When the call ended, a panicked breath shuddered through me. My shaky hand dropped from my ear. Trembling, I stepped over to my bag and took out the cut. After I lay it on the desk, I reached inside for my knife. I slid it into one of the inside pockets of the cut, one that I could keep my hand on at all times.
You can do this.
For Deacon.
For Willow.
For your parents.
With a determined step, I walked out my classroom door. As the herd of parents and children streamed through the main lobby, I eased my way through them, feeling a little like salmon spawning upstream.
While people came out of the B and C hallways, the double doors to the D hall were empty. Because of overcrowding, the school had been forced to open early before the last wing was completed. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw no one was watching me as I stood before the closed doors. I pushed them open and stepped into the darkened hallway.
The only light to guide my way came from the Emergency signs. My heels echoed along the silent hallway. The snap and pop on the tile reminded me of gunshots. I counted down the first and second bathrooms.
When I reached the third door, I faltered. I couldn’t seem to bring my feet forward or my hand to push open the door. Fear clutched me in a vise-like grip. Closing my eyes, I prayed for strength and for courage. Of course, the irony in praying with regards to plans to kill someone was not lost on me.
Think of Willow. Think of Deacon. Think of your parents.
Drawing in a deep breath, I pushed forward on the door. Light flooded my eyes, causing me to squint. As I glanced around, I saw the main area was empty. Passing the urinals, I headed for the stalls. The sound of my heels once again grated on my already frayed nerves.
“Sigel?” I finally questioned, my voice echoing back to me.
With a trembling hand, I reached out to push open the first stall’s doors. It was empty. I went on to the next one.
“I’m here, Miss Evans,” Sigel spoke in a low tone. The voice had come from the handicapped stall two down.
Knowing where he was didn’t speed me up. Instead, I crept even slower down to the stall.
I opened the door. He casually leaned against the wall–his face devoid of any emotion. I couldn’t help craning my neck. “It’s only you?”
A contemptuous snort echoed back at me. “Like I would need any help dealing with you.”
My heart shuddered to a stop. He’d taken the bait. The sexist jackass didn’t see me as a threat.
Feigning indication, I spat, “I could’ve had a gun for all you knew.”
“And I still wouldn’t need any help taking it off of you.”
“While you might act macho, there’s no way in hell you’re here all alone,” I countered.
“You’re right Ms. Evans. My men have been ordered to stay back. Keep their eyes and ears out for any Raiders scum.”
“They won’t find any,” I replied.
“For your sake, I fucking hope not.”
As I thrust out the cut to him, I frantically kept my grip on the knife, fearing my sweaty fingers would slide and drop it. When he started to reach for it, the world around me slowed to a crawl.
For just an instant, I stepped outside of myself, surveying the situation.
The woman I saw was a caged animal with a feral gleam in her eyes. She swayed like a cobra in a life and death dance, waiting for the right moment to strike. The man fixated all his attention on the sacred object in front of him. As his hand ran over the leather, tears pooled in his eyes.
It was at that moment a switch flipped within me, and the woman I had been before was forever changed.
With Sigel’s emotions paralyzing him, I acted on his momentary weakness. A physical strength I didn’t know had propelled me forward. Reaching into the cut, I snatched out the knife. With the heavy weight of the blade in my hand, I gripped it in my fist, my knuckles turning white from the tension. Pulling my arm back, I then launched myself at Sigel’s neck.
I had no idea what stabbing someone entailed. Would the knife cut through the skin easily or would it be hard? The force with which I plunged the knife into Sigel’s artery buried the blade. Blood spewed from the wound.
