Tim turned the lock on the knob and the deadbolt above it and heaved a sigh of relief, but he knew that he was far from out of the woods. The students were still out there, in danger, and he had to take down the Piper somehow… Where's the JLA when you need them? He carefully removed the headphones from his ears. The music was blocked by the thick wooden door.
"How did you do that?"
Tim turned, and Jen was staring at him, rubbing her wrist. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Later," Tim replied. He stepped around her and quickly took inventory of their situation. The teachers all seemed to be in stable enough condition. Several of the women were crying. It looked as if the principal had taken the worst beating. He was laying down on a bench. His secretary was kneeling next to him. She'd found a piece of cloth from somewhere and was dabbing the blood from his face.
The gym teacher, a stout woman with short hair and a constant sneer on her face, approached Tim. He noticed that she didn't seem to be injured. His eyes darted to her knuckles, which were red and bleeding. It seemed he hadn't been the only one fighting the students.
"We need to get back out there and take down that clown," the gym teacher said.
"It's the Pied Piper," an older, bespectacled man said. Tim assumed he was probably an English teacher. "Isn't it?"
"I don't care if it's Little Bo Peep or Doomsday, we gotta do somethin'!" the gym teacher exclaimed. "Those kids are still out there!"
"Does anyone have a cell phone?" another teacher asked. "Maybe we can wait for the police…"
"That's a good idea," Tim spoke up. "Call the police. I'm going back out there. Brace the door with something after I leave."
"Tim!" Jen exclaimed. She grabbed his arm.
"Wait a second, young man," the secretary spoke up. "We can't let you go back out there!"
Tim knew what Batman would have said. You're welcome to try and stop me. He was tempted, but he thought reason might worth a shot. "Whatever is going on, I have to try and stop the Piper. His attack seemed centered on the younger people. Maybe I can sneak up on him. There are hundreds of students out there. We have to try something, and I have a better chance than any of you."
Jen's grip only tightened on Tim's arm. "I-I'm coming, too."
"No," Tim began to protest.
"No! Listen to me. I won't take no for an answer! I want to help."
Tim sighed. He didn't have any more time to argue. "Stay behind me," he said.
He headed for the door. He put his ear against the wood. He hadn't heard any kind of pounding on the door or fiddling with the locks. He could vaguely hear the eerie music from the other side of the door, though. "You'll need to block your ears again," Tim said to Jen. She nodded and stuck her makeshift plugs into her ears as Tim replaced the headphones. He slowly turned the locks, as quietly as he could. One of the male teachers approached the door, ready to lock it behind them as soon as they were outside.
Jen crowded close to Tim's back. He could tell she was shivering. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, knowing that she wouldn't hear anything he said. Her fear confirmed his plan. He was going to open the door and then shut it again before she could follow him. It was the safest thing for both of them that she not follow.
Tim felt himself become Robin. Robin was more than just a costume. Somewhat like Batman, Tim changed when he became Robin. A determined and hard expression came over his face. He crouched slightly, ready to spring.
His hand grabbed the cool doorknob. For an instant, Tim contemplated why it suddenly seemed odd that his hand wasn't gloved. Banishing the thought, he opened the door just wide enough for him to step out. What he saw, though, stopped him in his tracks.
He stood, his mouth gaping. Jen was pushing him from behind. The door fell all the way open as Tim's hand fell away from it. Jen grabbed his shoulder as she suddenly saw what had stopped him.
As they watched, the last student in the auditorium disappeared through a red glowing "hole" spinning a few feet in front of the stage.