Charade

Benji

"So Professor Pervy walks around the room, stands in front of Nicole, and literally stares at her boobs for, like, a full minute! Can you believe it? He didn't even try and hide it. Just, like, bam! Straight up pervy-ness overload."

I chuckled at Ashley's description.

"Oh my god, Ashley." I sighed.

"What are you sighing about? I'm the one who has to see it!"

"Like you've ever complained about free nudity from pretty girls."

There was a pause.

"Not the point."

I laughed and pressed the button to the elevator. The rickety rust bucket rumbled down the shaft - the only noise in the empty foyer. I pressed the phone closer to my ear.

"Okay, moving on. So, any plans for tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually. I've got a party tonight at a mate's place. Hot girls, cold beer, and bad karaoke always sounds like fun to me."

"Should I be expecting another drunk-dial phone call from you at three a.m. then?"

"Hey! That was one time. But yes. You probably should."

I laughed, remembering the way her words slurred and her drunken cackle.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll put my phone on silent this time."

The elevator doors opened with the usual ding. White light flooded the small space and I stepped inside without thinking twice. Suddenly, the front door to the apartment building swung open and the bells chimed. A shady-looking man in his forties sauntered across the foyer. He wore a black hoodie and a five o'clock shadow, accompanied by baggy jeans and grubby shoes. Before I could say anything, he locked eyes with me. My muscles tensed. Ashley was still talking in my ear but now her voice was small and insignificant, barely a whisper. The man made a beeline for the elevator, piercing eyes slicing into mine. I looked around for a way to stop him and quickly hit the button to the shut the elevator doors but when I looked up, he was right in front of me, stepping into the small space.

"I've got to go," I said, snapping back to reality. "Good luck with the party."

I hung up and shoved the cell phone into my pocket, holding it there in my fist. The elevator was silent, the air thick with tension, as I tried not to stare at the man. I glanced up at the yellow numbers above the doors, trying to force my eyes off the creepy guy. We moved up the shaft, listening to the elevator creak and wobble. I felt the man's eyes on me and didn't dare move.

The elevator rumbled to a stop and the doors opened. I stared out into the third floor, Vic's floor, and the man stepped out without a word. I let myself breathe out a sigh of relief, until I saw what he was holding. It was a file, light brown, with a white tag printed up the top. I wouldn't have looked twice if it hadn't been my name printed on that tag in black capital letters.

I stuck out my arm to stop the doors and the censors immediately opened them. I scrambled outside and ran for the bend the man had just rounded. I put my back to the wall, breathed in a mouthful of air, and forced myself to look.

Slowly, I peered around the corner and watched the man walk down the hallway. I counted the doors he passed. 302, 303, 304, 305,– then he stopped, right outside Vic's apartment.

I sucked in a quick breath, my thoughts flying around so fast in my head I couldn't see straight. The man looked left and right, checking to see if the coast was clear, and I ducked behind the corner just before he could see me. I waited four heartbeats and dared to look again.

He was squatting down on the floor, sliding the file underneath Vic's door. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was inside, when the man stood up and looked my way. I ducked his gaze again, this time even more narrowly, and heard his footsteps coming towards me. My stomach dropped at the sound as hot panic filled my chest. Had he seen me?

My eyes darted, looking for a place to hide. Elevator? It would take too long. Someone else's room? Locked, most likely. I saw the staircase and didn't ask questions. I lunged for it, not caring about whatever noise I made, and shoved the door open with the full force of my scrawny body. I dived inside, slammed the door, and kept my back to it as I sat, knees at my chest. My heart pulsed, now in my throat, as I prayed for the man to leave the same way he arrived.

Horror began to consume me when I heard his footsteps approach the door. Though my heart raced, I didn't dare breathe, and instead shut my eyes tightly. The footsteps grew louder, until I could see the shadow of the man's feet in the crack under the door.

He was standing right behind me.

© A.G. Travers 2015