passed another picture, she checked the reflection in its glass and saw Brandon remove a golf club from behind his back. He raised it to strike. An adrenaline rush gripped Crystal as tightly as she gripped her knife. She whirled around to confront him.
But Brandon’s imposing presence and hateful gaze drained her courage. She froze in place, too terrified to move, even to defend herself. Brandon brought his club down toward her stomach.
From out of nowhere, Virgil the security guard slammed into Brandon with enough force to jerk him off his feet and send him plunging to the floor. The collision with the hard marble audibly knocked the wind out of Brandon and sent the club sliding far out of the way. Crystal backed toward a wall, dropping her braille book in the process.
“Hey!” Cole said. “What’s going on?”
Cole? He was turning into the hallway from the stairwell, feeling his way along the walls, lengthening his gait to reach the action faster.
“Brandon’s fucking crazy!” Crystal yelled to Cole. “Come to me! We need to leave, now.”
Brandon flailed on the ground, trying to regain his breath.
Crystal moved toward Cole, but Virgil—the guy who was supposed to be helping her!—rushed headlong toward her and pinned her against a wall. She yelped. Then for the first time, she noticed his unsettling appearance: the security guard’s clothes were sopping wet, his eyes bloodshot, and his skin a sickly bluish-white. His whole body shook like he couldn’t quite wrestle control of it. The wild panic in his eyes was contagious.
“Run!” he bellowed. “All of you! Back up to your room! You—run! Go!” He barked his sentence fragments with a wild urgency.
Cole neared them. “Virgil. Virgil, buddy. What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“You can’t leave, Cole,” Virgil said. “Do not try and leave this building!”
Crystal ignored him; whatever Virgil’s problem was, it couldn’t possibly be as pressing as hers. “Cole! Brandon tried to hit me in the fucking stomach. Don’t let him near you. We need to go get help.”
“What? Where is he?”
Virgil’s hands still gripped Crystal’s shoulders, and now he tried pulling her away from Cole, back toward the elevator… back toward Brandon. “Please listen,” Virgil said. “You shouldn’t be down here. It’s not safe.”
Shut up and let me go! Crystal wanted to scream, but she feared that it might provoke him further.
Cole followed Virgil’s voice and bumped into him, then he grasped Crystal’s arm when he found her. He tried to get between them and separate them, but his blind maneuvering only prompted more resistance from Virgil.
A short distance away, Brandon stood. He looked fully recovered. His eyes were fuming as he stomped toward them.
Cole and Virgil seemed not to notice the approaching danger as they struggled against each other, pulling Crystal and themselves in all different directions. Virgil continued to slosh water everywhere.
“Virgil, what’s your problem? What are you doing?” Crystal said as calmly as she could, trying not to panic, and failing. “Let me go! Get Brandon! Keep him away from me!”
Virgil abruptly relented and let her go, then raised his arms defensively as if pleading for them to hear him out. “Okay. I don’t want to restrain you. You’re free to choose. But you’re all in great danger.”
Brandon swung mightily and delivered a knockout punch to Virgil’s temple. The guard went down hard, but somehow recovered almost immediately, leaped back to his feet, and assaulted Brandon again.
Crystal led Cole around the scuffle and ran with him toward the rotunda-shaped lobby, where a ring of tall glass windows exposed them to a full view of the outdoors around the condo. If I can get out there and find other people, I’ll be safe.
She heard the thunder of footsteps behind her and turned. Brandon was rushing straight for her, Virgil chasing him. She still gripped the kitchen knife; she raised it
But Brandon’s imposing presence and hateful gaze drained her courage. She froze in place, too terrified to move, even to defend herself. Brandon brought his club down toward her stomach.
From out of nowhere, Virgil the security guard slammed into Brandon with enough force to jerk him off his feet and send him plunging to the floor. The collision with the hard marble audibly knocked the wind out of Brandon and sent the club sliding far out of the way. Crystal backed toward a wall, dropping her braille book in the process.
“Hey!” Cole said. “What’s going on?”
Cole? He was turning into the hallway from the stairwell, feeling his way along the walls, lengthening his gait to reach the action faster.
“Brandon’s fucking crazy!” Crystal yelled to Cole. “Come to me! We need to leave, now.”
Brandon flailed on the ground, trying to regain his breath.
Crystal moved toward Cole, but Virgil—the guy who was supposed to be helping her!—rushed headlong toward her and pinned her against a wall. She yelped. Then for the first time, she noticed his unsettling appearance: the security guard’s clothes were sopping wet, his eyes bloodshot, and his skin a sickly bluish-white. His whole body shook like he couldn’t quite wrestle control of it. The wild panic in his eyes was contagious.
“Run!” he bellowed. “All of you! Back up to your room! You—run! Go!” He barked his sentence fragments with a wild urgency.
Cole neared them. “Virgil. Virgil, buddy. What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“You can’t leave, Cole,” Virgil said. “Do not try and leave this building!”
Crystal ignored him; whatever Virgil’s problem was, it couldn’t possibly be as pressing as hers. “Cole! Brandon tried to hit me in the fucking stomach. Don’t let him near you. We need to go get help.”
“What? Where is he?”
Virgil’s hands still gripped Crystal’s shoulders, and now he tried pulling her away from Cole, back toward the elevator… back toward Brandon. “Please listen,” Virgil said. “You shouldn’t be down here. It’s not safe.”
Shut up and let me go! Crystal wanted to scream, but she feared that it might provoke him further.
Cole followed Virgil’s voice and bumped into him, then he grasped Crystal’s arm when he found her. He tried to get between them and separate them, but his blind maneuvering only prompted more resistance from Virgil.
A short distance away, Brandon stood. He looked fully recovered. His eyes were fuming as he stomped toward them.
Cole and Virgil seemed not to notice the approaching danger as they struggled against each other, pulling Crystal and themselves in all different directions. Virgil continued to slosh water everywhere.
“Virgil, what’s your problem? What are you doing?” Crystal said as calmly as she could, trying not to panic, and failing. “Let me go! Get Brandon! Keep him away from me!”
Virgil abruptly relented and let her go, then raised his arms defensively as if pleading for them to hear him out. “Okay. I don’t want to restrain you. You’re free to choose. But you’re all in great danger.”
Brandon swung mightily and delivered a knockout punch to Virgil’s temple. The guard went down hard, but somehow recovered almost immediately, leaped back to his feet, and assaulted Brandon again.
Crystal led Cole around the scuffle and ran with him toward the rotunda-shaped lobby, where a ring of tall glass windows exposed them to a full view of the outdoors around the condo. If I can get out there and find other people, I’ll be safe.
She heard the thunder of footsteps behind her and turned. Brandon was rushing straight for her, Virgil chasing him. She still gripped the kitchen knife; she raised it
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