Page 107 of The Executioners Three
“On it.” Divya tore open the metal box, and moments later, Freddie’s wrists were free. The handcuffs fell to the floor, landing on Freddie’s frozen feet.Nowshe was able to grab for the phone.
Savoring the full freedom of her arms and hands, she dialed the police station. Bowman obviously—and frankly,thankfully—wasn’t there, but maybe the deputies were. And maybe the feds were with them, since boy did this feel like a job for federal agents with federal agent weapons and skills.
Three rings sounded before Ibrahim’s voice came through. “Berm Sheriff’s Department—”
“Ibrahim!”Freddie half shrieked. “The murderer is here. At the county park. Me and a bunch of other students, we’re stuck with a serial killer. Please, Ibrahim—send help.”
“Uh, who’s calling?”
“Freddie Gellar.” She cursed herself. She was smarter than this. Cooler under pressure.Give him the facts. Channel Bowman… no, scratch that. Channel Bowman when she isn’t under a murderer’s control.“We’re at the Village archives, and it’s dangerous. Like, really dangerous. There are several murderous, erm…individualshunting us. So please, send a lot of people. Especially those feds that you mentioned are in town.”
“And send guns,” Kyle inserted. He and the others had now reached Freddie. They clustered around her like the worst kind of peanut gallery. “’Cause there’s, like, fucking demons here.”
“And an ambulance,” Cat suggested. “For Laina.”
Freddie waved them quiet. Ibrahim was talking at the same time, and she couldn’t listen to them all. “Listen, Freddie,” Ibrahim said in a tone she didn’t like. “Bowman warned me you might call about something like this. But she said you’re just pulling pranks, and so I can’t—”
“NO.”Freddie screamed into the phone. “We are literally going todieif you don’t send help right now, Ibrahim. To the archives. You have to believe me—”
Divya snatched the phone away from Freddie. “Hi, Deputy, this is Divya Srivastava. My mom cuts your hair. And I can confirm everything Fred is saying right now. I’m here with three other students who can all back her up. This isn’t a prank. We are inseriousdanger, and we need help…”
She trailed off. Her eyes grew huge. “It went dead. Oh my god, Freddie. The line just went dead.”
“No, no, no,” Luis said. “This can’t get any worse.”
Yes it can,Freddie thought. And sure enough, the lights snapped off.
Cat screamed. Kyle swore. And Divya clutched at Freddie in this new, total darkness. It had been bad enough on Saturday when the lights had turned off, but at least it had been daytime.
Now there was absolutely nothing to see by. And oh yeah, a serial killer was somewhere in the dark.
A serial killer who was now calling out: “I know you and your friends are in here, Freddie. And there’s only one exit, so you might as well come forward nicely with your hands up.”
Freddie felt as if all of her insides constricted at once. Like she was a plastic bag and a vacuum had just sucked out all the air. Because she knew that voice. Oh god, she knew that voice.
“Dr. Born,” Divya hissed at Freddie. “That’sDoctor Freaking Born.”
“I have a gun,” he went on. “In case you’re wondering why you should listen to me.”
Ofcourseit would be Dr. Born. Ofcourse. Freddie was downright furious with herself for not figuring that out sooner.
Dr. Born hadn’t only been counseling Freddie and Divya—he’d been helping Theo too. And Freddie would bet he was also Laina’s out-of-town counselor.
That would have given him perfect access for hypnotizing the descendants of the Executioners.
Except you know it’s not just hypnosis, Freddie.
She punted that thought aside. She could dwell on science versus supernatural later. For now, she needed to get herself and her friends thehellout of these archives. “Window,” she whispered at Divya. “At the back, remember? Go.” She nudged at her best friend in the darkness. “Use the shelves to feel your way there.”
Divya didn’t move. “What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind.”
“Fred,no.”
“I promise.” She pushed again, and this time, Divya obeyed, grabbing at everyone else with a quietFollow me.
They tiptoed away.
