The Combination (Night Fall ™)

by Andrew Karre

  He was turning to leave when his eye was caught by someone standing under the trees just outside the police line. It was Miranda! He waved and began to jog over. This, he knew now, was why he’d come here.

  “Miranda!” he called as he crossed the parking lot. She turned and smiled. Dante felt so happy. He stopped feeling happy as soon as he saw Vincent was sitting on the ground next to Miranda. Dante stopped running. He walked up to them slowly.

  “I was hoping we’d see you here,” said Miranda. Dante grunted.

  “Vincent thinks we could have suffered a mass hallucination.” They all gazed at the crater in front of them.

  “It’s all over the news,” Dante finally said.

  “Yeah, I saw,” said Vincent unexpectedly. “I liked your statement, man. But Spangler’s blabbing all about it.”

  Dante shrugged.

  Miranda touched his arm. “You were great, Dante,” she said softly. “We never would have gotten everyone out if it weren’t for you.” She had tears in her eyes.

  “You were great, too,” said Dante, trying to control his voice. Miranda gave him a watery smile. “Hey, hey, I provided some illumination, remember?” said Vincent, standing up and moving closer to Miranda.

  She looked away and wiped her eyes. “I know it’s weird, but I feel bad that Mrs. Konstantinos didn’t make it out.”

  Dante and Vincent nodded, not knowing what to say.

  “Well, I should—I think there’s practice today later,” said Dante finally, jamming his hands in his pockets. “I’ll see you later.” He started to walk away.

  “Hey! Dante! You should think about the Numismatic Club when we sign up for extracurriculars next week. We’d love to have ya!” Vincent yelled.

  Dante waved and turned away. He thought he saw a figure in black inside the police tape. He shook his head and just kept walking.

  Epilogue

  Principal Jones could hardly believe it when he tore open the envelope. It had arrived by special delivery at his temporary office at St. Philomena Middle School. Inside was a check and note. The note was written in flowing handwriting on old, yellowed paper: “For the new St. Philomena, to be built on the ruins of the old.” A bank in Moldova had issued the check. For ten million dollars.

  Jones’s mouth was still wide open in shock when someone knocked at the door. “Come— come in,” he stuttered.

  A woman in black emerged from the dark hallway. “Principal Jones,” she said, “I understand your new school will need a qualified librarian.”

  Everything’s fine in Bridgewater. Really . . .

  Or is it?

  Look for all the titles from the

  Night Fall collection.

  THE CLUB

  Bored after school, Josh and his friends decide to try out an old board game. The group chuckles at Black Magic’s promises of good fortune. But when their luck starts skyrocketing—and horror strikes their enemies—the game stops being funny. How can Josh stop what he’s unleashed? Answers lie in an old diary—but ending the game may be deadlier than any curse.

  THE COMBINATION

  Dante only thinks about football. Miranda’s worried about applying to college. Neither one wants to worry about a locker combination too. But they’ll have to learn their combos fast—if they want to survive. Dante discovers that an insane architect designed St. Philomena High, and he’s made the school into a doomsday machine. If too many kids miss their combinations, no one gets out alive.

  FOUL

  Rhino is one of Bridgewater best basketball players— except when it comes to making free throws. It’s not a big deal, until he begins receiving strange threats. If Rhino can’t make his shots at the free throw line, someone will start hurting the people around him. Everyone’s a suspect: a college recruiter, Rhino’s jealous best friend, and the father Rhino never knew—who recently escaped from prison.

  LAST DESSERTS

  Ella loves to practice designs for the bakery she’ll someday own. She’s also one of the few people not to try the cookies and cakes made by a mysterious new baker. Soon the people who ate the baker’s treats start acting oddly, and Ella wonders if the cookies are to blame. Can her baking skills help her save her best friend—and herself?

  THE LATE BUS

  Lamar takes the “late bus” home from school after practice each day. After the bus’s beloved driver passes away, Lamar begins to see strange things—demonic fgures, preparing to attack the bus. Soon he learns the demons are after Mr. Rumble, the freaky new bus driver. Can Lamar rescue his fellow passengers, or will Rumble’s past come back to destroy them all?

  LOCK-IN

  The Fresh Start Lock-In was supposed to bring the students of Bridgewater closer together. Jackie didn’t think it would work, but she didn’t think she’d have to fight for her life, either. A group of outsider kids who like to play werewolf might not be playing anymore. Will Jackie and her brother escape Bridgewater High before morning? Or will a pack of crazed students take them down?

