Blackout

5. MICHELLE

My feet carried me to the first exit I could find; the h-wing emergency exit. Pressing against the door, it wouldn't open. Using all of my strength, it still wouldn't budge. In panic I dashed to the lobby, seeing a bloodied security guard on the floor. The same thing happened when I tried opening the front doors; they were locked. None of the doors would open. Running to the first classroom I saw, I jostled the knob but it wouldn't unlock. Same with the following room.

Each emergency exit was locked, each classroom door locked.

My chest tightened in realization; I was trapped inside.

Peeping into one of the classrooms, hoping for someone to open the door, was a terrible idea too. The sight before me made my stomach sick. Blood everywhere, pooling around the mutilated bodies spread across the floor. The wounds weren't even normal, it looked like everyone was either slashed or stabbed. Each room I checked was the same; death and gore.

Giving up at escape, my first priority became to hide. Those psychopaths could be anywhere, I stilled; they could be watching me right this second. My eyes darted around the deserted hall only to see it actually be empty. The tension in my body remained, for all I knew they could pop out at any minute. I stayed vigilant as I made my way to the closest bathroom. Hopefully I could hide there.

Peeping around the corner, my eyes scanned the hall before focusing on a body a few feet from me. Taking one final look, making sure no one was waiting down the hall to see me, I brought myself over to the limp person. Turning the teen over, I heard a light groan, he was alive! A dampened chuckle echoed through hall, my body freezing up, but not for much longer if he stays out in the open.

Grasping his arms, my legs ache in pain as I drag the boy into the bathroom. We reach the farthest end of the stalls, the boy grunting in pain every so often. I lean him against the wall as I sit myself down as well. Taking a closer look at him I recognize him as my art partner. What was his name? Romulus? No. Regulus? No. I don't remember, really. It was unimportant at the time.

While sitting on the cold floor my mind turns to Minnie. Thinking about my best friend had a few tears leaking from my eyes. How could I have left her there? She could be dead now for all I know, and I could have forced her to move. It was just, hearing those gunshot frenzied my mind. My brain froze and on instinct I ran.

I held my temple in the palm of my hands, my elbows resting on my knees as sobs took over my body. Minnie was always there for me. She comforted me when I was upset, brought me out of my comfort zone, and always thought about herself second for me; and I just abandoned her to face a group of murderers with guns.

My body shook as tears streaked my face.

How could I have been so selfish?

A shift next to me brought my attention to the boy across from me. My eyes raked his body as I took in his state. It looked like he had taken one hell of a hit; busted lip, bruised cheek, and a bleeding cut on his temple. At least he was alive, unlike all the kids in those classrooms. His eyes slowly opened with a grimace as he wrapped an arm around his torso.

Blinking for focus, he stared at me for a moment, "You're my art partner, aren't you?"

My reply was a simple nod, I couldn't trust my voice to stay strong.

"Mikayla, right?"

I shook my head, "Michelle. Regulus?"

He shook his, "Remus."

"What happened to you?"

"Crowbar, you?"

My shoulders shrugged, "Heard gunshots and bolted."

He nodded, "Fair."

A comfortable silence fell over the two of us. My mind went to Minnie once more, then a plan popped into my head; Inspired by my missing friend. Mulling it over, everything seemed to work out. Turning to Remus, I saw a contemplative look flash in his eyes. I guess his thoughts were just as much occupied as my own. A tap on his shoulder made him turn to me.

"All the exits are locked so we need a different way out of this school," Remus quirked his brow.

"Windows?" He suggested.

"Always locked and made of a hard plastic," I paused before continuing, "The basement is the plan."

When Remus didn't completely shut down the idea, I elaborated my reasoning. According to Minnie, there are dozens of tunnels and pathways beneath the school. She always filled me in on the history and use behind the mysterious corridors. They stemmed from the basement and created a massive concrete maze. Apparently, this building used to be a military base, the tunnels used for easy access across the base. While the building itself was renovated for a high school, the basement remained as it was for the base.

"-which means most of the exits are still intact; our path to escaping this building."