I wasn't going to post this early. Truthfully, I should be studying for a midterm right now. But, @PentaholicSmiles was so nice I couldn't resist. This is for you, hunty.
Love you all, my darlings!
Kirstie followed closely behind Scott as he led the way up the stairs to the fourth floor. She didn't know why, but she instantly trusted the tall male. Maybe it was because he was built so she knew he could protect her. He had already stated that he wanted to help. She imagined if, somehow, he had been the murderer, he wouldn't had offered to help. He would have stabbed first and not given a damn about her well-being.
The two reached the landing for the floor, and Scott peered into the narrow window on the door that showed the back room. He couldn't see much, and that worried him. Because the murderer only had a knife, he had a greater chance of escaping than if he had a gun. That didn't mean he wouldn't get hurt, however.
Scott turned to Kirstie. "I'm going to scope the area out. You stay in here and don't come out until I signal that it's okay. Understand?"
Kirstie nodded and plastered herself into the corner so she wouldn't be easily seen. She tried to control her breathing in an attempt to be as quiet as possible.
Scott opened the door, thinking his lucky stars it didn't creak. He made sure to hold the heavy door as it closed. It he had let it go, it would have banged so loudly that anyone, dead or alive would have been able to hear it. Scott crouched down as he traveled across the room. He made sure to check behind the furniture and listen closely to any noises.
Bang! A deep, male voice groaned down the hallway. Scott froze on the spot and started toward the door leading to the hallway only for Kirstie to come running at him from her position in the stairwell. "Someone's coming up the stairs!" she whispered frantically. "I only caught a glimpse. It's someone tall, and they were coming fast."
Scott pushed her behind the chair, making sure she was well hidden. "Stay right there, no matter what."
Kirstie nodded and curled herself into a ball as tightly as she could. Her heart was racing, and the pounding of her blood could be felt behind her ears. The loud noises made by whoever was coming up behind her had spooked her greatly. She watched as the taller blonde looked between the door that led to the hallway and the door to the stairwell. Surely he wasn't thinking of abandoning her.
The door flew open, and Scott's inner battle was interrupted. He spread his feet apart in order to gain better footing. His hands curled into fists, and he ground his teeth as he prepared for a fight. He had been in a few bar fights before. This one shouldn't be any different, unless it was the murderer with a knife. In that case, he would have to be extra evasive.
Luckily, Scott's preparation was for naught. The door flew open, slamming against the wall. A large, tall, dark-skinned man stepped out, a bit out of breathe and frantically searching his surroundings.
He looked Scott over and noticed his aggressive stance. When Scott made no move to attack, the man spoke. "Who are you?"
Scott loosened up, finding no immediate threat in this man. "I'm Scott Hoying. I live on the second floor. Who are you?"
"I'm Kevin Olusola. I was on the first floor when the lights went out. I got a text from my roommate that said he needed help."
Scott put two-and-two together. "I heard a groan come from the hallway. That might have been him."
Kevin made to move toward the door, but Scott stopped him. "Hold up, we need to think through this before we go barging in."
Kevin glared at Scott. "That's my brother in there. He needs my help. I'm not going to leave him to himself."
Kirstie slid out from her hiding place. "There's three of you and one of him. Just go! Before it's too late!"
Scott lessened his grip on Kevin's arm, and Kevin went running down the hallway. "Avi!" he yelled when he saw the man who was slumped on the ground.
Kirstie and Scott followed closely behind him. Kevin was kneeling on the ground by his injured friend.
"Kevin, that bastard stabbed me," Avi coughed.
Kirstie's slight experience in first aid kicked in. "Are you applying pressure to the wound?"
The bearded man glanced at the petite girl and instantly found himself admiring her looks. "Yes," he stated.
Kirstie turned to Scott. "Would you tear off some of your shirt? We need to bandage it somehow so he doesn't bleed out." While Scott was ripping his shirt, she looked at Kevin. "Kevin, right? I'm Kirstie. I'm going to need you to help him walk. He's probably going to be favoring his left side, since that's where the wound is, so you're going to be needed on his right side."
Kevin nodded. Scott offered her the strip of fabric, and she began wrapping it tightly around the male's torso, where he was stabbed. The wound was a half inch below his rib cage. Avi winced as the wound ached, but he distracted himself by gazing at the beautiful girl tending to him.
Scott walked to the end of the hall. He heard scuffling and looked up just in time to see the elevator door close. He cursed. A few seconds earlier, and I would have been able to tell who he was. Damn.
"He just went up to the next floor," he reported to the others.
Kevin helped Avi up. The man groaned and bit his lip to keep from cursing in front of Kirstie. "We need to get him out of here," Kevin said.
Scott nodded. "You two can go." He glanced at Kirstie. "Take her with you. You should be able to get out by the stairwell. I doubt the murderer is going to the bottom floor at this point."
Avi shook his head. "No way. I have to check on my sister. She was supposed to be visiting her boyfriend."
"Where's her boyfriend?" Kirstie wondered.
Avi looked around. "He should be on this floor. Darien Koop."
Scott perked up. "I know him. He's a cinematographer. I think his room number is 432."
They moved that way slowly. Scott took the lead with Kirstie at the back and the other males in the middle. "Did you see his face?" Kevin asked his friend.
"I saw his features, but I was a bit too preoccupied to worry about his face. He had on glasses, though."
Scott froze. Mitch wore glasses. Could the murderer be Mitch?
