Chapter Five

I was immediately sent to my dorm room after that.

Sister Karen was pretty much traumatized as the other nurses rushed into the main lobby to see her shrieking and me just sitting there frozen.

I had to hurry my dinner and couldn't eat with the other guys, which bothered me. I really didn't want to be alone right now. In fact, that was the last thing I wanted, but I ended up walking slowly back to my dorm room just as it was growing dark. The sun was hiding behind the stretch of forest outside the school campus, dipping behind the tall steeples of the chapel.

I finished buttoning up the spare white shirt the Sisters had given me as well as a baggy pair of black pants. I sighed, reaching up and brushing my hair out of my face as I walked through the wall-less hall to the dormitories.

The air was cold, but naturally so. The wind was rustling the grass and flowers lining the courtyards. I grimaced and just picked up the pace, taking deep breathes to stay calm when I heard my name and I yelped, whirling around to see Stephen standing there. I sighed in relief.

"Don't do that," I managed nervously, "I almost pissed myself." Stephen smiled for a moment, but it melted away into a look of concern.

"Sorry... Are you all right? I heard about the incident in the infirmary." He added. I looked down at my feet, shifting uneasily before looking up to see him gazing at me sincerely. Before I could stop myself to think about what I was going to say, I was speaking.

"Stephen, do you believe in ghosts?" I asked quietly, feeling a little embarrassed to ask something stupid like that out loud. Stephen blinked, letting my question sink in, then his expression relaxed as he shrugged.

"I suppose so. I mean, spirits must go somewhere, right? Not necessarily Heaven or Hell. Why do you ask?" He questioned, taking a step toward me as I tugged nervously at the sleeves of my shirt to avoid having to look at him.

"Well... Look, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound insane and could get me in big trouble. Can you keep a secret?" I asked honestly. Stephen smiled slowly.

"Your secrets, yes." He answered in a flirtatious manner. I felt my cheeks get warm, but I quickly collected myself and spewed everything.

Yes, everything.

From the food fight to sneaking into the old wing to the ghost in the infirmary, every single thing and detail, except the part where Zeke kissed me. That I left out because I'd already degraded myself enough these past two days. I don't need to devulge the fact that another guy kissed me.

Stephen stared at me for the longest time, stunned before he grimaced.

"Jeez, Matty... So you think it has something to do with that notebook you found?" He asked. I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip for a second before responding.

"It has to be. The pentagram was on everything that led up to him showing me his pentagram. What if he's pissed that I took his notebook?" I asked uneasily. Stephen frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, in the books, usually if you return their property, they finally rest. Well, at least get away from you." He added with a shrug. I blinked, looking at him quickly.

"You think that'll work?" I asked uneasily. Stephen nodded.

"I'll even go with you. We'll go the old wing and put the notebook back, then come back before lights out." He replied confidently. I grimaced, poking my toes at the cracks between the stones in the ground.

"It's really dark out, though. Can't we do it tomorrow?" I asked nervously, glancing at the sky. It was almost a velvety navy color with scatters of glittering white stars, a large, perfectly round full moon gazing at us.

"What if he shows up again tonight?" Stephen asked me. I groaned, running my hands through my hair before dropping them loosely to my sides, sighing in frustration.

"Fine, all right. Can we at least grab a flashlight, though?" I asked. Stephen smiled warmly.

"Of course. You need to grab your notebook anyway. I'll get the flashlight and you the notebook, we'll meet once we're finished." He answered. I nodded and started to go, but Stephen put his hand on my shoulder, making me look at him curiously to see him frowning now.

"But don't mention it to Zeke or Dustin. They're just going to cause trouble for us. We just want to get in and out as quick as possible." He commanded. I nodded in understanding.

Besides, I didn't want Zeke and Stephen to go at it when I'm already feeling tense and nervous, so I obeyed and went up the stairs to my room. Zeke was sitting on his bed, reading a comic book when I came in. He almost leapt to his feet when he saw me. Actually, he did. He threw his comic book down and threw his arms around me tightly.

