Clearwater University

  The afternoon sunlight filtered through the art room’s tall windows, casting long shadows across half-finished canvases.

  Lishcelle’s brush hovered uncertainty over her palette, colors blending without purpose as her mind drifted between the delicate strokes of her painting and the complicated web of emotions surrounding Leores and Eris.

  The gentle tap at the door barely registered through her haze of thoughts.

  Professor Rojas paused mid-stroke, his weathered features creasing with mild irritation at the interruption. “Come in.”

  The door swung open with purpose, revealing Leores’ tall frame.

  His usual easy confidence was replaced by something harder, more urgent – a tension that radiated from his rigid posture to his searching gaze as it found Lishcelle among her classmates.

  “Mr. Rojas, I apologize for the interruption. I need to speak with Lishcelle briefly. Five minutes, no more.”

  The professor's paintbrush stilled against his canvas as he studied the young man, noting the unusual gravity in his tone.

  His eyes darted to Lishcelle, who had already set down her tools, picking up on the silent urgency. "Very well. Make it quick."

  The hallway embraced them in stark silence, broken only by the distant echo of footsteps and the lingering scent of turpentine that clung to Lishcelle’s apron.

  Under the harsh fluorescent lights, Leores’ expression was even more severe, shadows playing across the sharp angles of his face.

  “You’re scaring me,” Lishcelle whispered, her heart picking up pace. “What’s wrong?”

  Leores’ voice dropped low, heavy with warning. “Listen carefully – you, Sydney, and Abbie need to stay away from any Dogs parties. No exceptions.”

  The weight of his words hung in the air between them, heavy and foreboding.

  Lishcelle felt her chest tighten, recognizing the rare glimpse of genuine fear behind his stern fa?ade. “Leores, what aren’t you telling me?”

  Leores’s gaze bore into Lishcelle, his eyes intense and burning with a grave urgency.

  “I hacked into the school’s database last night,” he began, his voice low and tinged with a rare vulnerability. “What I found… It’s horrifying.”

  Lishcelle felt the blood drain from her face as she watched the color drain from his.

  “What? What did you find?” she whispered, her heart pounding in her ears.

  “Over a hundred cases of sexual misconduct – and not a single one reported to the authorities.” Leores’s jaw tightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

  The harsh fluorescent lights overhead flickered, casting an eerie glow over his stricken features. “It all happened right under our noses, in the blind spots around campus. Even here, in this very hallway.”

  Lishcelle felt a chill race down her spine, her mind reeling as she recalled the countless times she had walked these halls, blissfully unaware of the horrors lurking just out of sight.

  “But why are you telling me this?” she breathed, her voice trembling.

  Leores’s gaze soften, a glimmer of vulnerability shining through the hardness. “Because I want you to be safe. All of you.” He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “You… You’re my friend, Lishcelle. I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”

  Lishcelle felt her heart swell with a mix of gratitude and trepidation. She reached out, her fingers closing around his sleeve.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes searching his face. “For looking out for us.”

  Leores offered a small, pained smile. “Don’t mention it. Now, I’ve got to get to ethics class.” He turned to leave, but Lishcelle’s grip tightened.

  “Wait,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Eris… She told us that you and her…” Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, the unspoken words hanging in the air between them.

  For the first time, Lishcelle saw Leores’s composure crack, a flicker of embarrassment flashing across his features.

  He coughed, his gaze dropping to the floor. "It's... complicated," he mumbled, the tips of his ears reddening.

  Lishcelle’s eyes searched his, a glimmer of surprise shining through. “I didn’t know you were capable of feeling embarrassment, Leores. That’s actually quite surprising.”

  Leores felt the heat rise in his cheeks, a rare display of vulnerability.

  “What’s your point in bringing this up now?” he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of defensiveness.

  Lishcelle’s gaze drifted away, her eyes landing on the scuffed linoleum floor.

  “I just… I don’t know.” She paused, her brow furrowing. “It’s just, I’ve never seen you with anyone, and Eris seemed so different around you.”

  Leores let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging ever so slightly.

  “Yes, we did have sex,” he admitted, his voice low and tinged with a touch of shame.

