I stand there in the classroom completely dumbstruck at the sight of a rat actually managing to greet me. As my mind reboots itself to the new weirdness confronting it, my hand extends out for a handshake out of habit. The rat's face is expressionless as it regards my outstretched hand before it finally deigns to lightly tap one of its forepaws on my palm in a facsimile of a greeting.
"So, uh, what brings you to Rutger's tonight dude?" I babble as the rat goes back to looking out of the window.
"I'm a woman, Robert." the rat mildly reprimands, "Can't you tell?"
"I actually can't." I shrug helplessly, "Not an expert on the rodent physique, though I'm sure you're a very attractive rat lady."
"The boys can't get enough of me, that's for sure." the rat sits back contentedly against the window sill, "But like I said, I prefer to be referred to as Mouse."
"OK then, hello Mouse." I rub the back of my head to prevent another migraine from hitting. It really feels like one of those days that never ends no matter how tired you are.
"Maus, not Mouse." the rat slowly enunciates.
"Maus." I slowly pull the name with my tongue, getting used to the cadence of that lady rodent's speech. Now that my mind has the chance to slow down and process the situation, I realize Maus isn't actually talking to me, at least not in the normal sense of the word. What I'm actually hearing are a series of squeaks from the rat that my mind somehow translates it into a flat, gender neutral voice.
If this is just a sign of me going totally crazy, I swear that I'm going to be so disappointed at the letdown.
"Slowly but surely you make progress, Robert." Maus replies, "But run along now, I'm sure you have places you need to be."
I frown at this offhanded dismissal from Maus. It feels like after the rodent's curiosity in me had been satisfied, I had been written off as being of no greater importance than the furniture. From the window I can tell that the two SUVs trespassing into the campus have both come to a stop right at the main entrance of the new building.
"What are you doing here then?" I ask Maus in a brittle, annoyed voice, "This is a school for people, not mice or rats."
"I'm here to catch the evening's entertainment." Maus responds smugly, "It been my habit to get a front row seat for the opening act."
"Evening's entertainment?" I mutter but Maus merely waives me away as she goes back to looking out of the window. Then the realization hits me all at once. Maus knows what is going on tonight. She's been lurking in the school for god knows how long waiting for this very moment. And just like me as a long time contestant of the fight club, Maus has gotten familiar with the other regulars who hang about the venue of her favorite hobby.
Regulars like a prisoner wearing a metal bondage suit and kept hidden in the neighboring derelict building.
I decide to take the plunge and ask the question that has been bugging me ever since that encounter in the dungeon.
"Just what is the purge cycle?"
Maus glances me again, but this time she's visibly shaken, or as shaken as a rodent can be. She sinks back on her haunches before squeaking out her response.
"You've talked to Bart. I was wondering when one of the students would manage to find him. Never expected it to be you."
"Bart says you promised to help him escape." I needle Maus, delighting in seeing the huge change in her attitude.
"Bart says many things. Just like any desperate man." Maus scoffs as several menacing looking heavies disembark from the SUVs below us, "He would make any promise just to have a chance to flee this place."
The last passenger of the SUVs emerges, a rotund man wearing a leopard print jacket. He taps a ebony black cane on the ground and the rest of the heavies snap to attention. The leader of this motely group? I'm getting a bad feeling about what's going on right now, but Maus's calm voice has a compelling quality to it, demanding that I stay and complete this conversation with her.
"You can't blame Bart for that." I point out to the rodent, "You've seen how he's been forced to live."
"And I'm just a simple mouse at the end of the day." Maus shrugs with an odd movement of her forepaws, "What does Bart expect me to do for him? Now leave me alone, Robert."
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
The black point of pressure at the back of my head is back. My instincts are screaming at me, telling me one thing.
My life is in danger right now.
And the only person who can guarantee my safety is Maus.
"Maus, we need to leave the campus." I hesitantly whisper, knowing that the window of escape is rapidly closing.
"I'm here to watch the show."
And of course Maus turns me down. I need a way of persuading her to help. The pressure builds, drilling into my brain. I know how to do this, somehow I know it. Every fiber of my being confirms it. I just need to remember -
The scent of ash and dying fires. Is it a memory? Or a dream? But standing among the corpses and ruin of a toppled city, a woman's voice, powerful and majestic, rings out clearly.
Because you see, I have mastered the ultimate power.
And with that I'm back in the present, staring at Maus's butt as she goes back to ignoring me.
I drop to my knees and cast aside every shred of my pride.
"What's this then?" Maus's squeaks sound amused.
"You have the ultimate power." I manage to squeeze the outlandish words out from my mouth, ignoring my ears reddening from embarrassment, "So please help me. Help Bart."
