Go For Stories

He stared through the window at the spot where Jacob had been torn to pieces. He knew he was gone. He had seen it so it must be true, but it didn’t add up. Yes, the albinoids could slip through the smallest of cracks, but it took effort and time. There was no way they had gotten through the gap beneath the door that quickly without making a sound. And, once through, they couldn’t pull a body back with them. It would have shredded him, leaving nothing but splinters of bone and strands of gooey muscle.

“We have to go, guys.” Bec tugged on Nigel’s arm.

He allowed her to drag him back a step and nodded.

“Yes, we do. We have to get away from here.”

As if in response, another rumble made its way through the complex, sending small quakes through his body. He grabbed hold of the table before him; Milly and Bec did the same. Squeezing his eyes tight, he felt the heat of the bright flash of lights and saw the tiny pricks of red through his eyelids. He kept his feet and, when the tremors slowed, he opened his eyes and stood straight.

A tiny aftershock ran through the timber-dressed floor and something rattled out of its hiding place beneath the table. Nigel bent and scooped it up in one hand.

“What is it?” asked Milly.

He opened his hand and showed her; it was Jacob’s watch.

“Could come in handy,” Bec said. “Bring it with you.”

“But where?” asked Milly. “Where is safe anymore? We’re trapped.”

A memory glimmered in the back of Nigel’s mind and he thrust the watch into the pocket of his blood-stained pyjamas.

“Follow me.”

He took off across the library’s lobby towards the sweeping staircase in the corner. Milly and Bec stuck to him as the albinoids recovered from the second shock and hammered against the door. Nigel didn’t dare look this time and he swept past the rows of shelves loaded with books. Despite the prevalence of technology in the complex, the company had spared no expense in making the place feel more like a real town. The dark timber shelves were surrounded by comfy chairs with red leather upholstery and reading nooks, while the upper level was primarily bookshelves lit by ornate pendant lights.

The higher shelves did indeed have the ladders that rolled along in tracks that had caught Jacob’s attention. Had they not, he may still be alive. Nigel took the stairs three at a time, reaching the top and crossing to a smaller bookcase built into the end of the rows. Milly limped up the final couple of steps and made her way across to the two in the corner.

“Great.” Bec threw her hands in the air. “Trapped.”

Nigel gave a wry smile. “Not all the secrets of this place got past me.”

He reached out and grabbed a handful of books, throwing them to the floor.

“What are you looking for? ‘How to Escape Evil Hellbeasts and Look Good Doing It?’”

“No.” He knocked a few more books down. “It’s here somewhere.”

“Whatever it is,” Milly’s eyes were fixed on the shuddering door, “you’d better hurry up.”

“Ah,” said Nigel, grabbing onto something recessed into the wall at the back. “Got it. I don’t know what’s on the other side, though.”

“Just get on with it already.” Bec too now watched the door as it splintered in on itself with a dry explosion.

Nigel gripped the handle and wrenched it down. Something clicked in the wall and the bookcase swung open on silent hinges, sweeping the strewn books across the floor and revealing a small, dark space behind.

“In. In. In.”

They all bundled into the space and Nigel pulled the bookcase shut behind them with a gentle clunk. For a few seconds they were bathed in darkness, cramped together. He could smell the sweat on his companions and their every breath filled the space with their shuddering sighs. Nigel found it not altogether unpleasant, given the circumstances. Before he could get too comfortable another click sounded behind them and a second door swung open, letting in the light from the stairwell beyond. Nigel held his breath as he poked his head into the open, looking for monsters. The stairwell was clear. They stepped through and the wall panel slid shut behind them. Looking back, you’d never known there was ever an opening behind the seamless wall.

“What? What just happened?” asked Milly.

“You think the person tasked with designing a library in an ultra-high-tech complex wouldn’t include a secret door?” He gave another sweeping glance up and down the stairwell. While he tried to focus on the task at hand, his mind kept going back to Jacob. Nigel had barely known him, but there was something about the way that he died. Something wrong. They should have been safe behind the door, at least for a short while. He shook his head and forced his thoughts back to the hidden panel. “Not much makes sense anymore, but at least I have that one thing to hold onto. All libraries should have a hidden door.”

“I guess.” Milly shuffled close to him and wrapped her arm around his. “Are you okay?”

“I should have saved him, Milly. I should have saved us all.” He pulled his arm from hers and swept it around in a grand gesture. “None of this should have happened. If I’d been more alert, if I’d only …” If he’d only what? He didn’t know.

“Buck up hero.” Bec gave him a thump on the arm. “You got us here, didn’t you?”

He looked at the pair and smiled. She had a point. He knew they had both fought as hard as him, but it did help him to feel better.

