“There’s a staff door on the side of the building, you will then need to go across the atrium towards the back of the building. There will be a large double door to the left. Go through that towards the private corridors.”
“Where the bloody hell are you getting this information?”
“There’s an interactive map of the whole library on their website,” Sam replied dryly.
Alice burst out laughing, softening the noise with her black leather glove. “Even the private wings?”
“Nah. I’ve checked the whole map and there are a couple of doors you can’t look into which are through that corridor.”
Static before she turned the radio down slightly. It was hard to sneak around in a city that doesn’t really sleep, the lights illuminated the street enough to make it difficult to look inconspicuous. Acting as casual as possible she walked towards the alley at the side of the building, her black leather catsuit helping her to hide amongst the little shadows available.
“Okay, I’ve found the staff entrance, no names from now on. Over.” Re-attaching the radio to her belt she picked up her small knife hidden in a loop within her boot. Grabbing a pin from her hair she placed both in the keyhole, turning one slowly until she heard a series of clicks, each pin clicking into its correct height. With a little more pressure the final pin clicked into place, allowing her to turn the lock mechanism.
Suppressing a smirk she put her knife back into her boot, her fingers tingling as she pressed down on the handle gently, peering through the small gap. Satisfied that no one was there she crawled through, closing the door gently behind her before checking the room for cameras.
Must be the staff cloakroom. Squinting in the poor light she noticed hangers lining one side of the room while a selection of ugly armchairs and a small table sat against the opposite wall. A coloured photograph of a smiling woman was the only decoration on the otherwise bland walls, ‘Employee of the Month’ written in gold across the top.
She searched every corner of the room and saw no tell-tale cameras. Happy, she stood to her full height, adjusting the leather straps under her breasts and stomach that held her sword flush against her back. She usually wore the straps beneath her clothing, but they were uncomfortable against the catsuit, forcing her to wear them over the top. She probably should have left it at home. What could go wrong in a library?
Walking to the only door available she passed a mirror, her face a stark contrast to the darkness. Blonde strands had escaped her black beany hat, creating a halo around her face, accentuating the thick black eyeshadow and eyeliner she decided to put on to help her blend in. Sam had laughed his arse off when he saw her. ‘You look like a gothic panda gimp.’ he had said.
She pretended to be annoyed, explaining she had to wear the outfit otherwise her blonde hair and pale skin, courtesy of her mother’s Nordic heritage, would have stuck out like a sore thumb. He just laughed harder. She didn’t want to admit he was right.
Moving past the mirror she opened the door, the lock on the inside easily turning as she made her way quietly into the atrium. All the artificial lights had been turned off, leaving only the streetlights to leak through the stained glass windows, creating a dissonant pattern across the already ugly carpet. She kept to the walls, blending into the darkness as much as possible as she walked through.
A noise came from the left.
Dropping to her knees, she quickly crawled towards the clerk’s desk.
“So how was your wife’s birthday party last week?” one of the security guards asked, sweeping his torch across the patterned floor.
“Terrible, apparently I got the wrong bracelet for her. Ungrateful bitch,” the other guy replied.
Alice stayed hidden, controlling her breathing until their voices were distant murmurs across the room. When confident they were far enough away she peeked over the desk, noticing a small green glow across the other side of the large atrium. Careful to not make any noise she sneaked towards the first bookshelf.
“Have you got to the door yet?”
She hushed the speaker.
“Steve, did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“A noise, over there...” He swept the torch in her direction, the light creeping under the bookshelf towards her feet.
OH SHIT. She hid amongst the other bookcases, her thick-soled boots making no noise on the plush carpet.
“George it’s nothing, your imagination’s going wild again.”
“Maybe…” Alice picked up a small book, throwing it across the room, creating a soft bang in the opposite direction. “Over there.” A jingle of keys as the men ran towards the distraction.
She rushed towards the private corridor, the light turning out to be a ‘restricted area’ sign. Alice pushed at the door, but it didn’t budge.
Fuck.
Noise close behind.
Running past she entered the only other door available, the door swinging shut just as light swept from beneath the frame. Alice stared, heart in her throat. The light eventually moved away, the footsteps disappearing with it.
“You almost got me caught,” she whispered into the radio.
“Sorry.”
“I’m in the men’s room.” She kept her voice low. “It had to be the bloody men’s bathroom, didn’t it?”
“Babe, if you needed to go you should have just said.”
“Funny. Is there any way out of here other than the bathroom door?”
“Give me a second, there’s no other exit, but it does back up to another bathroom. Is there a grate or something?”
Alice moved her hand gently across the walls, careful not to touch the urinals. “There’s a vent.” Getting her knife back out of her boot she used it to unscrew the corners, catching the vent as it sagged off the wall. Leaning it gently against the tiles she peered in, unable to see anything. “I’m going to try it.”
She climbed into the small metal hole and pulled the vent back across the opening. No one would notice it was loose until the morning.
Ouch. Her head smacked into the opposite grate. Mouth twisted in a snarl she peeked through the small gap.
Nothing.
Just another bathroom.
