Train Tickets And Ticking Minutes

prologue

The halls were deserted. They always were, nowadays. One could easily predict that, given the circumstances.

A small lady suddenly rounded a corner, taking as big strides as she could given the less-than-average length of her legs. She glanced around nervously, straightened her pencil-line dress, and clutched the stack of papers that she was holding even tighter. The empty corridors gave her the creeps. She preferred it when they were bustling with activity, people coming in and out of the numerous offices along the hall. She preferred it how it used to be.

Just make it to the office, she told herself. To the office, and back down the lift. No one's going to hurt you. They can't.

She scuttled along quickly to the last room in the hall. What kind of secretary would I be if I couldn't even deliver some papers? She asked herself, forcing a smile onto her face, and swiped her wrist on the scanner by the door. As soon as she entered the empty room, the smell of fresh paint entered her nostrils. She noticed blank pieces of paper lining the floor, some stained with wet lime green paint. What a waste of perfectly good paper. And what a horrid smell, she thought, scrunching up her nose.

She set the stack of papers down on the desk in the corner of the room, careful not to touch the bright green walls. She wondered about how her boss had managed to hire painters during times like these. And what a strange time to do it.

Just as she was about to exit the office, she noticed a soft click coming from behind her. She glanced around the room, her heart pounding even harder than it had been. No one was allowed in this room except for her and her boss. There were things in this room that, provided they got into the wrong persons' hands, could cause serious damage. She was alone, wasn't she?

The click came again. Get out, get out NOW. She said to herself, scurrying back along the long hall towards the lifts. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps behind her. She continued walking, faster, not daring to turn around. Though she did notice more than one set of steady thumps on the carpeted floor. And they were growing faster and faster.

She broke into a run. The lift was in her sights. The doors opened for her, as if reminding her there was no time to waste. Just a bit further-

"Hey Cleo! What's the matter?" A familiar male voice behind her said. She whipped around, relieved to see 2 familiar faces. A girl with dark hair and a boy with blonde hair. They looked at her quizzically.

"I'm sorry my dears, the emptiness of the halls gives me the creeps. Forgive me." She said in relief. Then she frowned. "Where did you two come from?"

The girl laughed, her face lighting up. "We were collecting some stuff on I'm-sure-you-can-guess-whose behalf. From the snacks room. I just don't get why she doesn't do it herself!" She smiled.

The small lady grinned good-naturedly and motioned towards the lift. "Going down?" The girl and boy nodded in unison and stepped into the lift. The lady followed after them. She turned to the buttons lining the wall and pressed the one labelled "counter office". She was turning around to ask her companions which floor they were going to when she noticed something very odd.

The girl's leggings, and the boy's jeans, were both stained with bright lime-green paint.

She gasped and looked up their faces.

They had noticed her staring and looked at her with sad faces. The girl and the boy exchanged eye contact, before the girl started looking in her bag for something. The small lady looked into the boy's eyes, scared and wary. The boy's expression seemed to say sorry.

As the lift plunged downwards, the lady's shrill scream reverberated around the empty halls.