Class had started already, but looking around the room, it was obvious to everyone with eyes that they were four students short. Craig was mostly accounted for, in the sense that it was a known fact that he would wander at his own discretion, and Kenny would bail if a good enough offer came in to play, but Kyle? And Hunter? Those that shared homeroom knew that the three boys had been called away to the office, but Cartman had the hunch that their disappearing act had little to do with school...

Eric was HIV positive that those two dirty bastards were scheming something together, and he didn't like it, not one little bit. Kyle had already proven himself to be untrustworthy and a complete dick, so his participation in Hunter's scheme was far from shocking. Hunter was, admittedly, still something of a mystery, but one that was lacking only a couple of pieces. Oh yes, Cartman thought that he had the entire picture worked out, at least for the most part.

Hunter was a hermaphrodite, but instead of possessing both sets of genitalia, he had titties. Probably a ken doll vagina too, the fucking freak. He could deny it all he wanted and try to hide it by blocking out his window, but Cartman had already seen the proof of that himself (well, the tits), but the fact that Hunter was a genetic abomination would only carry so much weight. Eric didn't fret about that so much though, since he had learned more of his enemy since that first day, like the fact that he had a major boner for Kenny. Knowing Kenny, the blonde could take that either way, so his reaction alone wasn't a great foundation for revenge. Avery might have been though... Yes, that boy could prove quite useful...

Still though, it didn't bode well that they were absent. Figuring that stopping the conspiracy against him would better serve his time than what the teacher was trying to force down his throat, Eric called over to the balding dweeb in tapped up glasses before the blackboard. "I have to take a shit!"

Blinking through lens two sizes too big for his face, he twitched when he saw who had spoken. "Take a pass from the wall." He knew better than to make Cartman stay - the entire class had paid dearly for that mistake. "And if you see either Mr. Broflovski or Mr. Bloodworth, tell them to come to class."

Grumbling about taking a lame pass, Eric shuffled over to the teachers desk and took the petite block from the hook just behind the older man, scowling even deeper as he left the classroom, thoughts of murder and betrayal dancing through his mind. Oh, he was certain that he was going to get them first, even if it was the last thing that he did...

So where would a couple of rats go to hide? His first thought was of the bathroom since it was a pretty good place to hold a conference, but being in the secret planing stages of their coup, they probably wouldn't want to be overheard. And being the studious types, they wouldn't want to be seen out-of-class, so that eliminated anywhere a teacher would be...

And then it hit him - they would hide in a place so below their snobbish standards, so beneath their radar, no one would ever think to look for them there! They were hiding in the janitor's closet! Normally people only used it for quickies and selling drugs, so it wasn't the place that Kyle would have known about on his own, but because he was friends with the closet's most frequent user, he obviously had. Oh, he had them now! Making a mad dash for his enemies' lair as if his life depended on it, the little tyrant rex stopped short outside his target.

Frantic, there was a mad kind of banging from the storeroom, and what sounded like a woman crying. Hunter, no doubt. "Rape!" The scream intensified, as did the struggle against the door. "RAPE!"

What a retard; everyone in the school knew that a majority of the doors had faulty locks, and the janitor's closet was the worst one yet. But still, Cartman had to hand it to Kyle, because he had no idea that the cocksucker would pull something so outrageously bold during school hours, although rape was not surprising, given what his people had done to Christ.

Yet if they were in there, where was Kenny? Thinking of the fact that the closest was only big enough for a twosome, it was impossible for both Kyle and Kenny to be in there with Hunter, so that meant that Kenny must have been off somewhere with Craig. If in fact that was the case, and they were in fact still on school grounds, they would undoubtedly be in the bathroom...

Reaching into his pocket, Cartman fished out his phone, skipping over the first several contacts - all the numbers for restaurants and takeout - until he reached those of his friends. Friends? More like pawns and allies. Typing out a series of instructions, he left a rather lengthy text for Butters.

[South Park]

It was impossible to discern how much time had elapsed in that closet, the threads of fate snagging on the noose that was Hunter's faltering composure, the individual strands strangling Kyle as he did his utmost to remain strong for the pair of them. The girl was still entangled in her friend's strong arms, but what had started out as a friendly and comforting gesture was quickly becoming an embrace of restraint, his arms the sleeves of a stylish white jacket. If the liar got any more wild with fear, there might be leftover marks from where he had to dig his fingers for a better grip.

Thrashing around as the air became more saturated with unnatural dust - the finer particles finding their way deeper into the bloodstream - anxiety intensified into panic, and Hunter was almost writhing in place, out of her mind as one of her worst fears slowly came true. She struggled against Kyle, crying out loudly, praying that someone out of class might hear her cries in passing. "Help us! We're trapped in here!" She tried again, getting louder and louder. "Rape! RAPE!" If the cry of rape didn't do anything, nothing would.

Yes, the screaming might have helped someone (or multiple someones, which was hopefully not the case) locate them and come to the rescue, but if she kept yelling like that, there was no telling how many chemicals were seeping into her lungs, building up in her system, just waiting to kill her. The way that Kyle saw it, there were two answers to this dilemma, and while they would both work to some degree, only one was truly practical...

Yanking the girl closer with mild difficulty, Kyle did the only thing that made sense in that situation and covered her mouth with her own beanie. There was probably already irreparable damage to her organs with all her shouting, but the faster that she shut up, the bigger her chances of survival would be. Of course the redhead could have just told her to pipe down, but he knew that she would argue back, only wasting precious time.

For her part, all Hunter could do was stare at Kyle as the heather-grey fabric was suddenly pulled over her eyes and mouth, blinking repeatedly in disbelief as she caught on to his plan. That was pretty brilliant, and to her stomach-churning shame, the remaining rationality in her mind forced her to realize that because he was so busy protecting her, he was left vulnerable. If they got out of this alive, she would owe him big time...

But that fraction was so small, it would frequently slip away into something like the fear of a cornered animal...

Much like the last chapter, I had a bitch of a time trying to bang this one out, but I think I have it now. Oh, and this is actually a double chapter, so stick around and read the next one while you're here!

I do not own South Park, that's all on Matt and Trey, but I do own Hunter and Avery!