by Brett, Cal
They checked that the elevators were closed and then approached the large door beyond. There was a narrow gap underneath and Kelly knelt down to look through.
“Stairwell,” she said, “I think. Looks clear.”
“Let’s go then,” Robbie said stepping forward. “Hold the light up. I’ll open the door.”
Kelly stepped back and shined the light at the door as Robbie pulled it open. They found themselves at the base of a concrete stairwell that looked like it might go all the way to the top of the building. The stairs were wide framed by metal handrails and, like the previous hallway, it looked as if it had seen intensive use as a way to transport construction materials.
“Can you hear anything up there?” Kelly asked looking up the center of the stairwell.
“No,” Robbie replied peering up, “can’t hear anything over that banging at the loading dock.”
“Well, I don’t suppose we can go back,” Kelly finally said and started up the stairs.
They went up two flights before they came to another door. A sign on the wall nearby read “1”.
“Lobby?” Robbie asked.
“Probably,” Kelly answered.
“Shall we give it a try?” he continued.
“Might as well,” she said.
Through the door, they found themselves in an unfinished room. Light poured through several large windows that looked out over the main street downtown. The skeletal framework of a metal dropped ceiling hung above them but with no tiles in place, the pipes and wires of the building’s inner workings were clearly visible. Kelly clicked off her light and they walked over to look out the windows.
They were about 10 feet above the street but they both stepped back when they noticed several undead stumbling along down below. Even though they were probably safe there was no reason to rile them up. Kelly nodded towards another set of doors and they walked back in that direction.
Although dusty and scratched on this side, the doors were large and ornate, indicating that the area beyond was likely the lobby or a public space. Kelly knelt and peered underneath.
“Carpet,” she whispered. “Can’t see anything but with all that racket out back, I’m pretty sure anything in here would have come running already.”
The pounding seemed like a distant rattle from where they were but it would be enough to raise the interest of any creatures within earshot.
“Open it up then,” Robbie nodded at the door and stepped back, assuming a batter’s stance with his machete.
Kelly turned the knob and pulled the door inward. When nothing leapt in at them, they moved ahead and found themselves in a short hallway of narrow cubicles. Kelly did a quick check of the shadowed offices with her flashlight. Personal items and coffee cups still sat on the desks. A large chart marked “Sales Goals” was taped up in one area. Another brightly colored poster listed the names of salespeople followed by glittering stars showing how successful they were at selling units.
Having cleared the area, they moved up to look out into the larger room. It looked like the main lobby, a wide open area with windows looking down onto the street. The room was laid out in the forced fashion that only a professional decorator would choose. Dusty but expensive looking furniture, artwork and knick-knacks were laid out as if being posed for a photo in a magazine. A wide intricate stairwell went down a floor towards the street but was blocked at the bottom by a row of heavy folding wooden panels. At the top of the stairs was a desk and a podium which Kelly guessed was intended for the concierge.
Aside from a layer of dust, the lobby seemed largely undisturbed by the collapse of civilization. Stacks of brochures and floorplans were neatly lined up along the desk, ready for handing out to potential buyers. On the back wall hung a giant print of an architect’s depiction of what the building would look like on a beautiful clear day, with the words ‘Opening this Summer’ blazoned across the top.
Robbie picked up one of the brochures, flipped it open and began to read in an announcer’s voice. “The Riverside is a modern building built with green materials and sustainable systems. Residents will breathe easy while living in an environmentally friendly location in the heart of downtown. Enjoy the lower utility costs that come from our solar array and natural rooftop insulation. Our green rooftop helps our neighbors by reducing the building’s UHI effect. Blah, blah, blah, well I’m glad to know we have less UHI. Whatever that was.”
Kelly laughed, stepped behind the podium, and eyed a brass bell sitting on top.
Robbie saw her gaze and said, “Don’t.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and said, “I wasn’t gonna…”
Robbie raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s that?” he asked as he dropped the brochure back on the desk and walked over to a bank of elevators. A poster leaned against a sign board with an arrow inviting investors to ‘Visit our Model Units on the Top Floor.’
“Should we take a look?” Robbie asked.
“It’s a bit opulent,” Kelly replied unscrewing a bottle of water from her pack. “It may be out of our price range.”
“I’m sure we can swing it,” Robbie answered, “I know a guy at the bank.”
She smiled, took a long swig and walked over. Looking up at the numbers over the elevators she said. “I don’t know, it’s quite a hike.”
“It’s what we came for isn’t it?” he said.
“I suppose.” She replied, drained the water bottle and slid it back into her pack for refill later.
“Well, I don’t want to jinx it,” Robbie said, “but, nobody was living here and the building has been closed up since before the outbreak so there can’t be many undead in here, right?”
“Yea, but like you said, don’t jinx it.” Kelly replied pointing at a door beyond the elevators. “There’s the main stairwell. It will be dark in a few hours and I really don’t feel like trying to clear every floor today. If we can get to the top without any trouble we can barricade the stairwells and clear the rest tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“Peachy,” said Robbie as he stepping over to a door marked ‘STAIRS.’ “Ready?”
