Tainted Reflection: Random segment

Hazel finally reached the top of the three flights of stairs she’d had to trundle her way back up. Not feeling much like laughing now she pushed her way through another door and proceeded down the long, carpeted corridor of the arts department. As she went by she critiqued all the art work framed on the walls either side of the corridor. None of it was what she really called art. One image was made up of newspaper and magazine cuttings forming a shape she failed to identify.

Did nobody encourage anyone to paint anymore?  She wondered as she skimmed over the other works which adorned the walls. Just as she was getting into her critical stride she thought she heard something, a muffled cry. She stopped in her tracks and listened but the corridor was still, no people. Only the art work on the white walls. The only sound had been her footsteps on the floor when she had been walking.

“Hello?” she paused waiting to see if anyone was around. “Hello?” she called again. “Is there somebody there?” This time she definitely heard something, a muffled sound. Hazel took slower steps as she moved forwards. “Hello? If your there speak to me,” she invited. The muffled sound suddenly became more frantic, more urgent. Someone unable to speak. “Are you hurt?” she asked finding herself approaching one of the classroom doors.

“Where are you?” the muffled cry was beginning to sound more coherent as she reached the door. She slowly placed her hand around the knob of the door and twisted it open. The door creaked and she gently opened the door hesitating at first before stepping partially into the room.

 The lights were switched off but she could still make out desks and chairs and a large, dark grey cupboard in the corner of the room. The noise appeared to be coming from inside the cupboard. “The cupboard?” she asked herself. “Is this a practical joke?” the question was directed more at the cupboard as she top toed towards it with apprehension. The muffled sound suddenly became more aggressive and Hazel darted back as the cupboard doors flung open and a man fell out onto the floor by her feet.

“Mr Willis?” Hazel blurted out. Her heart beating frantically with the absolute surprise and shock of her art teacher being flung at her from inside a cupboard. Before she could say anything more abusive she noticed that he’d been bound and gagged. He wriggled round the floor agitated, his words sounding more like violent screams due to the rope fastened in his mouth. “Oh my God who did this to you?” she crouched down beside him as he attempted further speech.

“Here let me untie your hands,” she pulled at the knot in the rope which bound his hands together. The knot was tight and very well done but she was managing to pull it loose even if Mr Willis was insistent on wriggling about. Within a few seconds she had succeeded in loosening the knot and focused her attention on removing the gag around his mouth.

Suddenly Mr Willis leapt onto her dragging her down to the floor and pressing himself on top of her making sure he was in control. He snarled at her like a wild animal, flailing his arms about, punching her and lashing out at her anywhere he could hit her avoiding where she was trying to defend herself with her arms. “ Mr Willis what’re you doing?” she cried out desperately trying to fight him off but finding the sheer ferocity in which he was laying into her unbearable to defend herself against.

“Get off me!” she screamed. “Stop it! STOP IT!” but he wasn’t listening. He was wild, every hit was with such malice, such hatred she couldn’t stop him. She tried to hit back but his rage was uncontrollable he didn’t seem to notice. “I was trying to help you,” she pleaded desperate to make him stop, desperate to stop the pain. It was then that she allowed the fear to invade her mind, the horrifying truth of what was about to happen. He was going to kill her.

She closed her eyes about to give in when she heard another cry. She dared to open her eyes and saw a shadow pass over her and charge straight into Mr Willis sending him sprawling into a row of desks and chars. Hazel barely had time to sit up and breath as the shadowy figure stepped towards her and shouted-

“ RUN!”

Before she could even register the command the shadow pulled her up from the floor and dragged her out of the room.

“Get back here!” snarled Mr Willis uninjured but now even angrier than it should have been humanly possible.

“Just ignore him, keep running,” in the light of the corridor Hazel could now see who her shadowy rescuer was. It was the man, the strange man holding her hand and pulling her along as they ran together down the corridor.

“Why’s he chasing us?” she panted. “I set him free,” she added as a defence.

“Yeah and that was a clever plan wasn’t it?” the stranger quipped sarcastically. “You have any idea what I had to do to catch him? Then you come blundering in and ruin everything,” he accused with an unforgiving tone of voice full of annoyance.

“You?” Hazel couldn’t contain her surprise. “You did that to him?” she suddenly felt that she was in even more danger than she was before. This man had been her rescuer just ten seconds ago now it appeared she was running hand in hand with a lunatic. A lunatic who’s plan had put her in serious danger.

 “Never mind, just run,” he didn’t seem to care. She really wasn’t safe after all was she? Mr Willis suddenly burst out of the classroom and began to give chase, bounding down the corridor at such a speed as if to emphasise her point.  

