Cafeteria Heist

Kevin woke up abruptly in a sweat. Heart pounding he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. It was still dark out; a cloudy blanket of rainfall obscured the moon, preventing its radiant light from illuminating his room. After a yawn, Kevin laid back down in bed and attempted to return to his slumber, but the events of the previous day would surface every time he closed his eyes.

Visions of the oracle's execution flashed through his mind, the smell of burnt flesh and the sound of her whispers lingered in his nose and ears, making it impossible for him to relax. Kevin tossed and turned, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head, but nothing worked. Furthermore, the strange woman he bumped into on the street also haunted him. He could still feel her iron grip on his wrist as if she were standing two feet away.

Kevin sat up, looked to the right side of his room, and stared intensely at the door. For an indescribable reason, he felt as if eyes were watching him through the door. Kevin shook his head, attempting to dismiss the delusion as mere paranoia, but one concern stopped him from returning to peaceful slumber.

If someone wanted to hurt me, could I stop them?

Kevin lacked any means of self defense aside from his bare fists. If one individual he'd met with supernatural abilities approached him with the intent to harm, He doubted he could put up much resistance. Even normal people with weapons could pose a serious threat to him given his lack of protection, though he could at least run from the latter.

Kevin used a match to burn his oil lantern's wick, igniting a small flame inside the glass cylinder, and illuminating the room with a dim orange glow. Kevin stood up and briefly searched his room for something that could serve as a makeshift weapon.

The end result produced nothing useful. Kevin's possessions were sparse, and few in between consisting of little more than a small collection of Yankish study books, spare changes of clothes, and a toothbrush.

Maybe I could turn my toothbrush into a shiv or something?

He approached the basin sink and grabbed his oak-colored toothbrush, then he began rubbing the rounded bottom against the wall, hoping to create a sharpened edge. After ten minutes, Kevin examined his handiwork.

This won't hurt anyone.....

Disappointed in his efforts, he dropped the crude shiv back into the basin and returned to bed. His mind raced with thoughts of danger and vulnerability, he felt that he was being irrational, but couldn't shake the feeling that his life was in danger, that he wasn't secure. He picked up the bag of coins he received from his first bounty board job and emptied its contents onto a pillow, counting each copper penny individually.

Kevin considered the possibility of purchasing a knife from a local store but gave up on the idea quickly. He still didn't know the city very well and doubted he'd get a suitable answer if he went around asking people where he could purchase knives. After bagging up the pennies, his stomach made a growl an audible consequence of his choice to skip dinner earlier. As he curled up in response to the onset of hunger pangs he had an epiphany.

The kitchen!

The cafeteria on campus grounds was designed to feed hundreds of students multiple meals a day, meaning its kitchen almost certainly stocked plenty of knives and other utensils Kevin could appropriate for self defense. If he was lucky, he could even snatch a snack for himself.

Kevin got out of bed and slid on his shoes. After grabbing the lantern, he left his room, silently shutting the door behind him. Creeping through the silent hallways, he heard the sound of sweeping echoing through the hallway, accompanied by humming. Hiding behind a corner, he peered out to see Carmita diligently sweeping the floor with a broom, singing softly to herself.

Why are you working at this hour?! Go to sleep. This place can't get dirty; I'm the only one that lives here!

Baffled by her presence, Kevin waited 20 minutes for Carmita to walk away and then tiptoed his way down the stairs. Carefully exiting through the dormitory front door, Kevin was greeted by light rain falling from the sky. Cursing under his breath, he used a hand to shield his lantern and began walking to the campus kitchen.

Anxiety and paranoia plagued him as he traveled alone in the darkness. In the distance, cracks reminiscent of fireworks echoed, adding to the tension in Kevin's heart. He quickened his pace, praying he wouldn't encounter trouble. After 10 minutes of travel, Kevin reached the campus cafeteria just as the light rain intensified into a torrential downpour. The building was large and made of limestone brick. Several large windows placed at the sides and front exposed the dining hall inside. He tried the main entrance door.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Finding it locked, he circled the building, searching for another entrance. Desperately searching under the downpour, he quickly found another door and tried to open it. Click. Click. Click.