"Zeke!" I gasped in surprise. He held me tightly up against his chest, his body tense around me.

"Jesus Christ, Matty, you scared the hell out of me!" He scolded angrily, but held onto me anyway. For some reason, this reminded me of the kiss he gave me and I flushed, hesitantly hugging him back, knowing that he was just worried. He finally pushed me back to study my face, his eyes searching before he frowned.

"I heard about the infirmary. Are you all right?" He asked. I suddenly felt guilty about not telling him the plan Stephen and I had. Zeke was worried. Even though he could be a real jerk half the time, he could be cool and caring the other half of the time. At the same time, I could hear Stephen's voice in my head telling me to just keep it a secret. We couldn't risk them starting an argument.

I just wanted to, as Stephen said, get in and get out as fast as possible.

"I'm fine, but I think I'm going to go back for a little while," I lied smoothly, reaching up and pretending I had a headache by pressing my fingers against my temple, "I still feel kind of sick and I know there's more nurses there this time, so I won't be alone or anything. I'll just stay the night there. I just came to grab a couple things." Zeke frowned immediately.

"I rather you not go off by yourself." He stated firmly. I blinked, staring at him in confusion.

"Zeke, I'm almost nineteen. I can handle myself." I assured, but he wasn't convinced in the least as he went to the door to lock it, only to have it open up in front of him, revealing Stephen there with his bag tossed over his shoulder.

"The hell are you doing here?" Zeke demanded, hate instantly flickering in his eyes. Stephen smiled calmly at him, not the least big effected by Zeke's bravado.

"I came to pick up Matty. I'm taking him to the infirmary since it's on my way to the headmaster's office. I need to report today's events." He explained. I turned to give Stephen a curious look. How did he know what lie I came up with? Zeke turned back to me and I just shrugged, turning around again and grabbing a spare change of clothes as well as the notebook wrapped up in them to avoid suspicion.

"He should stay here." Zeke said, his voice strained. Stephen shook his head.

"He's still weak from almost dying, Zeke."

"He's not weak. He's just freaked out."

"Yes. I mean, you were right there, watching." Stephen answered. I stared at him, stunned by how harsh he sounded, then looked at Zeke, who stiffened, but didn't say a word. They just stared at each other as if they were having some telepathic battle before Zeke turned away from him, his face darkening.

"Don't go anywhere alone, Matty." Zeke told me at last, his voice icy cold. He was obviously pissed, but I didn't care. I'd apologize later. Right now, I wanted to get that ghost thing off my back, so I just nodded and slipped out the door with Stephen right beside me.

We waited until we were out of the building before we spoke.

"Thanks for the save." I told him. Stephen smiled.

"Of course. I overheard you guys when I passed by." He replied. I tried to smile, but the situation was just too tense for me to bother, so I gave up and looked at the old wing as we cut across the grassy courtyard.

The statue of Michael loomed in the darkness, the moonlight making it practically glow. I grimaced and looked at Stephen, who seemed perfectly calm and hardly unnerved about going into a creepy ass place like the forbidden wing.

"You didn't have to be so mean, though. I mean, come on. I know Zeke can't swim. He would've drowned too if he tried to save me." I explained, referring to his sharp jab at Zeke back in the room. Stephen shrugged, hardly looking concerned about Zeke's feelings.

"I know, however, if I couldn't swim, I'd save someone I'm interested in." He responded honestly. I was thankful that the darkness hid the pink staining my cheeks as I bit my lower lip for a second, letting his words sink in.

"Interested in?" I asked at last as we approached the doors to the wing. Stephen smiled warmly as he withdrew a ruler from his bag, placing the bag at his feet.

"Yes, interested in. Zeke's gay." He answered as if it were totally obvious, then shoved the ruler between the double doors and started fiddling around. I stiffened at the revelation, looking at him.

