Clockwork Romance

by Andy Mandela

  9C. I see the door only a few steps away, but remain outside while I rehearse what I will say to her. Things just aren’t working out. We’re not right for each other. We can still be friends. I will always love you. This won’t be the end of us. Something along those lines. I can’t think too hard about it, because then I’ll forget everything and end up saying something completely different from what I planned.

  In and out I breath with my eyes closed, finally knocking on the door. I hear my heart beating, still normally, but as though it’s in my head. No answer. I do the same thing I did earlier and try to open the door. It’s unlocked, just like before. Now I remember that I forgot to tell Karina about keeping her door locked. There was so much going on at the time, it completely slipped my mind. But then again, what if something similar has happened. The first time, I walked in to find Karina’s wrists cut. Now that she knows I’d rather be with Hannah, there’s no way to tell what she could have done next. I don’t want to imagine the possibilities there are.

  I open the door, and once again, she is not in her bed. “Karina!” I call out. There is no answer. I instantly think of the bathroom and rush there, only to find no one in there. Now my heart beats faster, but louder as well. She’s nowhere. Not here. Not in any of the rooms of the apartment. But while I’m checking out her spare room, the front door slams shut. I don’t even think I closed it after coming in.

  I rush again back out into the main room, but no one is there. If Karina left, why would she have left her door unlocked? I have to have more faith in her than that. She’s not the type who would leave her apartment susceptible to break-ins. But at the same time, it is clear that she is not here. I guess I’ll just come back tomorrow to talk to her. But wait a second. Her lamp is on. It’s been on this entire time. Would Karina have it on this entire time, even if she wasn’t here? I suppose it makes sense, that way when she returned, she wouldn’t walk into a pitch black room.

  But why did I hear the door slam? Who could that have been? There’s no window open, so it couldn’t have been the wind. Besides, the door slammed harder than the wind would be able to make it do. Being here thinking about Karina is driving me crazy again. This is precisely the reason why I can’t see her anymore. The very thought of her provokes me to see and hear things that aren’t really there. I need to get out of here.

  I’ll try calling her tomorrow. But the door is locked. I can’t open it. I pull on it as hard as I can, but it won’t budge. I try putting my foot on the wall to add some leg force, but still no luck. I use every muscle in my body to try and get this door open, but it feels like I would have better luck trying to push a mountain. My face reddens, my body getting weaker as I yank back and forth on this stubborn door. Just as I’ve about given up, a crashing sound hits the other side of the door, making me jolt back and fall to the floor.

  The sound continues, like someone trying to kick the door in. bang after bang after bang. I crawl backwards until my back has reached the bed. The banging is so loud, I can’t even hear my heart anymore. Then the banging stops. I hear a creaking noise, like the door is being pushed from the other side. The sound of lightning and thunder enter my ears, a storm just starting outside. The door bends, I can see it. It’s bending towards me, like something is pushing its way in. The door bends a little, then goes back, then bends out farther, making the door creak. Doors shouldn’t be able to bend like that, and I wonder if it’s just me going crazy again.

  I hit my head with my palms, trying to snap out of it. I close my eyes, and with my palms pressed against my forehead, l let out a loud scream. The door is normal. The bending has stopped. Was it all just in my head? The rain outside persists, making me increasingly uncomfortable. I stare at the door, hoping everything has returned to normal. I still sit on the ground, breathing in and out. The doorknob starts turning. Someone is trying to get in. Maybe it’s Karina. She’ll think I’m crazy if she walks in and sees me on the floor like this. But I don’t think it’s Karina on the other side of that door anymore. It’s obvious that whoever it is doesn’t have a key. It started off with the doorknob gently turning, but then it gets more aggressive. It sounds more like the attempt I tried at opening it.

  The doorknob yanks back and forth, as something is trying to break in the door. It yanks faster and faster, harder and harder. I spring up and go to Karina’s kitchen area, keeping my eye on the door. I walk backwards with haste to find something to use as a weapon. I pull out a large cook’s knife from a wooden block, taking my eyes off the door for only two seconds. In those two seconds, the sounds stops and the door slowly opens.

  I hold out the knife in front of me and slowly walk toward the door, remaining careful. I can hear my heart beating in my ears again. The door is fully opened, and I can see nothing in the hallway. No one. Inch by inch, I’m nearing the open frame of the door. I stand, with the tip of the knife directly under the door frame, waiting for something to come in. A little further, and my hand makes it into the hallway. I look in both directions when my whole body has made it out, but I see nothing.

  This doesn’t make sense. When looking right, I see the hallway curves, just as it should. But when I look to the left, the hallway curves that way too. There’s no elevator at the end like there should be. Both directions, the hallways curve at the exact same angle. Knife still in hand, I go right. Walking and walking, I don’t reach any end. So I walk and I walk, but I only feel like I’m walking in circles. I walk faster, almost jogging, but still I find no end. I look at the numbers on the doors, but there are none. It appears as though they’ve all been pried of the doors. I notice the holes where the nails used to be. Still, somehow, I manage to press on, clenching the knife in my hand, scared to death that I’m not going to make it out of this building alive.

