The Water Spout

Campus

"Allie! Psst.!" A woman's voice cut through the quad's nightly festivities. It was rush week and ...

Okay, truth be told, I have no idea what's going on.

Just a bunch of drunk and or high twenty-somethings running around like tonight's the last night of their lives.

"Allie! Over here!" The woman kept hissing.

"Uh, Pam, that's not her name," some other middle-aged faculty lady I didn't know interrupted. "Aella! Can you help us?"

Crap... I don't want to get involved.

I put down the full trash bags in my hands and snorted an irritated puff through my lips.

"Yes, Ma'am," I trotted up to the two professors. No wait, according to their badges, they're members of the librarian staff. "How can I help?"

I had three years left in high school. Still, no matter how my grades panned out before my senior year, I had no intention of applying to this party pit of a state college.

"There's someone asking for you," Pam snooted her chin over my head with a weird, crooked smirk.

Yeah, I know lady, I'm short. Tell me something we both don't already know...

"This way," Pam spun on her practical flat heel and waved for me to follow.

"Right-O," I bounced in the affirmative. Then I ticked her off when I darted back to collect my custodial cart with the two full trash bags tossed up on top.

...

"They need you down there," Pam and her cohort huddled together, pointing down a dark, steep concrete stairwell.

We were way out on the dead-end of campus. No one else was around, and I knew for certain that the two enormous buildings towering on either side of the alley were locked up tight for the night.

I assumed hazing was only inflicted on the real freshmen.

And these bitches don't even know my name!

"Okay, thanks for coming to get me," I smiled bright and padded happily down the bleak, empty, unlit staircase.

The women were whispering to one another, not about me.. no.. they're scared!

Ugg, I just want to do my job!

I didn't let their stupid hang-ups stop me, I just kept my size five's hopping straight on down to the bottom.

I saw a corner and spotted movement. Something above tucked away into the shadows.

I made the turn and suddenly there was a face coming right at me!

"Ah!" I yipped with a jolt.

A man was hanging from the ceiling sideways, tangled in a bunch of wires.

"AHHH!" He screamed when my face stopped abruptly in front of his.

"What the hell, dude!?" I laughed and pushed his face.

He was a young fellow, kinda slender with short straight platinum white hair.

Was it just me, or were his eyes purple?

"How did you get in here?" The man squirmed, but couldn't break loose from the wires. He wore a jet-black zipped-up jumpsuit with a slick embroidered name patch that read Teku. "It's not safe here."

"I think I'm here to help you," I spotted a conspicuously thick yellow wire and yanked.

THUNK

The man crashed to the floor with a groan.