Chapter 5

“So we can get onto the roof here and climb up this ladder. Here is a small window that leads to the attic over here and from there we can get into the kitchen.” Ridley was pointing at a large paper on the table.

“Uh, Ridley, were did you get these blueprints?” Sasha asked with a grim look on her face.

“Ehr… I found it?” He said with a huge I-am-so-guilty smile.

“Never mind how he got it; the important thing is that this seems like a good plan.” Asher said.

“Do you really think so?” Mac asked.

“No. Normally this would be a VERY BAD idea, but under the circumstances it’s the best we can do.”

“So we’re really going to do this?” Sasha said, looking very disapproving.

“We need food, Sasha.” Mac said.

“Alright then, we leave at midnight.” Asher said in a decisive voice.

After this our friends went into their rooms to mentally prepare themselves for this important task, in their own special ways. Asher sat down at his computer and started playing Hitman, particularly a mission that was very similar to what they were planning to do. Although in the game he was there to kill the chef, not steal the food.

Mac was watching a particularly interesting episode of L-Word. It really had nothing to do with breaking into schools to steal food, but then again; that is not exactly a common theme in popular culture. And besides, watching TV is very relaxing and right then she really needed to relax. (Come on, breaking into a school! During a military curfew!!!)

No one really knows what Ridley and Sasha did, but after a few hours they came out of their room to have dinner. They really were running short on food, do it consisted of noodles and noodles. They informed the others that Sasha would be staying at home when the others went out.

“Look, Sasha, I know you like to stay behind and all – but this is different!” Asher said. “If we run into any patrols we will get arrested and then you’ll be left here all alone, with hardly any food!”

“We should stick together.” Mac said.

Sasha looked at them uncertainly. “Alright, I guess you’re right.”

“Yay!” Ridley exclaimed and hugged her.

They finished their food and headed out. The school in question was not too far away. Ridley and Asher were very caught up in the mood. They insisted on sneaking up to every corner and peek around it before waving to the girls that all was clear. Not that they could really see anything. No streetlamps were on and the sky was covered in clouds.

As they looked at yet another empty street whispered to Ridley:

“Hey, were DID you get that blueprint?”

Ridley glanced at him.

“Come on! You can tell ME, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise to keep it to yourself!”

“I promise.”

“Kenzie borrowed my computer to look at some blueprints for a school project. They were on a USB stick, and when I recognized this school I copied it to my hard-drive…” Ridley looked very ashamed.

Asher had to bite his hand not to laugh out loud. He turned around and signaled the girls that the coast was clear.

“This is so stupid.” Sasha said

“I know.” Mac answered as they walked up to the boys.

Ridley pointed at a building across the street. “It’s behind that building.”

“We should run across in groups of two.” Asher said.

“Why?” Mac asked.

“That’s how they do it in Splinter Cell, Asher said.

“You asked.” Sasha said as Mac looked at her with a helpless expression.

“Ok, you go first.” Asher said to Mac and Sasha.

“Why? Isn’t it better if you go first?” She said.

“But you are slower.” He said.

“And why exactly does that make it better for us to go first?” Sasha asked with a sharp tone in her voice.

“Isn’t it better if we split up the other way?” Mac asked.

“Yes I think so.” Ridley said and grabbed Mac’s arm and started running across the street.

“Why did you do that?” She asked him.

“Those two are always bickering. It would have taken us 10 minutes do decide who should go first.”

Apparently Sasha and Asher decided that it was stupid to wait for clearance, because as soon as they realized what had happened they followed Mac and Ridley across the street. But boy did they wish they hadn’t!

Halfway across the street they heard a noise from the far end of the street, and they freezed. It wasn’t a car. Car’s have engines and headlights. This was something else. The noise was that of a huge crowd.

“What are they doing!” Mac said when she and Ridley had crossed the street and looked around. Then she too heard the noise. Looking down the dark street they could see an unformly mass moving quickly towards them.

Ridley ran up to Sasha and Asher and pulled them with him. The crowd was getting really close now, and they could see that they were civilians.

As they ran towards the school the clouds suddenly cleared and the moonshine lit up the street. (It was a full moon.) As I was saying the moon lit up the street and, unfortunately, our heroes. When the crowd saw them they let out a savage roar and started running towards them.

Our heroes screamed and started running towards the school as quickly as they could. They were about 50 meters ahead of the crowd when they turned a corner and reached a park. Right then the clouds closed and once again blocked the moonlight and the street became pitch black. They could hear the crowd roaring behind them as they kept running as fast as they could. They ran through a group of trees in the park and almost crashed into a climbing net.

It was very dark and hard to tell, but Mac thought that climbing net looked really familiar. She did not have time to tell the others before they reached the other end of the park… and found themselves on the street of their apartment.

“What the hell!” Asher exclaimed, looking at Ridley.

Ridley was as surprised as everyone else and almost stopped.

“Not now!” Sasha screamed. “Come on! Hurry inside!”

They ran up to their apartment but the front door was locked. The crowd was just about to get out of the park behind them.

“Come on!” Mac said and kept running.

She turned left at the end of the street and crossed a parking lot. She ran up to the garbage room with the keys in her hand and opened it. Quickly they all went inside and closed the door just before the crowd came into sight.