Extra Credit | Complete

39

"Hello?"

"Cali?" Lines creased my forehead. That didn't sound like Lincoln.

I pulled the phone away from my ear to double check the name on the top of the screen. Sure enough, I hadn't been imagining things. I returned the phone to the side of my face and spoke into the receiver. "Drew?"

"Hey," his voice lacked the usual humour. Andrew had this way of sounding like everything in the world was somehow amusing. The serious tone he was sporting wasn't something I was expecting.

An uncomfortable prickling crawled up my back. "Hey, is everything okay? Why are you calling me from Lincoln's phone?"

"He needs your help, Cali."

Dread pooled in my stomach like a leaky dam. "What happened?"

Lincoln was very clear in his last words to me. He didn't want me around. For whatever reason. The fact that his best friend was contacting me made me nauseous. A hundred different scenarios swirled around in my mind like a tornado.

"Lincoln had a match at the Pit tonight," Andrew started, bringing himself to pause. It felt like eternity before he spoke again. "He's hurt, Cali. He's hurt bad."

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I was a stickler for the rules.

The anxiety I experienced when I thought I'd get in trouble with an authority figure was next level. The mere thought of being pulled over made me break out in hives. Which is why my father joked that I drove at a turtle's pace. Ever since I had gotten my license I took great pride in following the speed limit. However, on this chilly December night I didn't care about any of that. I had to get to Lincoln.

I made it to campus in record time, skidding into an empty parking spot and almost forgetting to lock Ella's car. The heart of the student centre was empty besides a few small groups of people littered about. They were so relaxed, oblivious to what was happening beneath them.

Speed walking down the Underground's steps I bypassed the security personnel at the bottom of the stairs. I took a sharp left and headed towards the tight hall at the end of the room. The music rattled through me, agitating my nerves even more. I squeezed through a few dancers who had migrated too close to the bar, their sweat slicked bodies touching mine. When I broke through the crowd I beelined the rest of the way to the hidden entrance.

I checked over my shoulder before twisting the handle to the storage closet. The metal door clanked shut behind me, leaving me in the dark. I wasted no time yanking on the string that hung in the middle of the room. It clicked and the wall across from me popped open. I scurried out of the closet, losing myself in the crowd as I entered The Pit.

Following Andrew's instructions I moved around the perimeter of the cement room. I couldn't believe how many people were there. There was music and laughing. The smell of marijuana rammed into me, smacking me across the face. No one was phased regarding what had happened in the ring a mere fifteen minutes prior.

Curiosity got the best of me. I peered over toward the lit up cage. There was no one inside, but the stadium lights were still on. Fresh blood glistened under them. It was smeared across the mat and up the sides of the cage. Dizziness engulfed me and I forced myself to take a deep breath. I had to get a hold of myself or there would be no way I would be able to help Lincoln.

I slipped by a greasy man who sent crude comments my way, picking up the pace towards the far side of the room, just as Andrew had said. I bulldozed through the first door, wandering down the hall. The lights flickered, the smell of mildew disguising the scent of smoke from outside.