Crackerjack II

Chpt. 19: Guardsmen

Kristen licked her lips and put one hand on the wall. She didn't much care for this game. The darkness seemed so tangible that her hands itched to pull the black cloth from over her eyes. Something down the hall dripped. A scuffle behind her could have been a mouse or another player come to slice her throat. Oh, veps! She needed to do something besides stand here and give herself a heart attack.

She wondered if her dragon could feel her fear. She knew it was silly to be so afraid of a game with friends, but everything took on a sinister appearance in the darkness. Like that rattle.

Holding her breath so she wouldn't whimper, Kristen berated herself and tried to recall what tips Amelia had offered. Right, find an empty room and claim it. Or find a corner and put your back to it. Kristen figured the corner would be better; her poor heart probably couldn't handle staring at a shadowy doorway and waiting for someone to jump through. So she simply needed to follow this wall to its corner.

She breathed deeply. Once more, she listened intently for footsteps or other giveaways, but the hall was silent. Short steps, hold breath, listen for killers. That was her routine, and she followed it with fierce conviction. Otherwise, her heart screamed and rattled her rib cage in protest. Not that it didn't still bang between her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

She was beginning to wonder how long the hallway was when she noticed something was amiss. She froze and listened, trying to pinpoint the root of her sudden unease. Brow furrowed, she remained alert until it dawned on her: the dripping had been silenced. Drips didn't fix themselves. Unless a serial plumber was at work, Kristen was not the only player in this hall.

Her eyes widened as if they might get more input. Her hands clenched with her jaw. Even as she thought, It's just a game, she frantically fumbled for an opening. She was never, ever, ever, ever, never going to play this game again. What was the point of playing the hunted animal? 

Oh, veps! She was going to actually die! Not from a player but her own frantic heart, which couldn't tell the difference between a game and a threat.

Kristen stopped. The dripping was back. It only made her pulse increase. What  was going on?

She shuffled farther along the wall, praying for a doorway. At this point, she was hoping for a jail cell she could lock herself inside of. The dripping paired with the swish of her hands against the stone. Each step sent a scrape into the darkness. Until they didn't.

Kristen took another step. No noise. She swiped a hand along the wall. Nothing. In disbelief, she stomped. Not a sound. Was this a part of the game?

"Killed anybody yet, baby?"

Kristen vaulted away from the voice in her ear with a screech. Or, she would have, if a hand hadn't been clamped over her mouth. It was probably for the better. She didn't know if she could have reined in her fire if she'd jumped.

"Don't scare everybody else," Henry admonished.

"Get your hands off me!" she hissed with as much venom as she could pour into one sentence.

She felt him raise his hands and take a step back. "Hey, baby, no problem. I can respect boundaries."

"Really? First I've seen of it."

"Everybody's got different lengths." 

She bristled at the grin in his voice. 

"Just gotta find what they are, that's all."

She gritted her teeth but dared not turn her back on him. "I see you have lots of experience," she threw out instead.

He didn't answer, and Kristen's pulse increased. Had he left? Was he staring, waiting for her to let down her guard? Was he trying to scare her?