A Contract of Hearts

CHAPTER8

Across the City

The elevator goes down.

I felt sick to my stomach and hit the wall with my palm to preserve my equilibrium. "No, no, no—" The lights flicker once.

Twice.

Then wait.

But we won't give up.

We are still heading down.

I hit the panel really hard. "Stop! Stop!"

No one responds.

There aren't any lights. No sound.

Just moving.

This isn't a big deal.

It's in the works. "Think," I tell myself as I try to calm down.

The note.

I pull it out of my backpack and tear it open.

A black card falls into my hand.

Smooth and cold.

There is one line of silver.

You chose the fast way.

My throat is growing tight. "What does that mean?"

The elevator rattles a lot.

I smacked the side hard and let go of the card.

After then, it stops.

From nowhere.

Be quiet.

I don't move.

Waiting.

There is nothing on the screen above the door.

It's gone.

No numbers.

No way to get there.

A tiny click interrupts the silence.

The doors begin to open.

Not quickly.

Take care.

Not to the floor.

To the dark.

Very deep. A lot. Never-ending.

I look at it and say, "No way."

I don't move.

I don't think so.

Then a light turns on above me.

White and sharp.

It flows out into the dark and makes a way.

A hallway appears.

Concrete walls.

Long.

Not a thing.

Not part of any office.

Not for visitors.

The doors shut behind me.

Locked.

I don't look back.

There isn't anything there currently.

Coming up.

My steps reverberate when I walk.

It's excessively loud.

Too clear.

It sounds like someone is paying attention.

I can see the camera halfway down.

High corner.

Seeing.

I pause and look at it straight on. "You wanted me here," I remarked.

Silence tells you what to do.

But I know he's there.

Somewhere.

Seeing everything.

I keep on going.

At the end, there is a door made of metal.

There isn't a handle.

Next to it is merely a small screen.

I get closer.

The screen flashes.

A word appears.

NAME.

I don't know.

Then say something. "Amara Cole."

The screen goes black.

Then it flashes, which is wrong.

My chest goes tense. "What?"

The word is no longer there.

New words take its place.

WHO ARE YOU?

I frown.I just told you.

NO.

My heart beats faster.

This isn't a lock.

It's a quiz.

I say, "Please open the door."

Nothing happens.

The screen turns black.

The quiet comes back.

So—

A sound behind me.

Soft.

A step.

I move rapidly.

Nothing.

No one is in the hallway.

But I did hear it.

I slowly back away.

Another sound.

Closer." Who's there?" I say.

No answer.

Just be quiet.

Then a shadow moves on the wall.

Fast.

Go away.

I can't breathe. "I'm not playing games."

Someone picks up.

Not very high.

"You're already there."

The chill seeps through me. "Where is my sister?" I desire.

A break.

Then: "All over the city."

My heart is racing.

"What does that mean?" the voice says in a calm voice. "It's true." "She's somewhere else while you're here."

"No," I said. I held on tighter. "You told me to bring her."

"And you came."

"Yes," she said, "you did this." No doubt.

"Then take me to her!" No regrets.

Shut up.

Then a quiet laugh. "You're not ready."

"I don't care!" "You should."

The screen turns back on.

There are new words that come up.

PICK. Below them, STAY. RUN.

My chest rises swiftly. "This is crazy." "It's needed."

"Why?"

"To find out how far you'll go."

I look at the options.

My mind is going a mile a minute.

"Which one gets me closer to her, staying or running?" "What will happen if I make the wrong choice?" I ask.

The response comes right away: "You already did."

The elevator.

The drop.

This place.

A trap.

I gulp hard.

Zara.

That's all that matters.

I get closer.

My finger is up in the air.

Then it says, "RUN."

Nothing happens.

For a little while.

Next—

There is a fissure in the floor beneath me.

I jump back when a piece of it falls open.

A hidden way.

It's dark.

A set of stairs that descends.

The air from below is cold.

I look at it and say, "This is crazy."

"Then losing her."

The voice is getting closer now.

Behind me.

I turn.

No one.

Just the stairs that are open.

Waiting.

The door behind me is still locked.

There is no other way out.

My chest hurts.

Zara.

I move ahead.

To the first step.

Then one more time.

The light overhead flashes.

Then it stops working.

Darkness swallows everything.

I reach for the wall, and something snatches my hand.

Almost.

Cold.

Not hers.

A breath brushes my ear.

"You're late."

I stop.

The grasp gets tighter.

Then, from the depths below, a second voice whispers.

"Please help me, Amara…”