Locked In
1176 Words
Chapter 8: Locked In
Regina and Allen were in the middle of another loud argument inside the empty
detention room.
Suddenly, a sharp click echoed from the front of the room.
Regina froze, blinking. "Hold on, Allen. Did you hear that?"
Allen stopped scowling and nodded, his eyes darting toward the entrance. "Yeah.
What was that sound?"
"Ah... let me check the door," Regina said, quickly walking over to the front.
She grabbed the metal handle and gave it a firm push. It didn't budge. She rattled it
harder, pulling with both hands, but the handle remained completely stiff.
"Ah... Allen, a little help here?" she called out, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Move over," Allen muttered, stepping up to the door.
He gripped the handle and put his shoulder into it, trying to force it open. Regina
leaned in closer to watch, but as Allen suddenly shifted his weight, she lost her footing
on the slick floor.
"Whoa!"
Regina tumbled backward. Reacting on pure instinct, Allen dropped his hands from
the door and lunged forward, catching her firmly by the waist before she could hit the
ground.
The room fell dead silent. Regina's hands gripped his shoulders as they stared deeply
into each other's eyes, their faces only inches apart.
An intense wave of awkwardness washed over both of them.
Regina quickly scrambled back onto her feet, smoothing down her uniform as her
cheeks flushed bright red. "Ah... thank you."
Allen cleared his throat, looking away to hide his own embarrassment. "No problem."
Trying to ignore the tension, Regina turned right back around and began frantically
shaking the door handle again.
"It's no use," Allen said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. "The door is
locked from the outside."
Regina whipped her head around and shouted, "WHAT?! THE DOOR IS LOCKED?!"
Allen instantly clamped his hands over his ears, wincing. "Ah! Don't shout! I just said
it's locked."
Then, the reality of the situation finally clicked in Allen's brain. His eyes widened.
Regina froze.
In perfect unison, they both screamed at the top of their lungs:
"AAAAAAAH!"
They rushed the door together, constantly pounding their fists against the thick wood.
"Someone help! We're stuck!" Regina yelled.
"Hey! Is anyone out there?!" Allen shouted, rattling the handle.
After a few minutes of useless slamming, Regina dropped her hands, panting heavily.
"Ah... I don't think anyone is going to hear us. Everyone is in their regular classes right
now. We're the only ones down here."
She glared at him, putting her hands on her hips. "And we are only here because of
you!"
"Oh, please, little witch!" Allen fired back, stepping into her space. "It's because of
you! If you hadn't sat there showing me that puppy-like face of yours, I would have
never gotten involved with you in the first place!"
Regina's jaw dropped. "Oh? Which puppy face?! My face just looks like this!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Allen snapped. "It's like... when I saw your face for the first time, I
actually liked it—"
Allen went completely rigid, realizing what he had just blurted out.
Regina blinked, her face turning a bright pink. "What...? You liked my...?"
Panicking, Allen desperately tried to cover his mistake, waving his hands aggressively.
"Nothing! I said nothing! I just said you have an ugly face!"
"No, no, no! I definitely heard something else!" Regina challenged, a smug smirk
breaking through her blush.
Allen's ears burned red. "Just shut your unstoppable mouth for five minutes so I can
actually think of an idea to get us out of here!"
"Fine!" Regina huffed, leaning against a desk. "Honestly, whenever I have to deal with
someone like you, I automatically can't shut up."
Allen sighed, rubbing his temples as the adrenaline faded. "Why are we even fighting?
Nothing is going to change like this."
"Yeah..." Regina murmured, staring at the floor. "We actually need to think."
They lapsed into silence, both of them racking their brains for a solution. They were so
caught up in their own thoughts that they completely lost track of time. Little by little,
the bright sunlight outside the small window began to fade, casting long, dark
shadows across the room.
Regina suddenly clapped her hands together. "Ah! Our phones! How stupid could we
be?!"
Allen looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Our bags are still in our homeroom
classroom. In what world are we supposed to call someone without them?"
Regina's shoulders slumped. "Ah... now what are we supposed to do?"
"We wait for someone to walk by," Allen grumbled, slumping into a chair.
But nobody came.
Hours passed, and the entire school went completely empty. Night had officially
fallen, leaving the detention room dark and freezing. They were completely trapped.
"Someone help..." Regina whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I can't take
this anymore. I'm feeling so hungry..."
Allen looked over at her shivering figure, his heart softening just a bit. "Look... once
we get out of here, I'll treat you to noodles. The most expensive ones around."
Regina looked up, a small smile appearing through her exhaustion. "Ah... I would love
that."
Allen smirked, trying to keep her spirits up. "Then stop daydreaming. It's already night,
the school is totally empty, and I'm stuck in this room with the world's most irritating
girl. Ah..."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Like you're some kind of perfect prince."
"Never said I was," Allen muttered.
"You know... I have a nickname for you," Regina said, her voice dropping to a quieter
tone. "Aster. It means flower."
Allen snapped his head toward her. "Hey! Stop calling me that crap!"
"I think I will, Aster," she teased weakly.
"Fine then, Gina," Allen shot back. "Because you are the dumbest girl I've ever met."
Regina went to fire back another insult, but suddenly, her breath caught. Her chest
tightened painfully, and she began breathing heavily, her gasps echoing in the quiet
room. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the hard floor.
Allen's playful expression vanished instantly. He bolted out of his chair, rushing to her
side. "Regina? Are you alright? Hey!"
He knelt down beside her, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"It's... it's so suffocating," Regina gasped, clutching her chest as a harsh cough tore
through her throat. "I... I can't breathe..."
"Regina! Ah... water!" Allen panicked, looking around the dark room wildly. "Water..."
His eyes locked onto a stray plastic bottle on the teacher's desk. "Ah, thank God
there's water!"
He rushed over, grabbed the bottle, and scrambled back to the floor. He gently lifted
her head, pressing the bottle to her lips. "Here, drink this."
Regina took a few desperate sips, her hands trembling violently against his. But the
relief didn't come fast enough. Her eyes fluttered shut, her head rolling back as her
entire body went limp in his arms.
Allen's breath hitched, pure terror piercing through his chest. He shook her shoulder,
his voice echoing in the dark room:
"Regina!!"
[Chapter Ended.
- To Be Continued].
- Writer
