was less than a day since they had found the hidden library, the excitement of that discovery had been completely blotted out by the late-night prowler. He shivered at the memory of the moonlight glistening on its skinless body, and Melissa gave him a curious look, widening her big eyes in a wordless question.

Callum tried to excuse himself.

‘I’m totally spooked by all this.’

‘Yeah, I can see why. And I guess you’re not telling me the whole story, either.’

‘Have you tried the obvious?’ Callum asked, ignoring Melissa’s probing comment. ‘Have you tried looking up “chime child” on the Internet?’

‘Yes I have, Old Smugs, and the school has got blocks and parental controls set so high that I can’t even get a search on “ghoul”. It won’t let me on any sites that have anything to do with the occult. You have to get special permission from the librarian to access the BBC news, for goodness sake.’

‘Huh.’ Callum frowned. ‘Have you got a computer at home?’

‘Mum has a laptop from work, but it’s about as easy to get hold of as your gran’s books. But don’t worry. How about we try the local library after school? Computer access is free there, yes I have a library card, and yes they do have user restrictions, but it’s not as bad as here. Plus they probably have back issues of the Advertiser available, and they’re much more likely to have a section on local history. The school library is just too general. Not very big, either. I could meet you at the end of the day . . .’

‘Sure,’ Callum agreed, wishing he could share her optimism.

He moved to his next class, his skin still crawling, counting the minutes until the school day was over. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched – of someone standing close behind him, boring into the back of his head with a fixed stare, or falling into step behind him in the halls. And it wasn’t Ed’s gang who were giving Callum this feeling. They were there, for sure, and watching him. But they weren’t being secretive about it. Whenever one of them passed Callum in the hall, they went out of their way to give him a shove with a shoulder or a gym bag; Harry pinged a rubber into the back of his head during maths. No, there was something else.

At lunch, Callum went into the cafeteria at the last possible minute before the hot food finished. He hovered in the doorway for a moment, scanning the faces at the tables. Most were half empty now, and he couldn’t see any sign of Ed through the milling crowd. But wait . . . For a split second, Callum thought he saw a glimpse of a familiar face. His pulse quickened. Was it Ed? He craned his neck. Then two year eight girls moved aside and suddenly he could see.

Sitting alone on the other side of the cafeteria, Callum saw himself.

He blinked and looked again. The boy’s head was turned away now. Maybe he’d been mistaken.

Then the boy turned back and met his gaze. Callum stood frozen, staring back in disbelief. It was the creature from last night – here in the school, in broad daylight.

As Callum watched, Ed’s mate Craig walked past the thing wearing his face, giving it a shove as he went. The creature didn’t react. It never took its unblinking eyes off Callum. Its stare was open and mocking, its mouth twisted in the same malevolent smirk it had fixed on its borrowed face the night before.

Callum backed slowly out of the cafeteria. Pins and needles stabbed at his palms as the creature rose to its feet and began crossing the room towards him. He waited for people to realise they were seeing double – to ask themselves how Callum could be in two places at once – but then he realised there was no chance of that. He’d worked too hard to make himself invisible to the other kids at school. They probably hadn’t noticed there was even one Callum Scott in the room, let alone two.

The monster was halfway across the cafeteria now, striding confidently forwards. Callum had retreated into the corridor. He looked right and left, his mouth dry. Whatever it was, the creature was coming for him, and this time there was nothing to protect him. There were even fewer people out here, no one to help. He turned on his heel and set off at a fast walk, his shoes squeaking anxiously on the polished floor. Maybe Mr Gower would be in his office . . . Glancing over his shoulder, Callum saw his doppelganger emerge from the cafeteria. As it caught sight of him, Callum could have sworn he saw its evil smile widen in anticipation.

Callum gritted his teeth. No, whatever this thing was, it wasn’t going to be frightened off by the pompous deputy head. He quickened his pace.

Empty classrooms and closed doors whipped past. Callum glanced backwards again. The thing was still there, matching his speed. Maybe even closing in. Callum could see the rest of the school outside, enjoying the late autumn sunshine. He wanted to scream and bang on the windows to attract their attention but he didn’t dare stop.

The thing on his heels was closer now. Its eyes gleamed in the shadows of the dimly lit corridor. This corridor was off limits to students, mostly storerooms and old classrooms awaiting refurbishment. Every step was taking Callum farther and farther away from help. With a sudden jolt, he realised that this was what the creature wanted – to get him out of sight. Dread clutched at his heart. He wasn’t just being hunted, he was being herded.

A staircase was coming up fast on his left. But going up would be suicide. Callum’s only hope was to get outside, into the crowd. He felt certain now that the monster wouldn’t follow. It wanted to catch him here, where it could do whatever it wanted to him unseen. Hurrying past the stairs, Callum turned a sharp corner.

Into a dead end.

A few metres ahead, the corridor ended in a blank wall. Callum’s heart plummeted. He should have taken the stairs when he had the chance. Now he was trapped.

Or was he? At first he hadn’t noticed the peculiar ridge running across the wall at waist level. A second later, as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see that the ridge was a narrow metal bar, broken in two in the middle, and that a thin line of light ran down the centre of the wall, like a seam of gold.