by MJ Fletcher
The police shouted for me to stop but I ignored them, though the sounds of their feet slapping the floor as they bored down on me made me run harder. I turned down another hallway, not losing a step or speed. Mom was a runner and she had gotten me into it when I was small. No matter where Dad’s act took us, mom would always go for her morning run. Memories of running alongside the Nile River in Egypt and the Great Wall of China were just a few of the wonderful places we’d run together. Of course, that was before she’d deserted us, now I only run when there’s trouble.
Relief washed over me when I spotted the stairwell door at the end of the corridor. The cops’ voices grew louder but it didn’t matter, I was confident I was home free. I was too quick on my feet for them; they would never catch me. I slammed into the door grabbing the knob and my heart sank as I turned it... locked.
My heart pounded in my chest. The cops would be on me any minute. My mind raced and I twisted the knob as hard as I could, hoping by sheer force of will I could turn it and get out of there. My stomach turned and a wave of nausea rushed over me. I thought for sure I was about to barf. Then the hair on my neck and arms stood on end and my vision went fuzzy as everything around me took on a blue glow. All I could think about was Dad and how upset he was going to be with me. I was going to get arrested and go to jail and we would never get out of this damn country.
I heard a click and the knob felt as if it suddenly turned. The next thing I knew I was floating. I no longer cared about the cops or the passports or anything. I was warm and whole and then everything went black as I fell forward.
“Chloe!”
Dad’s voice shattered my peaceful sleep and I blinked forcing myself awake and found myself lying on the floor of our hotel room. Dad stood peering down at me and he didn’t look happy.
“Must have tripped.” I scrambled to my feet and shook my head. I don’t know what happened but somehow I had gotten back to our hotel room. Maybe it had all been a dream; maybe I had imagined sneaking out to steal back our confiscated passports. It wouldn’t be the first time I had a crazy dream.
“What did you do?” Dad was giving me his best stern-Dad face.
“Nothing.” My hand drifted to my pocket and I could feel the outline of the passports. Dad’s eyes followed my hand and lingered there. “What’s in your pocket?”
“I had to try.”
“What did you do?”
I pulled the passports from my pocket.
He sighed and rolled his eyes.
“What? It’s not like I got caught.”
“Chloe, do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You could have been caught or worse.”
“But I wasn’t. I got our passports back and got away.” I wasn’t sure how I had managed it. I didn’t even remember leaving the building or anything. I racked my brain trying to make sense of it. The last thing I remembered was fighting to get that damn doorknob to turn.
“What is it?” Dad asked, his annoyed face changing to one I’d never seen before.
“Nothing,” —I shook my head trying to clear my mind— “it’s just that I’m not really sure how I got away. I mean the door was locked.”
“What do you mean it was locked?”
“It’s no big deal. I must have been wrong.”
Dad paced back and forth and looked like he might wear a hole in the carpet. He stopped, his eyes lingering on me as he snatched the passports from my hand.
“We’re leaving now. Get your things.” He turned and stormed off to his room.
“You’re welcome,” I sighed and rushed to my room grabbing my travel bags. I’d been packed for three days ever since this whole fiasco had begun. It wasn’t the first time Dad and I have been stranded in a foreign country during one of his tours, but this time it had been different. Dad was nervous, not a common condition for him. And we had been given no reason as to why our passports had been confiscated. The officials who took them had told us that we weren’t allowed to leave the country. It made no sense and coupled with Dad’s obvious unease, it made me worry.
I slung my bags over my shoulder and walked back into the shared living space to find Dad clutching his duffle bag.
“That was quick,” he said, though looked relieved. I knew he wanted to get out of there ASAP and so did I.
“We’re heading to the airport. No stops and no lip either.”
I rolled my eyes at his back as we left the hotel room. We walked down the narrow corridor and stopped by the series of elevator doors.
Dad was shifting from one foot to the other and kept pushing the down button even though it was lit. I didn’t say anything remembering that he’d warned about giving him lip.
The hotel seemed warmer than usual. I tugged at my hoodie and wished I had thrown it in my bag. Dad had stopped pushing the button and was stepping back slowly and that’s when I felt the hair on my neck rise and stand on end. My stomach twisted in knots and a wave of nausea washed over me and I stumbled trying to keep my balance.
Dad’s arm wrapped around me and relief flooded me... until I looked up and saw his eyes narrow and stare straight ahead. My skin heated and prickled as I followed his gaze to the stairwell door and realized that I must be getting sick since the door appeared as if it was glowing.
Dad and I jumped when the door swung open and a gust of warm stale air rushed into the room blowing my hoodie off my head. The feeling in my gut doubled and Dad’s arm squeezed tighter around me.
“You should have stayed off the radar, Masters. Not using your powers kept us from locating you. We had no idea where you were.”
A dark figure surrounded by a crimson halo stepped through the doorway. The tips of my fingers went numb and the earth felt as if it was moving beneath my feet. Everything came into sharp focus around me, my senses suddenly alive with new input. The azure glow around the door shimmered and pulsated as if with life. The faint odor of smoke drifted in from behind the man.
Dad glanced down at me and by the look in his eyes, I knew this was bad... really bad.
He spun me around and yelled, “Run!”
I didn’t hesitate... I ran.
The stale odor followed us so close I could taste it. It made me gag and I knew something bad was about to happen. The explosion threw me into the wall, my shoulder slamming into it with such force that it spun me around. Smoke and flames filled the hall and I coughed trying to clear my throat. I rubbed my eyes looking harder to try and catch a glimpse of Dad, cursing myself for leaving him to face a crazy man alone.
The smoke parted and suddenly Dad was racing toward me. I had no time to feel relief that my dad was alive, his hand reached out grabbing me and dragging me along as we bolted down the hallway. The corridor split into a T and we turned right and kept running, stopping at a maintenance door. Dad looked behind him and then back to the door in front of him. He reached his hand out toward the knob and my stomach churned again.
“I don’t think hiding in a closet is going to help, Dad.”
I closed my eyes trying to blot out the nausea that was growing stronger by the minute. I wanted to smack myself. I mean come on, I’ve traveled the globe, assisted my dad in some of the most dangerous illusions around and tonight I had walked along the edge of a multi-story building; and yet an explosion and crazy man chasing us and I wilt like a flower? Not cool.
I opened my eyes, ready to face and survive our ordeal, when my surroundings shifted again. Now instead of shimmering red, everything glowed soft blue. Dad had already opened the door and the room beyond seemed to swirl and shift in colors and change until it looked almost familiar to me. I was thinking how comforting that was right up until I fell flat on my face.
* * * * * *
Coming soon...
The Mapmakers Union
Titles by MJ Fletcher
The Doorknob Society
Book I
About the Author
MJ Fletcher is the creator of the comic book series Adam Zero: The Last Man of Earth publishe
d by Ronin Studios. He’s also been published in Hope: The Hero Initiative and Digital Webbing Presents. The Doorknob Society saga is his first book series and he’s thrilled about it. He lives near the beach with his wife, daughter, dog and a crotchety cat.