  I slow down and come to a stop, realizing I’m only wasting my energy. I’m going nowhere. What the hell is Karina doing to me? I look behind me to see nothing there, only the worthless distance I’ve walked so far. My eyes turn to look at the door I’m standing next to. This one has letters on the door, but I don’t believe what they are. 9C.

  I stare at it as if it’s going to go away. This can’t be right. Why would it say that? Is Karina’s room really behind this door? Should I find out? I get the feeling that something wants me to. My hand place itself on the doorknob and twists it open. I let the door open by itself while I stand outside. Everything looks normal. Everything looks the way it should be. Her bed, dressers, décor, all of it the same. Step by step, I go inside, wondering if it’s possible this could be happening. Where is everybody? Does nobody live on this floor? Why has no one found me? This doesn’t feel like a dream, although it should.

  I walk around the room, trying to get it together while the rain outside beats on the window. Just as I’ve halfway calmed down, the room begins to shake, like an earthquake is taking place. It strong enough to almost make me fall to the floor. I grab a hold of the bed to keep steady while everything shakes. But then it stops. And starts again. Off and on, over and over, like aftershocks. Karina’s things move around, falling over. The lamp just about falls to the floor. I get up, able to keep my balance, and walk backwards out of the room, holding the knife out again. The fan on the ceiling is shaking as well, as if it’s about to fall off.

  Inch by inch, I make my way back into the hallway. All I care about right now is getting the fuck out of this building. I’ve had enough and am about ready to jump out the damn window. The door slams shut on its own, splattering something on my face and clothes. I look at the door and see that it’s covered in blood. Fresh blood, still running down the length of the door. My head turns to look at everything surrounding me. The walls, floor, ceiling. All covered in blood, like a giant massacre took place.

  Breathing in and out, I feel like I’m about to go into shock and have a heart attack. I turn in circles, only to be unable to escape the sight of blood. Some of the blood is in splash patterns, as if people were actually murdered. The rest drips from the
ceiling or runs down the walls. I look down the see the knife covered in blood as well, but not from the dripping from the ceiling. It’s looks as though I’ve just stabbed someone. Over and over and over.

  I release the knife, letting it fall to the floor. But as soon as it touches the floor, the elevator rings. The elevator is back to where it should be, at the end of the hall. But who could be in the elevator? I stare at the door, which is taking time opening up. My eyes don’t move. They’re fixated on the doors. I can hear myself breathing in and out, not noticing how quiet it is. It’s really quiet, enough to make me almost pass out, but not before those fucking doors open. Seconds go by, which feel like minutes, but then the doors do something. They explode.

  The doors blow open, along with more blood spraying on the walls and down the hall, like a bomb was placed inside the elevator. The blood goes everywhere, even on me. I try to block to block my face and turn around, but I’m still hit. The inside of the elevator is completely red, more like maroon. I rush back inside Karina’s room and shut the door. But when I turn, I have another surprise waiting for me. All of the furniture and all else is trashed. No light, except for what moonlight the room allows and the sporadic lightning that brightens up the room like morning.

  Cobwebs cover everything. The bedroom, the kitchen, and the corners of the wall. I repeat to myself, “This isn’t happening.” Lightning lights up the room, forcing me to watch this decayed room. The bed is off its frame, chairs lie on the floor, the lamp is on the floor, and dishes are broken in the kitchen. I see the window straight ahead and think my earlier idea wasn’t that bad of one. I go over the window, trying to pull it open. Even though I’m on the fourth floor, somehow I think I’d rather risk it than be stuck in this madhouse one more second. It’s only when I get the window open and look outside do I get a reality check. Plus, it’s raining, and there’s no way for me to climb down. No fire escape, nothing. There’s only a four story drop to the hard concrete ground below.

  “Shit!” I yell, overcome with grief. I hear the door opening behind me again. I look, and from what I see, the hallway looks normal. No blood on the walls, but the inside of this room still looks the same. I dismiss the idea of potentially killing myself by taking a leap of faith out of the window. I walk slowly to the door, but before going out, I shut the door. What if everything changes again the second I step out? What if this building has another trick up its sleeve? I stick my head out into the hallway to find it back to the way it was. Clean. Normal. I take my time stepping out, but when I do, it all seems to be in order, just as it should be. I’m not so much scared anymore then I am angry. Thinking this is it, the nightmare is over, I go to the elevator. Looking at my clothes, I see that they still have blood on them. I wipe my face. There is still blood. I watch the blood drip from my fingers and onto the clean floor.

