Behind The Locks || ONC 2024

Chapter 5: The Library Is Haunted

She stared at mirrored images of parts of her body whose tissues were seriously damaged the previous night for as long as her mind could stretch back.

The reality was still too hard to take in. It felt like a cruel ploy being played by her consciousness. 

Superheroes in fictional movies were the only people she knew could heal. 

Newsflash, superheroes are not real, so it could only be viewed under one light; the blood fluxing inside her, each bone, cell, tissue, vein, and every other organ was compromised with an unfathomed entity. All but the expected could happen to her any time.

Switching to her clock, it was seven thirty a.m. If she didn't know better Zack was to be in class before eight a.m.

She slid out of her door, and jogged down the stairs, her eyes opening up to the appearing parlor. 

A predominant black and a shade of red colored pair of sneakers flickered a modicum of relief.

They ran up to a faded, blue jeans trouser and a baggy, white T-shirt with bold, blue writings; what are you looking at?

The sixteen-year-old dork had serious affairs with bullies, so the shirt probably forebode what was to be asked after a plate of noodles would be poured atop his head in the middle of the cafeteria.

The issue had been reported in school by their father and Mrs Sofia a couple of times, but I guess owning sixty percent of the school property had its advantages. 

Zack stoically stood the bullies intorrelable behaviors, keeping it secret from their father and Mrs Sofia ever since.

Arielline’s idea was to show them what the worst his little fist could do. Well, he would have dared it if their alpha wasn't an over-inflated six-foot-two giant.

His face appeared, most of its parts reflecting her own, like the huge black eyes glimmering under the shade of a glowing phone screen, pointy nose, and a fair ginger complexion.

There was no doubt that he was her brother.

“Morning Zack,” she greeted.

He raised his head from the screen nibbling a half-bitten cookie and contemplated her with squinted eyes.

Could it be that she was beginning to turn? No. The mirror in her room said otherwise. Or her sense of sight was corrupt too, and there were fragments of herself she could not discern.

His meticulous glare furthermore shifted to her face and made judgements with unfathomable expressions.

Tense filled the cup, Zack’s enlarging eyes making her feel like an alien in the presence of a human being.

“Are you high? And if you want my bluetooth earphones I'm not giving them to you.”

For a second, she was fuddled. 

Ooh, the old cliche; instead of greeting him she always dashed a pillow on his face, so her little paragonic act of being friendly had already been ensnared.

“What do you know about the library?” She needn't step on eggshells any further.

“I knew you wanted something.” He smirked and turned off his phone, like he was about to tell a three hour story. “It was a contemporary book reading facility during the early nineties. It was made by the government under Mark Donlip, the governor by then. It was a replica of ancient Egypt tombs, but was facelifted during nineteen twenty two. It was haunted during the twelve locks___”

“What?!” Arielline nearly choked on saliva she was swallowing. 

She was expecting to get something out of Zack but not so vividly and directly. The sudden superstitious reality nearly rammed her into a panic attack.

‘The library was haunted,’ the words were etched in every corridor of her mind as an irrevocable reminder of her night shift workmate.

“It was haunted during the twelve locks. It housed the phantoms__”

“How did you know that?” 

Too much to take in would rather be more convenient from the source. Zack could be part of the ploy as far as she knew.

“Ian and Jade.” As if she was supposed to know them, Zack gave a finalizing grin.

“Should I be familiar with them?” She quizzed, resolving from a thunderbolt of an oppressing realization.

“They are. No. They were residents of Twelve Locks Valley before they disappeared. They had both made collaboration clips of the library's history. I'll send you the link.”

That was half the gist, but she needed a pre-confirmation of something before seeing the clips for herself. "Did they mention anything to do with healing?” Her eyes involuntarily squinted, as if the words were utterly being misused.

“Aah. Ghosts only killed. If that's what you mean.” The addled look on his face clearly insinuated that he hadn't understood the question, though he gave a counting answer. “I'm in episode twelve, and they haven't mentioned anything like that. Three more episodes to go.” He grinned proudly.

“Why are you suddenly interested in my work?” He enquired after silence had dominated between them for long enough. “Did you see whitish smoke?”

The smirk on his face was clearly devilish. He knew what he was saying.

“How did you know about the whitish smoke?”