From What I've Heard - Sanders Sides

Chapter Eighteen

Words could not express the udder shock written on Roman, Logan, and Virgil's faces as Dee finished telling them the horrors from the night before. "And when I woke up this morning, Remus was still walking around," He finished.

"Where is he now?" Roman asked.

"Not sure, he hasn't walked by here in a while, but I'm still trying to keep my voice down."

"Don't worry, Dee. We're going to come and rescue you guys. Just hang tight," Logan assured him. The student finished applying the final bandage to Virgil's face as he helped the emo to a sitting position. Roman hung up the call, giving the phone back to his love. "Feeling better, Vee?"

"Ask me that when the others are okay," He responded. Roman helped him to his feet while Logan began to search his drawers. He pulled out a pocket knife and slipped it into his pocket. After grabbing his keys and cell phone the three exited the dorm room and ran out of the dorm hall.

"Come on, I can lead the way to the theater!" Roman told them. They started walking along that path, an unsettling silence between the three.

"Are you sure they're at the theater?" Virgil anxiously muttered.

"Dee said that there were mirrors and clothes all around him. That sounds an awful lot like the dressing rooms. Plus if Emile was just coming out of the building, he was probably just leaving the theater for the night."

They rushed the entire way there. Ignoring all of the odd glances students were giving them. None of them said it, but they were all nervous. They didn't know what would happen once they reached the theater. They didn't know what to expect.

When they got to the theater, they ran up to the doors. Roman tried to pull it open. When the door didn't budge, the prince sighed. "Still locked."

"Well there has to be another entrance or else this building wouldn't be up to code," Logan mumbled. He could see the cogs in Roman's head grind as he imagined the layout of the building in his head.

"The back door!" He blurted. They looped around the building, seeing an old metal door that almost looked rusted shut. They gave it a try anyway. Roman tugged at the knob. To everyone's relief, the door opened.

The trio entered, the smell of the fog machine and sweat loomed throughout. Logan tried to flip the lights on only for nothing to happen. "Remus cut the power." He deduced.

"Maybe..." Roman started, "But there is a function in the tech booth that cuts the main power in order for the stage lights to work!"

"Why in the world is that a thing?" Virgil quietly raged.

"Because this building is old! It's too much of a fire hazard! The whole special effect and lights board is a fire hazard!"

"Then Remus is in the theater..." Logan interrupted. He turned to Roman, putting his hand in his own. "You know this place best. How can we get to Dee's room?" Princey looked around, judging his surroundings. He lead the group down a hallway. The eerie silence of the theater starting to make them paranoid.

Roman lead them to an area with doors running across one wall while the other wall had access to the stage. "We have to be super quiet. If Remus really is out there, he can hear us," Roman warned. As they continued, they could hear the crazed man on the stage. He wasn't talking, just moving things. It was still enough to creep them out.

They stopped in front of a door. The sign on it read Dressing Room. "This is it," Roman muttered. Logan pulled out his pocket knife, drawing the blade. He stuck the blade in the lock and began to twist it. The student wasn't super sure how well his plan was going to go, but he tried to keep his confidence up; for the sake of his friends.

Finally the door lock moved, unlocking the door. Logan removed the knife and peeked inside the room. In the corner was Dee, some sort of prop in his hands as a weapon. Dee's face lit up when he saw the three. "You guys came!" He quietly cheered. He leaped up and tackled Logan in a desperate hug.

Logan gratefully returned it, not even wanting to imagine the fear coursing through his roommate's veins. He noticed Virgil there as well. Dee stood up and gave him a hug too. "You're alright! I'm so sorry we left you!"

"It's okay; you had no other choice," Virgil sighed. "Where are the others?"

"Don't know. Remus has been quiet all morning. I haven't heard or seen him." Dee replied.

"Well, he's still in the building. That much we know." Logan confirmed.

"There aren't many other places to hide over here. I wonder if they're in the bathrooms?" Roman suggested.

"It doesn't hurt to try." The group waited for Roman to lead, but the prince stopped.

"It might actually hurt us if we try..." He admitted. "The only way to get to the bathrooms from here is to go through the theater. Meaning, walking right past Remus." The group sighed, fear bubbling within them.

"We have to try!" Dee said. It was decided. The four snuck out into the main theater, trying to remain as quiet as possible. When they got out there, they were all surprised to see the stage lights on. The stage was set to The Phantom's lair, and no Remus to be found. "Where the hell did he go?"

"No time to wonder that! We have to keep moving!" Logan reminded him. They slowly walked along, trying to lay low just in case Remus happened to pop out at any given point.

Suddenly, a spotlight turned on. It shocked everyone, but not as much as when the light shifted onto the four crouching students. "Well well, it looks like you came to see the first and final performance of our revamped production!" Remus cackled. They all turned back to the stage.

There triumphantly stood Remus, decked out in The Phantom costume Roman usually wore. In his hands were a gagged and tied up Patton and Emile. They sent out muffled screams, trying to warn their friends to run but it was already too late. "Please, do enjoy the show!"