Kyla’s Secret

Struggling with all her might, Kyla bent the girl’s knees and tied ropes around the shins and thighs to hold them secure. Kyla then slipped her arms under her arms until she had her in what appeared to be a kneeling position. Then she hunched her body forward as far as it would go and wrapped more rope around her calves and back. This took more energy than she had, and she had to stop to catch her breath. If someone came to the door now, she would have to ignore it—or else she’d be fucked. She really hoped no one outside, or in the room to the left of hers, assuming anyone was in it at the moment, could hear her. The task seemed to take forever, and while it wasn’t easy working with leather gloves on, it was necessary. To say that she was relieved that the girl just barely fit in the container was an understatement. She glanced at the window. Darkness had fallen. Then she looked at the container again. “I’m so sorry your life had to end this way. I really didn’t mean for you to die. I just wanted you to get the hell out of the room.” It was hard for Kyla to feel a hundred percent sorry for the dead girl. Sure, she was sorry that the incident had occurred. This girl was much too young to die. But if she hadn’t gotten drunk and gone accusing a perfect stranger of man-stealing, or if she’d at least left the room when ordered to, this never would have happened. In light of that, Kyla knew and understood that she wasn’t entirely to blame for the death itself. But hiding and disposing of a dead body without reporting it would certainly be entirely on her, and she wondered just what she would say if questioned about the container. She knew there was probably no way she could get outside with it without being seen, even if it was late at night. But she didn’t have to answer honestly when asked about its contents either. Yet what the hell could a reporter visiting from the Hawaiian Islands possibly have in a large gray plastic container? Finally, she decided she’d say they were books and “equipment” she borrowed from a fellow reporter that she was returning. And why so late at night? Well, because she couldn’t sleep, of course. Kyla did a check of the area, careful of what keywords she typed in, and then she taped the lid of the container shut. The last thing she needed was a dead body to come rolling out should the container slide off the dolly. She then realized she was famished. She had missed dinner, after all. She dug through one of her bags and found a protein bar and some fruit juice. The room had no closet, but there were a few feet of space at each side of the door. She shoved the container behind it, then dared venture out into the hallway. She slowly crept down toward the bathroom. It was well after midnight, and she didn’t hear a thing. Just when she thought she could detect the faint sound of music coming from behind one of the closed doors, it was gone. She used the bathroom and was about to fix herself a cup of tea when she crossed paths with a tall woman with dark curly hair. “Hi,” said the woman, smiling brightly. “Hi,” Kyla said shyly. “You a new student here?” the woman asked pleasantly. “No, I’m just a reporter sent to write an article on campus life.” “Oh, yeah. From Hawaii, right?” “Yup, that’s me.” “Oh, wow. How neat. What island are you from?” “Maui,” Kyla answered, slowly following the woman to her desk by the door and having no clue whatsoever how she could possibly get by her with a large container on a dolly without really, really looking suspicious. “I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I hear it’s absolutely beautiful.” “It is, though I sometimes long to live in other places with a totally different climate, just as long as it doesn’t snow there.” “Sounds like this one,” the woman said with a laugh. “What’s your name again?” “Kyla Rembler.” She sat down, shuffled through some papers, and then rose to her feet again. “And I’m Zoey Scalia, detective by day, dorm night watch by night. And… getting ready to go on break.” “Oh, ok,” said Kyla, turning around to head back to her room. “Nice meeting you, Zoey.” “You too, Miss Rembler. Let me know if you need anything and enjoy your assignment here at the university while you’re at it.” “I will,” Kyla said, wondering if Zoey would leave the building or simply go into the lounge. She hoped to hell she would leave altogether. When she heard the hum of the elevator, she knew she’d gotten her wish. Not knowing how much time she had, Kyla sped up and hurried down the corridor and into her room. She then donned her coat and gloves and proceeded to finagle the container onto the dolly. Then she opened the door, slid it out into the hall as quietly as she could, and shut and locked the door behind her. Heart hammering