Page 86 of Waysider
He moved so fast that it took Cass’s brain an extra beat to register that he was coming. Adrenaline and terror gushed through her, pulsing like blood and pounding in her ears as she whirled.
She’d only gotten a few steps when he slammed into her from behind.
Cass screamed as the ground flew up to meet her, instinctively throwing her arms out to soften the landing. Pain shot through her wrists, but Cass barely noticed—she was already twisting, kicking her feet out to get Professor Clemens away. One heel sloppily made contact with the side of his face and slid off, but the other hit home. Cass felt something crack, and when the professor let out an agonized bellow, a streak of vicious satisfaction went through her. The feeling immediately gave way to panic when she saw the knife in Professor Clemens’s hand, just as she’d feared. As he brought his arm up, the blade flashed red. It was covered in fresh blood.
He’d nicked her in the fall. Cut a neat slice up her ribcage, Cass discovered as she glanced down. There was no time to care. She was still scrambling backward, watching in helpless horror as Professor Clemens plunged the knife toward her for a second blow. She rolled, trying to avoid it, but Cass knew it wouldn’t be fast enough. Her last frantic, terrified thought was of Cal.
Someone hit Professor Clemens from the side.
Cass caught a glimpse of blond hair as Professor Clemens went rolling. The figure on top of him was almost as tall as the professor, and the two of them grunted as they fought. At the same moment the knife glinted in the moonlight, Cass caught a glimpse of her rescuer’s face.
It was Teddy. Teddy had just saved her life.
She watched them fight on the night-darkened lawn. Teddy was holding his own, but Professor Clemens still had the knife. Everything inside Cass shrieked at her to run, but she hesitated. She couldn’t leave Teddy. She had to help him. Pain shot through Cass’s side as she shifted her feet beneath her.
She was about to stand when Teddy pinned Professor Clemens down, drew his other arm back, and hit the professor so hard that his head smacked against the ground.
Professor Clemens stopped moving.
Cass stopped moving, too. The silence rang in her ears as she knelt there, frozen and terrified, waiting for the professor to pop back up. But he just laid there silently. It must’ve been enough to convince Teddy, because he put one leg beneath him and began to stand. Then he tipped to the side, as if he’d been hit by a wave of dizziness. Cass was too far away to catch him.
She was about to shout Teddy’s name when he caught his balance, pressing his palm into the grass, and forced himself up. His eyes met hers. Cass saw relief cross Teddy’s expression, and she could practically hear the thought going through his mind—she’s okay. He tried standing again. This time he succeeded, and Cass felt a burst of her own relief. He was okay, too. They would survive this. They just had to get the fuck away from Professor Clemens and call the police.
Teddy had only taken four steps when he crumpled.
Cass swore and scrambled over to him, holding one hand against her wound. White-hot pain blazed through her with every movement. She ignored it and shook Teddy’s shoulder as hard as she could. She didn’t see any blood, so he must’ve taken some hits of his own.
“Teddy, hey. Wake up. Open your eyes, Teddy. Come on, come on, come on.” Breathing hard, Cass glanced back at Professor Clemens. He hadn’t moved, but that could change any second. Her eyes darted down to the knife, which glinted in the grass near the professor’s hand. Teddy mumbled something, and Cass bent down, putting her ear next to his mouth. “What?”
Teddy’s throat worked. His eyes didn’t open, but his voice was slightly louder as he rasped, “Don’t… don’t let them take me to the hospital.”
Before Cass could respond, something moved in her peripheral vision. She jerked her head up, and her eyes widened in horror. A few yards away, Professor Clemens was getting to his feet. A line of blood trickled from a gaping cut beside his eye, and his broken nose was already swelling.
“Teddy, we have to go,” Cass said under her breath, shaking him again. “Get up. Please.”
Teddy was out cold. Cass looked up again, and a whimper caught in her throat. Professor Clemens was coming toward them now. His gaze latched onto her face, and that was the moment Cass decided to run—Professor Clemens wasn’t interested in Teddy. She knew if he got his hands on her, she’d have the same fate as Karen Watkins.
Cass gasped at a shock of pain as she pushed herself up, slick grass clinging to her palms, and bolted in the opposite direction. There was no one else within sight, and for a split second, she considered making a run for Wayside. But Professor Clemens’s long legs were already eating up the distance between them—Cass would never make it. The closest building was Old Main.
The girl at the desk, she thought wildly. They could lock themselves in and call the police. Cass aimed for the front doors again, screaming as she went, “Help! Someone, help!”
She got inside and flew down the hall, her shoes squeaking against the floor. But when she wrenched at the office door, it was locked. Cass desperately peered through the window. The room was empty, every light turned off. The student worker must’ve left. Cass made a choked, panicked sound and swung away. She could see the back door at the other end of the hallway. Indecision tore at her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making it hard to think, to do anything except panic. Should she keep running and pray that someone heard her cries for help in time? Cass glanced down, noting the trail of blood she’d left on the floor. Her head was swimming. What if she passed out? Maybe the best option would be to hide.
No, she didn’t want to trap herself, Cass decided, lurching toward that far door. No one would hear her in here, and she’d be a sitting duck for Clemens. She flew down the hall. But when Cass got closer to the door, she slowed. No. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.
It had been boarded shut.
An “out of order” sign was taped to the wood. Cass realized she must’ve damaged the lock the night she broke in. She wasted precious seconds desperately yanking at the boards, but they held fast. Cass spun around and darted to the closest door, then found that one locked, too. A frustrated, terrified scream rose in her throat.
Hinges whined into the stillness.
Terror roared through Cass. She whirled and raced to the door that would take her upstairs. She almost sobbed when the knob turned in her hand. Cass slipped through and closed it as softly as she could. Hopefully Clemens hadn’t seen her, and it would take him some time to figure out where she’d gone. She needed to make a plan.
When she got to the second floor, Cass kept going, knowing all the doors here would likely be locked, too. Seconds later, she reached the attic. Cass began to hurry across the dusty space, instinctively putting as much space as she could between herself and the door.
She’d only taken a few steps when she halted. If she was going to survive, Cass needed to be smart—she had to go on the offense. Her chest heaved, and she looked around frantically, hoping to spot anything she could use as a weapon. The attic was just as empty as last time. Think, Cass. Think!
Louis was writing something. Cass could hear the tip of the chalk making its scrapes and taps. She spared a moment from her frenzied search to glance at the board.
