Killing Time [radiohead fanfiction]

Eight: The Shed

I look a few times between Thom and the shed, questioning my reasoning behind staying up incredibly late for this. Truth was, I didn't necessarily believe in ghosts, but these boys could easily lock me in this shed for however long they wanted.
"How am I supposed to know you won't lock me in there for eternity?" I ask, squinting to read Thom's expression in the dark.
"You've already closed your eyes, you must trust me enough." He responds cooly, his warm breath visible in the dark night. I dislike how right he is about everything, he's annoyingly clever.
"You promise it'll be just 15 minutes?"
"Mhm, we'll time it and everything," Thom explains, holding a beat-up stopwatch. He makes a big show of restarting the timer and making sure it works. I swallow, stepping toward the small shed with uncertainty.
"If you want to tap out, knock three times. But I'd advise you to not, since you already know the consequences." The blonde adds as I open the door, exploring the interior of the shed.

I can't see much, though I can make out small stacks of paint cans and gardening tools littered across the muddy floor. Before I'm able to find a suitable place to sit, the door slams shut behind me, closing off what little light there once was. A bit of muffled talking sounds from outside but slowly fade away as so does my comfort. I fumble around the dark room, my arms outstretched to prevent from running into anything. This proves to be ineffective as I smack my head on something that hangs from the ceiling. The impact stings, but I don't feel any blood, which is good. In fear of another injury, I take a seat directly where I stand, pushing unknown objects out of the way so I can rest my back against the wall.

What feels like a few minutes passes, but I can't be exactly sure how long since Thom is in possession of the stopwatch. I sit with my knees against my chest, listening for giggling boys as an indicator of whether I'm being pranked or not. The eerie silence is suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps to my left.
"Haha, very funny. You can come out now." I say into the darkness, standing up and dusting my jeans off. Sheer silence greets me in response, and I shift awkwardly, wondering if what I heard wasn't footsteps.
"Thom?"
No answer again, and now I was starting to get scared. My breathing quickens as the eerie stillness returns to the shed until it's broken once again by footsteps, this time closer.
"Okay, you got me, I'm scared. Just stop messing around." I speak into the black that surrounds me, my voice wavering out of fear. The shed goes completely soundless again, and I begin to quietly make my way to where I think the door is. Each step I take makes me increasingly nervous, so when I knock a few of the paint cans over, I freak out and retreat from where I came. As I walk backward frantically, I hit something hard behind me, taking both me and the object down in a loud clatter. It only takes a few moments for me to realize that I'm not sitting on something, I'm sitting on someone. Frightened, I attempt to get up and crawl away, but whoever it is grabs my waist and pulls me back down.
"Calm down, I have a flashlight," Thom mutters from behind me.
"Why'd you grab me??" I questioned, frustrated that he'd been playing tricks on me this entire time.
"I didn't want you to run around and hurt yourself again, I already heard you hit your head." He explains haphazardly, focusing on digging around in his jacket pocket to retrieve his flashlight.
"A person who cares that much about my safety wouldn't try to scare me in a pitch-black room."
"I did get you pretty good, didn't I?" Thom says, his smirk audible through his voice.
"Sure, whatever makes you happy." I groan, quite annoyed with Thom's contentment. Soon enough, he pulls out the flashlight and turns it on, illuminating the shed in a yellow glow.

It's only a few moments before he shuts it off again, and I can feel his body tense up behind me.
"What's wrong?" I ask, turning to look at him.
"Shh. I think I heard someone." He mutters, craning his neck to get a better listen.
"It was probably one of the boys," I suggest in a hushed voice, but Thom responds with a head shake, bringing a finger to his lips to shush me. Holding my breath, I listen too.
"HEY! WHOEVER'S OUT HERE BETTER SHOW THEMSELVES!" An angry voice cries out, echoing into the empty night.
"We need to go," Another voice suggests, this one coming from just outside the shed.
"What about Mary and Thom?" Someone else asks, much quieter than the first.
"They're fine, just go!" The last says, followed by a barrage of quick footsteps that grow quiet. I feel Thom stand up, grabbing my arm to pull me up with him. Silently, he leads me towards a more concealed part of the shed, dragging me into his lap as we struggle to sit comfortably behind piles of boxes.
"I KNOW YOU BASTARDS ARE IN HERE!" The voice booms again, this time much closer. My breath hitches as the doorknob of the shed shakes aggressively. Thom holds my upper arm with his hand, stroking it gently with his thumb as a means of comfort, though it fails to make me feel any less frightened. After a few more seconds of struggle with the knob, the door swings open, slamming against the back wall with a force so strong the shed shakes.
"Ay! We're over here you dickhead!" Someone yells from farther away, eliciting an angry grunt from the man at the door. Angrily, he stomps off, chasing after the other voice. For a few more minutes, Thom and I sit in the same position, him slowly stroking my arm as I struggle to catch my breath.
"We need to go now." He says suddenly, helping me get back on my feet. We make our way out of the shed and back into the surrounding woods. Thom and I beeline for the school, he takes me directly to a fire escape ladder that leads to the roof.
"It's the safest option," Thom explains as he begins to climb upwards, glancing down to make sure I follow.
"I'm beginning to think I made the wrong choice in friends." I groan sarcastically, my adrenaline beginning to wear off.
"If you didn't like us, you wouldn't have done all this." He hums, pulling himself onto the roof with ease. It's very pretty on the roof, I find myself getting lost in the vast open space that surrounds the two of us.
"We can stargaze another night, you need to get to bed." The blonde argues as he practically drags me to the small roof exit. I follow begrudgingly, missing the outdoors as we make our way back to my bedroom. On arrival, we bump into the remaining four who sit scattered around my dorm.

"See? What did I tell you? They made it out just fine." Phil remarks, elbowing Ed in the stomach with a grin. Jonny's face lights up once he sees me, seemingly happy that I didn't get in any trouble.
"You survived!"
"Surprisingly, yes." I smile, quite proud of not getting caught, though I suppose I owe that mostly to Thom.
"Was it you that yelled, Ed?" The blonde questions, approaching the taller with an eyebrow raised.
"Believe it or not, it was Jonny. He's a bit more fiery than I had originally thought." Ed explains, much to our surprise. I turn to Jonny with wide eyes, and he averts his gaze with red cheeks.
"You totally saved us, I thought we were goners until you called him a dickhead." This compliment brings Jonny's gaze back to me as he responds with an awkward grin.
"I've never been prouder!" Colin exclaims, ruffling his little brother's hair.
"I get that we're relieved and all, but Miss Mary Jane needs some sleep, don't you think?" Ed says as he motions towards my clock which displays a bright 11:47.
"I suppose so. You're in the pact now, officially." Thom explains, much to my delight. I watch awkwardly as everyone exits, happy to finally be able to sleep.