“Thanks, Bec.” A scrabbling noise came through the wall and he cocked his head to one side. Inside the library, the albinoids searched for them, hunted them. He wasn’t sure if they’d figure out the latch, but it was only a matter of time before they found another way around. “Come on, we’d best keep moving.”

“You right, Milly?” Bec asked, looping an arm behind Milly and helping her forward. “These stairs are gonna be a bitch.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s just a knock. Nothing like a quick climb to loosen the old knees. You coming, Nigel?”

He didn’t respond. Standing at the next landing down was his wife, gazing up at him. Her eyes, or what was left of them, blazed with contempt and longing all at once. She reached out a hand to him and he felt the pull of their past. All it would take is a few short steps and they could be together again. All those years of hurt, loneliness and despair would be healed, albeit through his own death.

“What the fuck is that?” shouted Bec.

“Nigel!” Milly grabbed him by the sleeve, almost falling as she put pressure on her sore knee. “Nigel, stay away from it.”

Julia’s face twisted in rage. She opened her broken jaw and screamed, her eyes ablaze. The pressure in the air built up and swirled in gusts around their stunned forms. Their clothes whipped about and they shielded their eyes from flying dust.

“What is it?” Milly called over the gale.

“Nevermind,” he shouted back.

“Nevermind?” Bec curled back her lip in disgust. “You expect me to ignore that?”

“Let’s just go.”

He turned away from Julia and staggered up the steps. The breeze, couple with the pull of his memories, made his feet feel like they were caked in thick mud. He fought his own mind and took the steps two at a time. The higher he got, the lighter he felt. By the time he reached the next landing the wind died down and he could hear a gentle sobbing fading into the walls. His Julia was gone. For now.

“Come on, guys.” He moved down to help Bec carry Milly, taking her other arm. “We’ve got a few flights to go.”

“You really expect Milly to make it to the Security level?”

“I’m fine, really.”

As if to prove it, Milly pulled herself away from the pair and hauled herself up the stairs, leaning on the bannister, but making good progress. Nigel shrugged at Bec and they followed behind, still concerned that her leg might give out and she would fall backwards.

They continued up the stairs like this for some time. They spiralled up and up. Though they rose through the levels, Nigel felt like they were descending into some fresh hell. Their breath laboured and Nigel’s body tired. He couldn’t believe Milly kept her pace but, he guessed, she was probably as aware of the time as he. By the time they had reached the halfway point, Milly gasped and dropped to the step before her. She rubbed her leg and looked up at them with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, guys. I think I need a break.”

“It’s okay, Mill. Take your time. We seem pretty safe for the moment.”

“Yeah,” Bec said, her eyes casting about with nervous darts, “but if you hear any scuttling sounds, let us know.”

Milly laughed at this. It sounded bizarre to Nigel, standing in a stairwell surrounded by danger. The absurdity of it took him and he laughed too. It started as a small titter and built up until he could control it no longer. He let it out in a gale of laughter, gasping for air as he shook. Sitting beside Milly, he put an arm around her. She too rocked back and forth, wiping tears from her eyes. Their laughter carried up the stairwell and bounced back to them in ghostly echoes.

“Guys, stop it.” Bec’s eyes were wide and she ran her hand through her blonde hair, pulling it back from her face. “They’ll hear you.”

Nigel and Milly looked at her fearful eyes and took a deep breath at the same time. He could feel the laugh pushing to get out but he swallowed it, knowing Bec was right. His heart hammered with both humour and panic and he looked at Milly. She too was fighting her own battle. She caught his eye and they both barked out another laugh in perfect synchrony.

“I’m serious, guys. You’re going to get us killed.”

“I know.” He gasped for air. “I know. It’s just, it’s just…”

“So stupid?”

“No,” Milly replied, regaining some composure. “It’s fucking terrifying. We’ll probably die here and I don’t …” She took an unsteady breath. “I don’t know what else to do.” She let out a small chuckle; half delirious, half morose.

“You’re fucking nuts.” Bec turned away from them.

“Hey, settle down, Reynolds.” Nigel pushed himself up off the steps. “You know how much stress we’re under.”

She rounded on him. “Of course I know. I’m not an idiot. I-”

“You what?”

She held up a finger to him. For a brief moment Nigel thought it was her middle finger, before he realised she was no longer focussed on him. Her index finger hovered in the air before him.

“What is it?”

“Shhh.” She waved the finger in his face. “I heard something.”

He lowered his voice to a whisper. “What?”

“What did you hear?” Milly grunted as she got to her feet.

Bec moved closer to the door on the edge of the landing. She pressed her ear against it before taking in a small breath of surprise. Her eyes flashed as she turned back to them.

“It’s people,” she said with breathy excitement, “I hear people.”