“Are you alright?” Trevin tried to hoist her to her feet. The slick floor made it difficult for his sneakers to gain purchase.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jadine whispered, sliding away from him. **“Watch that first step. It’s a doosey.” She didn’t know why she said it. It was ridiculous to be in this situation, fighting for survival, and quoting cartoon characters from her childhood, but she couldn’t stop herself. Biting her lip wasn’t helping anymore. She buried her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking as she attempted to contain the laughter.
“Wh-why are you laughing?” Stacy whispered, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she shivered.
Not trusting herself to speak without guffawing, Jadine shook her head in answer.
“Whatever,” Stacy muttered kneeling down next to her. ** (This part might be too much. Should I cut it).
Trevin dropped down next to them and the three began to search the shelves for the flashlight. No light reached here, making it difficult to do the job noiselessly. Jadine hoped they were quiet enough to remain undetected.
At last, Jadine’s hand wrapped around the plastic tube. Depressing the button, she was happy to see a beam of light play off the back wall of the shelf.
“The batteries are good,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“Yes!” Trevin hissed and pumped his fist. They were so close to freedom he was getting antsy. “Let’s get moving.”
“Just a second. I want to diffuse this, so it doesn’t draw attention to us.” Frantically, she searched the shelves for what she needed, knowing they were running out of time. “Where’s the first aid kit?”
“I had that,” Trevin said. “I used it when I was binding Stacy’s arm. Hang on a sec.” Staying low, he crawled across the platform and waded out into the snow swirling through the broken door. Moving his legs in a semi-circular motion, kicking out one leg than the other, he worked the area until his toe banged against something hard hidden in the drift. He plunged his hands into it and pulled out the blue box. Quickly he returned to the women, flicking snow and water droplets from his hands as he went.
Trevin relinquished the kit to Jadine and stuffed his freezing hands into his arm pits for warmth. Jadine tore into the box, spilling bandages and gauze onto the floor in her haste. At the bottom of the box she found what she was looking for. With trembling fingers, she fit one glove inside the other then slid the open end over the end of the flashlight and taped it in place with the same bold white tape that adorned Stacy’s arm.
“There. That should help.” Jadine hit the switch. It gave off a blue tinged glow that lit a two-foot diameter. “I don’t dare do more than that. Is it enough to get by, do you think?”
“I think it’ll work,” Trevin said. “We’ll be close together anyway.”
Beside him, Stacy was shoving things around on the shelf with her good hand, her injured hand curled against her chest. The noise seemed very loud. Cautiously he glanced around them.
“Shhh!” He hissed. “What are you doing?”
“Freezing,” she shot back. “Jadine shine that light over here… Ah-ha!” Triumphantly, she lifted a pair of heavy work gloves from the bottom shelf. They were at least a size too big and reeked of gasoline, but she shoved her hands inside them anyway.
“Ahhh,” she said thankful for the warmth. Satisfied, she met Jadine’s eyes and say, “Okay, let’s do this.”
“We need to start by plugging the hole in the office window as best as we can,” Jadine gestured across the room. “I think we can wedge one or two of the tables into the opening and then use the rest of the tables and chairs to brace them there. Hopefully, they’ll still be focused on the vent and we can get it set before they notice what we’re doing.”
“Do you really think it’ll work?” Trevin asked. The cold was seeping deep beneath his skin. He was afraid if they didn’t hurry, he’d be too frozen to move.
“I think if it doesn’t work, it’ll at least slow them down,” Jadine said. “If they do manage to push the tables out of the hole, we’ll hear them fall. That’ll be our heads up to get the hell out.”
She turned to Stacy and pressed the flashlight back into her hand.
“I need Trevin to help me lift the heavy tables,” she said. “I need you to go back to the kitchen. Turn on all the ovens and crank the dial. Also, see if you can find a second flashlight. It’ll come in handy when bracing the doors. Any questions?”