57. The calm before the blaze
Anderson squirmed in his bed, unable to sleep.
His fingers were twitching. His worried thoughts scratched the delicate walls of the back of his mind, begging for him to dial Mr. Brimmer’s number and tell him that there was a very high chance his son was dead. But he hadn’t still come to terms with it. He wrapped himself up with a blanket, like a tortoise in a shell and shivered. His teeth clattered and the influx of dreadful, terrifying thoughts into his head slowly numbed his mind.
He froze, currents of shock waves gripping his body from head to toe.
His ears pricked.
He heard the knob of the door turn and slowly, it creaked open. His eyes tore open and he threw the blanket off his body. He gasped when he saw Carl walking into the room, with a bloodstained splint holding up his left arm. His heart dropped to his stomach when Carl’s eyes flashed his way.
He wanted to scream his lungs out in excitement, throw his body on him in fact, but how could he do that when Carl wasn’t even supposed to know that he had followed him that night? He slowly crawled under his blanket again and in a few minutes, he heard the shower running. Had the doctor lied to him about the burnt body? Or was Carl really not Nico?
He sighed, nothing was adding up at all and it made him grow frustrated. He had no idea when he slipped into unconsciousness, but he was woken up the next morning by a light tap on his arm. He blinked his heavy eyelids a few times before his hazy gaze steadied on Carl. The latter frowned at him until Anderson managed to drag his fatigued body into a sitting position.
‘*Last night’s walk must have taken a toll on me*.’ He thought.
Carl strolled to his bed again and perched on it, cradling his broken arm like a baby, “Have you been online since yesterday?”
Anderson swallowed and shook his head. He suddenly grimaced, hating the sour taste of his mouth.
“Well, today is the protest and posters are already flying around,” Carl revealed with a satisfied smile, “while the others are protesting, you and I have some work to do, Anderson. And I want you to listen very carefully, because if we fail, everything will go down the drain.”
Anderson sucked in a nervous whiff of air and listened intently. He caught on every word Carl said and nodded to himself a few times. Scenes from the previous night still flashed in his mind. He saw the resplendent explosion again and felt the smoky heat around him once more.
“…good. Any questions?” Carl queried.
Anderson blinked and shook his head, his eyes lingering on the splint.
“I know how to replace that one, you know. It’s soaked with blood. If you have a few bandages, I can help you.” He suggested.
Carl shook his head, “It’s nothing severe. Barely a swell, the doctor said I can take it off once I shower this morning.” He dismissed Anderson’s suggestions curtly. “Good then. The protest starts by twelve. I will have to pay Sam Spears a visit right before the protest. Then once it’s thirty minutes in, meet me right outside the staff room, okay?”
Anderson nodded. His heart was racing with anxiety. Carl had stressed the need for them to not make any mistake. Maybe he shouldn’t have?
Anderson dropped back on his bed when Carl headed into the bathroom. He checked his phone and a ray of hope sprang up in him when he saw how vehemently others were taking the protest.
Sam Spears had even made an emotional video that had thousands of impressions in merely under a few hours! Other college students rallied behind her...behind all of them! The posters were now spread all over Memphis and the sudden anticipation for the mass protest felt like a ticking bomb. Anderson adjusted his collar, the heat from the fervent atmosphere made sweat break out on his skin.
Carl was out of the bathroom without the splint now. He sauntered out naked. Each step he took made his dick swing from side to side, drawing in Anderson’s hungry gaze. Anderson bit his lip and look away, his blood heated up with desire and he wondered if Carl was trying to lure him in.
By the time he looked at him again, Carl has slipped on a pair of gray sweat pants and a black polo. He walked out of the room without a word, leaving Anderson squirming with desire and lust. He buried his face in his pillow, all he had to do now was wait for noon, but time seemed to be crawling by slower than a snail.
***
Carl glanced down the hallway and rapped his knuckles on the door.
He didn’t want anyone to see him in the girl’s wing of the dormitory, knocking on a door that wasn’t Keisha’s. He waited for about three seconds, then he knocked again.
“Come in…” Sam’s strained voice drawled.
Carl casually opened the door and stepped in. He closed it behind him and his eyes flickered with surprise when he looked at the bed. He was absolutely speechless, but managed to conceal the shock on his face with an impassive mask. He was perplexed by her audacity, but he chose to remain silent.
He sat on the edge of the wooden table he saw at the corner of the room that gave him a good view of her. Her breasts hung out of the white singlet she wore, her pink hardened nipples pointed directly at him. She moaned softly and closed her eyes, taking in a deep, sharp breath. Her legs were spread wide open, her panties laid on the floor and her fingers worked between the folds of flesh between her legs. She opened her eyes and stared at Carl while she fingered herself.
He watched her legs shake and her mouth fell open. Her moans only grew louder and more desperate and he knew she was about to reach a climax. Her entire body rocked violently just before a gush of her creamy liquid soiled the area of the bedsheet she sat on. She heaved a deep sigh and threw her head back, leaving her legs open without caring that Carl had a perfect view of her pussy.
“Hey.” Carl said flatly when she looked up at him again.
She squinted at him, “You came in at a very wrong time,” she said, swinging her weak legs off the bed, “And since you already know everything about me, I didn’t see the need to cover up, or hide anything from you.”
He didn’t reply.
She stretched her body, then completely took off her singlet and the skirt she wore. She walked naked to him and stretched her arm beyond him to pick up her phone. She scrolled through her messages and then showed him a particular one.
It was from Mr. Jenkins.
“I hope you are happy now, Carl. I have lost my position as the student’s president.”
Carl scoffed, his eyes never strayed away from her face, “That should be the least of your worries, Sam. If all goes well, we might even have another protest just in your name. You have no idea how many people will rally behind you for this act of bravery.” He said and opened his folded palm to show her the tiny, hidden camera he had found while she had been masturbating, “but I don’t think they’ll hold you in high regard if they see what this little guy here caught.”
She frowned as she picked it off his palm. “Those bloody bastards in the control room.” She mumbled, “what do you plan to do when you get into the control room?”
He walked past her and stopped at the door, “All I have to do is locate the DVR. Then I will have a blunt object hard enough to smash things. And finally, the petrol I asked you to arrange. And you will find out.”
“If you get caught, you could be arrested for arson, Carl.”
He shrugged, “I can’t get caught if I don’t get ratted out.” His eyes darkened, “And only you know that I am doing this. So, if I go down, be rest assured that you are coming with me.”
She sighed, her heart pounding furiously, she had never done something so nerve-racking.
“I wish you could fuck me right now, Carl. It’d help calm my nerves.”
Carl stared at her impassively, then walked out of the room.