It was dark when she woke up, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. But when her back and neck flared up in pain, she became aware of the desk she was sitting at. The jacket she found last night did little to ease the ache in her ear.
Why is it so dark?
She raised her head—gently rubbing her ear, and tried in vain to look around. She couldn't see anything.
I didn't realize those lights had a limited amount of power…
She shifted to get out of the desk and her foot bumped into something. "What…? Oh, right." She mumbled, reaching down to pick up the Chromebook. Something slid off of it and clattered on the floor, the loud noise made her startle and she cringed.
There was a scraping noise ahead of her—she tried not to gasp, suddenly terrified, until Saphris sputtered: "Jesus, what the fuck was that?"
She let out a slow breath, hand on her chest to calm her hammering heart. Right, I forgot she was in the room. "Sorry," she muttered apologetically. "I think I dropped my phone just now." She leaned down, feeling the ground until her fingers grazed the device. She grabbed it, sitting up and setting it on the desk.
"Jesus." Saphris repeated.
A moment later and Dylan could suddenly see; Saphris got up and walked over to the whiteboard, setting the phone down on the lip to angle the light so it would illuminate the room. It wasn't much better than the emergency light, but at least they could see.
Saphris blew out a breath, a few locks of her hair jostling out her face. The girl had dark smudges under her eyes and a red line across her right cheek—did she sleep on her arms? It didn't look like she slept well whatsoever.
"Did you not use a jacket for a pillow?" Dylan spoke, voice low.
Saphris just stared, rubbing at her eyes. "No… I didn't like the idea of putting my face on someone else's stuff." She paused. "I regret it though."
"I–" Dylan hesitated. "I don't think anyone would care…" if they're even alive still, she left unsaid.
The expression her friend wore said she heard the quiet part loud and clear. The girl crossed her arms, replying: "even so."
Dylan shrugged, dropping the topic. Her gaze wandered over to the door, the stiff window cover still in place. Its presence was imposing—a stark reminder that it was all that lay between them and the monsters roaming.
And it was made very clear the night before that that flimsy barrier wouldn't stand a chance against those horrors.
She didn't know what was worse: biding her time in a random classroom until the cops came, or having to venture out to find a way out on her own. Well, at least I have Saphris—so not totally alone. Still. It didn't help that she felt a growing need to use the toilet.
She put her face in her hands.
"What?"
"I have to use the bathroom," Dylan mumbled through her fingers.
"Oh shit. I forgot about that." Saphris blurted, and glanced speculatively at the lab sinks in the back of the room. "Uh—you think it might be easier to hop on the table and piss in the sink?"
Dylan jerked her head up, staring at Saphris aghast. "Dude!" She sputtered, lost for words.
"What?" Saphris asked, hands spread, "it's better than going out there!" She reasoned, jabbing a thumb at the door.
"We'll have to come out of this room eventually!" Dylan reminded, her brain unwillingly running through the logistics of how she'd even go about pissing in the lab sink.
"Yeah, but the less we're out and about—the better." Saphris retorted, walking to the back and testing the faucet. "Besides the water is still on; it's not like it'd smell."
Dylan shook her head at the absurdity of it all. "Look. I love you, I do—but there ain't no way in hell I'm peeing in a sink, crouched over it like a fucking goblin."
Saphris choked, laughing as she said, "I was kidding! kind of…"
Dylan gave her a dubious look. "Sure…" she answered, suspicious. "Anyways… I still need to go to the bathroom—can you let me in when I get back?"
"How will I know it's you?" Saphris asked, walking away from the lab tables.
She hummed, thinking. "Well. We could do a knock of some sort?"
Saphris frowned. "Wouldn't that be loud though?"
"Not necessarily…" Dylan paused, the scenario playing out in her mind. "I see your point." She said instead, getting up and wandering over to the door.
She was hesitant about peeking around the window cover—mostly because there wasn't a discreet way to go about it. She'd have to lift the thin wood off entirely to see anything, and that was assuming there was any light out there at all.
What if that thing was staring through the window again? She shivered.