  “Even though, by technicality, it would be considered incest. But…” He trailed off, his gaze darting away from Lishcelle’s.

  Lishcelle’s hand fell away from his arm, her eyes widening with shock.

  “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” she stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

  The hallway suddenly felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken tension.

  The distant sound of laughter echoed through the corridors, and Lishcelle’s question hung in the air like a delicate piece of artwork demanding interpretation.

  “Do you… Love her?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Leores felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach, the weight of the question settling heavily upon him.

  “I… Feel for her, but I’m not sure if I do or don’t,” he confessed, his gaze fixed on the floor. “I never knew what love is, actually.”

  He finally looked up, his eyes meeting Lishcelle’s. “But I would like to. I just… I don’t know if I can ever reciprocate verbally without lying.”

  Lishcelle’s expression softened with understanding, her eyes filled with a compassion that belied her youth.

  “Well, I think you might have Alexithymia,” she said, her voice gentle.

  Leores furrowed his brow, the unfamiliar term rolling off his tongue.

  “Alexithymia?” he repeated, the word foreign and strange.

  Lishcelle nodded, her gaze steady and unwavering. “It’s a condition where people have difficulty identifying or describing their emotions.” She paused, her eyes searching his face. “It might explain a lot about you, Leores.”

  Leores felt a weight lift from his shoulders, a sense of relief washing over him.

  “Alexithymia,” he murmured, the word resonating with him in a way he couldn’t quite explain. “So, that’s what this is…”

  Lishcelle reached out, her hand gently resting on his arm. “It’s okay, Leores,” she said, her voice soothing.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. It just means you might need to find different ways to express yourself.”

  Leores nodded, a small, grateful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

  “Thank you, Lishcelle,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “For understanding, I’ll look into it.”

  As Leores disappeared around the corner, his footsteps fading into silence, Lishcelle stood rooted in place.

  The weight of their conversation pressed heavily on her shoulders, a stark contrast to the distant chatter from the art room. Her mind whirled with concern—both for her friends’ safety and for Leores himself.

  Lunch Plaza

  Later, beneath the dappled sunlight of the lunch plaza, Lishcelle sat alone at their usual table.

  She absently pushed her food around, her thoughts drifting back to that morning’s revelations.

  The bustling energy of students around her felt distant, like background noise to her racing thoughts.

  “I’ve known Leores was autistic since middle school,” she murmured to herself, her fork tracing patterns in her untouched meal.

  “But I never really understood what he might be feeling inside.” The realization settled over her like a heavy blanket. “That blank expression of his… even when we think we see anger or sadness…”

  Her contemplation was suddenly interrupted as someone approached from behind.

  She startled as Abbie appeared, wearing her characteristic playful smirk. “Earth to Lishcelle,” Abbie teased, settling into the seat beside her. “You’re thinking so hard I can practically see smoke coming out of your ears.”

  Lishcelle managed a small laugh, grateful for the familiar presence of her friend. “Just processing some heavy stuff,” she admitted, absently reaching for her bag where the pepper spray resided—a habit born of the newfound knowledge of campus dangers.

  “Well, whatever’s got you so serious, you know I’m here if you need to talk,” Abbie offered, her usual mischief softening into genuine concern. “Though I have to say, you wear worried way better than I do.”

  The gentle banter provided a welcome respite from the darkness of her thoughts, though the weight of Leores’ revelations still lingered at the edges of her mind.

  Lishcelle’s voice dropped to a murmur as she leaned back in her chair, the warmth of the sun a gentle contrast to the shadows that seemed to linger around them. “I’m just thinking about Leores, that’s all.”

  Abbie settled into the seat beside her, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

  “I’m all ears, what’s up?” she asked, her usual playfulness tempered by the gravity of the situation.

  Lishcelle hesitated for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip, before deciding to confide in her friend.

  “Leores talked to me during art class,” she began, her voice low and urgent. “He pulled me out to the hallway and told me about what he found.”

  As Lishcelle recounted the conversation, Abbie’s eyes widened with horror.

