Read Online Deadline by Craig McLay - Free Book Online
Authors: Craig McLay
Tags: General Fiction
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the other side of the room. He spotted a light switch on the wall and flicked it on. The room was suddenly bathed in blinding white from the overhead banks of fluorescents.
“Campus security!” he yelled. “We have you surrounded, so just come out quietly!”
Colin stood there, heart pounding, and waited.
Nothing happened.
Had he imagined the sound of the locker door closing? He stepped into the room and let the door swing shut behind him. Better that he could see someone coming than to have someone sneak up on him from behind, he thought. His mind was going a mile a minute.
We have the place surrounded? Did I really just say that? Who the hell do you think you are? John Wayne in
Rio Bravo
? You’re gonna get yourself killed, you stupid shit!
He heard a low metallic groan. He was so keyed up that he almost didn’t notice that it was coming from the row of lockers on his right. A row of lockers that were starting to tilt in his direction. By the time he did notice, it was too late to get out of the way.
Colin dropped the sledgehammer and threw himself to the floor. There was an ear-splitting crash as the lockers hit the wooden bench and knocked it over. The lockers continued their forward momentum and would have squashed Colin flat if the bench hadn’t acted as a fulcrum to prevent them from coming all the way down to the floor. Colin felt something whack his left ear as a combination lock on one of the lockers on the top row spun sideways and hit him in the side of the head.
Colin opened his eyes and saw a small triangle of light at the end of a black tunnel. Between the lockers over his head and the bench on his right, he suddenly found himself in an impromptu cave with less than an inch of clearance on top. He saw a pair of feet race past the opening and disappear through a door on the other side.
The fear that had gripped him was suddenly gone and replaced by something more motivating—rage.
You tried to kill me, you son of a bitch! Now allow me to return the favour.
Colin dragged himself forward in a commando crawl and pulled himself out from underneath the collapsed row of lockers. He pulled open the door on the opposite side of the change room and raced through it blindly.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he was hit with a gush of cold water from the left. He had entered the shower room. They were all on motion sensors and whoever had gone through before him had turned them all on. The water was freezing cold, but Colin barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on another door just up ahead—a door that had just swung shut as he came in.
Colin pulled open the door and raced through it. No sooner had he taken two steps than he felt something heavy connect with the back of his head and suddenly he was flying through space. He felt himself flying head over heels. He braced for impact and was surprised when he hit water instead of concrete.
Colin opened his mouth to yell and immediately swallowed a lungful of chlorinated water. His arms and legs flailed wildly as he tried to figure out which way was up. Colin had never learned how to swim and was now convinced he was about to die in the most ironic manner possible.
He opened his eyes, but everything was darkness. He clamped his mouth shut and tried to swing his arms and legs in every direction at once. His left foot connected with something solid. He pushed against it and was amazed to feel his head break the surface of the water. He was so surprised, in fact, that he immediately tipped sideways and slipped back under.
I’m in the shallow end!
he thought.
I am not going to die!
Colin managed to get his feet back under him again and stood up out of the water, coughing and spitting and trying to suck in huge swallows of air at the same time. He could see moonlight reflected on the surface of the pool from the massive overhead skylights. The edge of the pool was only six or seven feet away. He waded towards it and pulled himself out, scanning the deck
“Campus security!” he yelled. “We have you surrounded, so just come out quietly!”
Colin stood there, heart pounding, and waited.
Nothing happened.
Had he imagined the sound of the locker door closing? He stepped into the room and let the door swing shut behind him. Better that he could see someone coming than to have someone sneak up on him from behind, he thought. His mind was going a mile a minute.
We have the place surrounded? Did I really just say that? Who the hell do you think you are? John Wayne in
Rio Bravo
? You’re gonna get yourself killed, you stupid shit!
He heard a low metallic groan. He was so keyed up that he almost didn’t notice that it was coming from the row of lockers on his right. A row of lockers that were starting to tilt in his direction. By the time he did notice, it was too late to get out of the way.
Colin dropped the sledgehammer and threw himself to the floor. There was an ear-splitting crash as the lockers hit the wooden bench and knocked it over. The lockers continued their forward momentum and would have squashed Colin flat if the bench hadn’t acted as a fulcrum to prevent them from coming all the way down to the floor. Colin felt something whack his left ear as a combination lock on one of the lockers on the top row spun sideways and hit him in the side of the head.
Colin opened his eyes and saw a small triangle of light at the end of a black tunnel. Between the lockers over his head and the bench on his right, he suddenly found himself in an impromptu cave with less than an inch of clearance on top. He saw a pair of feet race past the opening and disappear through a door on the other side.
The fear that had gripped him was suddenly gone and replaced by something more motivating—rage.
You tried to kill me, you son of a bitch! Now allow me to return the favour.
Colin dragged himself forward in a commando crawl and pulled himself out from underneath the collapsed row of lockers. He pulled open the door on the opposite side of the change room and raced through it blindly.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he was hit with a gush of cold water from the left. He had entered the shower room. They were all on motion sensors and whoever had gone through before him had turned them all on. The water was freezing cold, but Colin barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on another door just up ahead—a door that had just swung shut as he came in.
Colin pulled open the door and raced through it. No sooner had he taken two steps than he felt something heavy connect with the back of his head and suddenly he was flying through space. He felt himself flying head over heels. He braced for impact and was surprised when he hit water instead of concrete.
Colin opened his mouth to yell and immediately swallowed a lungful of chlorinated water. His arms and legs flailed wildly as he tried to figure out which way was up. Colin had never learned how to swim and was now convinced he was about to die in the most ironic manner possible.
He opened his eyes, but everything was darkness. He clamped his mouth shut and tried to swing his arms and legs in every direction at once. His left foot connected with something solid. He pushed against it and was amazed to feel his head break the surface of the water. He was so surprised, in fact, that he immediately tipped sideways and slipped back under.
I’m in the shallow end!
he thought.
I am not going to die!
Colin managed to get his feet back under him again and stood up out of the water, coughing and spitting and trying to suck in huge swallows of air at the same time. He could see moonlight reflected on the surface of the pool from the massive overhead skylights. The edge of the pool was only six or seven feet away. He waded towards it and pulled himself out, scanning the deck
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