"Nightmare at Emerald High" by Joana James

Malcolm raced toward the end of the hallway; he had to get to that back exit. If he remembered correctly, it was down the hall and to the right. Maybe if he ran fast enough his pursuer wouldn’t realize what direction he’d gone in and he might be able to escape. Tonight the hallway felt longer than he remembered; he felt like he’d never get to the end. He ran endlessly, but the corner seemed to be getting further away. Suddenly, the scene around him changed and he was in a room full of boxes. Amidst the boxes he could see his pursuer near the doorway looking for him and he hid behind a tall stack. Still trying to escape he attempted to move with stealth looking for another hiding place but he was exhausted. He tripped over his own feet and landed hard against the stack and sent the whole thing crashing. His pursuer turned sharply toward the sound and fired two shots in his direction. Malcolm wasted no time and vaulted over the fallen boxes. His pursuer was right behind him.