The Neogene Project

Chapter 7 - Deserted

Chapter 7 - Deserted (Unedited)  

Trenton sat in his car. He was in a parking lot. Or what was left of it, at least. He was too nervous to go inside, but at the same time, he was anxious to get out of the car, because the emptiness of the hotel was kind of eerie. Its brightness and aliveness from its luxurious exterior were all gone. It was long unoccupied. Trenton had noticed a sign on the driveway of the hotel saying that this place was being torn to make an upscale apartment complex. The sign mentioned that the project was supposed to start a month ago, but it looked as though no one had made even a dent in the empty hotel. As with many city projects, it would probably be a little while longer before demolition started. Which was good news for Rose, Trenton guessed. It would give her longer to pack up her things. And longer to look at her beloved hotel, which would soon be no more.

Trenton checked his watch. He had been in the car for almost ten minutes, the engine idling. Knowing Rosemary, she probably already knew that he was there. Trenton figured that he had come this far, and he might has well go inside. So that is what he did.

He looked around. It was completely empty. There was literally nothing in the lobby except for a small box located just next to his feet, in front of the door. The glorious chandelier that had once adorned the ceiling of the lobby was gone. The room seemed lonely without it. He took a few more cautious steps into the lobby. He felt a strong sense of danger, and he felt like he was intruding, which he was.

“Hello?” He called carefully. There was no response. Trenton figured as much. His guess was that he was illegally trespassing, and so was Rose. He crossed the floor to the elevator to search for her, his feet echoing on the floor. Trenton punched the button. He wanted to relax as he waited for the elevator, but he was so tense that he couldn’t bring himself to.

Trenton looked around. There wasn’t anything of interest in the empty room. He impatiently jammed the button again. He was tempted to get his phone out and text Rosemary to ask where she was, but for some reason he didn’t want to. It felt as though she’d gain something if he did, and she had already gained enough from him. Maybe Rose wasn’t even here at all, and he was just wasting his time by being a part of her stupid prank. He checked his watch. It had been two minutes since he pressed the button. Where was the elevator? He pressed the button once more and this time something did happen. A huge pop sounded and suddenly the huge chunk of metal known as an elevator came plummeting downwards. The speed it was going was unstoppable. It flew downwards from the top story of the hotel. Cursing, Trenton flung  himself backwards as the elevator sped past him. A few seconds later there was a huge crash. Trenton scrambled forwards and glanced down into the abyss where the elevator had fallen into. Sure enough, there it was, sitting at the bottom of the pit in flames.

Trenton grunted in frustration. It didn’t look like the fire would spread, but he couldn’t be too sure. He searched the room for a staircase or some other transportation method to get himself to ground zero, and luckily found a door. He stepped inside and looked down. Flight after flight of stairs were spread out before him in a zigzag pattern. He sighed. It was going to be a long walk down.

2134. 2135. 2136. Trenton had been counting his steps his whole hike down. How deep in the ground was this stupid place, anyways? It seemed as though it would never stop. He worried that when he got to the bottom, there would be a dead end. Maybe the door would be jammed. Maybe he needed a special key card to get in, like the elevator. Gosh, why didn’t he think of these things before he descended the staircase? 2152. 2153. Maybe Rose wasn’t waiting for him and he was making this journey for nothing. It wouldn’t surprise him. But he had to keep going. He couldn’t stop now. He had come this far. 2179. 2180. If there was a chance he could see Aria again, he had to take that chance. It was the least he could do for her, after he had let her down. Every step he took led him closer and closer to Aria. He thought of what he would do when he saw her. Would she be glad to see him, or mad at him for risking himself? 2195. Or was it 2198? Trenton couldn’t remember anymore. He cursed himself. But looking down, he could finally see the bottom. He couldn’t believe it. A single door that looked just like the one he had entered through appeared. It gave him a surge of energy and he sprinted down the stairs two at a time, hollering with joy.