"Of all times, you're experiencing ego bleed now?" Maus finally says as she closes her eyes, "Like a baby born in a house burning down. You seem to have the worst luck, Robert."
"I'm not sure what you're talking about?" I murmur, growing increasingly scared and confused at everything I've experienced tonight.
"There'll be time for answers later." Maus squeaks and jumps off the window sill she had perched herself on, "For now, all you need to do is follow me."
"You'll help me escape?" I nearly collapse from relief while I follow Maus out of the classroom.
"Yes." Maus confirms as she begins to leave the classroom, "But I'll need you to trust me and do exactly as I say. Understood?"
"Whatever you need." I agree easily, my danger sense spurring me on.
"Take your blazer." Maus directs, "It'll be a vital tool for your escape."
Maus leads me to the corridor outside. We can hear the pounding footsteps of the heavies on the floor below. And they're closing in fast.
"Those men are here to kill the boy named Carl." Maus explains, "You'll be slain as well in the crossfire. You're not quick enough to evade them. Nor do you have the strength to best them in combat."
"So what do we do?" by now I'm aware that the heavies are storming the school's central staircase. They'll reach the floor I am on soon.
"Assume the position." Maus says and immediately gets on her hindlegs. She then shifts into an awkward crouching squat and begins shuffling her way down the corridor.
"You must be joking." I object, "Those heavies will see us the moment they reach this floor!"
"What did I say just now?" Maus's voice is annoyed and she shows no signs of waiting for me.
I grit my teeth and "enter the position" as Maus puts it. Both of us begin shuffling forward and I begin to feel my back strain from the uncomfortable stance I had adopted. We're moving too slow. The heavies will be right on top of us soon.
"Crap."
And my worst fears are realized. A crowd of heavies burst from the staircase and begin sweeping the floor, seeking out their prey. I swallow hard at the assortment of guns and knives brandished by the intruders.
"Stay calm and keep in the position." Maus whispers as she shuffles onward.
"Sure." I nearly wet myself as the hawk like eyes of the heavies land on me.
There's a burning sensation on my skin, as if the gaze of the heavies was a like a laser. But the heavies don't see us. Their eyes dilate and they begin squinting hard at my location.
Unbelievable. The "position" is working. I've somehow become invisible to the heavies.
"Thought I saw something over there." heavy number one grunts.
"Checking it out." heavy two affirms as they begin walking toward Maus and I.
"The position won't protect us forever." Maus continues in her calm voice, "Now, throw your blazer over their heads. As far as you can."
Balling the blazer up, I hurl the piece of clothing as hard as I can, sending it sailing over the heads of the heavies. Whatever protection the position gives me, it extends to the blazer as well. The heavies don't notice it at all.
That is until the blazer hits the floor.
"I heard something." heavy A spins about.
"Get over there. Now!" heavy B barks in alarm.
"No fucking way." I breathe out a sigh of relief as the heavies troop off like lemmings, chasing after my discarded blazer.
"We don't have time to relax. Run!" Maus gets back on all fours and scampers down the stairs.
"No need to tell me twice." I begin bounding down the stairs as well, moving at full speed.
"Target sighted. He's here! He's here!" heavy A yells at the top of his voice. So Carl never went home after all, he was hiding somewhere on the floor as well.
"Keep moving!" Maus orders, sprinting in the direction of the school canteen.
An ear splitting explosion erupts behind us, the shockwave nearly knocking me off my feet. I push myself forward, barely managing to avoid getting crushed as part of the floor above collapses. If we can just keep going, we should be able to escape through the school's rear exit.
Screams and sounds of combat drown out the sound of the building falling apart. The decapitated head of heavy A rolls across the floor like a discarded soccer ball.
"I'm not going to hurl." I groan out, focusing my willpower.
"Save it for when we're safe." Maus snaps as she redoubles her pace.
Carl's actually managing to fight off the hit team after him? Just who is pretty boy anyway? My lungs are on fire as I squeeze out all the speed my legs can muster. Another scream breaks out from the battle raging behind me. Heavy B's getting his ass handed to him from the sounds of it.
"Not much further now." I pant out, more for self encouragement than anything else. We're in the canteen now. The doors of the rear exit should be right around the corner.
"Quickly! Hide!" Maus shrieks in alarm and throws herself behind a nearby chair. I kick over one of the dining tables and use it as cover for me to "enter the position". Maus nods at me approvingly, her fur standing erect from the tension.
There's another explosion as the rear exit doors are blown off the hinges. Of course. Two SUVs. That means two goon squads. Right on schedule, the second goon squad charges out of the roiling cloud of dust.
Leaving me and Maus stranded between a rock and a hard place.