Inbetween

Emelie rubbed her eyes, glad to be almost done with the last piece of research; it would likely be her best work yet. Somehow, once she got lost in her research, it was hard to remember her surroundings, and she remained in the same position for far too long. Turning her head from left to right, it popped satisfyingly, and she let out a small moan. The clock on her desk indicated it was almost midnight again! Lately, this had become all too common, and her staying past normal working hours happened more and more often. Finally, after hitting the save button, it was time to head home. She had been at Becking Daily for about five years now, and it was the first place she’d truly felt at home. At the time she had applied, there had been one vacant position, that of assistant researcher. It wasn’t what she’d been looking for, but she’d made it work. Her promotion to junior researcher had happened in less than two years. Now her goal was to become a senior researcher. When deciding to work at a newspaper, doing research had not been Emelie’s first choice. Being a proper journalist and seeking adventures and thrills had been her ambition. Yet it had all changed when she first stepped into the building and felt right at home.

Becking Daily was situated on the top floor of an ancient and dilapidated building. The ancient elevator was constantly out of order. Half of the employees were completely out of breath by the time they’d made it up to the newspaper H.Q. The floors creaked loudly and sagged with every step you took. At times, Emelie wondered how the building remained upright. The top floor contained nothing but old desks and chairs. None of them matched, and most of the color had faded away. As there was no budget for new furniture, they often went to scrap yards to find a new table or chair. Twenty-two desks filled the space. Currently, nobody was around.

That’s what you get working this late.

Emelie made her way over to the stairs, passing the elevator’s out-of-order sign.

“Emelie, could you come in here, please?”

After turning around, Jane, her boss, stood in the doorway of her office – it was the only office on the floor; the rest was an open structure. Jane was a tall, lanky woman that wore a bright blue power dress. It suited her perfectly as she exuded power, authority, and knowledge. Just by standing there, it was clear that Jane was not a person to mess with. It wasn’t that she spoke in a dominant or forceful way, yet pretty much everyone did as they were told. This occasion was no different; Emelie turned around and followed Jane into her office. Four comfortable dark green chairs were situated in the middle of her office. Three of them were already filled. On the left was Finn, looking like he had just come out of a photoshoot. His short brown hair and bright blue eyes mesmerized many girls and plenty of men at that. Relaxed, he leaned back, one leg over the armrest, seemingly without a care in the world. To Emelie’s surprise, Finn had quickly become one of her best friends. She’d never expected a gorgeous man like that to have such a patient and funny personality.

As she entered the room, he gave her a drop-dead-gorgeous smile. Seated across from him was Dax, sitting upright. Never entirely at ease, she was a total geek. Her long dark straight hair was always tied back in a ponytail, and the typical oversized glasses that framed her face completed the aesthetic. Emelie had previously noticed that Dax was always carrying a leather backpack and had often wondered exactly what was in it. She never seemed to let it out of her sight. Emelie had asked about it once, but all she had gotten in response was a shrug. Dax was the opposite of Finn, always serious and rigid, but somehow the three of them had formed a bond. Victoria sat in-between them, the ‘office princess’ as Finn liked to call her. Nobody really knew how she’d ended up here; the most likely hypothesis was that her beyond-rich daddy had made it happen. But Emelie wasn’t so sure of that, as she’d seen Victoria work her ass off. Yes, she was obnoxious, spoiled, and entitled, but it seemed as if she really wanted this. However, her tireless work ethic didn’t match her looks. Victoria always wore designer clothing, with never a stray hair out of place, and a general air of entitlement permanently lingered around her. Jane stood behind her desk, waiting for Emelie to take the last seat.

“Good to see some of you are still here. I need your help.” Straight to the point, as always.

Jane perched on the side of her mahogany desk, her long legs crossed at the ankles. Emelie felt inspired by her presence, seeing where she herself wanted to be in a few years.

“We will need all of your various skills if we are to change the narrative of this story.”

Folders were handed out, and Emelie quickly peeked into the file – always a little impatient – but Jane continued talking, drawing her attention back to her.

“We have been contacted about certain horrors that took place in this building. Now I do not have all the details, but a certain number of people want to buy this building and will abuse the information. You are going to find as much on this story as you can. As I said before, you all have a good mix of skills: Victoria and Emelie, you two on research. Dax, I want you to find whatever it is that is not public knowledge. Finn, you are to write the narrative. There isn’t much information in the folder, but I have the utmost faith in you. The board will convene tomorrow early afternoon, which means I will need your input early. Once more, I cannot stress how urgent this is if we are to keep the building. Good luck!” Jane took her purse, closed the door behind her, and left. All four of them sat there dazed.

“Okay, so what was that all about?” Emelie asked.

“No clue, but why do we have to do her dirty work? She could at least stay here and help us,” Dax complained. Yet she leafed through the folder anyway; she was always up for a good mystery. The lights flickered, then turned off, putting them into complete darkness for a few seconds before turning back on. Victoria gasped before replying eagerly.

