Escape

Chapter II (Rock, Paper, Scissors)

After parting ways with Iain's group, Ivy's group ventured ahead through the long narrow hallway. Cobwebs hung on the roof, and old flickering lights illuminated the hall. The flooring was no better. Some floorboards were misplaced or missing. As they took a step towards the next corner, the creaking sound of the floorboards sent shivers down their spines. They proceeded in silence ignoring the creaking until they abruptly stopped because of Hunter. "Fuck this!" Hunter cursed, slamming his fist into the wall. Ivy gritted her teeth and glared. She outstretched her arms only to snarl under her breath.

"What's with these stupid uniforms anyways!" She yelled attracting both Hunter and Will's attention. She brushed her bangs back and instantly averted her gaze from them. She curved her lips into a half hearted smile and swung her arms behind her. "Come on. I couldn't have been the only one to wonder." She asked in a softer voice.

"Cut the cute and innocent act. We all know you're definitely not a bystander. You're either a murderer or a dealer." Hunter blurted out in fury. She dropped her smile and stared intently at the wall. She took a step towards the wall. A cool breeze was felt through the wall. She bent down and inspected it once more.

"So you noticed it too?" Will said, leaning over her. She nodded. Hunter rushed over curious about the situation.

"What's going on?" He asked, pushing them away.

"I can't believe this idiot saw through my lie but can't figure this much," Ivy muttered brushing herself off and getting off the floor. A few snicker was heard behind her. She spun around only to find a giggling Will standing behind her. "I'm glad my pain amuses you" she whispered to him. They stood behind Hunter and waited for a response but instead they heard a faint yes. "Yes, what?" They both asked together. Before they could utter another word, Hunter punch through the wall. He gripped a wooden plank, he tore it off the nails. Ivy and Will watch in awe as the tall muscular beast broke through the wall with ease.  After breaking through the wall, Hunter extended his hand backwards. Ivy stared blankly at his huge hand. "What?" She asked leaning her hand beside him. Hunter turned his head around. He raised from his previous position and walked towards her with a smirk dancing on his lips.

"I can't believe this idiot. I need a flashlight or can you not figure that much out," he said, mimicking Ivy's tone. He extended his hand out waiting for her to place the flashlight in his hand. She took a deep breath and returned a sarcastic smile. She swung her backpack off her shoulders and fished out her flashlight.

"Here." She said handing the flashlight to him. Surprised by her sudden kindness he snickered and returned back to the wall. Will and Ivy followed behind. Twisting the flashlight in different directions , hunter began to get irritated

"Ah I see." He mumbled. He turned around facing Ivy once more and slammed the flashlight into her chest. His eyebrows knitted together. He let out a sigh before walking toward Ivy, clutching his giant hands. "You little bitch! You gave me a broken fucking flashlight. I'm going to fucking kill you!" He shouted, forcing Ivy to take a step backwards. She continued moving backwards until her back hit the wooden decayed walls.

"Shit!" She mumbled to herself. Hunter laughed walking closer to her petite body. He leaned forward towards her ear. He caressed her cheek. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine and the lingering smell of vodka and cigarettes tickled the interior of her nose almost caused her to throw up. Hunter yanked a handful of her hair causing her head to move to the direction he was pulling. The flashlight that she held dropped to the floor. Will ran up, tearing Hunter away from her. Although Hunter was slim, he was definitely not weak. Hunter laughed as he saw the visible pain on Ivy's face. She grunted, trying to peel his hands off her. She slipped her handed in her pocket trembling to pull out something. Will kicked the back of Hunter's knees, forcing him to knee down, releasing Ivy in the process. Ivy sighed, removing her hand from her pocket. She glanced down at Hunter. Her eyes widened as she noticed that he was bowing, by force, at her. She bent down and took the flashlight and shone it at the hole. She stepped over Hunter ignoring their disagreement. She reach her hand out and pulled a sticky note off the circled shaped electric fan. She sighed and bent down switching Hunters flashlight with her broken one. She stood back up and approached the defeated Hunter and Will, which was helping hunter back to his feet. She extended her hand gesturing them to read the note. Ivy parted her chapped lips but before she could utter a word, Hunter snatched the note off, stomping towards the fan. Will slowly followed. Ivy placed her hand on his shoulder preventing him to follow. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer to his ear.

"The next intersection, we will play rock paper and scissors to decide which way each person will go. In that game throw a paper." She whispered softly. She removed her hand and picked up her bag. Will creased his eyes and gave her a mischievous smile as she moved slowly away from him.

"What's written in the note?" Will asked, turning to Hunter. Hunter snapped his head towards her. His expression was dark almost as if he was ready to kill someone.

"Did you really think you can escape from under here! Fucking bitch tricked us!" He shouted, forming his hand in a fist, scrunching the note in the process. "Damn it!" He spat, kicking the the fan over.

"We better continue then," Ivy said calmly, turning away from them. Will and Hunter agreed and followed shorted.

Once again they continue their adventure in silence through the never ending hallway. The creaking floorboards ceased but the rotten flooring force them from quickly reaching the end. The lights failed to illuminate the hall. They shone their flashlights towards them wary by the flooring. As they proceed with caution through the unstable setting, they spotted a red light. Eventually they reached the source of it. Ivy's lips curved as she looked at the two paths beside her. "What should we do?" Hunter asked. Ivy coughed, concealing her excitement.

'We should split up," Will suggested, looking over his shoulder to glance at Ivy's expression.

"How will me decide that?" Hunter added

"We'll play a round of rock, paper and scissors. The first two winners will go one way and the loser will go the other way." Ivy explained. The teenagers agreed and extended their fists. They counted to three. As requested, Will threw an opened hand and Ivy also threw paper. Hunter on the other hand, threw a fist. Hunter bit down on his lip and looked up. He dropped to his hand in defeat. Ivy turned around, making her way to the right and Will followed. Hunter scrambled to his feet. There was none of his usual arrogance in his face now. He simply looked terrified.

"Guys," he pleaded. "Guys, please, we don't know what's down there."

Will bit his lip. "Ivy," he murmured. "Ivy, maybe we should take him with us. Maybe they won't know-"

"They will," she snapped. "They've got eyes everywhere, Will. Who knows what they'll do if we cheat?"

Will hesitated, but then tossed Hunter the flashlight. The other boy caught it, surprise flickering over his face as Ivy exclaimed. "Will!"

"What?" He demanded. "He's going alone, he's probably-"

He broke off. They all knew what he would have said – he's probably going to die anyway.

"Exactly," Ivy said tersely. "Which is why we need it more."

Hunter was clearly debating whether to give it back or not. In the end, his fear and cowardice won, and without a second glance or even a thank you to Will, he hurried down the corridor, the light casting shadows on the walls before he disappeared around the corner.