Aha! You thought this would be the next piece of the story, but it was in fact a short chapter in a once-off style for the vibe! Writing without internal dialog is hard, but it totally paid off here.
Enjoy!
tw// none
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In the dead of night, the hallways are pitch black. The spruce floorboards under her socked feet are cold, making little noise as she travels steadily along.
Her walk is one with squared shoulders and a raised head, but casual steps. She turns down a few identical hallways, then a few more.
An uneven floorboard sits in the corner, rested unevenly in place. This is important. Regardless, it escapes her notice; the darkness hides it well and there is no time for delay.
She arrives at a door. Out from her right pocket, she withdraws a key. A few seconds are spent standing still, twisting the key in the lock then turning the handle. The door makes a muffled click when it unlocks.
Putting the key back in her pocket, she steps through the door and closes it gently. The dorm is chilly and empty, chairs pushed in, desks clear, rooms locked.
She walks past doors one, two and three. Then past four, five and six. She stops at room seven and takes the key out of her pocket again.
The lock clicks quietly. Hiding the key away once more, she waits and watches the door draw steadily open, revealing a face.
It disappears back into the darkness. The door opens a bit wider, as to let her slip inside, before it closes and the lock clicks back into place.
Unseen, the clock strikes eleven thirty-three. This is also very, very important.
YOU ARE READING
Flowers, Corpse Flowers, or Oleanders?
Mystery / ThrillerSo far, Lily's thoughts on her new boarding school are that it's probably been the sight of several murders. But the only entrance fee is having a good score on the entrance exam, so Zentonl Academy is exactly where she needs to be. It's a bit of a...