 “I didn’t do this Mr Willis,” she called back desperate to be exonerated from whatever this business was about. If he had thought she was part of him being tied up and locked in a cupboard it made sense he would attack her in defence.

“Your friends with him,” he spat chasing them down like a hungry, snarling wolf that hadn’t eaten for days.

“No I’m not. I’ve only just met him,” she protested trying to shake her hand free from her enigmatic companion but he gripped on tight.

“Quick, down here.” they dived down a side corridor pushing through one of the sets of double doors aligning the corridors.

“He’s so angry,” she could feel the tremble in her voice as she spoke. She looked back and saw Mr Willis gaining on them. She was genuinely terrified of what he would do if he caught them.

“Wouldn’t you be if someone tied you up?”  Her odd counterpart offered as if it was some kind of defence for his actions as though he suddenly sympathized with his victim whilst also seemingly dismissing her terror as nothing more than a trip to the dentist. She was quickly thrust round another corner tripping over her own feet as they turned. The firm grip of her protector’s hand forced her to keep steady. They bolted through another double door, all the time this baffling man refusing to look back.

“Why is he after me?” she asked as they descended the stairs. She heard the angry sound of Mr Willis roaring at them in frustration. She looked round to see him gnarling his teeth and decided to take one last desperate measure of flattery to stop him. “Your body is very nice Mr Willis. It wasn’t the same without you.”

 “Oh please,” squirmed her companion all too aware Hazel didn’t believe what she had said either. He saw it for what it was, a last ditch attempt to appease their pursuer. They crashed through another door and turned into a new corridor. “In here, quick.” She was pushed through another door which the man quickly closed behind them. He turned the lock on the inside of the door before pushing a chair underneath the door handle. Hazel hunched over trying to catch her breath back.

The room was a storage room for the caretakers, not much bigger than a cupboard. There was a sudden loud bang on the door from the outside. Hazel jumped. “He’s a madman and you –” she pointed at the stranger who had his back to her. “Who are you?”

 ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ The door was being severely tested.

“What kind of person ties somebody up? Have I just locked myself in with a serial killer?” The stranger turned to face her.

 “A serial killer that then takes over his victim’s class and humiliates himself butt naked in a room full of strangers? Yes seems plausible, I can see where you’re going with that.” Hazel wasn’t amused, how could he find time for sarcasm in a moment like this?

‘BANG!’ The door was starting to cave in under the savagery of Mr Willis’s attack.

“And in case you hadn’t noticed he’s still alive,” chirped the man. God he was perplexing.

“You won’t get away with this. I will hunt you down,” roared Mr Willis now attempting to kick the door in.

“Oh my God he’s kicked a hole in the door,” Hazel was terrified she was about to be pulled apart by a psychopath and she didn’t know why. Her partner in crime however was dithering round the only window in the room.

“Think yourself lucky he can’t just swipe his way in. Now -” he pulled open the window bar and opened the window as far as it would go. “Shall we?” he asked calmly.

“That window’s too small. I’ll never get through,” Hazel exclaimed. More cracks began to appear in the door. Mr Willis would be through in any minute.

 “No your right,” agreed the man with Hazel’s terror not dampened by the now slight concern creeping into his usually calm voice. He quickly picked up the other chair in the room and bashed the window with it. Hazel could have cried, the glass didn’t even splinter; only the chair was doing that. She glanced between door and window, the door wouldn’t stand much more. She looked back at the stranger still thrashing the chair against the window. The chair by the door was starting to fall apart.

“Cheap, lousy rubbish,” she yelled in her head as the door started to collapse in on itself. The stranger swung the chair behind him and chucked it straight at the window. The glass in the window smashed whilst the chair flew out the window.

“Out you get,” smiled the stranger. Hazel didn’t trust him.

 “I’m not turning my back on you.”

“Look if he breaks through who would you rather he got? Me or you?”

She couldn’t argue with that one, it was better if it was him. “Fair point,” she conceded climbing up onto the sink underneath the window and pushing herself up and out of the window.

“Get as far away as you can and don’t tell anyone about this or you’ll get them killed,” added the man hurriedly.

“I’ll report this to the police,” Hazel snapped angrily.

“Oh go. Go! “The man had lost his patience to and pushed his way up and out the window to escape. The door suddenly burst open, finally giving way to the barrage. A raging Mr Willis stumbled through to find an empty room. He looked up at the broken window clenching his fists.

 “No! NO!” he screamed knowing how close he’d come to capturing them. He was furious with himself, he’d let them escape.