  “Over a hundred cases of sexual assaults under the rug? This place has some massive skeletons in the closet,” she breathed, the humor from before replaced by a seriousness that matched the weight of the revelation.

  “Yeah…” Lishcelle’s voice was a mix of fear and determination. “He told us to stay away from all the parties the frat throws and to keep our heads on a swivel.”

  Abbie’s hand reached for a fry from Lishcelle’s plate, her usual mischief surfacing.

  “And Eris and Leo… Wow, I’m almost jealous of her,” she said, attempting to lighten the mood.

  Lishcelle slapped her hand away playfully, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Abbie, come on. He’s still my friend,” she chided, though the heaviness in her chest remained. “That’s not the point, anyway.”

  The shadows of the trees danced across the plaza, hinting at the darker truths lurking beneath the surface of their seemingly idyllic college life.

  Lishcelle’s gaze grew distant, her mind racing with the implications of Leores' revelations and the newfound dangers they all faced.

  “Ohh, it is. He’s not a virgin so that means that he knows how to work the female body. Mmmm, I bet he just might be the gentle one at first and just go all out type~” Abbie said, her voice dropping into a sultry tone that made Lishcelle blush even more.

  “Abbie, that’s not what we should be talking about right now.” Lishcelle scolded her, her cheeks flaming even hotter than before.

  “Come on girl, don’t tell me that you never thought about it.” Abbie teased, popping the fry into her mouth with a wink.

  Lishcelle rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the sudden heat that spread through her at the thought of Leores in such an intimate setting.

  She knew that her friend’s lewd comments were meant to distract her from the gravity of the situation, but they only served to make her feel even more conflicted.

  “I mean, I never seen him shirtless but I know he must have abs that you can ground meat on.” Abbie giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

  Lishcelle couldn’t help but laugh, the tension in her chest easing slightly.

  “Abbie, focus. This isn’t about that.” She said, her voice still carrying a hint of a smile.

  “I know, I know. But on the real, we should keep an eye out.” Abbie’s expression turned serious. “What if they come after us now that he’s poking his nose around their shit?”

  “Maybe that’s why Leores told us, he always has been 5 steps ahead of this kind of stuff, but we just need to Uber anyway on campus.” Lishcelle said, her eyes darting around the crowded plaza, searching for any signs of trouble.

  The scent of grilled food and chatter filled the air, a stark contrast to the seriousness of their conversation.

  “How the hell were you gonna do that? An Uber around here is god damn $30-$50 around here, and we’re not these rich kids.” Abbie’s voice was filled with frustration as she shoveled a mouthful of fries into her mouth.

  “Leores gave us the money for you, me and Sydney.” Lishcelle said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  She pulled out her phone, showing Abbie the text message from Leores with the details of their new, unlimited ride service.

  Abbie spit her food out in shock. “What the fuck?” She said, coughing up the food all she was talking, “Unlimited rides?! That’s not even the Uber app, the hell is that app!?”

  “It’s not just any app, it’s something he has. It’s like a private service, I guess. Only for us.” Lishcelle said, scrolling through the sleek interface of the app.

  The UberEcho app had a simple layout with three buttons: ‘Home’, ‘Emergency’ and ‘Leores’.

  “He didn’t tell me where he got it from, but it looks pretty expensive…” Lishcelle trailed off.

  “Can he be my sugar daddy?” Abbie jokes, wiping her mouth with a napkin, but Lishcelle could see the concern in her eyes.

  “Can you be mature, for 1 second?” Lishcelle snapped playfully, her eyes narrowing at Abbie’s crass joke. “This isn’t a time to be making fun of it, we could be in danger.”

  “You right, you right… Maybe just fucking him might be enough~” Abbie chuckled, but the tension between them was palpable.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Abbie! Well you stop that?” Lishcelle yelled, shocking everyone around by slapping the napkin across her friend’s face, which only made Abbie laugh harder.

  “Ohh, I forgot. My bad~” Abbie wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes, her mood swinging back to concern, “but… You should talk to Sydney, she goes to psychology classes, so she might be able to help you with understanding how to help Leo, even if you two are rivals she’s still your friend.”

