Chapter 9
The nurse’s office was just as he had left it. It was empty silent and smelled faintly of antiseptic.
It was the only safe place he had found in this whole school a neutral zone between his respawn point and the world of death that waited outside.
Adam walked past the cot his footsteps silent on the linoleum floor.
His newfound agility made his movements quiet and precise. He didn’t hesitate. He went directly to the desk pulled open the top drawer and took the small knife.
The cool metal was a familiar weight in his palm. He closed his fingers around it and slipped it deep into his pocket. It was his only ally.
He walked out of the office.
As before James was waiting in the hallway. His face was arranged into a patient smile but Adam’s enhanced perception caught the subtle tension in his jaw the slight widening of his eyes as Adam approached.
He was nervous.
"Adam," James began his voice calm but a little too loud in the quiet hall. "Are you feeling better now? You were looking pale."
Adam met his teacher’s eyes. He saw the greed hiding behind the fake concern.
"Yes sir. I’d like to go home now." He paused letting the silence hang for a moment before delivering the line he knew the man wanted to hear. "I was hoping... I could go with you. I don’t really want to walk."
The smile on James’s face widened.