Curiosity killed the cat

Submitted into Contest #30 in response to: Write a story in which someone finds a secret passageway.... view prompt

0 comments

Mystery

I hastily put back the last few books into their allocated places.Those annoying teenagers that came an hour before had messed up the whole place,shoving books in whatever empty place they found or just leaving them to lay around completely.I glanced at the watch on my wrist.7:30pm.Great I had only 30 more minutes before I would have to wrap up and close the library.I sighed finding the the right spot for the book in my hand.I couldn’t wait to get home and see my 6 year old princess.Whenever I would come home she would come running from her room as fast as her little legs could carry her.Her arms open wide ready to hug me tightly,making  all the day’s stress and tension fade away in a instant.Ever since my wife,Sarah’s death 2 years it left my daughter traumatized,she wouldn’t talk,she wouldn’t laugh,it was like all the emotions drained out of her into the fire that night.I wouldn’t forget that night either. I was her only support and my mother would stay with her while I was away but that wouldn’t make a difference.My mother would stay now but in a few years even she would leave forever,leaving my daughter and me for each other.


I opened the storeroom to put away the few extra books and turned on the light.I found a empty shelf but then realised it had a box at the top.I reached up and tried to take it down ,failing and dropping the objects inside on top of me.I sweared to myself before bending down and picking up the few things,and dusting off the dirt that had gathered on it.I examined one of them turning it around and realising it was a book.I dusted the cover to see the title and as I did I dropped it in shock.On the front cover in black ink were the words printed.Sarah N. Tyler.It was her book the one she had written for our daughter when she was pregnant with her.I looked down at the other things and then it hit me.This things were Sarah’s the ones I had boxed away it put it in this storeroom so that her memories wouldn’t haunt me.I quickly packed up the things and put the box up where it was.I went back to putting the books away quickly so I could get home.It was already dark but I still had to check the windows making sure they were locked.


I put the last of the books away when I heard a loud thud from the front of the library.I got out the storeroom and quickly rushed to the front door to see what was the matter.I pulled on the door but it wouldn’t open.I knocked a little harder so the guard outside could hear me.No response.I yelled louder but still I heard total silence from the other side.I was locked in!The guard must have thought I went home leaving the door open and closed it.I sweared to myself before remembering the phone.I hurried to my front desk and shuffled around in my bag before finally finding my phone.I tried switching it on but it would do anything but a black screen.No charging.I stomped my foot pissed.I was stuck for a whole night.This was so not happening.I tried the library phone but there was no connection.In disappointment I sat down in my chair sighing burying my head in my hands.Rain started pouring down heavily outside cutting the power out as I got up to look for the extra candles.This library was very broken and I thought of selling it once but because of my daughter’s convincing I kept it for her sake.I had bought this on my daughter,Emily’s first birthday and had been running it for the past 5 years with my good friend, Edward.


I looked around the library for a good book to cure my boredom and found a particular book on the farthest back corner of the library.It was called Amusing Adventures and me being an adventure freak thought it would be the great to read.About to pick it up I pulled it back then heard something slid like the sound of someone opening a window.Quickly I looked around for the source of the sound Just as I was about to walk past a book shelf I saw what looked like a hole in the ground.Surprised I leaned forward looking at what really did seem like a black hole in the ground.I walked up and peered in half expecting some  demon to pull me in.There was nothing inside just complete blackness.I got the candle and decided to figure out this strange mysterious hole in the library.I had been running this library for the past 5 years and never seen some gaping hole in the ground.As soon as I brought the candle near the hole because of the light there in front of me inside the hole were actual steps leading down to who knows where.Curiosity got the better of me as I found myself already walking down the stairs that lead to ‘somewhere’.Of course they lead somewhere or why would they be just put here.After I felt like this steps had no ending finally I felt cold hard ground under me.


As soon as I did the lights flickered on showing what seemed like someone’s secret hideout.I blew out the candle and walked around this mysterious underground basement that was apparently under my library.Against a wal there was a desk with a closed laptop and a few papers.There was pictures of different women all stuck onto the wall with some messy writing under each of the photos.I looked closely noticing each of this woman looked familiar.Wait  that one there that was Kate Miller the assistant that had worked at the library but left only a note saying that she moved countries.And that one Andy Mclearon who worked as a media specialist for the latest news,Madison the library’s clerk.All these were the ones that had worked under me in this library and then disappeared for strange reasons.”I see you eventually did find out my secret”,a deep familiar male voice said behind me.I turned around to come face to face with no one but my friend,Edward.


“Edward.You?”,I asked slowly trying to put the puzzle together.”Yes,my dear friend Victor”,he said walking up closer snarling at my name.”Edward what’s going on?”,I asked, sounding a bit scared.The answer I got back was something I would expect,well not from the guy I called friend my whole life.”Now,now you sit down and hear the tale”,Edward said pulling me to a chair and making me sit down.I shuffled around sensing something was really damn wrong.”You see I couldn’t let all these woman be the one who helped you reach your success”,Edward said sitting in front of me with a evil grin on his face.”So you know what I did?”,he asked coming on closer as the sweat started forming near my forehead.I shook my head quickly not able to say anything because I was breathing so heavily.I don’t know why I was so afraid of him,but I had this gut feeling that I did a really big mistake letting my curiosity get in the way.”I killed them”,Edward said hissing out the words with complete anger and standing up.


My breathing got heavier .No,no don’t say what I think your gonna say,just don’t say it Edward.I beg you don’t.”And you know that dear wife of your”,he hissed kneeling in front of me again.I knew what he was going to say next.But I had to listen maybe maybe it was something else.”I killed her too”,Edward said before getting up again and walking back and forth the room.I was stuck to the chair it was like my mind had just lost control over itself.I felt sick,my vision blurry,my heart pounding a hundred times more than it should.


“You know why?”,Edward asked looking down at me as I weakly tried to meet his face.His face only showed complete hatred,not just hate but envy.Envy of something I had and he didn’t.”Because she was pregnant with my child not yours!That little brat of yours is mine!”edward yelled, throwing everything off the desk onto the floor.”But when she refused to give that child to me and ran away with you to here.I searched for her for 2 whole years and when I found her that night I killed her.Now tell me where my child is!”,he yelled louder, throwing both of his hands on each side of the chair.”I won’t tell you!”,I managed to yell back my throat had gone dry in less than 20 mins because I just couldn’t process everything I heard.”Why did you kill Sarah”,I asked looking up at him,anger in my eyes now.The person I had called my best friend ended up being the person who stole my biggest happiness.”Because I envied you.I envied all the wealth and intelligence you had ever since we were friends.But I didn’t care that time.But when we were in college I saw Sarah and fell in love with her.But on the same day I was going to tell her you told her already and married her.You took away everything.You had wealth,girls went mad for you,you were smart and then you had the girl every boy wanted as you wife.I couldn’t let you be so happy so I made you wife get drunk and slept with her.The child you think is yours is mine!”Edward said, turning around from where he was standing.



I was shocked,angry,sad, and scared at the same time all the emotions eating me up.”And now even you will die”,Edward said before taking something out of his suit and pointing it to me.As my vision cleared a little I realised it was a gun.I tried moving out of the chair but then realised that Edward had tied me to it when I wasn’t looking.”No!”,I tried yelling but my voice came out just a squeal.”Goodbye,Victor”,Edward said before a gunshot went off and I felt everything fade.



February 23, 2020 01:13

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

0 comments

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.