to stab Brandon, but he was on her too quickly. He caught her arm and twisted the knife out of her hand. As it clattered against the floor, Brandon clamped his other hand around Crystal’s throat, but just then Virgil caught up to him and pummeled Brandon’s face with inhuman force, instantly taking him down. Brandon’s body crumpled to the floor as limply as a rag doll’s.
Crystal didn’t pause to pick up the knife, she just turned and dragged Cole across the lobby. He resisted, yelling fire and brimstone at Brandon. “You’re done, Brandon! That’s it! You’re fucking done!” Cole apparently didn’t know that Brandon lay unconscious on the floor, and that his yelling was instead directed toward the crazed security guard, who was following them toward the vestibule at the front of the building.
“Please listen,” Virgil said again. “You’re not safe here.” Now he was scaring Crystal almost as much as Brandon did, so she ignored him and helped Cole through the first set of glass double doors. “Crystal.” The security guard’s voice was cold, forceful. “If you go outside, you’re going to die.”
What the hell? Now two maniacs were after Crystal. She needed to call the police.
A car horn blared, cutting through her confusion. Heather sat in her car under the portico outside, gesturing for Crystal to come get in. She looked worried by the presence of Cole and Virgil. Could she see that Crystal was in distress?
Crystal yanked on the front doors.
They were locked.
She tried again, then glanced back at Virgil, who lurked in the lobby, just past the vestibule’s inner doors. “Why won’t the doors open?” Crystal asked him through the glass.
“I locked them.”
Crystal felt panic growing inside her again, so she fought it. With the front doors locked, she and Cole were trapped in the entrance hall. Virgil—and Brandon unconscious behind him—blocked their only exit. “Unlock the doors!” Crystal demanded.
“You can’t leave,” Virgil said. “They already killed the security guard. They’ll kill you too. Call Heather and tell her to drive back down into the garage.”
Crystal turned to Heather and waved frantically. “Heather, help! We’re locked in! Can you open the doors from out there?” Heather probably couldn’t hear her, but responded to her yelling anyway. She turned off her car, got out, and paced toward the doorway. Her actions elicited a frenzied response from Virgil.
“No! Get back in the car!” He burst into the vestibule with Crystal and Cole. “GET BACK IN THE CAR!”
“Do you have your phone?” Crystal asked Cole. “Call the fucking cops.” While she looked around for something to use for self-defense, or to break the glass of the front doors, Heather arrived on the other side of the glass. She yanked on the door handles but they didn’t budge. “Heather, this guy is crazy,” Crystal said. “Break the glass. Find something and break the glass.”
But instead of helping Crystal, Heather remained motionless. She shivered violently.
“Heather?”
“What’s she doing?” Cole asked.
Heather blinked a few times, then looked to the side and reached out her hand as if to touch something next to her. Then she shivered again, her arms went limp, and her whole posture slumped.
“Heather?”
Her eyes took on a strange look then: darkness, emptiness. Virgil, apparently disturbed by what he was seeing, looked away.
“Heather, what’s wrong?”
Seemingly unaware she was being spoken to, Heather calmly and curiously stared around in all directions, as if observing a scenic view.
Then she turned and walked away, toward the road in the distance.
“Heather! Cole, what the fuck is she doing?”
“I can’t see, Crystal. I don’t know.”
“Heather!”
As Heather strode away at a leisurely pace, Crystal continued calling to her, then backed away when Virgil stepped up to the glass. He gazed out the doors, his head darting in several directions.
Crystal didn’t pause to pick up the knife, she just turned and dragged Cole across the lobby. He resisted, yelling fire and brimstone at Brandon. “You’re done, Brandon! That’s it! You’re fucking done!” Cole apparently didn’t know that Brandon lay unconscious on the floor, and that his yelling was instead directed toward the crazed security guard, who was following them toward the vestibule at the front of the building.
“Please listen,” Virgil said again. “You’re not safe here.” Now he was scaring Crystal almost as much as Brandon did, so she ignored him and helped Cole through the first set of glass double doors. “Crystal.” The security guard’s voice was cold, forceful. “If you go outside, you’re going to die.”
What the hell? Now two maniacs were after Crystal. She needed to call the police.
A car horn blared, cutting through her confusion. Heather sat in her car under the portico outside, gesturing for Crystal to come get in. She looked worried by the presence of Cole and Virgil. Could she see that Crystal was in distress?
Crystal yanked on the front doors.
They were locked.
She tried again, then glanced back at Virgil, who lurked in the lobby, just past the vestibule’s inner doors. “Why won’t the doors open?” Crystal asked him through the glass.
“I locked them.”
Crystal felt panic growing inside her again, so she fought it. With the front doors locked, she and Cole were trapped in the entrance hall. Virgil—and Brandon unconscious behind him—blocked their only exit. “Unlock the doors!” Crystal demanded.
“You can’t leave,” Virgil said. “They already killed the security guard. They’ll kill you too. Call Heather and tell her to drive back down into the garage.”
Crystal turned to Heather and waved frantically. “Heather, help! We’re locked in! Can you open the doors from out there?” Heather probably couldn’t hear her, but responded to her yelling anyway. She turned off her car, got out, and paced toward the doorway. Her actions elicited a frenzied response from Virgil.
“No! Get back in the car!” He burst into the vestibule with Crystal and Cole. “GET BACK IN THE CAR!”
“Do you have your phone?” Crystal asked Cole. “Call the fucking cops.” While she looked around for something to use for self-defense, or to break the glass of the front doors, Heather arrived on the other side of the glass. She yanked on the door handles but they didn’t budge. “Heather, this guy is crazy,” Crystal said. “Break the glass. Find something and break the glass.”
But instead of helping Crystal, Heather remained motionless. She shivered violently.
“Heather?”
“What’s she doing?” Cole asked.
Heather blinked a few times, then looked to the side and reached out her hand as if to touch something next to her. Then she shivered again, her arms went limp, and her whole posture slumped.
“Heather?”
Her eyes took on a strange look then: darkness, emptiness. Virgil, apparently disturbed by what he was seeing, looked away.
“Heather, what’s wrong?”
Seemingly unaware she was being spoken to, Heather calmly and curiously stared around in all directions, as if observing a scenic view.
Then she turned and walked away, toward the road in the distance.
“Heather! Cole, what the fuck is she doing?”
“I can’t see, Crystal. I don’t know.”
“Heather!”
As Heather strode away at a leisurely pace, Crystal continued calling to her, then backed away when Virgil stepped up to the glass. He gazed out the doors, his head darting in several directions.
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