  Lishcelle nodded thoughtfully, her mind racing with the implications of Leores’ confession and their conversation.

  She knew that Sydney had a knack for understanding people and their emotions, which was something she herself sometimes struggled with.

  The bond between the two of them had always been complicated, but in this moment, she knew they needed to come together for the sake of their friend.

  Meanwhile, Sydney just got out of the shower wearing only a towel, her hair still dripping wet, and she felt a sense of urgency as she checked her phone.

  There was a message from Leores, and she knew it couldn’t be good.

  She quickly read through it, her heart racing as she took in the words.

  She then tried calling him after getting the text, but it went straight to voicemail.

  Her mind raced with thoughts of what could be happening.

  Was he in trouble? Hurt? Anxiously, she threw on some clothes and headed towards the door but surprisingly Lishcelle was at the door when she opened it.

  “Uhh… Did you already knew I was coming or…” Lishcelle asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice, eyeing the roughly dressed Sydney.

  Seeing Lishcelle she calmed down slightly, the sight of a familiar face offering some comfort in the chaos of her thoughts.

  “No, I was about to do something… So uh, what brings you here?” Sydney asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

  “Can I come in?” Lishcelle’s voice was tight with concern, her eyes searching Sydney’s face for any signs of distress. “We need to talk about something important.”

  Sydney stepped aside, allowing Lishcelle to enter her dorm room.

  The space was small but cozy, with posters of motivational quotes and pictures of friends scattered across the walls.

  The scent of Sydney’s fruity shampoo lingered in the steamy air, a stark contrast to the gravity of the situation.

  “Just got out of the shower?” Lishcelle raised an eyebrow, stepping into the small room, the door clicking shut behind her.

  The air was still heavy with the scent of shampoo and the warmth from the recent shower.

  “Yeah, long workout at the gym.” Sydney said sitting down on the couch, “So, what’s up?”

  Lishcelle sat down next to her, her expression serious. “It’s about Leores.” She took a deep breath, “And Abbie said that you might help me understand him better.”

  Sydney looked confused by this. “Uh, didn’t you know him for years? I’m pretty sure you should know him better than me.”

  “Yeah, but you can only know so much of a person that they tell you. He tells me lots of stuff but never too much about himself.” Lishcelle’s eyes searched Sydney’s, looking for understanding. “Plus you take psychology, so you might be able to help regardless.”

  Sydney nodded slowly, her mind racing. She knew that Leores had always been a complex individual, he’s willing to talk but his face and personality is kind of stand offish. “Okay, tell me what’s going on.”

  “I think he might be suffering from Alexithymia, if you know anything about it?” Lishcelle began, her voice tentative as she searched Sydney’s eyes for any sign of recognition.

  Sydney’s eyes widened slightly, the term ringing a bell from her psychology classes.

  “It’s a condition where people have trouble identifying and expressing their emotions, right?” She leaned forward, her curiosity piqued.

  “Yeah,” Lishcelle nodded, her voice cracking slightly as she continued, “He can’t always tell what he’s feeling. It’s like he’s… blocked.”

  Sydney took a moment to think, “That does explain a lot actually. His reactions can be a bit… off sometimes.” She mused, “But it’s not like he doesn’t have feelings. It’s more that he doesn’t know how to show them or even understand them fully.”

  “Yeah, I mean… He can get made, annoyed and embarrassed but when it comes to other things…” Lishcelle trailed off, fiddling with her fingers.

  The soft fabric of her sweater felt rough against her skin as she picked at it nervously.

  Sydney nodded in understanding, her gaze thoughtful. “It’s possible. And given his autism, it could be a co-occurring condition. But it's not unheard of."

  Lishcelle looked at her surprised. “How did you know that? He only told me that.”

  “I’m trying to be a therapist Lishcelle, I know what Asperger’s syndrome looks like. I knew it from first meeting him. But I like him for being him, not his condition." Sydney said with a small smile, trying to ease the tension in the air.

  She knew that Lishcelle was concerned about their friend, but she also knew that Leores was more than capable of handling himself.

  “But I think I might have a solution for him.” Sydney spoke up, her voice filled with determination.

