The Risen: Dawning Read Online Free PDF Page A

us. This is the same set of doors that Conroy must have passed through a thousand times, but now they cause him to hide behind me, peaking around my legs with wide blue eyes. I feel his fear vibrate up my body and place my hand on his back, pulling him closer and trying to calm him. His head rests against the back of my thigh as I call out to Ashley, still staring at the clown-inspired “Adventure Land” décor style shades of the hallway.
    “Hey, wait up a minute.” I call out to her.
    It is shocking to see the Princess of Arguments not only stop but also actually walk back towards me the few steps that have lingered between us this whole path. The out of character response leads Conroy to cling tighter to me, reading his sister’s actions as not obedient, but her own form of fears.
    “Let me check it first.” I find myself impressed by my voice’s certainty of that decision even as I am being met with two sets of wide eyes of disbelief.
    “So you just want us to wait here in the hallway alone?” There are those crossed arms of Ashley’s again. “Did you think that through or just open your mouth and let the sounds rolls out like normal?”
    I admit it, I am having a few thoughts of volunteering her first through the door but she is right. Leaving them alone when I am not sure what is exactly going on is perhaps not the best plan of mine to date. Besides, everyone knows the one standing in the back of the group gets to say hello to the monster first. I pull Conroy into the space between us and smile into her glaring blue eyes that so remind me of our Father’s right now.
    “You two can wait inside this classroom. Just shut the door and wait for me.” I point to yet another pastel nightmare across from us. This one seems to be themed with Mary’s Little Lamb. It does nothing to inspire courage with my decisions. Nor do the many painted black eyes staring out at us bring comfort to Conroy as he cocks one eyebrow up at me with the disbelief of his own.
    I force a smile of encouragement and untangle him from my legs, passing the torch of comfort giving to our sister. Rolling her eyes, with the ability of a teen pro, she leads them both into the classroom, closing the door behind her. I motion with my hands through the door’s glass rectangle window to the two sets of eyes staring at me to turn the lock. I wait for the metallic click that signals that they are secure with Mary watching over them. The noise seems to echo louder than it should have the power to in this hallway. With no other delays I can find, I feel their eyes following me to the gym doors as we put my so well thought out plan into action. I hope those lambs in that room are the ones Mary kept as pets and not the ones led to slaughter because I am not sure on which side of the door which lambs are which at this moment.

Chapter 6
    I am grateful that the narrow rectangle window only allows for a certain degree of a vantage point as I stand here before the double doors. I do not want them to see just how afraid I really am. The cold metal of the door handle drains me of all the false bravado I was presenting just moments ago to them as soon as my hand rests on it. My heart races from the silence that whispers from the other side. A school full of elementary aged kids should not be this silent. I am sure there are many teachers, on many days, in many schools, that wish it to be possible, but it just is not.
    Humans are not silent creatures as a rule. We are quiet, but we are not silent. We shuffle. We breathe. We fidget. In some small degree, being alive means sound. This is why pure silence is the very core of fear. This is why we glance around subconsciously when we suddenly find ourselves alone in the thick of that silence. This is why our minds will seek to fill the void when silence tries to surround us with random thoughts and to-do lists yet to be done. So what option does that leave waiting for me on the other side of these doors? What shadow