After everyone on both remaining floors was fully disclosed to our ever worsening development, there wasn't much else for us to do except wait. Wait for some kind of signal. Wait for the storm to stop. Wait for the flood water to decrease. People had sectioned off into their own little groups as instructed while Lander and his group stood guard by the bathroom door to preserve the crime scene. I was sitting on the floor with my surviving members of Team One.
"When we get out of this, I'd like to soak up some sun at a very dry location." Bea said in a soft and daydreamy tone. "You know, I've never seen the Grand Canyon. Maybe I'll go there one day."
"I'd like to go skydiving." Randall joined in on the hopeful conversation.
"I want to get married and have a ton of children." Said Debra.
"I've always wanted a dog." Daniel grinned.
"You still couldn't get a dog." Bea laughed at him. "You can barely remember to feed yourself. Don't put a dog through that."
"What about you?" Randall asked me. "What's the one thing you want?"
Without realizing it, my eyes met Bea's. I felt my heart flutter a bit. No way was I about to say that. Instead, I let out a very long and tired sigh, "Coffee. I just want a cup of coffee." I pushed myself up and started towards the break room without much of a second thought.
We lost power yet again. Something about the surrounding darkness made people lose their composure. Where once people were in tight but comfortable groups, now everyone was back to fending for themselves. Everyone was casting their flashlights into everyone else's eyes. I slipped into the break room to avoid that commotion. I set my phone on the counter, casting the light up at the ceiling while I poured my very cold cup of coffee into a mug. For a little extra pick-me-up, I added a few packets of sugar. I tested the flavor. Horrible. It would do. I stood there at the counter a moment. Not wanting to move. Not wanting to join the mob outside. I wanted a little peace and quiet while I sipped on potentially the last cup of coffee I would ever have. This would be a moment that I could look back on and remember the calm before the storm.
The door to the break room opened, letting a small beacon of flashlight beams in. Team One had finally found me. They filed through the door just for Randall to trip over something dark at his feet. He managed to catch himself just as the generator fought to give us another round of power. That was when we all saw it. The thing that Randall had tripped over. The body of a headless man.
Debra let out one of her world-famous, bloodcurdling screams of horror. The rest of us just stared in silent shock. Of course, within seconds, the hoard outside had gathered around the door to see the commotion. Lander pushed his way through and froze when he saw what remained of the man.
"It was him!" Debra pointed accusingly in my direction. "He was alone! He wandered in here and did this!"
"What?!" I exclaimed in shock, "I didn't do this! He was here already! I guess I just missed him in the dark!"
"It had to be you! No one else was in here!" She backed away to stand closer to Lander, "I can't be the only one that noticed that after that woman was murdered in the bathroom, Tucker changed his shirt! Hiding something!?"
"Seriously, Debra!" I looked up the apparent jury of my peers, "I spilled coffee on my shirt! Coffee! I didn't murder anyone!"
"Let's be reasonable." Daniel stood between her and I with his hands outstretched, as if we were raptors to tame, "Tucker wandered away from the group just now, yes. He was gone for about three minutes. So. Does anyone here know how long, roughly, ballpark it, it takes to decapitate someone?"
