Page 137 of Penny For Your Thoughts
By the time I located the stairs, I was convinced I was being followed. I had no evidence to support this theory. In fact, since entering the building, I’d heard nothing to indicate it was occupied. But, for all I knew, those people from earlier had watched us from the window and knew I was up here.
Were they dangerous? Stalking me?
Were they armed?
Were they vampires?
The stairwell opened into the lobby. The main door to my right showed Diem’s silhouette. Still, I heard no sounds of life. I moved quickly to let him in.
“What took you so long?”
“I couldn’t see a thing. You still have my phone.”
Grimacing, he searched a pocket and returned it. “Did you hear anyone?”
“No. The apartment doors were unlocked on the second level. No signs of renovation. It’s eerily quiet.”
“Come on.”
I let Diem go first. He angled for the rooms I’d claimed were occupied that afternoon. The first floor was set up differently from the second. The collection of rooms might have been used for functions or offices at one time, but they weren’t intended as living spaces.
We located the kitchen area, but it was empty. Diem flicked on the light, proving there was electricity. Signs of occupation remained. Furniture. Dirty dishes in the sink. Cereal boxes and bread bags lined the counter. A coffee machine with the dregs of morning brew in the carafe. The fridge was stocked with milk, cheese, and all sorts of condiments. None of it spoiled.
Extinguishing the light, we moved on.
The next room was what I’d coined the dormitory. Diem pressed his ear to the door and listened. He shook his head and opened it slowly and quietly, locating the light and flicking it on.
I wasn’t sure what I expected. Shocked faces? A sudden attack?
Bats?
I flinched, but nothing happened.
We were greeted by a vacated room. A half-dozen cots lined two walls, all empty. The rumpled blankets suggested the occupants had left in a hurry. Clothing lay strewn about. A backpack, wedged partway under a bed, spilled its contents on the floor.
“They left in a hurry,” I said.
Diem approached a table positioned between two beds and picked up a cell phone someone had left behind, still plugged into a charger. He keyed the side button but shook his head. “Password protected.”
“Do you think Lukyan came here after he raced away from the storage facility and evacuated the place?”
“I think that’s exactly what happened. We probably just missed them.”
“Where did they go?”
“No idea.”
“What about the banker boxes?”
“Probably gone.”
“Shit.”
We continued our search, discovering the workspace with its cubicles and dark computers. No boxes. No people. Diem sat at one station and tapped the power button.
Nothing happened.
He checked the cords to be sure it was plugged in, but when that didn’t work, he shifted to a new station. Same non-response. I tried a computer in the next row, but it didn’t turn on either.
