No Exit by Taylor Adams 2

She wished he’d just inhale some dust and accidentally
cough, so she’d have an excuse to approach the door and kick
off the attack. Under her sleeve she pricked her thumb on the
Swiss Army blade. It was satisfyingly sharp.
Please cough.
She watched him waver there, like a kid on a high dive.
He’d been so cool, so smooth and confident before, and now
he looked like he’d just witnessed a murder. Darby felt a
nervous tightness climb her throat. She’d chosen the wrong
ally, and now the situation was unraveling.
Cough. Or you’re going to give us away—
Ed noticed. “Ashley, you’re quiet all of a sudden.”
“I’m … I’m fine.”
“Hey, look, man, I’m sorry about circle time.”
“It’s alright.”
“I was just giving you shit—”
“I’m fine. Really.” Ashley adjusted his sleeve as he spoke,
keeping the rock-in-a-sock from dropping into view.
Ed smiled, tapping the table’s edge with two fingers. A
quiet little heartbeat, and for a moment the room was silent,
and Darby could feel that sound in her bones. “Your big fear is
… you said it was door hinges. Right?”
Ashley nodded.
Sandi set her paperback down. “Mine’s snakes.”
“Snakes, huh?”
“Mm-hm.”
Ed sipped his coffee, still tapping. “Mine is … well, I
didn’t really know how to put it into words. But I think I can
now.”
Another growl of wind, and the lights flickered overhead.
The room threatened to fall into darkness.