Kelly pulled up her stick as he put his hand on the door latch. Seeing her in position he pulled it open and stepped back. The door swung silently in an arc until it reached the wall where it bounced off of a rubber stop with a thud. Robbie stopped it with a booted foot as it began its return. The inside landing of the stairwell was empty and they both breathed in relief.
Where the other stairwell had been all utilitarian, this one was clearly meant for guests. The richly colored carpet from the lobby continued inside and the handrails had a brass shine to them.
Robbie stuck his head in the door. The shaft had the stale smell of a place long locked away from fresh air. To his left, the stairwell wrapped around and continued downward into darkness. In front of him they coiled upward with narrow shafts of light drifting in through thin windows, on each landing. No movement or sound caught his attention, so he stepped in and made room for Kelly to come through behind him.
“Windows,” Robbie said pointing up.
“I see,” said Kelly.
They paused for a moment and listened. They hadn’t made much noise but the sound of the door opening and thumping against the wall would have drawn any undead nearby. None presented themselves and Robbie started upward. Kelly let the door close completely behind them before she followed. It was on a hydraulic swing and she admired how it quietly slipped into its frame with just a click as the latch fell into place. At the first landing they peered through the narrow window and saw that it overlooked the bay.
“Nice view,” Robbie said and moved on.
Kelly paused a moment longer before following him. They were only a few floors up but she could see the rooftops of the restaurants and clubs along Water Street. Beyond, she could see the small waves of the river as they bobbed along and a few of the wrecks that were close to the surface. Gulls drifted overhead in the afternoon light, occasionally diving into the
water for a meal. It almost looked peaceful.
“Kelly,” Robbie whispered back to her from the next landing and she hurried to catch up.
Near the door on this landing was a pad for digital keys and a brass sign that read ‘Fitness Center’ and ‘Meeting Rooms’.
When Kelly reached him, Robbie continued upward. They moved carefully but slowly, checking that each door was fully closed by pressing lightly against it and stopping frequently to listen. At the eighth floor, they were getting winded but feeling confident. The stairwell offered no surprises until they reached the 10th floor.
As Robbie rounded the corner at eleven and looked up to the next landing, he stopped suddenly. Kelly was several steps behind and seeing him freeze, she came to a quick halt as well. She raised her eyebrow in a question when he looked back at her. He nodded up the stairs and mouthed the words, “door, open”
Kelly quietly stepped up so she could see the landing. A bucket sat on the floor holding the door open but nothing else seemed out of place. Robbie inched up along the wall until he reached the side of the door frame. Kelly wanted to tell him to be careful but she knew better than to make any noise until they found out what was on the 10th floor. She pursed her lips, well aware that Robbie knew how to handle himself, having now grown up doing this sort of thing.
She watched as he kneeled down, to present a low profile, and eased around to look inside. When he didn’t jump immediately back, she felt a small amount of relief. He then stood and stepped into the door to get a better view. He still said nothing and had not signaled for her to come up, so she waited.
Finally, he waved her on and stepped aside so she could look for herself. The floor was unfinished, with exposed drywall along a hallway. Scaffolds, cans of paint and boxes of materials created obstacles they couldn’t see around. While many of the rooms had no doors, which let light into the hall, most were covered in plastic sheeting so they could not see into the individual rooms.
On the bright side, nothing moved, they heard no unusual sounds and while the area did look a little chaotic, it was not a mess. Tools and supplies were neatly stacked along the hallway, patiently waiting for the tradesmen’s return. A broom and half full dust pan even rested against one of the walls.
“I think its ok,” Robbie whispered from behind her. “If there were undead in here they would have knocked that broom over by now. Look. There aren’t even any marks in the dust on the floor.”
Kelly saw all this and agreed.
“Do you want to check it out?” Robbie asked.
“No,” Kelly said feeling tired. “Let’s close the door and keep going up. Anything in there can wait until tomorrow.”
“Ok,” Robbie agreed and picked up the handle to the bucket against the door. He indicated to Kelly to step back as he lifted the bucket out of the way and held onto the door to ensure it closed gently and quietly. He needn’t have worried. The hydraulic arm, though long unused, performed as designed bringing the portal back to its frame with a gentle click.
They waited a moment, listening, praying that the slight noise wouldn’t bring anything that might be wandering the building looking for dinner down on them. When a minute had passed without any ill omens, they turned and began climbing the stairs again. They continued cautiously and slowly, but the next floors presented no additional challenges as they made steady progress.
Chapter 14
When they finally arrived at the top floor, they pushed off their exhaustion and looked at each other excitedly.
“We made it,” Robbie said.
“It’s not locked is it?!” Kelly squeaked when she saw the digital keypad and speaker next to the door.
“Shouldn’t be,” Robbie whispered. “It’s against fire codes to lock stairwells. That was probably some sort of security alarm.”
“Oh,” she sighed, “wait, how do you know that?”