  Once inside the elevator, I push one. The doors close, as I lean against the wall, feeling as though I’m unable to stand on my own. I can feel the lift going down, as I keep my eyes closed, resting. The bell dings and the doors open again. Slowly, my eyes open as well, seeing the lobby of the building just steps away. I look to the ground while I walk, noticing that all the blood has vanished from my clothes and from my face. I walk to be greeted by a man, possibly in his thirties, dressed like a butler.

  “Good evening, sir,” he greets. “Are you feeling okay?” He sees that I am far from okay.

  “Do you work here?” I ask, the energy drained from my body.

  “Yes sir,” he says. “My name’s Fredrickson. Clyde Fredrickson. I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before, sir. Are you new?”

  “No, I’m not. I was trying to find my girlfriend who lives on the fourth floor, but she’s not home,” I answer. “What’s going on here? I’ve been losing my mind up there. There’s something wrong with this place, isn’t there?”

  Since he works here, he tries to maintain a helpful attitude. “Sir, I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. There’s nothing wrong with this building. Perhaps you better come with me into the lounge area, that way you can sit and rest for a moment.” He takes me over to the other side of the lobby where there’s an area full of couches and chairs. I sit down at the end of a couch, while he continues, “Stay here, sir. I’ll go get you some water.” He leaves for a second while I calm down some more. He return about a minute later with a coffee cup half-full of water and hands it to me. “There you are, sir,” he says, still maintaining his cheerful attitude.

  “Thank you,” I say, taking a sip while he sits at the edge of a chair across from me.

  “Ordinarily, sir, my employers would have me tell you to leave, since you yourself don’t live here. But I can tell that you are shaken up from something, so I thought I should help you,” he tells me.

  “That’s kind of you,” I return.

  “So you say there’s something going on here? What did you see?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” I tell him. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I think… I think I’m beginning to feel better.”

  “Well, that’s good then,” he replies.

  “Yeah, I think I’d be better if I just went on home,” I say.

  “If I may, sir, it is pretty late. I wouldn’t mind if you stayed here until morning. Plus, I’d hate for something to happen to you. After all, you said yourself you weren’t in the best of minds.”

  “No, no, it’s fine really,” I say. “I live pretty close. I’ll be fine. But thank you, really.”

  Just as I was about to stand, Clyde says, “Alright, sir, if you wish. And I’ll be sure to tell Karina you were here when she returns.”

  Clyde mentioning her name keeps me from standing. “I… I never told you her name.”

  “Well, no sir, you didn’t,” he agrees. “You told me you were trying to find your girlfriend who lives on the fourth floor. Karina is the only female occupant we have on the fourth floor. The rest are either vacant or occupied by men. So I just naturally assumed you were talking about her. I do apologize if I startled you. I probably should have made that clear before.”

  “Oh, it’s quite alright. I’m just a little jumpy, that’s all. I suppose before I leave, I’ll try calling her again.” I try reaching into my pocket, but I can’t find my phone.

  “Sure, sir. We have a telephone behind the desk if you would like to use it,” Clyde offers.

  “Alright. I think I may have left my phone in my car,” I say.

  “Your… car, sir?” he questions, as if he can’t understand.

  “Yes, why?” I ask, trying to clear up any confusion.

  “Well, it’s just, why would you have a phone in your car?” he asks.

  “Because I must’ve forgotten to bring it with me,” I say, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

  “I’m very sorry, sir, but I’m not quite sure I understand. Please forgive me, but I… don’t know what you mean,” he says, increasingly confused.

  “A phone. A cell phone. To call people. You don’t know what that is?” I say, trying to make him understand.

  “Of course, sir. I know what a telephone is, but I’ve never heard of a cell phone. The only phone in this building is the one behind the front desk, over there.” I look to where he’s pointing at, but all I see is an old telephone on the wall with the numbers arranged in a circle and a speaker attached. The receiver hangs on the side of it. I look back at Clyde, who’s giving me the same look Karina gives me when she thinks I’m losing my mind.

  “What year is it?” I ask him.

  “Sir?” he says.

  “What year is it?” I ask once more.

  He looks at me with an honest face and says, “Nineteen twenty-two.”

  I give him a deep stare while the year he just told me sinks into my head. “I have to go now,” I say, finally standing up.

  “If you think you’re well enough to leave, then of course. But I would advise that you at least rest before you go,” he says, still sitting.

  “No. I think the best thing for me
to do is go home and rest there,” I tell him.

  I was about halfway to the front door when Clyde stands up and says, “Karina told me she doesn’t love you anymore, Luke.” I turn around to see Clyde staring at me with a straight face as he continues, “That she never has.” There’s a silence between us while I look at him with fire in my eyes. He goes on, “She also told me that you’re obsessed with her. That you can’t stop thinking about her, nor leave her alone. She says you don’t even know who she really is.”