"Maybe later." She gestured for the boys to walk.
"Just a couple quick questions. I promise."
A flicker of a smile disappeared as she said, "As you can see, the boys are not properly dressed to be outside. Their comfort and health are the most important things to me right now. So, like I said, maybe later, Lou."
"Okay. I'm sorry. Please take the young men home."
She directed the boys toward the street.
Once the three had walked a distance, Lou signaled for Dave to head toward the main building. Frustrated, he huffed, "Dammit."
* * *
Stretched out in the back of an ambulance, Hailey opened her eyes and immediately squinted, the light too bright. Gradually, her blurry vision faded, and she was able to focus on the woman to her right. "Mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart. It's me. Relax."
"I don't . . . What happened?" She covered her eyes. "Am I hurt?"
"No. You need to rest."
A man said, "Your mother's right. Take it easy. You may have experienced a neurological issue."
Hailey glanced at the interior of the ambulance. The vehicle didn't seem to be moving. "Am I going to the hospital?"
"I just need to check your stats and ask a few questions," he said. "Then your mother can take you home."
"What neurological issue?"
"Do you remember what happened?"
Incredulous, she responded, "Yeah. Some of the kids had seizures. Jasmine and I freaked out and left. But everyone else was trying to get out of the building too. But then . . . um, something. I don't know."
"You had a seizure," he said.
Her mind clouded with a flurry of frightening thoughts. "I didn't have a seizure. How could I?" Then she cried. "What happened to the other kids happened to me too?"
He nodded.
Tears flooded her eyes. "Then I saw the same thing they did? I acted the same way and said the same thing?"
He crouched next to her. "You don't remember anything?"
Hailey clutched her mother's hand. Surging with fright, she sobbed, "Mom. Did I say that I saw the devil? Is that what I said? Is that what happened to me? Did I see the devil?"
"Sweetheart, calm down."
"No. Mom, tell me. Is that what I said?"
Her mother glanced at the paramedic.
He said, "Hailey. Just like everyone else who suffered the same kind of seizure, the only thing you said was that you saw the devil."
Hailey slapped her hands over her mouth and wept. "Oh, my God. No. Oh, please Lord, protect me from evil."
Her mind reeled. Her stomach burned. And then she threw up.
* * *
Once they'd arrived home, Conner's mother ordered the boys upstairs. "Take a hot shower and then put on some nice, warm clothes." So, he stood under the hot stream of water while Adam sat on the vanity in the warm misty bathroom.
"Gonna call Lou?" Adam asked.
"I'll call him later."
"You think he knows something about what happened to everyone today?"
"He's a paranormal investigator," Conner said. "I'm sure he knows all about this kind of stuff."
"I hope so. I'm starting to get a little freaked out that the devil crap is still going on. Maybe everyone who said they saw the devil is possessed now."
Conner wondered if Jared had experienced the same delusional seizure that the kids at school suffered. Did Jared see the devil at Lake Bantam? Is that how he'd become possessed? And the kids at school, were they still under some hypnotic spell? Or were the paramedics able to revive those affected?
What about Hailey? What did she feel and see? Did she truly see the devil as they'd all claimed?
Had Conner imagined a sinister element to the shadow on the classroom wall? And if so, why had it attracted Melanie's attention? Had it caused her seizure? What if he hadn't chosen to ignore the shadow? Would he have suffered the seizure and claimed to see the devil?
Asking himself the series of questions, Conner realized he didn't understand any of it. To try and make sense of it all, he needed to call Lou sooner than later.
Dressed and comfortable, he entered the bathroom with Adam's phone in hand. "When you get out, I want to call Lou."
"Just do it now. You know he's waiting to talk to us."
"Fingerprint or code?"
"Zero, zero, eight, five, zero, zero."
"What the? Ohhh . . . I get it." Grinning, he shook his head as he turned toward his room. "I'll try calling Trevor again too."
"Yep, yep."
Conner sat on the edge of the bed and selected the most recent phone call received. It only rang once.
"Hey, Adam. How are you guys doing?" Lou asked.
"It's Conner."
"Oh, Conner. Good to hear from you. Are you guys all right?"
"We're fine."
"You wanna tell me about what happened at the school?"
"Actually, I have a few questions of my own. Maybe we can meet later. I'll answer your questions, and then you can answer mine."
"Sure. That's fine. When and where?"
"Um. Not sure. Let me figure it out, then we'll text or call you back. Unless you're busy later."
"I've got time for you. My evening is pretty much free."
"Great. So, we'll talk to you soon, then."
"All right."
Conner ended the call and then lay back on the bed. As far as he knew, the school still hadn't contacted his mother about his belongings. He wanted his phone and backpack. Someone had already mentioned that the school might be closed the next day. There was no school scheduled on Wednesday anyway because of the Thanksgiving holiday. He didn't want to wait until the following Monday to get his stuff.
He entered Adam's passcode, then searched for Trevor's contact. Expecting the call to go to voicemail, he was surprised when Trevor answered. He shot upright. "Damn, dude. What the hell?"
"Yeah, I know. I didn't have my phone, but my mom knew some of the cops, so she bitched until I got my stuff back."
"Wish my mom worked at the county attorney's office." He walked into the bathroom, where he found Adam in front of the mirror, flossing his teeth. "Flossing. Really?"
Adam simply smiled. "I need clothes."
"You
