Carrion (The Bren Watts Diaries #1)

Chapter 28

"Okay, here's the plan," I began, "Luke, you open the door on my count to three. I will enter first, and Logan will follow behind. Yousef, have that fire extinguisher ready. It'll stun them for a little while, giving us enough time to take them out. Luke, you'll be the last. Keep the door open behind us in case we need to retreat. Then, we take out what's inside if even those things are in there. Got it?"

"If we get back here, won't we get trapped?" Luke asked.

"Well, let's hope our luck won't fail."

"It hasn't turned on us," Logan added.

"Yet." Yousef finished with a grumble.

"It'll be so depressing if we die this way," Logan said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "God, not you, too."

"Can't help it, Bren. I haven't gotten laid in weeks."

The rest of us stared at him like a hawk. He stared back at us and shrugged. He frowned, said, "Come to think of it, I might not be getting laid anytime soon now that I'm planning on breaking up with her. Although, break-up sex wouldn't hurt..."

I smacked him on the back of the head. "Is this conversation really necessary? Put your game faces on. We're about to face possibly a dozen of them in there."

Logan sneered at me. "Let a man dream for a second before he bites it, jeez."

"Then, don't break up with her. There. Problem solved. You get laid after."

Logan looked at me, shocked. "Are you really telling me not to break up with Nat?"

"So?"

"You hate her. Ever since sixth grade when she put that ice-cold punch down your pants..."

"So that you can stop your whining about your little friend down there. Now, how about you concern yourself back to the real situation, which is how to fucking get out of here. Hm?"

"Careful. I'm holding a gun."

"So do I, and you aim like shit. What's your point?"

Logan gripped his rifle tighter and nodded, dropping it finally. Yousef readied his canister, aiming the nozzle toward the door. Luke raised his ax, playing with the weight as he took a step back, ready to engage once the door opened. I aimed my weapon at the door, taking my position at the front while Luke moved toward the doorknob. I made a single nod at him. Luke opened the door.

Swiftly, I moved in, finger at the ready, and Logan did the same. Darkness greeted us once we entered. Every corner was covered in pitch black, and I couldn't vouch how far the theater extended. The emergency lights within the hall were disabled; our flashlights were the only source of light. Yousef followed after, aiming the fire extinguisher as he took the space between Logan and me. He fired a short burst into nothingness, but when he realized there was no one there, he let go of the handle. Luke trailed last and stood beside me, ready to hack his way out.

The room lay empty. We waited for a few seconds longer, expecting a couple or so to pop out and attack us. I took a tentative step forward. Logan glanced at me hesitantly, but when nothing happened, he took one, too.

"Eyes sharp," I told them.

"I'll take the back," Logan said.

We formed into a single line with me at the forefront. Luke followed my trail with Yousef behind him. We approached the red theatrical heavy curtains hanging from the side, blocking our view of the main stage. Various props and sets were set aside, all in the Victorian era, with a dozen or so costumes placed in a rack closer to the stage. On the walls, flyers for the spring school play advertised it at the end of April.