Dead Air by Michelle Schusterman (best books under 200 pages txt) 📕

what a dumb move it was, I smacked the knife out of Emily’s hand. It clattered across the floor toward the edge, and she dove after it with a cry, dropping her phone. I seized the lever and yanked as hard as I could.

It wouldn’t budge.

“Come on, come on,” I said frantically, throwing all my weight into it. But the lever was jammed.

Emily scooped up the knife and spun around just as I grabbed her phone. I lunged for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time without looking back to see if she was following.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

FLIGHT OF THE INVISIBLE PRISONERS

WARNING! High Voltage

I sprinted across the small courtyard, half-expecting to feel a knife slash across my back at any second. Bursting through the doors, I ran straight to the end of the corridor and took the first right, then a left, then another left. Finally, I slowed my pace and listened for the sound of footsteps. But all I heard was my own quick, shallow breathing. I was alone.

Any relief I felt at having escaped Emily vanished when I remembered the crew wandering through the courtyard, clueless about the live electric fence. Fingers shaking, I swiped Emily’s smartphone on as I retraced my steps back to where I’d left Oscar.

“No reception. Perfect.” I tried cramming the phone into my pocket, but there wasn’t room. “Oh!” I pulled the walkie-talkie out as I hurried around the last corner. “Dad? Jess? Is anyone . . . ?” I trailed off, coming to a halt. Oscar was gone.

“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay. Now what.”

Emily’s phone suddenly blared with sound, startling me so badly I almost dropped it. I stared at the screen in disbelief. A video had started to play. And not just any video.

“Are you ready?”

“Shh!” I hissed, pressing buttons frantically as the lighthouse footage played. But the phone wouldn’t turn off. I glanced around, terrified Emily would hear it and find me.

On the screen, Lidia’s eyes flew open. This was the same video that Anonymous—Emily, not Roland—had posted in the forums. Lidia stared right into the hidden camera, right at me. Then the bulb exploded, and the scene went dark until Roland flung the door open. I watched him hurry to Lidia’s side, check her pulse, slump over with relief when she responded. He ignored Emily’s question about the fake lightbulbs and ordered her to turn off the camera. But this time, the clip continued.

Emily pulled the camera off the tripod, her eyes glued to Sam, whose head was in his hands. A few seconds later, Jess burst into the room.

“Lidia!” she cried, hurrying over to the table. Sam lowered his hands, and Jess glared at him. “You did it anyway, didn’t you?” she said bitterly. “You tried to contact Levi. I told you she couldn’t handle it.”

“Excuse me.” Lidia lifted her head. “It was my decision, not Sam’s. I wanted to speak to my brother, Jess.”

“I know, but . . .” Jess’s face crumpled. “Lidia, your heart’s not strong enough for this.”

Lidia ignored her and started to stand. Roland took her by the elbow and slowly, they shuffled out of the room. Jess and Sam followed, eyes downcast. Emily waited until they were gone before hurrying over to the hidden camera—the phone I was holding. Her hand stretched toward the screen, and a moment later, it went black.

I exhaled shakily. Sam had contacted Lidia’s brother in the lighthouse. Lidia’s brother, who had died when they were teenagers. Levi.

The boy ghost.

I looked up, half-expecting to see him, and just barely managed not to scream.

At the far end of the corridor, Lidia stood silently, glowering at me.

“Lidia?” My voice shook. “I want to help you. Can you hear me?”

Creeeeeeeeak.

My breath caught in my throat. Lidia slowly raised her arms, and all down the corridor, each and every cell door opened as if attached to her wrists with string.

“Levi,” I whispered desperately. “What do I do? I don’t know how to help her.” Even as the words escaped my lips, images flickered through my mind like a slideshow. Lidia’s eyes flying open as the lightbulb exploded, Lidia collapsing when I snapped her picture, Sonja’s spirit leaving her body crumpled on the ground . . . the lights, the flash . . .

Strobe lights can trigger my seizures, so that meant no concerts or haunted houses. Not that that stopped me.

“Oh!” Cramming Emily’s phone and the walkie-talkie into my jacket pockets, I pulled out the Elapse and held it up.

Flash.

Blinking, I could just make out Lidia slumping against the wall. I glanced at the viewfinder and sucked in a breath. Because Lidia wasn’t the only person in the picture. In front of each cell was the outline of a man.

The prisoners were free.

At the end of the hall, Lidia pulled herself up and fled around the corner. A chill blew through the hall after her as the ghosts followed.

I raced down the corridor and turned the corner just as Lidia burst through a set of doors. The courtyard—Red Leer was leading the ghosts to the courtyard to make their escape. The electric fence couldn’t hurt a ghost.

But it would kill Lidia.

I burst through the doors into the courtyard, my lungs aching. I might be able to save Lidia from Red Leer. But not if she reached the fence first.

Distant shouts reached my ears, and I squinted across the expansive field. For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion as I took in the scene.

Lidia, running flat out for the fence. Jess, throwing her camera aside and sprinting after her from the opposite end of the courtyard, Dad right on her heels.

Sam backing up to the fence near the entrance as Emily approached him, knife in hand.

“The fence!” I shouted at him. “The fence is on!” But I was still too far away. No matter how fast I ran, there was no way I could reach Sam in time. But I was much closer to Lidia than the others.

My leg muscles screamed in protest as I tore after her. She’d nearly reached the