“My Uncle James was a fireman,” Robbie said. “He had some great stories.”
“Oh yea,” she recalled and leaned her ear against the door to listen.
“Anything?” Robbie asked.
She shook her head, put her finger tips to the rich brown stained wood and tapped several times. Robbie stood ready in case something decided to suddenly crash out into the stairwell. For long moments nothing happened. Robbie glanced back down the stairs to ensure nothing was coming up behind them, but saw nothing.
Finally, Kelly stepped back, “I don’t hear anything. How about, I’ll pitch and you swing?”
This was code that she would open the door, while she stood ready to take off the head of anything that might launch out at them. She stepped up and grabbed the handle.
“Ready?” she nodded and he counted, “One… Two…Three” and pulled on the door. It came open an inch or two but then slammed shut again as if someone had jerked it from the other side. The door thumped loudly as it pounded against the rubber grommets of its frame sending a drum like sound echoing throughout the stairwell.
“Shit!” Kelly gasped and her heart began to race.
Robbie quickly checked back down the shaft, expecting to see all the doors below burst open spilling hungry undead into the stairwell in search of the source of the noise. The echo rumbled off the concrete walls for long seconds like a thunderstorm passing through a canyon. He waited, but heard no sounds of doors or footsteps from below. “What happened?!” he finally asked glancing back at Kelly.
“I don’t know,” Kelly answered. “I lost my grip I think, but, it felt like it pulled away from me.”
“Pressure,” Robbie said.
“What?” Kelly asked.
“Could be a pressure difference between the stairwell and the hallway.” Robbie answered, still keeping a concerned watch down the stairs. “If it’s sealed up tight.”
“Ok,” Kelly said. “Try again?”
“Yes,” Robbie said quickly, “we need to get out of this stairwell and barricade this floor. No telling what might be down below and come looking for us.”
“Get ready,” Kelly responded, “we still have to clear this floor and whatever is behind this door.”
“Go!” was all Robbie said and turned back to face the doorway.
Kelly grabbed the handle more tightly this time and gave it a strong tug. A whoosh of air rushed out and enveloped them in a cloud that smelled of mold and wood and dust. Robbie stepped up to take on anything that appeared. Kelly stepped back and blinked to clear her eyes, but nothing emerged from the dark and dusty hallway.
Kelly tapped on her flashlight and they peered in to see a long, straight hall with another door on the far side. A patterned burgundy carpet ran along the floor with rich matching wallpaper. Antique looking brass light fixtures were spaced evenly along the way underneath a tall ceiling capped with mahogany stained woodwork and trim. Dusty spider webs stretched across the space but they looked abandoned as if even the spiders too had left this place.
“Swanky,” Robbie said, “looks like the Haunted Mansion at Disney.”
“Yea,” Kelly agreed still shining her light around. “There’s nothing in the hallway. Let’s get inside and close this door before anything comes looking for us.”
They eased inside and Robbie used his leg to keep the door from slamming shut again. As the gap narrowed, air began rushing through more quickly and the door tried to pull closed in the vacuum. Holding his foot against the base, he eased it shut until the sound of the rushing wind abruptly stopped. In the silence, they both stood and listened for anything that might have followed them up the steps or be approaching from down the hall.
“It’s damn dark in here,” Robbie said finally. “Can you see anything?”
“There are some signs up here,” Kelly said pointing with the small light.
They approached the first, a standee which had a similar design as the one downstairs. An arrow pointed to a closed door and read ‘Magnolia Floorplan.’ As they moved down the hall they found each of the doors had a similar sign nearby with the model nam
es and a small map of the floorplan inside. When they reached the center of the hall they found the bank of elevators surrounded by tall mirrors, several couches and an antique looking dresser. The top of the dresser was covered with more stacks of brochures. A sign read ‘all models open.’
“Creepy.” Robbie whispered. “Let’s clear the hallway first. Make sure all the doors are closed. Then we can start on the end and clear them one at a time.”
“Good idea,” Kelly agreed.
They moved carefully but it only took a few minutes to confirm that all the doors were closed. They took a moment to inspect a door with a glass pane that turned out to be a small tile covered room with a trash drop. At the end of the hall, they listened at the doorway they assumed to be another stairwell but heard nothing.
“Don’t open it.” Kelly said in a hush.
“Don’t worry I’m not,” Robbie replied quietly. “Ready to start with the apartments?”
She nodded.
“May as well start here,” Robbie said indicating the one nearest the stairwell.
“I’ve got to pee,” Kelly said shining her light on the door.
Robbie guffawed as he put his hand on the door knob. “Well hold it a little longer. I think these suites have balconies looking out over the river.”
Kelly just braced herself in front of the door and raised her staff in readiness. Robbie waited a beat, then turned the latch and pushed the door open. The room was lit by windows facing the river and the blue afternoon light spread out over the fully furnished model. Using one of the brochures as a guide they entered and it only took 20 minutes or so to confirm there were no undead present. They propped the door open to help light up the hallway and moved on to the next.
