Chapter 35 flash drive - Thursday 17th, Late PM
Shocked over what they had unearthed, Max and Victoria came crashing back down to earth over the discovery of a member of Blackwell security. Of which brought an immediate halt to the brunette's effort to mitigate their level of stress by fostering a light hearted dynamic between them. Reflecting on the guard's fate, they presumed his only fault was to have been unfortunate enough to be on patrol this particular evening. Trying to piece together what had transpired, the most likely scenario involved him either being taken by surprise or having dropped his guard at the sight of a faculty member in Mr. Jefferson. Upon examination, the environment revealed no signs of a struggle as the floor contained no marks, and there appeared to be nothing out of place or disturbed. Therefore, it was probable Jefferson had either snuck up from behind or revealed his presence in order to close the gap between them without raising suspicion. In an act borne more from obligation than actual hope, they further examined the man to discern if he was still alive. Although any margin of doubt that may have remained quickly evaporated upon a closer examination of his face. The complexion pale, his mouth agape, and the void in the eyes removed any doubt over whether the guard was deceased. Kneeling before the guard, the angle of the man's head suggested it had been broken, indicating that any further investigation would be in vain.
"Oh god Max," Victoria stammered, astonished at the fate that had befallen the man. "I can't believe the same guy teaching photography would do this."
However for Max, this wasn't the first dead body she'd had the misfortune of coming into contact with. As a result, the sight had less of an impact on her than the blonde, having been desensitized to some extent to the carnage.
"You're not the only one," Max replied, in attempt to comfort the blonde. "We all loved him… heck he was the reason a lot of us came here."
Accepting that there was nothing further that could be done for the man, the two girls backed away before returning to the task at hand. Their nerves now on high alert after discovering the security guards body, they advanced down the hallway venturing further into the school. The mood had turned somber as they exchanged glances before rounding a corner and proceeding down the main hallway. With the entrance to the photography lab within view, the door on the far end violently swung open, before Mr. Jefferson came through the other side. Time itself seemed to slow after the doors had opened, as was usually the case when Max faced a situation in dire need of a rewind. Scrambling to process the abrupt change in circumstance, the brunette acted solely on reflex as she held up her right hand. Having rewound for only a few moments, a sudden spike of pressure coursed through her head as her vision mimicked the appearance of a burning Polaroid photo. The abrupt sensation of pain broke her concentration and drew both hands to the side of her head as if to keep her head from exploding before nearly dropping to the floor. Finding herself behind the previous corner, Victoria was taken aback by the apparent sudden shift in the brunette.
"Max! What happened?"
"Back…," Max stammered in pain. "We have to go back."
Frantic, the Victoria grabbed the hipster to offer assistance in their retreat as they made their way back to the security guard.
"Jefferson?"
"Yeah… he's… he's down the hall."
"Okay… okay, we just have to find a place to hide," the blonde murmured, trying to feign as much confidence as possible.
Shuddering after an inadvertent glance at the fallen man, the girls reached the set of double doors, before pushing the bar to clear the path before them. Walking as quickly as they were able, their forward motion was brought to an abrupt halt as the doors refused to budget.
"No," they each muttered in unison.
Pushing on the bar again produced the same result, along with the second and third attempts.
"Fuck!" Victoria whisper yelled, while the brunette raised her hand to attempt a rewind. "Max… no!"
Disregarding the blondes warning, Max attempted to rewind back to before they had crossed the threshold of the doors. Coming to an end immediately after it began, she cried out in agony before collapsing to floor.
"Max!" Victoria cried, before dropping to floor to return the brunette to her feet. "Come on, we have to…"
The blondes pleas were brought to an abrupt halt as Max looked up at her revealing the presence of blood dripping down her face. Struggling to get the hipster back on her feet, Victoria looked around in desperation.
The overreliance on the rewind had finally overwhelmed the hipster's mind, as she could no longer withstand the pressure that was inflicted upon its use. Max had been force rely on her power on numerous occasions, and outside of the time spent unconscious in darkroom, she hadn't slept since this morning. As a result, her mind had been pushed to its limit and she was beginning to lose control of her powers. Terrified as the realization set in, the brunette slowly looked up to see witness a horrified expression on Victoria's face. Forced to look on helplessly, Max could feel her heart rate elevating, accompanied by tightness in her chest caused by her breaths becoming shorter. Her pupils dilated in a reaction to the unexpected increase in stress as she watched the blonde try to get them to safety.
Realizing the onus was on her to make a decision, Victoria frantically search for an escape. With time running short, she stepped over to the deceased security guard in search of any item of potential use. Locating the flash light, the blonde had an idea after looking around for potential options. Finding the door on the left to be the most inconspicuous, she approached flash light in hand. Standing perpendicular with the wall, the blonde held the base of the flashlight in her right hand and one end in the left. Offering reassurance in the form of a nod to the brunette, Victoria took a deep breath before smashing the other end of the object into the window. Creating an opening large enough for a hand, she reached through to unlock the door, before racing to help Max enter the room. With one arm over her shoulder, Victoria guided them into the class room as the door on the far end swung open in announcement of Jefferson's arrival.