"He is?" I asked in disbelief. Why am I so surprised? He kissed me. He was always touching me and I just thought it was him joking around, but he had been serious. Zeke seriously liked me and the thought actually... didn't scare me as much as I thought it would. I wasn't even sure how I felt about this.

"Oh, yes," Stephen went on as he tried to lift the hatch lock, "He's just not too obvious about it. He also doesn't just go around liking any old guy. Zeke only likes special guys."

"Special guys? Like, Special Ed?" I asked stupidly. Stephen laughed, shaking his head as if I were silly.

"No, Matty. Just special guys. You're the first special guy in a long time." He told me. I frowned, tilting my head and leaning against the frame of the doors as I watched him work on the lock.

"Long time? So he's had a boyfriend before?" I asked, surprised by the nip in my voice. I don't know why, but thinking about the fact that Zeke dated before bothered me. Stephen smiled at me again, peeking up past his hair.

"Yes," He replied, then his smile slowly melted, "Unfortunately, he's dead." I felt cold at that, pushing off the frame to look at him, confused.

"Dead?" I asked. Stephen nodded.

"It was a very painful time. Zeke was particularly disobedient during those next two weeks after Jeremiah was killed." He added with a shrug, taking on that nonchalant attitude, like he didn't care if Zeke was upset or not. I frowned.

"How did he--"

"Got it." Stephen announced when there was a loud screech, then clank as the lock fell open. He grabbed his bag and tossed the ruler in before pushing the doors open. They groaned and whimpered under the effort before scraping on the stone floor. Stephen came inside and I followed behind him, only to stiffen when I realized it was pitch black inside.

"Flashlight?" I asked hopefully as Stephen stood in the only hardly visible light of the moon outside. He nodded and reached into his bag, taking out a red flashlight, handing it over. I sighed in relief, clicking it on and flashing the yellowish beam across the hallway.

It looked even creepier at night, I noted with a grimace. Stephen closed the doors behind us, making me jump a little.

"Why'd you close them? We're coming right back." I pointed out.

"Some of the Sisters make rounds," Stephen reminded as he closed the hatch lock, "It's just a precaution. Call me paranoid." I bit my lower lip. That still felt weird. I didn't like those doors being closed. It was like being locked in a closet. I didn't say anything, though, and started to hesitantly lead the way down the hallway.

Stephen walked at my side, his shoes scraping the floor as he scanned the walls. We walked in silence as I searched for the back entrance to the now collapsed classroom, until I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"So... How did Jeremiah die?" I asked at last. Stephen sighed, obviously not all that interested in the topic, his eyes sweeping across the tapestries.

"We're not quite sure. When we found him, his skull was cracked open in the back, like someone had whacked him really hard." He answered casually. I stopped walking to gape at him. How could he talk so normally about something so awful?

"He was murdered?!" I demanded in disbelief when I found my voice. Stephen blinked, as if the thought had never occured to him, despite his description.

"I suppose so. No one delved into it. No one bothered."

"Why?"

"I don't know that, Matty. I may be on student council, but I don't know everything." Stephen added with a shrug. I grimaced and shook my head vigorously in disgust. Why would someone do that? Kill a kid? I'd never understand something like that. I only shuddered at the thought before I flashed the flashlight down the hallway where the hidden door was. I pushed it open and we walked inside.
It was like one of those demented haunted houses from the movies, only real and scarier.

No light, but the flashlight beam lit up the room dimly. The hulking desks and tables cast eerie shadows across the room and the blackboards just added to the darkness of the room. We picked our way past the desks.

My eyes landed on the furiously clawed one. I frowned and dug into my bag for the notebook, withdrawing it. Stephen's eyes seemed to glitter animatedly when he saw it.

"May I see it for a moment?" He asked politely, holding his hand out.

"Er... Sure?" I handed it to him and he flipped through the pages before grimacing.

"It's too bad he followed this path. He seemed like an intelligent student." Stephen said at last, handing it back. I gave him a curious look, then opened the desk, only to have a rat jump out at me. I stupidly leapt back and cried out, smacking the notebook down at it and slamming into Stephen.
He grabbed onto my arms to steady himself as the rat bounded out of the desk and raced for a new hiding place. I panted hard, squeezing my eyes shut for a second before barking a curse after it.

