The noise - Cecil couldn't call it a scream, it was completely inhuman - rattled inside his skull, causing him to flinch back, eyes wide. His head flailed, trying to find the source, but he could not see beyond the infinite and unnatural darkness in the halls. Fear gripped his heart like an icy hand, squeezing him dry of anything else.
When it finally ended, Cecil forced himself to breathe again, drawing up as straight as he could stand. There was nothing else, until Jack spoke again.
"Let's go," he said, igniting a wildfire of fearful whimpers and whispers from the other students.
Cecil chuckled passively, a sound almost lost in the din of worry. He had donned his armour of indifference, the only thing he could do to prevent himself from panicking like the rest. "Pretty sure anyone here can find their own way to the auditorium," he said, stepping towards Jack. Cecil stood nearly a hand's length taller, and he declined his head to meet the other student's eyes. "Shouldn't we try to turn the lights on? Or maybe figure out what the fuck that sound was?" There must be something in the basement they could do, until the sun came out of hiding.