Rebecca had managed to find some bottled water. It was a couple months old, and likely stale, but it was better than nothing. Bunny had stuck 3 in the backpack the two had discovered in the lost and found. It was a good way to carry the things she would need, while leaving her hands free.
They stood in the dressing room, making ready. Caroline was to lead the group out the loading bay door on Bunny's signal. Provided she made it, Bunny would honk her car horn at least 3 times, or one very long one. If they didn't hear that after 10 minutes, they were to run for it anyway.
While Bunny stood there, pondering the madness of it all, the ring of her car keys around her middle finger, Caroline slid her arms around her and held her tight for a moment. Surprised a bit, Bunny returned the hug. It was strange how they’d been friends for years, but she’d never really known the other woman until now.
"See you there, right?" Caroline asked quietly, a breath in Bunny's ear.
"See you there," Bunny replied.
Caroline let her go and moved away. Bunny shook Bruno's hand, wishing him well, dropped a kiss on Randy's damp, bald head, and gave Rebecca a warm smile. Through it all, she had to believe she would see them, repeat these simple gestures again, and that they would one day retell the story of how they survived not only the nightmare the evening had been, but the one the day ahead would reveal as well.
She turned her back, praying she would see them all again, and headed for the stairs to the roof. Alone, her mind running wild, she struggled to keep her thoughts focused, her footfalls loud in her own ears. Fear, powerful and terrible, tore at her determination. She’d never struggled with doubt when she’d been young; that demon had crept into her heart only as an adult, and had grown powerful over the years, making her uncertain of almost everything she did and believed in.
Regardless, she stepped out onto the roof, the early morning sun washing much of the nightmare away, bathing it in warm light that made it seem not so bad, or at least slightly less horrific. Steadily, she made her way to the ladder she would use, but then thought better of it and walked back along the edge of the roof.
She stood there, gauging the distance to the top of a truck that’d been left parked near the front door by Dale. She knew, if she could hit the roof of the truck, she would cut down the distance she had to run by a good bit. Plus, it would give her a decent head-start on the ones loitering nearest the building.
It was a risk, she knew. The truck was several feet away, and the roof was a decent distance off the ground. If she missed, or landed wrong, she could easily break her leg and it would be all over. They would be on her in a heartbeat, ripping into her as she screamed.
She took a steadying breath. Still, it was closer, and that made it better. She had to remember not to tense up and aim to land the way she'd been taught. If she could hang upside down from a dance pole, surely she could jump from the top of the club and land on the roof of a truck.
Tightening her fist to keep the car keys secure, she stepped up onto the ledge. Tucking the ball bat through the straps on her backpack to secure it, she eyed the distance, wary of the time. One more deep breath, she thought.
Bunny jumped.
She landed on the roof of the truck with a thump, rolling with her own momentum into the bed, landing with a grunt. It had hurt a bit, but nothing seemed to be broken, so she counted herself lucky. Coming to her feet quickly, she ripped the bat free as she planted a foot on the tailgate and leapt.
Immediately several of them had turned her way, lumbering and slouching towards her. She cracked one over the head before she even hit the ground, swinging back to knock another over. The asphalt was still cool from the night, but already she was sweating.
Not wanting to get pinned against the truck, she started running, swinging the bat to knock them away whenever they got close, panting as she bobbed and wove her way across the parking lot. She’d already figured out, just from how fast they had gathered around the truck, she needed to get some distance if she was going to make it into her car.
Looping away across the parking lot, she pegged several more as she went, knocking them down. It wasn't much, but it would slow them. Spinning around one of the lampposts, she hopped onto the hood of a car and ran across the top, using it to jump, wanting to gain all the distance she could.
Knowing time was getting short, she swung back around the lot, running as hard as she could towards her Camaro, a glittering beacon of safety in the nightmare world. Using the bat, she cleared her path, bashing them down as they clutched for her.
Hoping she'd made enough room, she spun the keys on her finger, readying the door key as the Camaro grew large before her. There were still some lingering near it, so she sprung forward, sliding across the hood, knocking them down with the bat.