"Fucking rats! I hate fucking rats!" I spat angrily, stepping forward, shuddering all over as my skin crawled in disgust.

"Oh dear." Stephen sighed.

"What?" I asked, turning to look at him as he took my hand, looking down at it. I frowned and followed his gaze, then stiffened at the sight of blood oozing from my finger in thick red drops.

"It bit you." Stephen stated grimly, holding my hand gently and stroking the space between my thumb and forefinger.

"Now I probably have rabies or AIDS or something." I groaned miserably, trying to pull my hand away, but Stephen held it for a moment longer, checking all my fingers to make sure I hadn't gotten bitten anywhere else.

"I wouldn't think so. We'll stop by my room after this and I'll apply some alcohol to it to disinfect it. It should be fine after that." Stephen assured, finally letting go of my hand. I scowled, but didn't do anything, but slam the desk lid down, turning away from it.

"Let's go now. This place is freaking me the hell out." I retorted. Stephen nodded with a smile and gestured for me to lead. I picked up the flashlight I'd dropped and waved the beam around in the dark before I found a path to take around the desks.

The whole time, I was watching for rats. I don't know why I didn't like rats. Just something about them scared the hell out of me. The only thing I was waiting for now were bats. At which point I'd piss myself if they came flying at me.

I came out into the hallway and peered around, frowning when I felt something familiar. My eyes widened at the cold draft and it was coming from further down to the right. I whipped around and shined my flashlight down there. I turned to mention it to Stephen, but he wasn't there.

"Stephen?!" I demanded, my voice alarmed. I didn't get a response. I stepped forward and started to shine my flashlight into the room, but the cold draft was right next to me. I spun around and froze, the flashlight falling out of my hands and landing at my feet, flickering violently before going out. I was plunged into darkness, except the glowing corpse that stood in front of me.

Its black sockets stared past the glowing aura of blood coating its skeleton, its teeth grinding together before parting and it gave that whooish sound.

I couldn't scream, I couldn't move or anything else. I was completely frozen, staring at the corpse that was just two feet in front of me. I managed to choke, but that was about it. The corpse lifted its hand, its index finger creaking and cracking as it stood up amongst the rest. He pressed the finger to his teeth.

Sssh! It seemed to say. I almost heard the sound, but it came out as more of a whistle. I don't know why, but I just numbly nodded my head. It lowered its finger and curled it toward me as if to ask me to follow.

It took a step back and I hesitated. It curled its finger at me a few more times and I stepped along with it. Before I knew it, I was following this glowing corpse down the hallway, leaving behind Stephen, the flashlight, and my bag that had also fallen.

I stumbled after this corpse as it continued to hobble down the hallway, moving silently save for its labored whooish breathes. Why was I following this corpse? It couldn't talk. It was dead. It was freaky! I couldn't even think straight I was so freaked out, but for some reason, I felt like I had to follow it.

So I did.

It led me straight down the hallway and into the darker part of the school. The only way I knew where I was going was the glow from the skeleton as he led me down another hallway, turning to the right. He approached and door and pressed his skeletal hands against it in an attempt to open it. I stepped up beside him and pushed on the door, listening to it creak and groan. He tilted his head to look up at me, giving a single nod before he turned his head back to step into the chapel.

That's when I saw it.

My feet were rooted into place as I noticed the sleek dark gash in his skull. It was a clean cut right through the back of his skull, revealing only darkness inside.

"Jeremiah." I blurted. The corpse stopped moving, cocking its head to the side before it turned its head to stare at me with empty voids for eyes. I felt my breath catch in my throat as the corpse whimpered softly.

"W-Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?" I managed, voice shaking. Jeremiah's teeth clicked and clanked before he lifted his arm, gesturing for me to follow. His movements were so slow and looked painful as his bones creaked. My legs moved on their own and all I could do was follow Jeremiah into the chapel.