Turning slightly she planted both her palms across the metal, pushing. A squeak, the metal resisting. Pushing even harder the metal started to groan, bending at the top and bottom. The corners screeched as the screws were forced out, warping before crashing to the floor.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She held her breath, and counted.
60. 59. 58. 57.
No tell-tale noise, just a low hum.
25. 24. 23.
No footsteps. No noisy keys.
10. 9. 8.
Crawling out from the hole she stood up, stretching her muscles. The low hum was slightly louder towards the door, more of an annoyance than anything. Pushing the door soft light flooded in, the lighting strips on the ceiling the reason for the hum. Stepping through she planted herself to the wall, blinking her eyes to help readjust to the sudden light.
The corridor seemed to hold a couple of doors, light shining through the small windows. A buzz from above. In the corner she noticed a blinking red light, hidden. Keeping herself low and against the wall she watched it as it slowly turned, sweeping the corridor.
“Adolebitque.” The camera sizzled, melting before the little red light flickered off. “Okay.” Happy that there were no other cameras she checked through the first door, the window allowing her to see into the surprisingly small room. Metal and glass cabinets lined the back, diamonds and jewels placed underneath the glass.
The second room held paintings, some on the walls while others were just gently stacked against each other on the floor. The third room held some vandalised busts, floating heads that had some bad artwork painted across them, but no books. Alice reached for the fourth door.
“I think I’ve found the basement,” she whispered into the black radio. “Is there any information on the web
site?” The door opened onto small spiral stairs, leading into darkness. “Hello?” she asked again, making sure the frequency was correct.
Static.
Crap, something must be interfering.
Grabbing a small torch from one of her pockets she clicked the button, the tiny light bright enough to see the ends of the step’s reflective strips. Following the curved stairs down to the bottom, she stepped onto the concrete floor.
The light from the torch struggled, flickering on and off before dying completely. With a sigh she dropped the useless device into her bag and reached for a couple of glow sticks. With a satisfying crack she snapped them in half, shaking the liquid before throwing them across the room, lighting up the large square concrete space with an eerie green glow. Holding one stick in her hand she held it before her, scanning the room.
It was bare, nothing against the dark walls. The only thing was a cage sitting dead in the centre.
Weird.
With nothing in the room, she turned back to the stairs.
Alice gasped. “Where are the fucking stairs?” She exhaled as she frantically reached her hand out, her brain refusing to believe the stairs could just disappear. Her palm connected to the brick, the surface intensely cold, even through the gloves.
“Sam?” she asked the radio, panic in her tone. “Sam? Are you there?” No response, not even static. “Fuck.” With nowhere else to go she moved towards the cage.
A high-pitched noise filled the room, a shattering sound that made her jump back with a cry. The noise stopped just as suddenly as it started, almost as if she had imagined it. She waited, concentrating.
Nothing. She heard no bugs scattering across the floor, no water droplets. There wasn’t even a smell. If it wasn’t for the glow sticks, the room would be pitch dark, giving out no sensory output. Hesitantly she stepped forward, the piercing noise screeching again as lights danced beneath her feet. Another step forward and the noise stopped.
She looked down at the floor, not recognising the small patterns lighting up in the concrete.
What the fuck?
Cautiously, she reached down, touching a rune to the left of the light. A pierce shrill filled the air before lighting up, a spectrum of colours breaking through the concrete with a rainbow glow. Shit. Shit. Shit. Sweeping her gaze across the carvings she checked the different runes and symbols, each one slightly different from the last, surrounding the cage in a perfect circle. An educated guess would say a circle had been engraved into the concrete, but not a circle she had ever seen. Taking a closer look she tried to make out more of the runes, starting to understand one slightly.
A hiss.
Scrambling back she froze, blood rushing in her ears as she strained once again to hear anything. Her sudden panic excited her Tinkerbell, the little blue ball bouncing happily around her head. Fluffing it away from her face she peered into the dark, seeing nothing but black.
I’m losing my mind.
The cage was around ten square feet, all sides covered in thick metal bars, an intricate mesh patterned in between. The lattice climbed around the whole structure, including the top. No chance of just climbing over. Peering through the small holes in the mesh Alice saw nothing, almost like a void, absorbing any light. Lifting the lock she studied it, her blue ball of flame allowing her to read more runes that were scribed all over the heavy metal. With her pin and knife she started to pick the lock, and with a click it turned.
Yes.
The knife snapped.
Alice stared at the knife dumbfounded as something clattered to the ground.
What the fuck? A metal shard by her boot. Did that lock just spit it out? The pin launched itself out in a similar fashion, clanking to the ground next to the remnants of the small blade.
A hiss again, but closer.
She threw the handle, it disappearing into the shadows. She squinted further into the darkness, trying desperately to listen for any movement as she stepped back over the runes.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Drops of liquid against the concrete floor, sizzling on contact, like acid.
Slowly she reached back and unsheathed her sword, her senses on high alert as she felt the air move to her left. Instinctually she moved out of the way, rolling backwards and across the runes. They lit up un a burst of rainbow.
Another hiss, something being spat in her direction.