  She grabbed a notebook and a pen from her desk, scribbling down notes as she spoke. “We can work on helping him recognize his emotions. It won’t be easy, but I’ve learned some techniques that might help.”

  Lishcelle’s eyes lit up with hope, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. “Really? What kind of techniques?”

  “Well there’s encouraging emotional expression, Suggest journaling, but I have one that just might help.” Sydney’s eyes gleamed with excitement, flipping through her notes, "There's a book store that’s named ‘Me and My Feelings: A Kids Guide to Understanding and Expressing’ It’s a bit basic, but it could be a good starting point for Leores to understand his emotions better.”

  Lishcelle leaned in, her eyes eager as she listened to Sydney’s plan. “Okay, that sounds like a good idea. But how do we get it to him without making him feel weird? That’s a kids book.”

  Sydney grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Leave that to me. I’ve got a way with words.” She stood up, making a show of searching through her bookshelf.

  “In the meantime, let’s keep an eye on the frat. We can’t let them get away with what they’ve been doing. Leores gave me a text to fill me in.” She pulled out a book titled “Emotional Intelligence for Dummies” with a slightly older cover than the one she mentioned, holding it up with a wink. “This’ll be his little secret, from me to him.”

  Lishcelle took the book and looked at it with a smirk, “You really think he’s going to read that?”

  “I’m sure, after all you’re the one who told me ‘if he don’t know something, her looks up everything in the subject.’” Sydney said with a wink.

  “But we can’t just give it to him outright, we have to be sneaky about it. Maybe we could leave it somewhere he’ll find it, like in the library or something.” Lishcelle suggested, her mind racing with ideas.

  Sydney thinks about it until she smiles, getting an idea, “I got it, just leave it to me.” She laid down on the couch, “I’ll make sure he’ll get it.” She leaned back and closed her eyes, lost in thought.

  Lishcelle didn’t like her smile, not like she doesn’t trust her but didn’t trust her method. “Why do I feel like I might not like it? Do you have any second plans?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Sydney reassured her with a wink. “I’ve got a knack for subtlety. He’ll never know it was from us.”

  “Mmhm… Better be just that.” Lishcelle said with a skeptical tone, but her eyes were filled with trust in her friend.

  She knew Sydney could handle it, she always had a way with Leores.

  Lishcelle then leaves the dorm leaving Sydney on the couch. “Hmmm… I wonder if I could possibly make him stay the night with me? Mmmm, that’s a plan worth considering.” Sydney murmured to herself, a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she thought of the many ways she could manipulate Leores into staying.

  She knew that the book would be a delicate subject to approach, so she needed to be clever about it.

  And she can’t help but daydream what might happen if he stays the night.

  “Hmmm… When I felt his body on my back after the party, his hands… We're so Big and rough but gentle.” Sydney’s cheeks flushed as she thought back to that moment, her heart skipping a beat.

  “It felt like I was made out of glass and he tried to not to break me… But what if I want him to shatter me?” Sydney mused to herself, her cheeks burning at the thought.

  She knows that he has some experience due to Eris and she feels her hands getting lower and lower to her legs.

  She quickly stops herself, “Focus, Sydney. We have to help him first.”

  “Uhh… Damn you Leores… For being so damn sexy. And for having so much power over my emotions,” Sydney murmured to herself, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

  Few hours later Abbie is at the boys dorm making out with her friend with benefits, the sound of their passion echoed through the hallways, but she couldn’t shake the conversation she had with Lishcelle from her mind.

  It was like a dark cloud looming over her. She felt the need to check in on Leores, to make sure he was okay.

  “What’s wrong boo? You seem out of it.” Her friend, Jake, murmured against her neck, his breath warm and comforting.

  “It’s nothing.” Abbie kissed him back, trying to push her worries away.

  But the thought of Leores and the frat’s dark secrets kept gnawing at her. “I just… I’m just worried about a friend.”

  Jake pulled back, his eyes searching hers. “Is it that guy again? The one you’ve been talking about?”

