Cyprus Manor

      “My turn! I dare you… to finish that soda,” Maria challenged Randy, pointing at the nearly full bottle nearby.

         “That’s all you got?” Randy laughed. He leaned forward, grabbed the bottle without another word, and downed the whole thing. “Ha! That was… an easy…dare,” he said between breaths. He then flopped back into his seat, long brown hair falling over his face. “I think we’re running out of dares. And you never pick any good ones.”

         “Excuse me,” Maria defended, “the last dare you picked was for me to prank call the Pizza Hut, and they weren’t even open!”

         “Exactly. We need something good.”

         They sat on Maria’s old couch in silent contemplation for a few minutes. Then Randy sat up, his eyes widening.

         “Oh, I have a good one,” he said, his lips curling into a smile. “You know that empty building on Carlisle Avenue, across from the elementary school? I dare you… to sneak inside.”

         Maria tugged on the strings of her hoodie, trying to picture the building. “Wait, that old apartment complex?” she asked. “Don’t people still live there?”

         Randy frowned. “An apartment complex?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “I thought it was a hotel. And I thought it was abandoned.”

         “Why would you think that?” Maria asked.

         “Do you ever see people in the windows?” he questioned. “Or cars in the parking lot? Of course it’s abandoned.”

         “Did you ever think maybe the people value their privacy and use curtains? Or that they just park in a nearby garage?”

         “Now where would that be?” he retorted.

         “I don’t know. Isn’t there a parking garage nearby?”

         “Come on, Maria, use your head!” Randy argued. “It looks like someone burned the place down and glued it back together.”

         “That doesn’t mean it isn’t livable.”

         “I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about whether the hotel is abandoned,” said Randy, folding his arms.

         “Apartment complex,” Maria replied.

         “Whatever!” Randy had now straightened in his seat, fired up from the discussion.

         “Here’s an idea,” he said. “Let’s turn this dare into a bet. I bet you five dollars that’s an abandoned hotel,” he continued, standing up and putting on his jacket.

         “Okay,” Maria said, smiling and pulling on her sneakers. “And I’ll bet it’s full of functioning apartments.”

         “You’re gonna lose your money,” Randy teased, smiling and heading towards the door.

         “Oh no!” Maria gasped, clutching her chest. “Five dollars! What ever will I do if I lose my precious five dollars?”

         Randy just laughed and opened the door.

          With the original dare nearly forgotten, they pulled out their bikes and rode down to Carlisle Avenue in minutes. It was a cool, spring afternoon. The sunlight shone down on colorful shops and tightly packed townhouses, which soon became sparse as they rode further down Carlisle. There wasn’t much to do in this part of town, so it was never busy. Maria followed her friend through the building’s tiny parking lot, passing one dull green car. The elementary school stood in the distance.

        As she approached the entry door, she looked up at the sad gray building towering over her. It had three floors, evidenced by three rows of singular windows lining the outside. With worn roof shingles and flaking paint, the building’s lack of color and personality made it stick out like a sore thumb amidst the otherwise scenic little town. When she and Randy approached the lobby entrance, they read the name engraved in stone above the door.

                                                       CYPRUS MANOR

         “See?” bragged Maria. “It’s an apartment building. It doesn’t have a VACANCY sign. Hotels have signs.”

         “They don’t always, you know,” Randy argued. “Go in and find out.”

         Maria moved closer to the door. She hesitated. Her hand hovered over the brass knob. “This is legal, right?” she asked.

         Randy looked at her with amusement. “You mean is it legal…” he said slowly, “to enter a public building that is supposedly not abandoned?”

         “…Yeah.” She stepped back.

         “Fine. Move.” Randy gently pushed her aside, rolling his eyes and pulling the door open. Maria followed him inside, nervously tugging on her hoodie strings. The lobby was sparsely decorated, as bland on the inside as the outside. It was nothing but a steely gray room with white tile flooring and no windows. Maria walked over to the tiny sign-in desk, illuminated by a bright yellow ceiling light. There was no receptionist. The only indication that the desk was inhabited was a few papers, a fountain pen, and a small white paper sign that read, “OUT TO LUNCH. BACK IN 15 MINUTES”. They stood there for a couple minutes, breathing in the musty air.

         “Alright,” said Randy impatiently, putting his hands in his jean pockets and turning toward the exit. “This is actually kind of boring. Do you want to wait for her to get back or…”

         “No,” said Maria, spying a door at the corner of the lobby. “I have an idea. What if…we went back and looked at the rooms? That would tell us something, right?”  

         “I doubt it.”

         “Well, think about it. It would be better than staying here and doing nothing. Hotel halls and apartment halls usually look different, don’t they?”

         “I guess.”

         “Then let’s do it.”    

         “I’m staying here,” Randy said, pulling out a candy bar from his jacket. “But you go explore your rooms, since you’re a rebel now.” Maria smiled as she moved toward the door, but was quickly seized by nerves.

       This is not illegal, right? Maria took a deep breath. If someone asks me, I’ll say I was looking for the receptionist. She pulled open the door and traveled back. Maria didn’t know what she was expecting, but was disappointed nonetheless. This really was the gloomiest complex she had ever seen. There were gray walls and a ceiling to match, and there were still no windows. Sparse paintings of flowers in varying states of decay dotted the spaces between the doors. She walked past, inspecting the oak paneled doors of the rooms and making note of their strange numbers:

                                                       ROOM 245

                                                       ROOM 246

                                                       ROOM 247

         The numbers shouldn’t be so high on the ground floor.

