Lindsay heard the thump first and knelt down carefully in the pitch-black room.
"Peter? Are you okay?" she said, shaking the limp body lying on the hardwood floor. Getting no response, she took her penlight out of her pocket and switched it on. The small light wavered.
Anton took two careful steps forward and knelt beside Peter's body as well. He searched Peter's jaw for a pulse. Then Lindsay's penlight went out.
"Shit! Is nothing going to go right today?!" Matt asked skeptically.
Anton searched blindly in the dark for something Lindsay couldn't figure. He picked Peter's hand up off the floor and took the watch off his wrist. "Lindsay, take this, please," he said, handing her the watch. She looked at him quizzically, forgetting he wouldn't be able to see her.
"Press the indiglo button, please. I can't see anything," Anton said, clarifying.
Lindsay pressed the small button on the black watch and it illuminated a small square of the floor.
"Thanks." Anton worked quickly in the greenish glow of the unconscious man's watch. He lifted Peter's head off the floor and put his jacket underneath it, checking to make sure Peter hadn't cracked his head open when he fell. His pulse was stabilizing, his breathing was ragged but returning to normal, and he didn't seem to have any lasting effect except a bruise that would show on his jawbone in a couple of hours. Anton wondered while he worked- what had gotten Peter so upset? He was usually one of the most stabile in new surroundings. Maybe that was it- maybe he'd had one too many abnormal changes.
Matt opened the thick black drapes over one of the large windows in the room, tripping on several boxes on the way over and nearly ripping the stereo cord out of the socket. Reddish light streamed in- it was sunrise. Or sunset. Matt looked at his watch to verify. The digital numbers read 17:54:22. It must be sunset.
Derby entered the apartment. Her sunglasses were still on, yet she didn't trip over anything, like the rest of them had done. "What's with Peter?" she asked, feigning concern.
"Shut up and go away," Lindsay told her when she had come too close for comfort.
"Jeez, just thought you guys would want some directions or something. Maybe you would like to survive..."
"All I want is to take Peter, Matt and Anton, and go home."
"Yeah, but you can't do that, so... I would suggest you take my advice."
"Alright, then tell us already!" Matt was still a bit pissed from Peter yelling at him.
"You'd want to make sure you don't go by your watches around here... remember, everything's backwards. It's not sunset outside, it's sunrise," Derby said, as if she knew what Matt had been thinking before she came in. "And don't talk to anyone you don't know. They're not how they seem."
The power in the room came back on, and the phone rang immediately. Derby went over to the phone and picked it up, but said nothing. "Yeah, alright," was all she said before hanging up the receiver.
"Sorry, but I gotta run. Surprisingly enough, I'll be nice and help you out. There's a grocery store and pharmacy around the corner and down the street." Derby looked at them all straight in the eye, again giving them all the creeps.
Peter moaned and put his hand on his forehead. He had a gigantic headache and got dizzy from moving that much. He didn't remember much of anything that had happened since they all put their hands on the 'mirror' and came to... wherever they were. All he knew was that he was a long way from home.
"What's going on?" he asked, getting everyone's attention. "Where's my watch?"
Lindsay gave Peter his watch back and helped him stand up. He wavered a bit but did not fall down again. He felt ridiculous, standing wobbly-kneed in a strange apartment and not remembering much of anything.
"Awww, did little Petey hurt himself?" Derby asked, mocking Peter. He felt like smacking her, but he still thought that was Jill, not her vicious doppelganger.
Derby opened the apartment door and let herself out. 
11:43am
"So what are we going to do now?" Matt asked, still standing away from the others. Lindsay and Anton had been holding Peter up, but he finally gave up and perched himself on a box.
"There doesn't seem like there's much we can do..." Peter replied from on his box.
"We might be here for a while, so I think we should make a plan," Lindsay said, being logical.
"We'll need supplies if we're going to stay here," Anton commented, joining the conversation. "I don't think we'll find much in this apartment."
"Yeah, talk about living on the essentials..." Peter just couldn't help trying to lighten the mood. They were stuck in an apartment in God-knows-where, being 'held captive' by someone they thought they knew. Things couldn't get much worse.
"Well, Jill... uh, Derby... said there was a grocery store down the street. I think we should go there and see if we can get some help."
"Yeah, but maybe they're jackasses, too."
"We might find someone who's willing to help. Come on, it's worth a try." Lindsay stood up, convincing the rest of the team to come with.
"Let's go, Lindsay's right, it's worth a try." Matt looked around the room and found a black hiking bag stuffed into a corner. He emptied it and brought it over to the others. He found a small flashlight, a pocketknife, and an eight-inch switchblade and put them all in the bag. The slung the bag over his shoulders and, followed by everyone else, left the apartment.
11:56am
Jill walked out of the classroom and headed for gym as soon as the bell rang. Mr. Woodhouse stood at the door, saying goodbye to everyone as usual, as the next class came in. They sat down in their assigned seats and talked quietly as the last people came in and the second bell rang. Taking out their notebooks, they revised their work on adjectives before taking more notes. |