With a scratchy sound a long black leg stepped over the light line, long hairs swaying at the movement. Another leg, movements jarred as bones clicked into place.
Click. Click. Click.
A third leg came into sight, accidentally touching an un-activated rune, causing further light to illuminate the dark space. The sudden shrill noise made the legs flinch.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Alice felt her mouth snap open, her sword wavering as she watched the three legs click as they moved.
Click. Click. Click.
The thing leant forward, balancing on what she assumed were its front legs, slowly, almost wary of the symbols embedded into the concrete floor. Alice stood frozen, seeing her wide-eyed reflection, mouth agape in the hundreds of dark eyes staring back at her.
Sluggishly, the giant creature opened its own mouth, huge white fangs protruding from black gums. Drool ran like a river between its smaller, razor-like teeth, dropping onto the floor with a sizzle. Another step forward and a fourth leg appeared, slowly scraping its claw against the floor like nails on a chalkboard, leaving a scar across the concrete.
Fast as a whip one leg shot towards her, making her jump out of the way, slashing out blindly with her sword. Something wet landed beside her, big enough that it made an uncomfortable noise when she kicked it away with her boot. Pulse beating impossibly loud in her head she tensed, waiting for it to strike again before a hiss screeched from the darkness only a few meters from where she stood, spittle landing on her leg.
Reacting, she ran towards the cage, activating several runes as she went. The high-pitched noise vibrated against the walls, loud enough to make even Alice flinch, wanting to hold her hands over her ears. The beast roared, spittle landing in front of it before it writhed in pain, its long legs trying to claw at the lights.
“Shit.” Holes appeared in the leather, one just above her breast, one on her stomach and a couple along her left leg, exactly where the creature’s spit had landed. Flesh peeking through, she faced the creature, the extra light providing a better look even as it continued to fight against the rainbow.
A spider.
Of course it would be a giant fucking spider.
The monster spider was twice the size Alice originally thought. Its head dwarfed by its giant hairy body, three legs against the floor, one held up in the air dripping black liquid into a puddle. Four more legs spaced evenly against the wall, making its body face Alice at an angle. Slowly the spider pushed one of its uninjured legs against the light, pushing past the runes, testing.
Concentrating, she felt the deep heat in her chest expand into her hands. It felt electric as she allowed the overload to manifest, her focus on the spider.
“Ignis,” she screamed, satisfied when the intense ball of flame formed around her fingertips. “Die fucker.” She launched her ball, gasping when it just popped, crashing to the floor as if it had hit an invisible wall.
The spider seemed to chuff through its fangs, amusement in its gaze.
“Oh bugger.”
Hand tight on her blade she ran to the unactivated runes, watching as she pressed her foot against the grooves, the light and noise an instant reaction. In a panic the spider tried to claw into the wall, failing to escape the onslaught of raucous sound. Without warning the spider launched itself across the room, a claw at the end of a long leg scraping against her stomach. Doubling over she clutched her midsection, blood pooling beneath her fingers. Another leg hit her from behind, causing her to fly into the cage head first, her blade dropping from her hands.
Alice climbed shakily to her feet, cry
ing out as her shoulder protested.
Another hiss, a patter as liquid was sprayed across her back. Instant burning, bubbles eating away at the leather before starting on her exposed skin. Gritting her teeth, she turned, feeling her burnt skin peeling. At a run Alice shot towards the runes, dragging her foot in an arc around the cage, illuminating every single one.
A chorus of sound, a cacophony of deafening shrills. The noise trembled the floors, causing her to fall against the cage, exhausted. She grabbed the metal lock for stability as it taunted her, laughing. Or it could have been the blood loss.
A glint of light, her blade lying useless against the cold concrete floor. In a burst of energy she rolled towards it, swinging it in the air at the same instant a leg came crashing down. With an inhuman screech the creature reared back, black blood spraying past her face, barely missing her. Before she could react another leg came from the darkness, pinning her against the cage with a sharp claw to her shoulder. With a scream she ripped the claw from her flesh, moving towards the cage door, waiting.
“Come here you fucker,” she taunted, no real energy behind the words.
Alice swapped her sword to her left hand, her right badly damaged. The ridiculous blue flame innocently floated by her shoulder, just a spark at the corner of her eye, neither helping the situation nor hindering.
“I’M GOING TO SQUISH YOU INTO A SMALL INSIGNIFICANT BLOB YOU BUG!” It would have sounded so much more threatening if she hadn’t slurred most of the speech, her brain slowing down as her blood decorated the floor.
The spider reared around, threatening Alice with his fangs.
“YOU. YOU. FUCKER. YOU.” It was best to keep the threats simple and effective, especially if nothing coherent was going to come out.
Alice held the blade up, pointing it unsteadily at the spiders face. With a shriek, the spider spat. She danced out of the way at the last minute, the spittle hitting the heavy lock, searing and smoking at the contact. With a scream Alice brought her blade down, the acidic spit having weakened the metal enough for the lock to disintegrate on impact. She launched herself into the cage door, swinging it closed behind her.
Witch's Sorrow: A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy (Alice Skye Series Book 1) Page 22