“I think this is the best way out,” said Eric, pointing back toward the passage. “It might get us down to the ground level at least.”
“Might?” said Bree.
“The gym is right below us, right, Neil?” said Wesley. “We can crawl out the window where we came in.”
Once outside, Neil realized that he’d been holding his breath since reaching the gymnasium floor.
As they’d climbed, one by one, through the broken window, he almost expected a booming voice to call out, echoing through the cavernous room, telling them to stop, that they were not allowed to leave. They would turn to find men directly behind them, wearing white coats and Halloween masks with wide plastic grins, carrying straight jackets and leather ankle restraints to bind them and drag them all screaming back up to room 13, where they would finally meet Nurse Janet face-to-face.
But that did not happen.
Of course.
The sun had fallen behind the horizon of trees across the small body of water. It was getting late. The aunts were most certainly waiting for them, worrying. They made their way back toward the small bridge. When Neil had to kneel down and crawl under the gap in the fence, he cried out. The gashes on his legs seemed to open up and wail at him. Wesley pushed him forward, and Bree helped him stand up again. “You need a doctor,” said Bree, shaking her head.
“I’m fine,” Neil insisted.
Wesley shook his head. “You look like the last survivor in one of those bloody slasher movies. For real.”
They ventured back toward the main road. They were all covered in dirt and grime, their hair sweat-slicked to their scalps. The shoulder seam in Bree’s formerly cute blue T-shirt had separated, revealing a small scrape. How did this happen? Neil wondered.
Neil understood the stories now — why visitors to the hospital in the woods only came out here once before deciding that it had been one trip too many. But was this a story he should tell to his friends during lunch at school? They’d think he was crazy. And if they ever found out the truth about his mother’s problems, his classmates would surely start telling stories about him too.
Someone stepped out of the woods in front of them, blocking their path to the main road. A tall man. His big head was shaved bald. A long gray beard grew from sunken cheeks. He looked older than the aunts by many years, yet his shoulders were broad, his arms muscular. He wore a black-and-red plaid shirt and dirt-dusted dark jeans.
The group paused. Neil was too exhausted to even react.
The man crossed his arms, his brow crinkled. He looked as if he knew exactly where they had been and what they’d been up to. But before he could scold them, he seemed to digest their appearance, taking special notice of Neil’s bloody leg. He sighed, as if he’d seen this kind of thing before. “Graylock,” said the man, his voice low and rough. This wasn’t a question and thus gave the group no option to deny the accusation. He shook his head. “When are you all going to learn? It’s a dangerous place. Was before they closed it … Still is.” He nodded at the woods behind him. “I’ve lived back there for years, and I’ve seen enough of this nonsense for a lifetime. Always blood. Always. Come on. I’ll drive you kids home.” He nodded at Neil. “At the rate you’re walking, you won’t make it before midnight.” He turned around and headed toward the building in the distance, the roof of his house barely visible through the thick foliage.
None of them moved or said a word. But Neil knew what they were thinking: Never accept a ride from strangers, a rule that had been drilled into them from infancy.
The man turned back and glared at them. “What’s the holdup?”
“We don’t know you,” said Eric. “Sorry.”
“Well, I know you,” said the man. “You’re the Baptiste boys. I used to work with your father at the mill.” He glanced at Bree and Neil. “You must be Anna and Claire’s niece and nephew. They told me you were coming up from New Jersey. I’m Andy. I stop at the pie shop every morning for coffee.” The group stared at him in shock. “Don’t believe me? I can call them right now and tell them what you were all up to out here.”
“No!” said Bree. “No, thank you. Please. We don’t want to worry them.”
“Probably too late for that,” said Andy. “How long have you all been playing around out here?” Neil wanted to tell him that they hadn’t been playing around at all, that “playing around” was the opposite of what they’d been doing, but neither he nor any of the others said a word. Andy smiled softly, letting them know he was merely poking fun. “Come on. My truck is right up here.”
CLIMBING INTO THE FRONT SEAT OF ANDY’S PICKUP, Neil cried out in pain. It felt as if someone had replaced his shinbone with a hot iron spike. Sitting behind the wheel, Andy glanced over at Neil’s injury. “Maybe I should take you to see Dr. Simon down on Yarrow Street. Your aunts would probably want to do the same thing anyway.” Bree, Wesley, and Eric had climbed into the truck bed and could not hear this exchange. Neil didn’t know what to say. As much as his leg hurt, he was kind of happy that it was a distraction from the nightmare they’d encountered that afternoon. “I’ll drive you by Anna and Claire’s,” said Andy. “If they’re home, they’ll take care of it. If not, we’re all going to the doctor.” Looking down at Neil’s leg, he sucked his teeth, wincing dramatically. “Graylock sure can bite.”
At the aunts’ house, the driveway was empty save for the Baptiste brothers’ bikes, which were still propped against the front porch. Andy slowed but didn’t stop, zipping toward the center of Hedston, and Neil cringed. Where could the aunts be? Shouldn’t they have been home from the grocery store by now? He supposed he deserved to feel terrible. He had done the same thing to them after all — left the house for the asylum in the woods with absolutely no hesitation, no mention of where he was going.
Hadn’t Aunt Anna been watching him cautiously since he’d arrived, as if she had something to worry about? If he wasn’t more careful, she might talk Aunt Claire into sending him to stay with his uncle in Jersey City, or worse, back home to his mother. He could forget about escaping from thoughts of his parents then.
Five minutes later, after Andy parked in front of a regal-looking white house, Bree hopped over the edge of the truck bed and opened Neil’s door for him. “Where are we?” she whispered.
Neil pointed over her shoulder. A small black sign was posted on a slightly tilted pole in the center of the white house’s large lawn. It read DR. JULIUS SIMON — FAMILY MEDICINE.
Leading the group up the stone path to the front door, Andy said, “Dr. Simon is an old friend. It’s late, but I’m sure he’ll see you.” Andy tried the knob, but it was locked. He rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, an annoyed-looking elderly woman answered. She wore a floor-length white cotton nightgown — Strange, thought Neil, since it was still daylight. When she noticed that Andy was the caller, her scowl softened. “Hi, Maude,” he said. “We’ve got a bit of an emergency here.” He turned around and indicated the motley tribe standing behind him. Neil couldn’t help but blush. “Can we pull Julius away from Wheel of Fortune for a few minutes?”