in her chest, she began wheeling the dolly down toward the elevator, wishing her room was nearby the thing if only for that night. She moved as quickly as she could without risking the damn thing falling off the dolly or making enough noise to stir the curiosity of any insomniacs. It seemed to take forever just to navigate the corridor. “Oh, God, please don’t let anyone need to come out and pee now,” she silently prayed. Funny how a devoted atheist could resort to prayer in such tense moments. Kyla pressed the DOWN arrow on the elevator. She thought she might faint at the thought of someone being on it when it arrived on her floor. The elevator car was empty, though. A loud whoosh of air escaped her lips as relief flooded her. She gently but firmly yanked the dolly onto the elevator and hit the button. As the doors closed, a horrifying thought hit her. Shit! The watch person downstairs may be at their desk. Damn, why couldn’t I have been on the first floor as much as I hate sleeping underneath people? But it was too late now. The elevator hummed to life and began to lower her and the dead girl. When the doors opened up to the lower floor, she was beyond relieved to find the desk and corridors deserted that again she nearly fainted. Just thirty feet, she estimated to herself. Thirty feet to the car, and I’m safe. Or was she? She realized that just because she hadn’t seen anyone didn’t mean that they hadn’t seen her. All she could do was hope for the best as she slowly pulled the container down the cement steps and into the parking lot. She was almost home free. Almost. She unlocked the back of the rental, glad they’d given her an SUV after all, something she initially thought ridiculously large for her needs. For a moment she feared she wasn’t going to be able to lift the container into the vehicle, but desperation gave her the strength she needed. She shut the hatch and drove off. It wasn’t until she was several miles away from campus that she finally stopped shaking. A few minutes later, she approached the remote wooded area she’d found online, grabbed a flashlight, and dragged the container about fifty feet into the trees. She was too determined to complete her task and be rid of the girl’s body to fear what may jump out of the darkness from behind any number of trees. It wasn’t until she set the container down and turned to run back to the SUV that she became aware of the night and its potential predators. She waved her flashlight from left to right as she ran. She knew the container would be better off buried, but there was no way she was going to spend the time and money buying a shovel and then trying to dig a hole deep enough for it all by herself in the middle of the forest late at night. This was spooky enough. What were the odds of the container never being found? Probably not good. But by the time it was found, she hoped to be back in Hawaii and way above and beyond any suspicion. She hoped to hell she hadn’t left any physical evidence behind, no matter how minute it may be. She knew that just a single hair could be one’s undoing, given the way today’s technology was. She drove to an all-night convenience store. Choosing the parking spot furthest from the door, she cut the engine and glanced around her. Satisfied that no one would see her, she tore off her shirt and balled it up. Then she pulled on a sweater. Stuffing the brightly colored shirt she’d been wearing into a plastic bag, she then exited the vehicle and dumped it in a trash container by the door. She grabbed a few non-perishable items and then looked at the digital clock on the SUV’s dashboard as she pulled back into the campus parking lot. She’d been gone nearly twenty-five minutes. There was a good chance Zoey might be back at her desk. But she wasn’t. Kyla ran as quickly and as quietly as she could to her room. Once there, she flipped on the light, dropped her grocery bags on the desk, and slumped onto the chair with the biggest sigh of relief she had ever felt in her entire life. She realized that now she would always have to worry about the possibility of the body being discovered and connected to her. There was no statute of limitations on murder, after all, but she would rather risk accusations that might never come as opposed to a guaranteed ticket to jail. She ran a trembling hand through her hair. Gosh, she hadn’t even been able to shower yet, much less eat much or learn more about the campus. She forced herself to eat a handful of crackers, then peeled off her clothes. She cut the light and slid into bed. She was determined to get whatever sleep she could get before she had to get up in just a few hours, unaware of the digital eye in her room and the technology the person behind it had that enabled it to see in the dark.