The chapel was ordinary. Just a large boarded up stain glass window with several pews sitting before a large, cloaked alter. The only terrifying difference was the large, inversely drawn pentagram on the boards covering the window.

"Jeremiah, why are we here?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes searching the dark room before I looked back at Jeremiah, who turned to face me fully. I was surprised to see that he had more flesh on his cheeks. It was actually smooth, but pale, stretching up to his eye sockets that were no longer empty.
A pair of blue eyes glowed at me as his teeth still clicked together and he held his finger up, pressing it to his upper lip-- the only one that had formed.

I frowned and he moved his finger, slowly pointing to the side. I cocked my head and followed his gesture to see a tapestry hanging on the wall. It was faded silver and black, frayed at the edges, with a large picture of an angel at the center.

A strikingly familiar angel.

My eyes widened as I recognized the first man from the notebook. The same wise, intelligent eyes and thick, unfurling white wings. He was tall, wearing only his chiton. I was right. His hair was thick and blonde, falling in loose curls to his shoulders. His eyes were a powerfully bright blue. Something about him felt so strong, so powerful.

I found myself slowly walking up to the tapestry, this time, Jeremiah following behind me as my flashlight. I ran my fingers lightly over the woven cloth when I felt it. Another cold draft that made me look at Jeremiah, but he slowly shook his head and pointed at the tapestry.

I blinked and scanned the length of the tapestry before I walked to the side of it, pushing it back to reveal a door hiding behind it in the wall.

"Wow, you guys really like hiding entrances." I mumbled, biting my lip nervously. Jeremiah clicked his teeth twice. I frowned and stepped behind the cloth, cloaking myself in darkness, but I ran my fingers along the edges of the door, hearing chains rattle on the other side.

"What's behind here?" I asked aloud, hoping Jeremiah would at least click his teeth together. When I didn't even get that sound, I suddenly felt uneasy.

"Jeremiah?" I asked. Still no response. No clicking, no clanking, no whooish. I pushed the tapestry away and realized I was alone. Jeremiah had disappeared, leaving me alone in the cold dark chapel.

I stiffened, peering out from behind the tapestry at the dark chapel. I couldn't even pick my way back to the door, it was so dark now. I slowly sank to the floor, sitting with my back against the hidden door, my knees to my chest.

Oh God.

"Jeremiah, you jerk!" I protested angrily, squeezing my eyes shut for a second, then peering out from behind the tapestry in hopes of my eyes actually adjusting to the darkness. It didn't help. It was just that dark. I slowly rose to my feet again, taking big deep breathes as I tried to remember where everything in the room was set up.

Then I heard it.

Something claw at the door behind me, slow and ominous. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as a cool draft blew from under the door, sending dirt and dust at my legs. Fear held me rooted in place as I heard a low, raspy laugh that had my breath catching in my throat.

"Open the door, boy."

The voice made my head ache and my knees almost buckle. It was thick and seductive, dark and dangerous. I leaned against the wall for support, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to block it out.

Open the door. Open the door. Open the door.

I pushed off the wall and rushed out from behind the tapestry, trying to make it to the door to the chapel, but I slammed my knee into one of the pews, making me bark a curse in pain. I hit the floor on my back, gasping as my eyes flew open at the sound of a crack, followed by a scrape.

I didn't get up, just laid there on my back, ignoring the throbbing pain in my knee as I listened to a door scraping across the floor. I held my breath and shut my eyes tightly.

I knew this was a bad idea.

I knew coming in here was a bad idea.

Why did I do this? God, I'm such an idiot! And why did Jeremiah lead me here in the first place? What is here? What the hell is behind that door? Is it another ghost?

I just kept my eyes shut, hearing something scrape across the floor, then a deep, heavy breath followed. I heard it moving across the floor in my direction, so I rolled as quietly as I could onto my stomach, pushing myself up on my hands and knees. I ignored the ache in my knee as I crawled across the floor, feeling around for the right direction.

