Run for the corner

You jump up and scramble for the corner, but look back when you hear a cry of pain.

Professor Austen wants to follow you but stumbles because of her wounded leg. She falls to one knee.

You hesitate. You could grab her and drag her. A gunshot booms and your face and front are suddenly splattered with blood. You shriek and dive around the corner as Professor Austen’s lifeless body thuds to the floor.

In complete panic, you press your back against the wall. You can picture that woman heading down the hallway toward you. The music is still playing, but the gunshot hurt your ears. Your brain isn’t working correctly. You’re covered in blood.

The woman in the hallway steps on a creaky board. That wakes you up.

You run for the stairs, hurrying down through the dark toward the bright kitchen downstairs.

You scream as firm hands come out of nowhere, catching you.

You try to pull away, but it’s Roxy. She was at the bottom of the stairs, about to come up. You just had a heart attack and now she just gave you another one. You recoiled so hard that you hit the wall.

“Ow! What are you doing here?” you hiss, looking in panic toward the dark stairs.

“You left this behind,” Roxy says, holding up the phone number that Alex gave you.

You hear an ominous click from the stairs.

“Shit.”

“What happened to you?” She’s staring at the blood. She automatically reaches for your face to wipe it off. “Is that blood?”

What kind of tough biker chick doesn’t know blood when she sees it? You grab her hand and yank her away, out of the kitchen and into the hall. You duck into the coat closet and quietly close the door behind you.

“Shut up,” you tell her. “There’s someone here. And she just shot Martha Austen.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” you say, removing the wooden panel that conceals the secret passage. “Follow me.”

She crawls in after you, and you replace the panel. OK. You’re safe for the moment. The attacker might be able to track you to the closet, but there’s no way that she knows about this. Lisey wasn’t in her room, but you don’t think Karen’s listening to music by herself. On the other hand, you are also thinking about that gun that you found in Sissy’s room yesterday. Sissy never came home; you are sure of that. The gun should still be there.

Head for Karen’s room?

Or go for the gun?