  MESSAGES FROM BEYOND

  Some guy named Ethan has been texting Cassie. He seems to know all about her—but she can’t place him. Cassie thinks one of her friends is punking her. But she can’t ignore how Ethan looks just like the guy in her nightmares. The search for Ethan draws her into a struggle for her life. Will Cassie be able to break free from her mysterious stalker?

  THE PRANK

  Pranks make Jordan nervous. But when a group of popular kids invite her along on a series of practical jokes, she doesn’t turn them down. As the pranks begin to go horribly wrong, Jordan and her crush Charlie work to discover the cause of the accidents. Is the spirit of a prank victim who died twenty years earlier to blame? And can Jordan stop the fnal prank, or will the haunting continue?

  THE PROTECTORS

  Luke’s life has never been “normal.” His mother holds séances and his crazy stepfather works as Bridgewater’s mortician. But living in a funeral home never bothered Luke—until his mom’s accident. Then the bodies in the funeral home start delivering messages to him, and Luke is certain he’s going nuts. When they start offering clues to his mother’s death, he has no choice but to listen.

  SKIN

  It looks like a pizza exploded on Nick Barry’s face. But a bad rash is the least of his problems. Something sinister is living underneath Nick’s skin. Where did it come from? What does it want? With the help of a dead kid’s diary, Nick slowly learns the answers. But there’s still one question he must face: how do you destroy an evil that’s inside you?

  THAW

  A storm caused a major power outage in Bridgewater. Now a project at the Institute for Cryogenic Experimentation is ruined, and the thawed-out bodies of twenty-seven federal inmates are missing. At frst, Dani didn’t think much of the news. Then her best friend Jake disappeared. To get him back, Dani must enter a dangerous alternate reality where a defrosted inmate is beginning to act like a god.

  UNTHINKABLE

  Omar Phillips is Bridgewater High’s favorite local teen author. His Facebook fans can’t wait for his next horror story. But lately Omar’s imagination has turned against him. Horrifying visions of death and destruction come at him with wide-screen intensity. The only way to stop the visions is to write them down. Until they start coming true . . .

  BAd DEAl

  Fish hates taking his ADHD meds. They help him concentrate, but they also make him feel weird. When a cute girl needs a boost to study for tests, Fish offers her a pill. Soon more kids want pills, and Fish likes the profits. To keep from running out, Fish finds a doctor who sells phony prescriptions. After the doctor is arrested, Fish decides to tell the truth. But will that cost him his friends?

  BEAtEN

  Paige is a cheerleader. Ty’s a football star. They seem like the perfect couple. But when they have their first fight, Ty scares Paige with his anger. Then after losing a game, Ty goes ballistic and hits Paige. Ty is arrested for assault, but Paige still secretly meets up with him. What’s worse—flinching eve
ry time your boyfriend gets angry, or being alone?

  BENito RUNS

  Benito’s father has been in Iraq for over a year. When he returns, Benito’s family life is not the same. Dad suffers from PTSD—post-traumatic stress disorder—and yells constantly. Benito can’t handle seeing his dad so crazy, so he decides to run away. Will Benny find a new life? Or will he learn how to deal with his dad—through good times and bad?

  PlAN B

  Lucy has her life planned: she’ll graduate high school and join her boyfriend at college in Austin. She’ll become a Spanish teacher and of course they’ll get married. So there’s no reason to wait to sleep together, right? They try to be careful, but Lucy gets pregnant. Lucy’s plan is gone. How will she make the most difficult decision of her life?

  REcRUitEd

  Kadeem is Southside High’s star quarterback. College scouts are seeking him out. One recruiter even introduces him to a college cheerleader and gives him money to have a good time. But then officials start to investigate illegal recruiting. Will Kadeem decide to help their investigation, though it means the end of the good times? What will it do to his chances of playing in college?

  ShAttEREd StAR

  Cassie is the best singer at Southside. She dreams of being famous. Cassie skips school to try out for a national talent competition. But her hopes sink when she sees the line. Then a talent agent shows up and tells Cassie she has “the look” he wants. Soon she is lying and missing glee club rehearsal to meet with him. And he’s asking her for more each time. How far will Cassie go for her shot at fame?