“I don’t mind. Maybe we will find something interesting.” Her face lit up as she sifted through the pages. This intrigued Emelie; there really was more to her than first met the eye.

“Like what? Come on, there is no story big enough to bring down the paper,” Dax said without looking up. Again, the lights sputtered on and off.

What the hell.

Emelie stood up and walked over to the big round window that looked over the square with the now-closed shops. Two bars and a restaurant still had their lights on, cleaning up after a day of business. It seemed they had no issues with their lights, and the sky was completely cloudless. There hadn’t been a report of storms in the area either.

“If this keeps up, we might get a lovely, cozy, candlelit work date,” Finn winked at Emelie, making her laugh.

“Just makes the research a bit hard,” she winked back at him, knowing that his flirting meant nothing; he did it with everybody. Emelie was bad at flirting, but this came easy with Finn, and she enjoyed it in her relationship with him.

“Ah, well, then we just make up the facts.” He put an arm around her, and they both looked up at the sky.

“What are you thinking, Finn? We cannot just make things up!” Dax snapped at him just as the lights went out again.

“Chill, Dax, I didn’t mean anything by it. I know how seriously you take your work. Just joking over here,” Finn commented as they made their way back to the chairs. Again, the lights went out, but this time they didn’t instantly turn back on.

“Do we have any flashlights around?” Emelie asked. Nobody replied.

“This is crazy; there’s no storm out here,” remarked Victoria, now standing over by the window.

“Well, it is an old building, so it isn’t all that uncommon,” Dax replied, “but getting some flashlights might not be a bad idea, and we should check the fuse box.”

A thundering sound boomed through the room, shaking the windows. Victoria shrieked.

“What the hell was that?” she’d clearly started to panic. Once again, the lights flickered. But the lights stayed off longer each time they went out.

“Let’s go find those flashlights, so I can better protect all of you ladies,” Finn said, trying to lighten the mood, yet his otherwise sparkly eyes were worried. He led Victoria away from the window, just in time. Another loud sound cracked through the room. The window shook and exploded into a million tiny pieces. Finn immediately dove on top of Victoria, protecting her from the glass shards. Emelie leaped behind one of the green chairs.

As the lights turned back on and the night quieted, she poked her head out from behind the chair to check on the others. Her heart rapidly pounded in her chest.

Focus, stay calm; you got this.

After taking a few deep breaths, her heart slowed down, and she saw the devastation before her. It covered every surface in tiny pieces of glass, now glistening in the light. Finn, who was still on top of Victoria, grunted softly as he tried to shift away from her body without hurting her. Glass crunched underneath his weight. Emelie got up and made her way over to them. Dax was nowhere in sight. Clearing some of the remnants beside Finn, she took his shoulders and guided him to sit in a glass-free spot. His tight-fitting t-shirt was slashed in various places, and small trickles of blood had appeared. Even though his arms and back had some injuries, his face remained untouched.

“Are you okay?” Emelie asked before turning her attention to Victoria to help her sit.

“I’m fine. Where’s Dax?” He looked around, trying to find her.

“No idea; I’ll check once I know Victoria is alright.”

Victoria huffed and puffed. Her perfectly straightened hair was messy, tears streaked her face, and the shock in her eyes was worrisome. But, other than that, she seemed alright. Thanks to Finn.

“I….I…am fine,” she sobbed.

Probably used to having her servants protect her completely. How hard life must be for girls like her.

Emelie instantly felt bad for thinking like that, but Dax swiftly interrupted her train of thought, running into the office, first aid supplies in hand and four flashlights hanging around her neck. Her eyes were panicked and afraid, but there was something else there as well. Emelie couldn’t quite identify what it was.

“Sorry I left. I went and got some supplies.” There was definitely something else, something she was not sharing. Emelie left it at that and did not ask. Maybe later, she’d ask where Dax had gone.

“I only have some scrapes, nothing too serious,” Finn chimed in once he’d gotten himself and Victoria upright. He seemed in control, and the torn sleeves just added to his charm.

He should not be allowed to look that good in a situation like this. Victoria as well; even though her hair is a mess and her make-up’s runny, she somehow still looks like a supermodel. Emelie considered her own appearance for a moment and thought she probably looked like a mess. Out of the four of them, she was by far the shortest, and the way she had her hair tied in a ponytail only highlighted her youthfulness.

Right, I can do nothing about it. Looks can only get you so far. Focus on what is happening now!

“Crap!” Emelie yelled as the lights went out with a loud pop, as if all the bulbs popped simultaneously.

“It’s a good thing I went and got the flashlights,” said Dax as she tentatively handed a flashlight to everybody, still clutching her bag.

Nobody replied; they just turned on the flashlights and stared at each other, waiting for somebody to tell them what to do.

Emelie knew Victoria would be out, the same as Dax. It would be her or Finn to guide them – might as well be her.

“Okay, how about we find the fuse box?” she suggested.

“Sounds like a plan!” Finn instantly jumped at the chance to go and do something. He stalked over to the stairs and held the door for the ladies to pass through.

