The alarm was so familiar that Laney knew what to do the instant she heard the metallic click five seconds before the howling began. It was as if the system was clearing its enormous throat in preparation for the hellish serenade that would follow.
Her roommate Carla swore under her breath when the click sounded. She found her bathrobe and slippers, and was out the door before the fire alarm was full volume.
Laney grabbed her master keys and followed Carla out to the breezeway. She didn't see many residents coming out of their suites, but she didn't expect to. The hypersensitive new system went off every night, sometimes two or three times a night, but as an RA Laney had to set the example and evacuate the building.
Jeff, the RA on the other end of the eighth floor, nearly ran Laney down as she reached the stairs. "Key the rooms! Get everyone out!"
Laney shook her head. "Let them sleep. It's another stupid false alarm."
Jeff seized Laney's wrist and dragged her back to the breezeway. "Key all the doors! This time it's real! There's a bomb in the building!"
(True story from my adventures as an RA in Sullivan Residence Hall at North Carolina State University, 1985-1988. Go Wolfpack!)
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