I'm gonna have to go out there eventually… As her bladder was getting more insistent on reminding her. She didn't let herself think about it any more, quickly lifting the stiff cover off the nail-pegs holding it up—ripping off the bandaid.
To her surprise, soft red light poured through the narrow window. They haven't lost power?
She stared out of the glass, unseeing, as that woman's voice echoed through her mind.
"Ugh. I need to have 592 come here and recharge the lights—even I can't see anything!"
592…
Is that another monster?
There wasn't anything looking back at her though—for that, she was beyond grateful.
She peered through the window, craning her neck to try and see down the hallway. It was a bit too narrow to get a good enough look though.
I'm gonna have to go out there eventually, she reminded herself strongly as she glanced down nervously at the doorhandle—the scene from last night replaying itself in her mind's eye.
It took her a moment to register the footsteps behind her, she turned to look at Saphris and realized that she had moved to turn off her phone light. Oh. Right. That might be a good idea.
Dylan took a slow breath, and turned back to the door handle. With gentle fingers, she pain-stakingly turned the lock back to the unlocked position—trying desperately to keep it from making noise. Who knew how well the monsters could hear.
Her heart was racing as she pushed the handle down, cracking the door just wide enough to be able to poke her head out.
The hallway looked eerie in the muted glow, the intermittent light casting dark shadows on the floor like spilled ink. The hallway had never felt as long as it did then.
There was nothing indicating that a monster was lurking though.
She shuffled forward a bit, wedging herself between the door and its frame as she turned to check the other way. The balcony was more well lit—the railing stark against the bright red light, and from what she could see; no monsters—the coast was clear.
She edged back, easing the door shut before looking back at the shadowed figure of her friend. She moved out of the way of the window, letting the light filter into the room more.
"So, do you have any ideas for what we could do instead of knocking?" Dylan asked, wracking her own brain for options. "The only thing I can think of is you watching for me through the window—I don't really like that though."
Saphris didn't respond, instead staring at the glass with a faraway look in her eyes.
"Saphris?" Dylan prompted, thrown off. Is she spiraling again and I didn't notice?
The girl blinked, shaking her head as if she was coming out of a trance. "Huh—what? Sorry." She mumbled, turning away from the window to look at her. "I just had a really strong sense of déjà vu just now."
"Some déjà vu…" Dylan muttered, her sudden unease fading. "You okay?" She asked, concerned.
"Yeah–" Saphris waved off. "Yeah. Was just intense, was all." She reassured. "So what was it that you said?"
Dylan shook herself, resetting. "Oh. Right. Uh, did you have an idea of what to do instead of knocking?"
Saphris frowned, thinking. "Well, I thought about maybe watching for you through the window… but," she paused, glancing back at the lab tables. "I don't want anything to see me."
Dylan stared. "Are you seriously gonna try pissing in the sink?"
"I'm pee-shy, not stupid." She retorted, giving Dylan an annoyed look. "Besides, there's soap." As if that made the situation less absurd.
Dylan snorted, unable to help herself, and started laughing. It took a minute or two to calm down enough to be able to catch her breath.
She was still giggling as she spoke, "so, what if I slip a piece of paper underneath?"
"That could work," Saphris said, walking over to the pile of notebooks they compiled, grabbing one and ripping a random page out. She folded it up while walking back to the door.
"Here." She handed the folded paper to her, and reached over to the white broad, grabbing an expo-marker and shoving it into her hand. "This too."
"Why?"
"That way I know it's actually you and not something trying to lure me out." Saphris answered, seeming pleased with herself.
"As long as you let me in right away," Dylan retorted. Her anxiety building again as she realized she would have to walk out of the classroom alone.
"I'll be watching that door like a hawk."
Dylan blew out a shaky breath. "Fuck, okay."
She stuffed the paper and marker into her pocket, making sure it wouldn't slip out, and turned to the door again. Dylan slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open—holding it so it wouldn't open all the way, and slipped out of the gap.
She looked back, watching as Saphris eased the door closed again. "Good luck," her friend whispered just before it shut.
And then she was alone again.