         She made a left turn around the corner and looked around. This hall looked identical, but the orderly progression of doors was interrupted by the occasional numberless door. These doors were much too thin for a human to pass through, but she paid them little mind. She really just wanted to find evidence of residents. She turned another corner. She only saw more of the same. After wandering for a few minutes, she grew bored. Well, this told her nothing about whether it was a hotel or a collection of apartments. At least she was right about it not being abandoned. Had the receptionist come back yet? I’m going back to wait with Randy. At least he had some snacks.

         Heading back the way she came, she thought she heard the faint patter of rain against the roof. Was it raining? Maria shuddered as she thought of the cold, wet ride home, but turned her focus back to reaching Randy. I made two rights and a left. I just need to retrace my steps. However, when she turned the final corner, there was no exit door, only more rooms. Did she come the right way? She only made two, maybe three turns. No, I must be lost. This is so stupid. I got lost. She turned around, taking a right at every corner. When in doubt, keep making the same turn. At least then Maria wouldn’t get lost in a new section. It would hopefully take her back to the exit.

          She began to lose hope as time passed and none of the paintings looked familiar. Though, maybe she just didn’t recall them because they were all so soulless. Their frowning faces looked down in mockery of the girl that got lost in a tiny old apartment building. Her watch read that she had been here for about 30 minutes. Becoming exhausted, she sat down on the thick carpeted floor and sighed, tilting her head back. She didn’t want to knock on a door and ask for help. She’d have to admit she isn’t a resident. After realizing that Randy might not wait for her forever, she decided to do it anyway and knocked on a door. No answer. Figures.

         Maria walked down yet another hall. She gripped her hoodie strings again, her knuckles white. Her feet ached. She was thinking about knocking on another door when something bright caught her eye. She walked closer to the source and stopped in front of a door. A faint ray of sunlight shone through a slit underneath. Her heart soared. An emergency exit. Of course. Her hand grazed over the door. Would it open? She put her hand on the cold metal knob, and then she heard a scream.

         “Maria! Help!”

         She turned to the noise. Randy. She rushed over to the sound of his voice coming from the end of the hall. Her feet thudding softly on the carpet. She walked and turned the corner and stopped in her tracks.

         “Hello?” she called out. No answer. “Hello?” Maria groaned and rested her forehead against the wall. Great. Now I’m hearing things.

         Her unhappy thoughts were interrupted when she turned the hall. In front of her was another door with no number. It was so thin that a person couldn’t fit through it. She leaned back and looked down the hall she took. She could still see the faint light under the emergency exit, it was so bright. I’m not getting lost this time. Well, at least I know where the exit door is when I need it. She may as well open this odd narrow one and take a peak to see what could possibly be in such a small opening. She cracked it open, peering close inside. A horrible smell overtook her and she stumbled back, her eyes watering. She rubbed her eyes and peered again into the darkness. Something was inside. Something fleshy, glistening, and unmoving. The large mass engulfed the wall.

       She slammed the door shut, her chest shuddering. She needed to leave. She rushed forward, winding back down the hall to door Number 9. Her eyes were still watering, her forehead shiny with sweat. I need to get back to the door with light under it. It has to be an exit. She came to a stop and stared at the place where the emergency exit used to be. It wasn’t there. In its place was a door labeled Room 14. I came the right way. There is no other direction besides right or left she could have taken. Her heart beat faster. Okay, I just needed to find a low number and work my way from there. She backed up into the wall behind her, using it as support for her aching legs. She surveyed the other doors, slowly walking down the hall. Her heart dropped as her face grew warmer and her breathing more labored as reality sank in. Looking at the doors lining the hall, the numbers now read:

                                                       ROOM 14

                                                       ROOM 83

                                                       ROOM 7

                                                       ROOM 16

                                                       ROOM 357

         What is going on? I know the numbers. A cry bubbled up in her throat. Her eyes welled up with tears again, blurring her vision. Where’s Randy? I bet he left me. What am I doing? Her face grew hot with anger. This was all his fault. She wouldn’t have come here without him. I can’t breathe. Where’s Randy? She looked around. She didn’t care. She just kept walking, past all the paintings that looked the same, and past the stupid mixed-up doors of varying width. She hated it here. She was hot and tired, and she still hadn’t regained control of her breathing. How long had she been here? If this goes on for any longer, I’m going to pass out. Maria’s heart thumped harder, threatening to jump out of her throat. When she finally sucked in a full breath, she let it out to call for help. “Randy! Somebody help me please!” she wheezed, her attempt at a yell stifled by her scratchy throat.

         She heard nothing in response. When she eventually wiped her eyes, she leaned against the wall to recoup again. Her reserve of energy used up, she sighed and tilted her head up. The ceiling seemed much lower than before. Maria was so tired; she just wanted to collapse on the floor. She swayed, her head buzzing. Black enveloped her eyes at the edge of her vision as she breathed in the stale air. She fell forward, reaching for a doorknob for support. Instead, she reached into thin air as the door swung open, leaving her to plunge hard onto the frayed carpeting. Her vision faded as she sunk into oblivion. She thought she heard the creak of a door closing.