Olivia said. “Whatever that thing was, it’s probably going to come back. I can’t shake how cliché this all seems. I mean, I’m dressed like some slutty schoolgirl, and that thing looked straight out of a Japanese horror film. Is this some asshole’s sick fantasy? I also can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched.”
James hadn’t sensed an eerie watchfulness until now. “Jesus, we need to get out of here. Can we even get out of here?”
“Let’s hope so. These cards might be a clue—why else would we have them? Keep an eye out for anything that could be related to B-12 or Amida.”
“Already on it,” James said, glancing around them. “And…um…if that thing comes back, just run—don’t even think, okay? If we get separated, let’s meet back here.”
Olivia nodded.
The unlit hallway harbored enough light for them to discern numbers and characters on the lockers and doors. James checked the first locker they walked by: it read A-09.
“Well, that’s convenient,” he said.
Olivia looked at the locker. “Should we look for B-12, then? It must be on the next floor up.”
“Yeah, I’d say that’s a good starting point.”
They turned around and hurried up the stairs. James cringed as his feet clacked on each step. “B” prefixed the second floor’s lockers, with B-12 near the hallway’s center. It appeared no different than the rest. James pulled up on the vertical sliding handle—the door swung open with ease.
Less light entered the second floor, so at first he thought the locker empty, but as his eyes adjusted, he saw a small book lying on the locker’s top shelf.
“What’s this?” Olivia said, pulling the book out.
“It looks like a prayer book or something.”
Olivia opened the leather-bound book, revealing bible-thin pages filled with Japanese characters, their edges frayed from extensive use. The front read 弥陀 .
“Hot damn, it looks like we found it!” James said.
“Found what, exactly?”
“Good question.”
She flipped the pages one by one, discovering a few marked areas and intermittent worn pages, each without a hint of English.
Curious about the remaining lockers, James reached for B-13. He fiddled with the handle, opened it and found a book on the top shelf as well. He retrieved it. Olivia’s full attention focused on James. The front read 弥陀 .
A quick comparison revealed the books to be identical. James opened B-14. Same book. He gave Olivia a bewildered look.
“And here I thought we were clever thinking the card pointed to a specific locker. This is ridiculous,” James said.
“Yes. So, what do the numbers on the card point to?”
A thunderous crash boomed from the opposite end of the hallway, followed by a man’s voice, then a symphony of others. Silence returned as quickly as it had gone.
James froze, his eyes fixated in the direction of the noise. James tugged on Olivia’s sleeve and placed a finger to his lips. She silently mouthed, “ Really? No shit… ”
They tiptoed toward the end of the hallway—a devilish creak accompanied every third step. This unnerved James who had convinced himself that, via osmosis, he’d gained ninja-like grace from watching his collection of kung fu movies. He pursed his lips and ground his teeth.
They neared the classroom door at the hallway’s end. Commotion rattled within. Two men argued while a woman pleaded for peace. Olivia pointed to James, then pointed to the opposite side of the door. He followed her cue, ducking beneath the door’s window and leaning back to the side, away from Olivia.
“On three, let’s both take a look,” James said.
Olivia gave him a thumbs up.
James held up one finger, two, and just as his third finger raised—just as they began to slide their backsides up the door, heads craned awkwardly preparing to look into the window—James shoved Olivia aside.
CHAPTER 2
Do not caress the notion of escape—it exists not.
(Labyrinth 9:14)
1
A