Inda

The Cannibal

The blood drained out of Hazel's face. If it wasn't someone he knew, then it was someone who meant to hurt them. If the generator was out, then they were going to freeze to death without help.

She ran through a checklist in her head- They each had a phone. She looked down to see what her charge was like. 70%. Good, but not full. They didn't need five lights, so she turned her flashlight off to keep the power usage down.

There was food, but no electricity to work the kitchen to cook it. There was wood for a fire, but she didn't know how much was outside. With the snow, it might be too wet to burn properly at first. They needed lanterns and flashlights, and a first aid kit and blankets-

The gunshots made Hazel whirl around. "They're not wasting bullets on nothing. What's back there that's worth destroying?" She asked Mark.

The Cannibal

Hazel's head snapped toward the front door when the first sounds of shots came through. Muffled by the falling snow, she thought perhaps it was something else.

She jumped when it was followed by several more. James and Mark burst through the door, and she knew that it was exactly what she thought it sounded like.

"Terrance and Paulie are upstairs. Who the hell else is there to keep playing these stupid pranks?" Hazel snapped. Her temper was starting to flare. "They're probably just firing blanks trying to scare you away from the generator. Who else did you invite?"

The Cannibal

"Here, another light might make him feel better." Hazel gave the flashlight to Terrance and turned around to go back down the stairs. She was grateful phone lights were so strong.

Once she made it back down the stairs, the new logs had gotten the fire up and roaring very nicely. The living room was cast in plenty of dim light between the fire and four phone lights, quickly joined by the fifth light of Hazel's phone.

"Paulie is in the bathroom closet. Terrance is trying to get him out. Not sure how well it's going to work, but he's trying. I left the flashlight with them in case it helps. Any sign from the boys yet?" She asked, looking to see if any new snow was tracked in.

The Cannibal

Hazel glowered into the darkness. This was getting ridiculous.

"I'll come with you." She stood up and went up the stairs. "I'd really rather not just be sitting around. Besides, I've got some quick reflexes. You saw."

After getting out of earshot, Hazel added quietly, "Besides, the sass levels downstairs are Olympic level. I can't compete."
She shined the flashlight and her phone down the darkened hallway. "Should we check all of the rooms in this hall again? I don't think it would make sense for him to run into another dark hallway if he's freaked out by the dark." Then again, she had no idea what kind of condition he had. They couldn't rule it out.

The Cannibal

"Great." Hazel rubbed her eyes. This was supposed to be a party, and it was just turning out to be a frustrating night. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

"Well, if the generator's out we might lose heat quickly. Let's get more wood on the fire." Hazel pulled out her phone and turned on the light, and remembered that she had tucked the small flashlight she had in the basement into her pocket. She clicked it on for a little extra light and went over to the hearth.

There were cut wood stacked up neatly in a metal framework near the grate. She grabbed a couple extra logs and tossed them on.

"Maybe we should do ghost stories when the boys get back." Hazel said, trying to lighten the mood. "I bet Alaska has a bunch of them. Mark probably knows a few."

The Cannibal

Hazel nodded. "Right. No, it's cool. I have a cousin that needs to take meds, she can get the same way. Just gotta give her time to cool off."

She waited for Paulie to get up the stairs before continuing. "Besides, Einstein and Oppenheimer were scientists. Of course they had to make sure of things. Part of the scientific method is retesting your experiments. That's why other scientists replicate experiments to be sure none of the data is skewed. Grant and Crazy Horse were military leaders with peoples lives on their hands. Of course they had to double check themselves. Any leader that doesn't take into account the people they're responsible for isn't a real leader."

Hazel didn't know why she felt the need to say all of this. She supposed she was just irritated. Between the tension in the room with Courtney and Haley, the prank pulled earlier, and Paulie being a jerk, she felt like this hole trip was going to be more tedious than she expected.

Nope! She wasn't going to let that happen.

"What I don't need to double check myself on is pool. I saw a pool table somewhere around here. Anyone want to challenge me?" She stood, finishing off the last bite of her slice of cake.

The Cannibal

Hazel jumped at the clattering in the kitchen. Don't mess anything up in there... She thought possessively. She couldn't help it. Once she cooked in a kitchen, she had it marked as hers. It was ridiculous, she knew, but every single other cook she knew did it, too.

"Abby. Makaya." Hazel said quietly, trying to commit the names and faces to memory. She was a little nervous she would call someone by the wrong name, there were so many new people.

"My flight was alright. I slept a lot of the way, did some reading. Nothing exciting, which is exactly how I like my plane rides. If something exciting happens on a plane, it either means joining the mile high club or an engine going out, and neither sound particularly comfortable. How about you? Paulie, is it?" Hazel turned to look at him her from spot on the floor.

The Cannibal

Hazel missed the drama, having gone back into the kitchen once everyone declined the drinks. The opening of the oven drowned out his shout, leaving Hazel blissfully unaware of the problems in the living room.

A last drizzle of honey over the cake finished it off, and finally she was back in the living room with a tray of plates adorned with slices of her latest creation.

"Here you go!" She said, setting the tray down. Hazel passed a plate to Terrance first to try and show there were no hard feelings about the prank.

"Enjoy!" Hazel sat herself on the ground near Haley, being one of the few people she had actually spoken with so far.

"So I met Courtney when I came up from the basement, but I still haven't met you three." She gestured to Abby, Makaya, and Paulie with her fork. "How was the trip?"

The Cannibal

Hazel was a little surprised at how hostile Courtney was toward Haley, but she shrugged it off. Thankfully she wasn't involved in it. She turned and made her way toward where the kitchen seemed to be. When she got there, she gasped.

It was just as impressive as she thought it was going to be, with up-to-date appliances and gorgeous pots, pans, and utensils. "Oh, wow. I might just sleep in here."

She spent some time exploring the kitchen and the walk in pantry that was well stocked with everything she- they!- might need. After getting to know the different cupboards and drawers- and maybe eyeing the collection of liquors and wines- she got to work whipping up a sopapilla cheesecake with plenty of cinnamon and honey to sweeten the cream cheese. The whole thing was so simple to put together that once it was in the oven, she got to work on popping some popcorn with fresh herbs on the stove and brewed herself some of the Earl Grey tea with the bags she had in her pocket, spiking it with a little of the high quality gin she had found earlier.

She left her steaming mug on the counter while she went to deposit the bowl of herbed popcorn and a plate with sliced apples, celery sticks and cheese on the coffee table in the living room. "The cheesecake will be another 15 minutes. Does anyone want anything hot to drink in the meantime?"

Hazel was the most at ease when she was feeding people, and it showed.

The Cannibal

Hazel smiled at Terrance. "How about cinnamon cheesecake then? I have a recipe for sopapilla cheesecake I've been wanting to try. I'm sure I can find my way to giving you some if you behave yourself the rest of the night." Hazel said teasingly at Terrance.

Hazel heaved a sigh, getting rid of the last of her shakes, and started back up the stairs. She looked up to see Courtney.

"Oh, Terrance played a prank that I totally fell for because I apparently believe in horror movies." Hazel smiled at Courtney. "Nice to meet you. I'm Hazel, and I'm off to cook, because that's obviously what you do when faced with a serial killer."