Blood Games

    ‘Might’ve been the custodians showing up. Or just her poor victim leaving.’ They waited longer. They heard no more sounds from anywhere in the building. At a quarter till ten, Abilene said, ‘We’d better go out and scout around, make sure nobody’s here.’

    She led the way to the door, unlocked it in case they might need to return, then inched it open and looked into the dark hallway. ‘Coast is clear,’ she whispered, and stepped out.

    On her way to the center staircase, she felt terribly exposed and vulnerable. She wanted to run. She walked slowly, instead, listening, setting her feet down softly. At last, she reached the stairs. Helen stayed close behind her as she climbed.

    ‘What if Hardin hasn’t left?’ Helen whispered.

    ‘Shhhhh.’

    From the landing, Abilene could see that the second floor hallway was dark. She continued to the top, and peered around a corner to the right. Hardin’s office was the third one down. No light came from under its door or shone through the open glass transom.

    Stepping forward, she checked all the offices along the corridor. They were dark.

    ‘Looks like we’re in business,’ she said.

    Helen followed her to the door of Hardin’s office.

    Abilene tried the knob. ‘Locked.’

    ‘What did you expect?’

    ‘I just hope she’s not sitting in there, meditating in the dark.’

    ‘Don’t say that.’

    ‘Go on down the hall.’

    ‘Huh?’

    ‘Go to the stairs. Get ready to make a run for it.’

    ‘What’re you gonna do?’

    ‘Go.’

    Helen hurried to the far end of the hall. When she stopped at the head of the stairs, Abilene knocked on Hardin’s door.

    No harsh voice demanded to know who was there.

    Abilene willed herself to hear the slightest sound from inside the office: the creak of a chair, a footstep, breathing, a stir of fabric. She heard nothing. In spite of the silence, she half expected the door to fly open in front of her face, Hardin to reach out and grab her. She ached to bolt.

    She wondered what she was doing here in the first place.

    Risking expulsion - or worse.

    She could’ve been safe, right now, back at the dorm. Even better, she could’ve been in the park making out with Robbie.

    Instead, she was on this crazy mission. Not really to avenge Barbara, though that was part of it. The real purpose was simply to do something wild for the fun of it.

    This is the last time I get myself into something like this, she told herself. I don’t care if the others think I’m a chicken. I don’t care who dares who.

    Madness.

    Then she realized that nothing had happened in response to her knock.

    She hurried down the hall and joined Helen at the top of the stairs.

    ‘Are you out of your gourd?’ Helen asked.

    ‘We both are. But I had to make sure she wasn’t there, didn’t I? Come on.’ They trotted downstairs and stopped at the double doors leading outside. Abilene checked her wristwatch. Five till ten. ‘Maybe they’re early,’ she said. She pushed one of the horizontal bars and eased the door open.

    Finley, sitting on a bench in the darkness under an oak tree, raised a hand in greeting. She stood and picked up her video camera. A few strides took her to the end of the bench. Facing the wooded lawn that bordered the campus, she swung an arm overhead.

    Moments later, Cora and Vivian appeared on one of the walkways. They were each carrying a grocery sack. They met up with Finley and the three of them, glancing this way and that, hurried to the stoop of the administration building. They rushed up the concrete stairs. The moment they were inside, Abilene pulled the door shut.

    ‘How’d it go?’ Cora whispered.

    ‘Hardin showed up.’

    ‘Christ,’ Vivian muttered.

    ‘Yeah, we were…’

    ‘Tell us later,’ Cora said. ‘Let’s get into her office first. Nobody’s in the building, I take it?’

    ‘We don’t think so. The custodians never did show up.’ Turning to Finley, she said, ‘They were supposed to be in and out by ten, remember?’

    ‘I’m not an expert on their schedule. But they’re in Waller right now.’

    Waller Hall was the science building on the other side of the campus.

    ‘As long as they aren’t here,’ Cora said, and started up the stairs. '

    ‘We’d better keep an eye out for them,’ Abilene warned.

    ‘How many are there?’ Helen asked.

    ‘Just two who come here.’

    ‘That’s not so bad,’ Cora said.

    ‘It only takes one to spot us and we’re dead,’ Abilene said. They stopped in front of Hardin’s office door. Cora set her bag on the floor. ‘Give me some light.’

    Abilene switched on her flashlight and aimed it into the sack. Cora’s denim purse was there among bottles and plastic bags of snacks. Crouching, the girl opened it. She took out a credit card. ‘This oughta be good,’ Finley said.

    Card in hand, Cora tried to loid the lock. After a while, she muttered, ‘Shit. It always works in the movies.’

    ‘This ain’t the movies,’ Finley pointed out.

    ‘How’ll we get in?’ Helen asked.

    ‘Maybe this is our cue to quit,’ Vivian suggested.

    ‘No way,’ Cora said. ‘I had to shell out twenty bucks to get that guy to buy the booze.’