  “Yeah, it’s Leo. He’s just in some deep stuff and I’m worried about him, we barley talk but he’s a good guy ya know?” Abbie sighed, her hands running through Jake’s hair as she spoke, her voice filled with a mix of concern and regret.

  “Maybe we should stop and you can go check on him.” Jake suggested, his voice filled with understanding as he pulled away slightly.

  But just then, they heard a knock on the door. “Who could that be?” Jake asked, looking confused.

  “Don’t you have this dorm all to yourself? You were expecting anyone?” Abbie asked, her eyes flicking to the clock.

  It was already 10 PM, and the knock on the door was unexpected and unwelcome.

  “Give me a sec abs, let me go look.” Jake slid out of bed, pulling on a shirt as he walked to the door.

  He peeked through the peephole, then unlocked and swung it open.

  But suddenly in the bedroom Abbie hears a loud “thud” like something hitting the floor, followed by a muffled grunt.

  She bolts out of bed, her heart racing as she runs to the door. She throws it open to see 3 men standing over Jake who’s on the floor, bleeding.

  “There she is! Get her!” One of the men snarled, and Abbie’s heart sank as she realized they were the same frat members who had been harassing her and her friends.

  She took a step back, her mind racing as she tried to formulate a plan.

  She quickly ran into the bedroom and locked the door, Abbie’s heart pounded in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears, “What do we do?” She whispered to herself, her eyes scanning the room for a way out.

  One of the men was trying to beat down the door, his fists slamming against the wood with a sickening thud.

  “We know you’re in there, you little slut. You’re not going anywhere,” he snarled, his voice thick with malice.

  Abbie quickly ran to the window and opened it, but forgot the building was three stories tall and she was on the 3rd floor.

  “Oh shit!” she murmured, her eyes wide with fear. But there was no turning back, the door was about to give in any second.

  She climbed onto the windowsill and looked down at the concrete ground below.

  But there’s a pool that’s a few feet away from the main building, a beacon of light in the otherwise shadowy night.

  “If I can make it…” Abbie whispered to herself, her eyes darting back to the door that was now splintering under the brute force of the unknown men.

  “Fuck it, I’m going for it!” Abbie whispered to herself, a mix of fear and determination coursing through her veins.

  She took a deep breath, feeling the cool night air caress her bare skin, and pushed off from the windowsill.

  Her stomach lurched as she fell, the ground rushing towards her in a sickening blur.

  But then, with a splash, she hit the water, the shock of the cold pool jolting her back to reality.

  She sank down before pushing off the bottom and surfaced, gasping for air.

  The men finally broke down the door and ran to the window, but Abbie was already out of the pool and running.

  “Holy shit! She made it to the pool? It was at least 11 feet from the building!” The shock in the attacker’s voice echoed through the night as they leaned over the windowsill.

  Meanwhile Abbie is running away from the boys dorm, her bare feet hitting the pavement with a staccato rhythm that echoes through the quiet night.

  She can feel the water from the pool clinging to her skin, a cold reminder of the danger she just escaped from.

  Her heart races in her chest, each beat pounding like a drum urging her to go faster.

  She doesn’t dare to look back, knowing that the frat members are likely in pursuit, their rage fueling their steps.

  “Shit! What should I do? I left my phone in Jake’s dorm, I don’t know if he’s dead or not… Oh God I might have left him for dead…” The coldness of the water was quickly forgotten in the heat of her panic.

  She saw a light flickering in the distance, the only source of comfort in the otherwise darkened path ahead.

  She sprinted towards it, her breath coming in ragged gasps, the sound of their footsteps growing louder.

  When she got closer it was the campus police, their flashlights cutting through the night like knives.

  “Help! Help me!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice raw from fear and adrenaline.

  The officers looked up from their patrol and rushed over, their faces a mix of shock and concern.

  “What’s wrong!? What happened!?” The officers shouted, their flashlights bobbing as they sprinted towards the soaking wet and trembling figure of Abbie.

  Her teeth chattered, not just from the cold, but from the fear that still had a vice-like grip on her.

  “I was in the boys dorm, some mean barged in the dorm and probably killed my friend Jake, oh God, they were looking for me!” Abbie gasped, her voice trembling as the officers reached her, wrapping a warm blanket around her shivering body.

