They walked around Old Vic and approached the long boundary wall. It had been a part of the college, a long set of dorms, classrooms, and offices. Before that, it’d been some kind of fort, or so someone had told Shannon. The building stretched along the west side of the quad, three stories tall just like the east dorms. But this building had been left empty. The west wall had its windows boarded up, nooks and crannies filled with debris. Shannon couldn’t imagine a wendigo getting through even if they’d bothered to try.

But one door that led down to the basement always had a decent amount of traffic. And a guard. Always a guard, armed with a gun and a knife or two. As they walked across the wild lawn, Shannon realized he’d never had a post on that door. Had no idea what lay behind it. Why it was watched.

There wasn't a word spoken as the two approached. With no more than a nod from Finn, the man standing watch stepped aside. No questions, no permission needed. Shannon recognized him, name was Rick something, but didn’t know the guy. He wasn’t one of Monte’s friends. Wasn’t even one of Finn’s. Not anyone I knew before.

The thick steel door shut behind them and the sound bounced once or twice off the empty cement walls. Shannon took in a deep breath. It smelled musty, the air damp. A drip echoed along with indistinct chatter but he couldn’t quite place which way it came from.

He stepped forward and nearly knocked his head off the lip of the archway. Beside him, Finn passed under with ease and made for the left tunnel.

“Never thought I’d miss the drafty dorm rooms,” Shannon said under his breath.

Finn chuckled. “Not like we’re all too worried about keeping upstarts comfortable.” He started walking, his boots kicking stray bits of cement that had chipped off the walls.

“What the hell was all this?”

“Storage.” Finn wrapped a knuckle on a door as he passed. “Still is, mostly. Gotta keep everything somewhere. Even the upstarts.”

Whatever levity Finn had before, it was lost in the delivery and it made Shannon shiver.

“They're keeping the other one down there.” He mentioned back over his shoulder, down the right tunnel. It was darker, no windows exposed to the quad along the way, and a heavy door stood between them. “All locked up and stowed until we have a plan.”

“I thought there was one,” Shannon said.

Finn didn’t turn to him. “There’s more than one.”

“Wasn’t that what you were all deciding this morning?”

“You’ve no idea how these things are done, son.” Finn ducked down below a bent leaking pipe and Shannon did the same. “We’re lucky to come to terms on one matter a session. We’re not all of the same mind.”

“Well, what is your plan?”

Finn paused and glanced back briefly to Shannon. “That’s a lot of questions.”

“And I’ll keep asking until you start answering,” Shannon shot back. The both of them seemed shocked at the rebuff, and Shannon smirked to try and smooth it over.

Finn only smiled.

He stopped outside the next door and wrapped his knuckle on the metal. “Housekeeping,” Finn chirped.

“Finn?” Reid called from behind the door.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Who the fuck else would bother?” he laughed.

“If you’ve come to gloat-”

“Not exactly, Reid.” Finn put his hand on the recently welded deadbolt on the outside of the door. “Shan, why don’t you go get your girl out. Reid and I need to have a few words.”

Reid pressed against the door from the other side. “Open it, Finn.”

“Not yet, son. Not yet.” Finn’s glare narrowed on Shannon. “Wasn’t a request. Scoot, scoot.” He waved down the hall to the next door, at least fifteen feet away.

“Real fuckin’ funny,” Shannon said, as he continued down the hall. Though curious as to what the two would say to each other, he couldn’t hear a word of it once he reached the next door.

The room was empty, and he walked on, the next one empty as well. But the third door down the long dank hall was locked.

“Tish?”

“Shannon?” she said from inside. A strange smile found Shannon’s lips as he slid the deadbolt across the door.

“Gonna say the magic word?”

Her palm hammered the metal. “I’ll beat your fuckin’ face in if you don’t open this door!”

“Alright, alright!” He opened it and Tish pushed past him into the hallway. Instead of the relief he expected, she was wound tighter than he’d ever seen. Her knuckles were raw, her face haggard. If he was to guess, she hadn’t slept since she’d been locked up in there.

“You alright?”

“Stupid fuckin’ question,” she snapped.

Instead of getting angry he just waited for her to look up. As she did, a sigh left her and her shoulders sagged. “Sorry,” Tish muttered, flexing her fists. “Don’t like being locked up.”

“Fuckin’ amen to that.” He let the door slam shut with a loud clang.

Tish winced and reached to her head. At her temple, a bruise had already formed and the skin looked swollen. “You took long enough getting me out.”

“Not my fault!” He raised his hands in protest. “You know the rules. Gotta wait for the council to be fuckin’ benevolent before any of us could do shit.”

“I know, I know…” She kicked the dirt and cracked her neck. “Can we just get the fuck out of here, already?”

“Dunno, Tish,” Finn said as he approached, Reid right behind him. “You look about ready to call this place home.”

Shannon cringed, expecting her to lash out, but Tish clenched her jaw and snapped her lips shut. Smart. Fuckin’ smart.

“Good, glad to see you learned something.” Finn looked victoriously smug. “You’re free to walk about, but you check in daily. We don’t want to be wondering where you are, you see.” Though said with smiled the words were dangerous.

“It’ll be fine, Finn,” Shannon said. “She’ll be good.”

Finn led the three of them silently through the building. Shannon had to admit, he expected more bite from Tish. But she just looked fuckin’ tired. She shivered until stepping out in the light, her eyes squinting in the bright. Her shoulders sagged, her clothing bloodied, her lip swollen, but more than that it was the way she stood. Hunched and haggard.

“What the fuck changed…” she breathed out as they passed the guard. “Things were different before. We didn’t toss people in cells, we didn’t shoot-” She stopped short and swallowed. Shannon had heard things were bad when she showed up but the details had been sketchy so far.

What the fuck happened? He wanted to ask but knew it wasn’t the time.

“She's right,” Reid said. “Last I remembered we talked shit out, or at least tried-”

“Don’t think you should be speaking your mind at all right now, Reid.” The words were more warning than Shannon had ever heard Finn say. “And things did change. A lot can change in four months, and you should all be happy you didn’t come back empty-handed.”

Finn brushed past the three of them. “Don’t push your fuckin’ luck. Keep mum about your opinions unless you want to find yourself back in there. Or worse. And for you two-” Finn looked between Shannon and Reid. “Put that girl from your fuckin’ heads. You got it?”

“You don’t know-” Reid started.

“I do fuckin’ know and I’m telling you that if I smell even a whiff of any dumb-fuck ideas coming out of either of you-”

“Whoa now, what the fuck did I do?” Shannon protested.

“You fuckin’ know. I fuckin’ know. What’s worse, the council fuckin’ knows, and if either of your try to pull a stunt like that again, I will load the fuckin’ rifle that ends you.”

Shannon swallowed hard and nodded once.

“Reid?” Finn looked on him, eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure you-”

“I heard you,” Reid snapped and pushed past Finn. Shannon half expected the two to tussle it out, but Finn seemed to let it go.

“Best get yourselves some food,” he told Shannon and Tish. “Remember what it’s like within walls for a time.” But Finn’s eyes never left Reid’s back. He followed the medic, though at a distance.

“What the hell was that about?” Tish said.

Shannon sighed and tried to wipe the sudden exhaustion from his face. “It’s a long story.”

“I have time,” she said. “And I’m hungry.”

They started for the dining hall and Tish fell in step with Shannon.

“By the way,” She looked back over her shoulder at the cells. “Why the hell didn’t get you get locked up.”

“I’m a better liar than Reid,” he half-joked.