The Degenerates - Under Edit

t w e n t y s i x

I left Trey's earlier this morning after sharing coffee and toast, telling him I was going shopping with Lila.

I did visit the dorm though, with both Lila and Sasha not there. They must have left this morning to actually go shopping. I had to drop my bag off and change out of my outfit into something black, so if it got dirty, it wasn't totally noticeable.

I slipped into a pair of black jeans with rips in the knees, much easier for bending and crouching. I found a fitted black windbreaker in the back of my wardrobe, slipping it on and zipping it up over a black long sleeve. I threw my parka on over the outfit for the drive, as I planned on leaving it in the car when I reached the library.

I laced my now very used black boots, already covered in dried mud from wearing them around campus frequently. I stashed my phone and grabbed my keys, locking the door behind me.

The short drive to the library had me thinking about all the possibilities of these files. What were they, and why were they so important? Was the person responsible for destroying the archives also responsible for the rest of the town's damages? That is, if they really were damaging files.

I tried to ignore Trey's persistent voice in my head telling me over and over that it was nothing and to leave it alone.

I parked outside the library and stepped out onto the footpath. The sun had already been hidden by thick black clouds. Figures.

I thought back to this morning. Waking up next to Trey gave me a feeling of closeness to him that I hadn't felt before, even when I had kissed him. I'm not even sure if he realised he fell asleep in bed with me, but he didn't seem phased when he found me in the kitchen making us coffee.

I had to ignore and suppress my growing feelings for Trey, more and more inconsistencies keep rising and more people keep becoming suspicious. Each time I gave in to my feelings for Trey, the weaker and more vulnerable I would become.

I held the handle of the library door and hoisted it open, it gave a loud creak as it moved.

My first footsteps inside echoed around the tiled floor, up and around the shelves, bouncing of the walls.

It was quiet, as usual. We had a small campus library that majority of the students used, so that explained why I never saw students here. I didn't know where to begin, the lady I spoke to last time was quick to dismiss the fact that they had tarnished and were gone for good.

I had an eerie feeling come over me, and I felt the hairs raise on the back of my neck. I averted my eyes to the right, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was the little girl from the last time I was here. She had very pale skin, blonde, curly hair, pulled up in a short ponytail. She wore a pink pinafore, and she was staring intently at me.

What was her name? Lily? Lillith? Lucy.

I approached her slowly, "Lucy?"

The girl stay still, but did not answer to me, "Lucy, do you remember me?"

Lucy nodded, her hand moved up to her mouth, I crouched down in front of her, "Lucy, I need to ask you a question, is that okay?"

She nodded again, dropping her hand from her mouth. I wondered where the librarian was.

"Okay," I breathed, "Last time I was here, you told me about a fire, do you remember that?" I asked her softly, and she blinked, nodding.

"Can you show me where the fire was?"

Lucy nodded, and started walking down the centre isle of the library. I couldn't hear her footsteps on the tile, that's how tiny she was. I followed her closely, trying not to be too loud, in case her grandmother appeared and escorted her away again.

We neared the computers, where I sat last time, and she motioned toward the back wall, behind the shelves where I found the Chadwick brother's school pictures. She must have been here after the fire, seen the damage. The damage was no longer there, but this time around, I did notice that the wall was a slightly lighter shade of cream compared to the rest.

I crouched in front of her again, "Thank you, you have been very helpful."

Lucy smiled at me, and waved. I waved at her, and then she turned and trotted away. I ignored the goosebumps that rose on my skin.

I glanced over my shoulder, in case anybody had wondered down. It didn't appear so, so I continued and quietly along the shelf, until I reached the very back corner. I ran my hand along the wall, not exactly feeling anything different; however, now that I had noticed the difference in the paint colour, I couldn't miss it.

I tapped my index finger on the darker side, then moved to the lighter side, tapping my finger again. I slid to the right, not removing my hand from the wall, and tapped on the other side of the section of lighter coloured paint.

I peeped through the shelves again cautiously, drawing breath before knocking on the wall, confirming my suspicions.

I backed away from the wall and trotted back through the computer section, my heart racing in anticipation. I made my footsteps heard past the librarian's counter, waving as she looked up. I pulled the creaky door back in a heave, letting myself out.

Now all I had to do was wait.

-

I had spent the afternoon catching up on schoolwork in a café I had yet to visit nearby. It was nearing five pm, and the library closed at five on Saturday's. I threw my books back into my car carelessly, unclipping my keys from my others to minimise any unexpected noise. I secured the key in the internal pocket of my jacket.

I had in my hand a can of WD-40, and made sure I wasn't seen before I approached the library. I had a short amount of time to do so. I crouched by the hinges and got to work quickly, making sure to keep alert for any passer-by's, in case they got the wrong idea. I worked the outer hinges, praying it was enough for now.

Trying my luck, I carefully hooked my hand over the handle and gave just enough for the wooden slab to start moving, a rush of relief flooded my body as the door's creak had minimised by over half. I did not let go as I maneuvered the door closed behind me.

I slipped into the library unseen. I found the perimeter of the building, hiding low behind a shelf of Encyclopedias, waiting.

Within the next ten minutes, the librarian had called out a few times to see if there were any remaining visitors, before collecting Lucy and eventually leaving the library, locking the door behind her. I waited another few minutes, and approached the door, finishing the job of greasing up the inner hinges, for future use if I had to.

It was much darker with the ceiling lights now off, but I pulled a small hand torch I bought along with the WD-40 in case I struggled to see as night would eventually fall.

I couldn't shake the anticipation from my body, adrenaline was pumping through my limbs; to the point that my hands began to shake.

I found the wall in the back corner, placing the can and torch on the floor. I reached into my other pocket, my fingers curling around a Stanley blade.

I took a deep breath, tapped around the surface of the wall, waiting for the thinnest coat of paint. My fingers slid across a small ridge, and my heart skipped in excitement.

I raised the Stanley, placing the point of the blade in the dip of the ridge, pressing lightly at first, but then with a touch more force, when the blade slipped in.

I moved the blade in a slight sawing motion, as there were at least three coats of paint. I crouched down, beginning to cut downwards, outlining the perfect shape of a door.