Partners for Life

Chapter Five: Sneaking Out

When they got back to the Program, Shelby and Rich went their seperate ways, and never crossed paths, until that night. Shelby changed into her sleepwear, to not attract suspicion from her bunkmates. After the lights went out, Shelby sat up on her bunk, so she wouldn't fall asleep. After a while, she looked at the clock, and when it said ten-fifteen, she slowly climbed down the ladder, and walked towards the door. She tried it, and sure enough, it was unlocked. She made her way to the dining hall, but didn't do so very well, because everything was dark. "Rich!" She whispered when she could feel the rough bricks in front of the dining hall. No answer. She looked at the clock inside the dining hall, and it read ten twenty-four. "Okay, I'm a little bit early." She mumbled, and went into the hall, sitting down on a bench near the door. After a while, there was a flashlight coming from the hallway. She could hear footsteps growing closer, so Shelby hid.

"Shelby?" Shelby heard Rich whisper. "Phew. I'm here, Rich." She said, standing up. He pointed the flashlight at her. "Hey, you made it." He whispered. "So, what do you want to do now?" Shelby asked. "Eat." He started to head to the counter. "But it's locked." She said. "Not really, if you have the right tools." He held the flashlight up to his face, and winked at her, holding a lockpick. "Rich! We aren't allowed to have snacks." Shelby whispered. "I know. We're not having snacks, we're having ice cream." He bent down to examine the lock. "Here, hold this please." Rich handed her the flashlight. She took it, and finally had a good look at him. He was in his sleepwear, too, a tank top that pushed against his muscles, just the same as the girls, but they had sweatpants instead of shorts.

"Got it! Now, what kind of ice cream do you want, chocolate or vanilla?" Rich asked, reaching for the flashlight. "Vanilla." Shelby answered, handing him the flashlight. "Thanks. Alright, lightswtch is..." He looked around the doorframe. "Here. Let there be light." He flipped the switch, and the lights came on. He smiled, and grabbed her hand, leading her to the freezer. "Here we go, ice cream." Rich said with a smile, doing jazz hands to the freezer. "Wow! There's so much here! Why don't they ever give us any?" Shelby asked. "Because this is all reserved for the Instructor." Rich answered. "Oh. Then we shouldn't take it, Rich." Shelby said, turning away. He grabbed her hand and spun her around for her to look at him. "She won't miss it. And besides, ice cream is meant to be eaten. And when was the last time you had ice cream?" He asked. She smiled, and went to the freezer. "Chocolate or vanilla?" She asked.

They ate ice cream in the kitchen for a little while, and they talked about a lot of things that happened to them in the last five years. "Ooh, can we go see what one of the Dark Rooms looks like in the light?" Shelby asked. "Yeah, sure. I'm done with my ice cream." He said, sticking the ice cream tubs in the back of the freezer instead of the front. "Are you ready?" He asked by the lightswitch. "Yes. Let's go." Shelby walked out of the kitchen, and into the hallway. Rich turned out the lights, and locked the kitchen door behind them. "Let's go." He said, turning the flashlight on. Shelby held his hand the way there, and when they turned down the hallway to the Dark Rooms, she let go. She chose one that was unlocked, meaning there were no students in it, and opened the door. What they saw, Shelby couldn't have ever imagined.

There were red splotches of blood along the black walls, and tick marks carved into the wall. There wasn't a light bulb above them, but there was a mirror for some reason. The mirror was old and dusty, and the floors were concrete, with even more blood, and a pile of throw up in one corner. Shelby grabbed Rich's hand again, and gasped. He ducked his head, and sighed. "Let's go, I prefer this room in the dark." Rich said quietly. Shelby turned with him, but the door had disappeared. The place there once was a door, there was just black. Rich let go of Shelby's hand, and went to the door. It had closed behind them, so they were trapped in the Dark Room.