I slammed into another pew and stupidly cursed again, then froze when I heard another scrape ahead of me. I didn't move, just sat on my knees, staring straight ahead and waiting for whatever was there to grab me.

And it did.

My first instinct, whether I thought about it or not, was screaming. I screamed, but a hand quickly clamped over my mouth. I tried to bite at it, but he was pressing too hard. Then I heard a voice:

"Matt?" Stephen!

I gasped in relief and just hugged him out of sheer joy that I wasn't about to die. I grabbed onto his shoulders and I felt him hug me back before helping me to my feet. My knee buckled and I almost fell, but Stephen caught me and helped me balance.

"What happened? I was right behind you one second and the next you were gone." Stephen scolded, draping my arm over his shoulder as he helped me limp toward what I assumed was the door.

"That ghost-- Jeremiah! It was Jeremiah, the ghost that's been following me everywhere, Stephen. I saw the back of his head, the gash in his skull! He was leading me everywhere and I really had no idea why I was following him either! It was weird! And then he led me here and..." My voice trailed as I tried to catch my breath.

"Ssh," Stephen soothed, surprising me as he cradled me against his chest, "Calm down. We'll talk more later. Right now we need to get you somewhere safe. It's far too dangerous to be playing around here." I didn't argue, just let him practically carry me out of the room. It was when we were halfway down the hallway when I remembered the picture on the tapestry.

"Stephen, what angel has blonde hair and blue eyes?"

"That depends. Michael is said to have blonde hair and blue eyes."

"It's not Michael."

"Lucifer. He also has blonde hair and blue eyes."

"Why would you have tapestries of Lucifer in a Catholic church?" I asked in disbelief as we limped for the exit. Stephen surprised me by smiling in a way that reminded me of a teacher talking to a student about something super interesting.

"Lucifer was an Archangel, Matty. He wasn't evil. He was just punished for voicing his opinions and ideas. You don't do those sort of things in the presence of God, and particularly Michael. Michael was extremely devoted to God's word. He was appointed the leader of God's Army." He explained, making me frown.

"You sound like you're on Satan's side." I muttered under my breath. Stephen didn't smile this time as he closed the doors behind us and we were bathed in the silver moonlight.

"There are no sides, Matt. Lucifer was punished, which is a fact. He wasn't evil, or else, God never would have created him."

"You're freaking me out." I admitted uneasily. Stephen laughed quietly and surprised me by putting a finger under my chin, lifting my face to look up at him.

"Sorry. I just like watching you squirm." He answered, his voice quiet now.

"You're weird." I breathed, feeling my heart pound violently in my chest. His face was too close, his breath, his lips. His bright green eyes felt like they were piercing right through me and he only got closer. His lips gingerly brushed mine, making my breath catch in my throat before he pulled away suddenly.

"Yes," Stephen agreed, making me blink rapidly in disbelief, "I am weird, but I think we all are in a sense. Come on, let's get that wound of yours cleaned up. It's almost dawn. You should go back to your room, let Zeke know that you left the infirmary early."

I just nodded numbly, timidly taking my bag from Stephen before heading across the law toward the dormitories.

"Oh, and... Matthew?" Stephen called. I blinked and turned to look at him to see him smiling warmly again.

"Yeah?" I asked tiredly.

"Don't worry. I don't think Jeremiah will be bothering you again."

I would've asked him what the hell he meant, but suddenly, the exhaustion hit me like a wave and I almost flopped into the grass, wanting to sleep there, but I missed the softness of my bed and just nodded, turning around and heading back to the dorm room.

I didn't care about tending to the bite on my finger or kink in my knee, the scrapes on my hands and cut on my cheek from something unknown.

All I wanted to do was sleep.

I walked into the dorm room, the sound of the shower running as the sun was breaking across the sky by the time I came back. I felt like a zombie. My body ached and hurt so much. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach.

I dropped my bag and slumped onto my bed, unconscious before my head even hit the pillow.