Do Not Enter .
“Don’t you think you have enough yet?” But I could see that determined gleam in her eye.
She made some sarcastic snort that could only mean , “hell no.”
I still didn’t like the stagnant ominous feeling within the building. I had tasted this putrid air before when Orrin and I walked through Hell. We had followed Orias as he led us to Lillith’s lair. Now I didn’t have Orias or Orrin, and Ben had no idea where she was going. I could only think that whatever was up those stairs was something neither of us wanted to see. And after Cyrus warned me that Samael had now taken a personal interest in screwing with my life, my only concern was for Ben. I made a mental note to call my father as soon as we get back to our apartment.
Ben unceremoniously ripped the flimsy barrier and kept walking up the rotten stair case, snapping pictures of the cityscape, windowsills, and a dead pigeon. I looked up the hollow staircase. Something was up there.
Something that Ben didn’t need to see.
“Ben, I don’t want to go any further. This is the dumbest idea you have ever had. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for this for three and a half years, but you have to stop now. You’re putting your life and mine in jeopardy.” I threw that last part in just to make her feel badly.
It worked. I could see reason creeping in on her face. She chewed on her bottom lip. I knew she wouldn’t want to put me in harm’s way. She just wanted me to share in her adventure.
“We’re like ten steps from the top. It’s the thirteenth floor. The top level. Just let me take a few pictures of the city out the windows, okay?”
“It’s not the thirteenth. No buildings have a thirteenth floor. The bottom of the Monstrose is the ground floor, so technically there’s not thirteen. There’s only twelve.”
“That’s right,” snap, snap, snap, “It’s like that Stephen King movie where that guy was trapped in his hotel room and he set the place on fire after the place drove him insane.” She grimaced, “ Ugh , okay, now I just freaked myself out. I’m sufficiently ready to skedaddle.”
“Thank God,” I sighed.
She looked back up, “Just a few more? Please? Just to the elevator shaft and that’s it.”
“Famous last words,” I mumbled. “Don’t go any further.”
“I won’t walk around up there. I just think the elevator shaft is like the heart of this building. I have it on every floor. It’s like looking at the heart of the building from various heights. I think it may be actually be the unique angle I was looking for.”
Her words stuck like a painful barb, reminding me of the danger we were currently ignoring. My daemons was clawing to free itself. There was something here watching us the whole time. Now standing on the threshold of the top floor, the thirteenth floor, no matter what you wanted to call it, there was no denying its true identity. The stale air began to hum like a great beast awakening from a slumber. I knew then Ben and I had overstayed our welcome. I had already watched Ben’s possession years ago, I had no desire for her to go through that again.
The hum turned into a hiss becoming louder than even my own heartbeat. My palms burned as I stood ready. “Ben, I have a really bad feeling. Step away from the elevator. Now!”
She turned to me after hearing the true terror within my voice. Her camera still clicking while she stared at me, her eyes round and full of their own terror.
“Ben come on,” I urged, but she was frozen. It was then I felt it- my wings broke free and my eyes lit up like laser pointers, my vision going red. I was waiting for another evil to attack and neglected to think about what I must look like. To her, I looked like the devil. I would die for my roommate, but right then her pounding heart said what her lips could not.
I watched in horror as she took two unsteady steps backward, away from me, away from the evil beckoning to
“Don’t you think you have enough yet?” But I could see that determined gleam in her eye.
She made some sarcastic snort that could only mean , “hell no.”
I still didn’t like the stagnant ominous feeling within the building. I had tasted this putrid air before when Orrin and I walked through Hell. We had followed Orias as he led us to Lillith’s lair. Now I didn’t have Orias or Orrin, and Ben had no idea where she was going. I could only think that whatever was up those stairs was something neither of us wanted to see. And after Cyrus warned me that Samael had now taken a personal interest in screwing with my life, my only concern was for Ben. I made a mental note to call my father as soon as we get back to our apartment.
Ben unceremoniously ripped the flimsy barrier and kept walking up the rotten stair case, snapping pictures of the cityscape, windowsills, and a dead pigeon. I looked up the hollow staircase. Something was up there.
Something that Ben didn’t need to see.
“Ben, I don’t want to go any further. This is the dumbest idea you have ever had. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for this for three and a half years, but you have to stop now. You’re putting your life and mine in jeopardy.” I threw that last part in just to make her feel badly.
It worked. I could see reason creeping in on her face. She chewed on her bottom lip. I knew she wouldn’t want to put me in harm’s way. She just wanted me to share in her adventure.
“We’re like ten steps from the top. It’s the thirteenth floor. The top level. Just let me take a few pictures of the city out the windows, okay?”
“It’s not the thirteenth. No buildings have a thirteenth floor. The bottom of the Monstrose is the ground floor, so technically there’s not thirteen. There’s only twelve.”
“That’s right,” snap, snap, snap, “It’s like that Stephen King movie where that guy was trapped in his hotel room and he set the place on fire after the place drove him insane.” She grimaced, “ Ugh , okay, now I just freaked myself out. I’m sufficiently ready to skedaddle.”
“Thank God,” I sighed.
She looked back up, “Just a few more? Please? Just to the elevator shaft and that’s it.”
“Famous last words,” I mumbled. “Don’t go any further.”
“I won’t walk around up there. I just think the elevator shaft is like the heart of this building. I have it on every floor. It’s like looking at the heart of the building from various heights. I think it may be actually be the unique angle I was looking for.”
Her words stuck like a painful barb, reminding me of the danger we were currently ignoring. My daemons was clawing to free itself. There was something here watching us the whole time. Now standing on the threshold of the top floor, the thirteenth floor, no matter what you wanted to call it, there was no denying its true identity. The stale air began to hum like a great beast awakening from a slumber. I knew then Ben and I had overstayed our welcome. I had already watched Ben’s possession years ago, I had no desire for her to go through that again.
The hum turned into a hiss becoming louder than even my own heartbeat. My palms burned as I stood ready. “Ben, I have a really bad feeling. Step away from the elevator. Now!”
She turned to me after hearing the true terror within my voice. Her camera still clicking while she stared at me, her eyes round and full of their own terror.
“Ben come on,” I urged, but she was frozen. It was then I felt it- my wings broke free and my eyes lit up like laser pointers, my vision going red. I was waiting for another evil to attack and neglected to think about what I must look like. To her, I looked like the devil. I would die for my roommate, but right then her pounding heart said what her lips could not.
I watched in horror as she took two unsteady steps backward, away from me, away from the evil beckoning to
Similar Books