  She clutched at the fabric, feeling the roughness of the material against her skin as if it was a lifeline.

  “Calm down, okay? Do you know what they look like?” One of the officers asked, his voice firm but gentle, as he guided Abbie to the safety of their patrol car.

  The warmth of the interior was a stark contrast to the chilly night air.

  “No… They had masks on…” Abbie replied, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

  She tried to push the image of Jake’s lifeless body from her mind.

  The officers exchanged a concerned glance, their eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.

  “That’s perfectly fine, do they have any tattoos? Like any?” The other officer pressed on, his tone urgent as he pulled out a pad and pen, ready to scribble down any details that might help identify the attackers.

  Abbie’s mind raced back to the chaotic scene in the dorm. “One of them had… a skull tattoo on his neck.” Her voice was a tremble, but her eyes focused, trying to remember every detail she could.

  “Okay, one of them? How many were there?” The first officer’s hand hovered over the radio, poised to call for backup.

  “3 of them,” Abbie whispered, the gravity of her situation sinking in. “I don’t know where they came from, they just came out of nowhere.”

  “It’s okay, I’ll protect—” The officer said before could finish he had a bullet hole right between the eyes, some of the man’s blood and brain matter getting on Abbie’s face, her eyes widened in horror as she silently started screaming and crying holding her face trying to get the gunk off.

  When she looked up she saw the men right behind him as the officer’s body fell to the ground, the muzzle of the gun’s silencer still having steam from it when it was fired.

  “You’re a ballsy little girl, jumping off a three-story building into a pool. But that doesn’t matter now,” The leader of the men sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice as he strode over to the patrol car, he got out of the car and started walking over to Abbie.

  She tried to make her body move but couldn’t, she was paralyzed in fear and shock, her mind racing with images of Jake’s and the officer’s lifeless bodies.

  The leader of the man was closing in, his masked face twisted in a sinister grin. His steps echoed through the night, each one bringing him closer to her.

  He upped his gun to her head, “Any last words before internal darkness?” He asked with a twisted smile, his breath hot against her face.

  Abbie just started breaking down crying, her body shaking violently as she felt the cold, metal barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead.

  Her eyes searched for any sign of mercy in the killer’s gaze, but found only darkness.

  The sound of her own sobs and the painting of the men seemed to fill the whole world, drowning out the distant sounds of the quiet night.

  “Huh, guess not.” The leader’s voice was a cold whisper as he took in her trembling form, his finger playing with the gun’s trigger.

  “Man, I'm going to take a lunch break and you guys made a huge mess.” A muffled voice said, coming from behind a man who was about to pull the trigger.

  The leader looks behind him and sees a young man with a ponytail made out of dreads, wearing an open jacket, with a T-shirt and baggy pants eating a burrito behind him casually.

  “Who the fuck are you?” The leader snarled, turning to face the newcomer, his grip on the gun tightening.

  The unknown person sticks up one finger, while trying to quickly finish his burrito. “Hold up, I’m kind of in the middle of something.” He says calmly, his eyes never leaving Abbie.

  He finishes the burrito and throws the wrapping over his shoulder.

  “Man, this place has the best Taco Bell in the city. Don’t you know how hard it is to get some love in the food? I’m most definitely given that place a five-star rating.” He said pulling out his phone, his thumbs moving swiftly across the screen as he gave his review.

  The man and Abbie are just confused how casual he’s acting in a situation he walked into, “Look, I’m not in the mood for more clean up. So Imma let you slide in, you just walk away.” The leader said, trying to spare the guy but keeping his gun on Abbie as a warning.

  “Funny actually, because I’m not gonna let you slide. broski.” The stranger spoke with a laid-back tone, his thumbs still dancing across his phone.

  The leader's smirk dropped as he took a step back, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “Oh, right. My fault.” The stranger said, finally putting his phone away.

  “I’m here saver and your grim reaper for the day, nice to meet you.” He said, his voice a mix of boredom and sarcasm, as if this was just another Tuesday for him.

  He took a step forward, his eyes never leaving the leader’s.