"Max… I need your help," the blonde pleaded. "I bought us some time… but he's still coming."
"I'm sorry, V… you were right," Max looked back apologetically. "We should've left when we had the chance."
"As much as I normally like hearing that," Victoria replied with a smirk, "forget about it. We need a plan."
"Leave me… I'll distract him… then you make a run for it," the brunette implored with tears forming in her eyes.
"The hell with that! I'm not going to let you…" Victoria protested before her voice trailed off.
"What?"
"I have an idea," the blonde answered with a smile, "but I'm going to need your help."
Stepping through the doorway, Mr. Jefferson was met with the faint sound of a commotion at the far end of the hallway. Immediately catching his attention, the man abruptly froze in place before turning to position one ear toward the hallway in an effort to identify any additional sound. Detecting nothing, the professor's nerves went on high alert while beginning to slowly creep down the dimly lit corridor in an effort to ward off any unpleasant surprises that may be lying in wait. Approaching the main entryway to the building, he continued on after finding the area clear of any threats.
Venturing closer to the photography lab, Jefferson drew his gun, before peering into each room while checking the lock as he passed. Starting to question the validity of the noise, he reached the end of the hall before following it left. Finding nothing but the security guard and the locked doors, he swore under his breath before turning to return to the direction from which he came. In mid turn, Jefferson caught something faint out of the corner of his eye. Stepping back to adjust the angle, there was a brief flash on the floor before him. Kneeling down for a closer look, Jefferson smiled sinisterly after noting the flash had been from light reflecting off a piece of broken glass. Looking up before surveying the surrounding area, the man felt a surge of satisfaction after spotting a door with small hole smashed through the corner. Returning to a standing position, Jefferson checked the safety on his handgun, pulled back the hammer, before taking a quick glance around him. Confident that there was no one around to interfere, except the security guard from before, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Narrowly finding refuge in the classroom before Mr. Jefferson's arrival, the two girls found themselves pressed against the back wall, debating the merits of the blondes plan. Max was adamant in the position that if either of them should be placed at risk, that person should be her. While Victoria countered that the brunette was in no condition to execute the plan as it was a struggle for her to merely stand. As the dispute raged on, the tension and anticipation between them increased with each passing moment.
"Max… this is our best chance" Victoria implored as quietly as she could manage.
"V… I just can't… I can't let…" Max countered, desperation filling her voice. "He could…"
"Shhh…" the blonde abruptly interjected, "you hear that?"
With their discussion forced to the back burner, both each girl held their tongue as they listened intently.
"I don't…" the brunette began to whisper before the sentence came to an abrupt halt.
*Step*…*Step*
Eyes wide, each girl stared at the other in acknowledgement of the sound.
"Too late, we're doing this… now hide," Victoria stated emphatically while motioning downward with her hands erratically.
Offering an acknowledgement in the form of a nod, each girl took their respective positions. Fidgeting in trepidation, as each subsequent step rang through the hall, they were left with nothing to do but wait, and hope everything went according to plan. Overwhelmed by the anticipation, Max could feel the same symptoms that she had experience before finding a way into this room resurface. With Mr. Jefferson's dim shadow casting into the room, Victoria took a deep breath and closed her eyes in a final act of preparation. In the next moment, the sound of the doorknob turning echoed through the room, before the door slowly creaked open. In a demonstration of the man's arrogance, Jefferson began a maniacal monologue as he stepped into the room.
"I got to hand it to you Max," he began with a condescending tone, "you led me on quiet the chase. But… if you come out now, I promise I'll take special care of you in the darkroom."
His offer being met with silence, Jefferson continued to advance his way into the room.
"Okay Max, have it your way." Jefferson resumed, "You're a real fighter… I'll give you that, but it won't save yourself… or Victoria."
At the conclusion of the veiled threat, an unexpected noise echoed from the back of the room, breaking the silence that had followed. Confident that he had uncovered the location of his prey, the man veered toward the back in the direction in which the sound had originated.
"Alright Max, give it up… it's over," Jefferson asserted, in tone transitioning from arrogance to agitation.
"Fuck you, Jefferson."
"Come on, Get up!" the man shouted, now standing beside the brunette, before kicking her in the leg with a moderate amount of force.
Lying in wait in anticipation of the right moment, in the midst of their exchange, Victoria crept out from behind the front counter into the open. Coming up from behind her target, the blonde closed the gap stepping as softly as possible to reduce the chance of revealing her presence. Now within a few feet of her former mentor, gripping the flashlight with two hands, the blonde wound up in the motion of a baseball swing before summoning all of the strength she could muster.
"What the? Shi…" Jefferson muttered, after glancing over his shoulder having sensed something behind him.
In the moment the photography professor realized the gravity of his oversight, Victoria was in the midst of the follow through on the swing of the flashlight. Turning at the last second, the end the object connected on the furrowed brow of Mr. Jefferson, dropping the man to the floor after rending him unconscious. The euphoria of the impact surged through the blonde before wincing in recoil over the sound of the subsequent thud of the man's head bouncing off the tile floor.
Author notes: comment please; praise, critique, or correct