“What a gentleman you are.” Victoria touched his arm as she walked past, her eyes lingering on his.

Not the time to flirt!

Emelie never understood how people could flirt, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps her annoyance was jealousy as much as anything else.

There were still no lights as they entered the lobby. The front door was an electric sliding door. After hours, it would not open from the outside, but it always opened from the inside. Without electricity, the system should be overridden, and the door would open automatically. Emelie’s heart sank as the door remained closed. Just for good measure, she walked over to it and hoped it would respond to movement. But, of course, it did not.

“Double crap.”

She turned to see the others were looking at something near the reception desk. But before she had a chance to say anything else, the building suddenly started to shake, not too hard at first, like a minor earthquake. However, earthquakes didn’t happen in this part of the country. A few seconds later, the shaking stopped. Emelie quickly made her way back to the others.

Now’s not the time to wander off by yourself.

“The doors are not opening!” Panic had set in.

“Nothing is working; I tried the phones and computer,” Dax announced, still trying to use the phone.

“Do you guys smell that?” Victoria piped up, but everybody ignored her.

“Okay, so what do we do now?” Dax asked, throwing the phone across the room. There was such anger behind the movement that it surprised Emelie.

Inspired, Finn spoke up, “What if we took something and smashed it through a window? I know the double doors are supposed to be bulletproof, but what about the side windows?”

“Oh damn, you might be on to something!” Emelie’s eyes sparkled. She kind of loved the idea of breaking something. When stress was high, she needed an outlet. Usually, she went to a kickboxing class after work.

“Guys, that smell,” Victoria tried again, but the others were focused on finding something to throw. The building shook again, this time harder than before.

“We have to go now, before this place comes down around us,” Dax urged.

Finn stopped in his tracks. He took the desk chair, walked over to the side window, and threw it as hard as he could. It didn’t even make a dent. Exasperated, he walked over to the window, lifted his leg, and kicked it in frustration—yet the result was a cursing, hopping Finn and one fully intact window.

“Okay, so we gotta find that fuse box. This is crazy, guys. Dax, where would the panel be?” Emelie asked. Their situation was becoming direr by the second.

“Basement,” she said and jogged back towards the stairwell.

“Vic, let’s go,” Finn jogged by her and grabbed her hand, pulling her along before she could protest.

As the building shook again, Emelie had to lean against the wall to stop herself from falling over. Dust fell around her, and she coughed.

“Ugh, what is that smell?” Emelie asked.

“That is what I have been trying to tell you; it smells!” Victoria snapped, perhaps rightly so; none of them had listened to her. Victoria stood was taller than Emelie and looked down on her. She didn’t like being chastised by anybody, let alone Victoria. Forget it. Now’s not the time!

They all ran down the stairwell and entered the basement. Thankfully, the door was ajar, and the panel that looked like it housed the circuit breakers was on the side. Dax marched over to it, flashlight in her mouth, and tried to yank it open. The smell was even worse inside the basement. Emelie couldn’t identify the odor; it wasn’t familiar. It nearly made her double over and gag. She looked up and noticed there was a small window up high. No way she could reach it.

“Finn, help me out?” He marched over and placed his hands in front of him as a step up. Emelie made her way up to his shoulders, and he put his hands around her ankles to steady her. She took the latch and tried to push the window open. Her hand touched a lot of cobwebs, trying to move the latch. There was no moving this damn window.

“Crap!”

She slid down. Finn caught her and held her for a few seconds.

“New curse word? You’ve been saying that a lot lately.” The smirk on his face always made her feel less anxious. Even now, when he clearly had to feel just as frightened as the girls did, or at least she imagined so.

“Situation calls for it!” She tried to mimic his tone but failed miserably. The stress was really getting to her.

“Can’t get this panel open,” Dax complained.

It seemed the stress was affecting everyone. Amid it all, Victoria stood safely near the stairs, ready to bolt the second she thought something had gone wrong.

Without warning, dust suddenly rained down, and the building started to shake violently, much harder than it had before. Something in Finn changed. The smirk had left his face, and his back was rigid as he marched over to the panel. He slammed his hands into the side latch – nothing. Frustrated, he let out a groan, placed his fingers on the side, and pulled as hard as he could. The muscles on his shoulders bulged under the pressure, and blood dripped down as some of the small cuts opened up again. The panel creaked and, in the end, gave in. As it swung open, some sort of black goo spilled out and slid down the wall. The smell became overwhelming. Emelie raised her shirt and tried to cover her face. Dax and Finn went down instantly. Their knees buckled, and they hit the floor, passed out. Victoria tried to run up the stairs, but she didn’t make it very far; two steps up and she crumpled to the floor as well. Being the furthest away from the panel, Emelie had a few seconds longer, and she backed into the wall with the window. It was in vain; her vision blurred, and her knees were too weak to keep her upright.

“Triple crap,” she whispered before falling like the others, and her world turned black in an instant.