Later. . . .
A faint rumble shook the couch. Abed frowned and rolled over, pulling the blanket up across his shoulder. Better. He let out a long sigh and felt his body relax. . . the shaking came again, harder this time. He sat up.
"Abed?" Annie's voice was thick with sleep.
"Shhhh," He said softly, "Let me listen".
It came again. And now he could hear it faintly as well as feel it. A sound like . . . a tidal wave. In an action movie, this would be the calm before the storm. The moment of quiet that built to a fever pitch before-
"We need to move. Now." Abed pushed himself to his feet.
"What? Why?" Annie demanded but he could hear the rustle of covers as she shoved them away. A weak light shone over the floor and crossed to the door beside him. In the small sharp beam of her phone, Abed could see Annie's pale face and rumpled hair.
"Something's happening. It might be Troy-"
She made a sound of disgust and turned back toward the cot, "My station is neutral ground-"
He caught her arm before she could move away. She made the high pitched sound of affront she was prone to.
"Annie," He said, offering her a moment of eye contact to impress his earnestness on her, "I don't know what's happening. I can't promise this place will stay safe. This is Greendale. Things can get. . . out of hand."
Annie pressed her lips together. The moment stretched and suddenly the noise outside grew to a howling crescendo. "Okay!" She agreed, her eyes wide, "Time to go!".
Something pounded on the door. The handle shook. A boom sounded against the metal.
"Too late!" He called moving toward the couch, "Barricade time!"
Nodding, Annie hurried to the other end and they pulled it into place in front of the door. The booming refused to stop, only growing louder and faster in tempo.
"Abed. . . " She eyed the rickety couch and the not so secure door.
"We need a way out of here." Abed answered. He moved toward the door.
"Don't turn on the light!" Annie protested in a hissing whisper.
"We have to be able to see-"
There was a click and the lamp on the table came on. The pounding on the door was becoming deafening. They glanced around frantically.
"There!" Annie pointed to the wall where the couch had set. An air vent.
"It'll have to do."
"We don't have a screw driver-"
"No need," Abed raised the vent cover and gestured her toward the opening. Chang. Was there an intact vent cover in the whole school? Probably not. God bless the crazy son-of-a-bitch.
Annie shimmed in, pulling herself along, "Hurry!" She said pausing just long enough to glance back.
Abed slid in, quick as lightning, just as the door behind them flew open with a roar of triumph. In a burst of speed, they crawled down the vent and disappeared around a corner.