Life and other Disasters

15. The basement

Ava and David walked to the stairs that lead to the basement of the tower. Everything was made from massive stone and their footsteps echoed through the building. Except for the man behind the desk, they didn't see anyone, but they did hear some noises now and then. It was as if monks from the middle ages were whispering behind their backs, but when they looked behind, there was no one to be seen.

Ava and David were in the middle of the building, there were no candles, torches, or light bulbs and still, they could see everything clearly. It seemed as if they were the sources of light here, illuminating the environment. 

The couple didn't hold hands, but they made sure to stay close to each other while they descended the stairs. The stairs didn't feel steep, but when Ava turned around once again to see if there was anyone behind them, she could barely see where they had entered the stairwell.

It took them a while to reach the basement. Its ceiling was high, the air was musty. There were so many hallways they could follow, and it felt like they had arrived in a maze. Luckily the conservator had written down where they had to go. The hallways were some kind of logical pattern. At least that's what David thought. Ava thought that it was logical for some mentally disordered person as she couldn't see the pattern behind it at all.

"What did you write on the other card?" Ava asked. "The one the man couldn't help you with?"

"Oh, it was nothing," David responded, but by the way he was dismissing her question, she knew it was a big deal to him.

"Did you try to trick your way out of this place? Did you ask if you could have your life back?" she said, as she was curious and she couldn't stand not knowing what David had asked for. It would be a clever move and she fell a pang of jealousy that she hadn't thought about that earlier.

"I guess you can say that," David laughed half-heartedly. "I think we have to turn left here."

"Okay, what are we looking for now?" she asked, disappointed she couldn't pry his secret out of him.

"My motorcycle," David said.

"Oh," Ava said, looking around, but all she could see were giant archive files, filling the walls of the hallway. "I think we're not in the right place yet."

David laughed. "Nah, I don't think they keep it in one of those lockers and we're not there yet, this is hallway B. We have to go to section C, plot 10." David waved the paper where the directions were scribbled upon.

They walked around, looked around, were amazed by how big it all was. The dimensions of the place were hard to guess. Every time they thought they would see a wall, they found another hallway. David made sure they marked where they went, so they could find the way back to the stairs.

Ava heard a soft whirring sound. Amazed she looked around, wondering if there was some kind of insect buzzing around.  

"Look out!" she yelled when she looked back and without thinking, she pushed David against the wall, pressing herself against him.

A cart passed them by with a high velocity. It was a small train, carrying goods to wherever they were going to be stored.

When it was gone, Ava and David still stood there, pressed against the wall. Ava was breathless, it had been an instinct, but now she felt his warmth, she knew she had been avoiding getting close to him.

"And here you are, saving me once again." David chuckled.

"You can let me go now," he said after a couple of seconds," I think the very dangerous cart has gone."

"Oh," Ava felt a color flush her face. She didn't get close to him on purpose, it just happened at the moment. It was no use hitting on him, they were both dying, and this was just some drug-induced hallucination, wasn't it? But at this very moment, it all felt real, the flush on her face, the warmth of David's body beneath his clothes, the echo in the building.