"If you'd seen what we'd seen," Bruno put in, "You wouldn't even be asking."
Rebecca nodded slowly. "Okay, so what's the plan?"
Bunny realized after a moment that everyone was looking at her. She stared back, puzzled yet accepting. Perhaps it was because of her training, her old life that others looked to her to make the decisions. Maybe they were just too scared and hoped she'd take the responsibility. Either way, she knew she had to do something.
"Right," she said slowly. "Randy's office."
"Uh, what about it?" Randy asked, running his hand over his head nervously as his eyes jumped from Bunny to the door they’d come through, as if expecting the boogeyman to show.
"It only has one door and locks from the inside," she told him. "You and the others can hole up there while I look for Amy."
"Wait, what?" Bruno exclaimed. "By yourself?"
Bunny shrugged and hefted the shotgun. "We only have the one weapon, and it only holds six rounds, which we've used three of already. So, unless you got a box of ammo in your pants, I'd say there's not much you could do to help."
"That's not exactly true," Caroline said as she stepped over to the dressing table and reached in her bag, a massive affair with a wide shoulder strap that looked more like a duffel bag than a purse. From within it, she pulled a large caliber semi-automatic.
"Do I want to know why you're carrying that around?" Bunny asked once she found her voice past the surprise.
Caroline gave a faint smile and a shrug. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell it to you sometime; you know, if we don't die."
Bunny nodded. "Fair enough. You know how to use it?"
"I've been taking some classes. I doubt I'm anywhere near as good as you, but I can hit a target," the other woman admitted.
"I dunno. I'm pretty rusty, which just means I'll take all the help I can get," she answered with a slight laugh.
From behind them, one of the dancers, Tish by name, spoke up suddenly. "I'm sorry, but why do you need guns to look for Amy?"
Bunny looked at her, not sure just how to answer that question. "We just do," she finally said.
"Really?" Tish shot back.
"Look, Tish, it's kind of hard to explain. I'm not even sure I could if I tried. Hopefully, we won't need them, but after what happened out there, I'd rather not take any chances," Bunny told her.
"She's just a kid, Bunny. She's like, barely over 20. How dangerous could she really be?" Tish persisted.
Bunny shook her head. "It's not her I'm worried about. That guy out there, he was coughing just like her before he blew more blood than I've ever seen all over Sheila, then tried to take a bite out of me."
"So, what, you're just going to shoot her?"
Bunny was taken aback by that. She took a moment to look at the others, the fear in their eyes. No one on Tish's side of the room had seen with their own eyes what’d happened. Everyone else who’d been in the club had ran like hell once things got ugly. Realistically, why should they believe her?
"Hey, has anyone seen Carl or Marty?" Randy asked suddenly.
Bunny tensed. Carl, the DJ, had cut the music right after people started running, but she hadn't seen him come down from the booth. Nor had Marty turned up when things had gotten bad. The shotgun going off most likely would’ve sent them into hiding, but it had been quiet for a bit. One or both should’ve turned up by now.
"Okay, enough talking. Let's get to Randy's office, now," Bunny ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
With Rebecca's help, Caroline took the lead, eyes darting back and forth for any movement, while Bunny brought up the rear, wary of every shadow as they headed down the main backstage hallway toward Randy's office. Several doors to storerooms and other places lined the corridor, giving someone plenty of places to hide, and ample opportunity to ambush them.
When they reached the end without incident, Bunny was torn between breathing a sigh of relief, and pissing herself in fear. She opted for the former and tapped Randy to signal him to wait until everyone was inside, save Bruno, Caroline and herself.
"Lock it and don't open it till we come back, okay?" she told him.
Randy nodded, asking, "How will I know it's you?"
"I'll call your name, dumb ass."
"Oh. Right. Got it," he said, giving her a halfhearted smile as he ducked through the door.
Bruno hesitated a moment longer, giving Bunny a look that spoke volumes. She gave him a smile and a light punch to the shoulder. He just shook his head and frowned.
"I shouldn't let you two do this," he said softly.
"You saved my life once already, buddy," Bunny replied. "I think that's plenty of heroics for one night."
"Bunny," he started.
She cut him off quickly, saying, "Take care of the girls, Bruno. I'd feel a lot better with you being in there than out here."
He nodded slowly, obviously not liking it, but just as obviously grateful. He stepped inside and shut the door. The soft click of the lock was still loud in Bunny's ears, signaling that she and Caroline were truly alone in a living nightmare.
The two women looked at each other for a moment before turning to face the long and eerily empty hallway before them. Bunny tightened her grip on the shotgun, wondering how things could’ve gotten this bad so fast. Next to her, Caroline let out a slow breath and tried to steady herself, plainly afraid.
"Ready?" Bunny asked quietly.
"No," Caroline told her with a snort.
"Me