It was locked like the first one. Kevin cursed loudly, banging on the door in frustration. He ran to the left side of the building, attempting to find another door, and caught sight of an open window. He wasted no time climbing through it, dropping three feet onto the tiled cafeteria floor, lantern in hand. Kevin looked around, illuminating the space with his lantern. The cafeteria was a desolate expanse, a sight made familiar to Kevin by his daily trips to breakfast. He shivered, wiping water off his forehead, and slowly walked to the back of the cafeteria where he was usually served food by the cafeteria staff.

Each footstep echoed through the empty cafeteria, amplifying his unease. Eventually, after getting past the serving area, Kevin reached a set of swinging double doors leading into the kitchen. Upon entering, he saw several wooden counters, hanging pots and pans, and shelves stocked with various ingredients. He placed his lantern on a counter and began his search for knives. Opening drawers, Kevin sifted through silverware, searching for anything sharp.

The search proved fruitless, only discovering caches of spoons and forks. Slamming a drawer shut in frustration, he picked up the lantern and moved further into the expansive kitchen. Walking past a variety of ovens and stoves he reached the entrance of a door labeled storage closet when he heard a sound.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Kevin froze as he heard what sounded like footsteps approaching him. His heart raced as he turned around and moved towards the ovens. Kevin gripped his lantern tightly, preparing to strike whoever appeared in front of him.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Kevin's eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. The source of the footsteps emerged stepping into the area illuminated by Kevin's lantern revealing a young woman around his age with blonde hair and wide blue eyes. She was dressed in a grey shirt, a cream colored skirt that went down to her knees, and black shoes. Each clothing item came from the student's uniform at the University of Myami.

 Kevin breathed a sigh of relief lowering his lantern. The woman in contrast continued to stare at him with extreme suspicion.

The woman in clear Yankish spoke first. "Who are you? Answer quickly!"

Kevin replied calmly "My name is Kevin Nguyen I'm a....friend of university."

The woman squinted and said, "Prove it."

Kevin was at a loss for words. He was never given anything close to a form of identification and had been under the impression that he didn't need it. There was no way for him to prove his identity!

Kevin sighed and said, "Look I can't prove who I am, I barely speak Yankish, I know Dyson, Mr. Felds."

Her apprehension increased as she heard Kevin's list of names. 

"Okay.....how did you get inside? The doors are all locked."

"Through the window."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "You climbed through a window...during a storm?"

Kevin nodded affirmatively.

The woman looked him up and down, his wet clothes and hair suggested he was telling the truth.

Kevin asked, "What is name?"

The woman hesitated before saying "Elise, Elise White and I suppose you're right about your Yankish. You don't look like a Myamian are you from the far west?"

"Yes, I came to Myami weeks before."

While technically incorrect for the sake of simplicity Kevin allowed the misconception to persist.

"I thought so judging by your odd accent and foreign appearance. So why are you sneaking around the kitchens at night Kevin Nguyen?"

Why are YOU sneaking around the kitchens at night madam?!?

Kevin told a half truth "Just hungry couldn't sleep."

"You came all the way here for food in....the middle of the night?"

Elise crossed her arms and glared before suddenly bursting out into laughter.

"How could you possibly be hungry at this time, the university serves full-course meals three times a day every day of the month."

Kevin relieved to see her mood shift relaxed.

Elise continued, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there's nothing here to eat, the kitchen staff doesn't leave leftovers anymore due to a rat infestation problem."

Kevin feigned disappointment as he heard the news and then asked "So why are you here Elise?"

Elise frowned replying "It's none of your business!"

Kevin recoiled as Elise snapped at him. Realizing it was best to not press the issue he instead asked "Ok well I'm here so do you know...."

Forgetting the Yankish word for knife Kevin mimed his intended meaning making jabs, cutting imaginary fruit, and air-slicing his throat hoping Elise would understand.

An unreadable expression came over Elise's face as witnessed the display.

"Follow me."

Kevin followed Elise as she led him to a set of stairs, she then turned to him and asked "Do you want to go first and light the way or should I?"

Kevin said "You."

Elise took the lantern and began her descent. Kevin followed suit. After going down a flight of stairs the pair reached a door labeled "Stock Room." Elise yawned and slowly opened the door revealing a small cellar lined with shelves stocked with dried meat, bread, and cheese. Kevin marveled at the sight his hunger growing exponentially as he smelled the myriad of goods. 

"I thought you said there was no food?"

The sound of a foot anchoring itself on the ground filled Kevin's ears. In his peripheral, he spotted Elise rushing towards him glistening knife in hand.