Behind Closed Doors

It was my first year at Mason University, known for its horror stories and urban legends. I did not come here for that reason; in fact, I did not wish to entertain the idea of the truth behind those stories. But the superstition found me, anyway. It seemed as if once every class, a student would bring up an unnatural account from the night before. And the teachers always bared the same response: nerves, and then, denial. Words may have been enough to fool other students, but body language told me more. The teachers were hiding something, and I preferred to stay out of it.

Sometimes, life calls you, and you have no choice but to answer.

Yesterday, when I found the clutches of Calculus to be too great, I went in search of a book. I preferred fiction, or, anything that could help me escape from the headache my homework caused me, but I found nothing. Not a single book called my name, so I kept looking. Sooner or later, I found myself in the Non-Fiction section, and then the New-Age section. Still, I had not found anything worth diving into. Then, I reached the ends of the shelves, where the Employee’s Only door was, where the cobwebs were left untouched and crept among the dusty books. 

I did not choose to go in. 

I was drawn like a fish to a light. 

I was drawn by the simple sound of a click, and then a soft squeal. The door had opened, but nobody came out!

Naturally, I investigated. My curious brain did not allow my legs to step away. I pried the door open enough for my head to squeeze through, so I could peek around. Immediately, a soft white light on the ceiling turned on and welcomed me. I expected an employee’s entrance, but what I found was a quaint little room, one without windows or any other doors. Just shelves filled with books, folders, and binders all snugly fitted against one another. Oddly, these materials were all encased in glass– something about them was special. 

I wanted so badly to touch them, to explore the uniqueness of the mysterious papers. I got as close to the glass as I could. After gazing from top to bottom, looking for… well, I wasn’t sure. It was more like something was looking for me. One book, in particular, stood out. More like, it shined. The title on the book’s spine glimmered with glittered gold, moving and shifting like magic had been intertwined. I was in awe. 

The book was titled Dragons and Hummingbirds. 

I did not get it; that is, the sense of the title. But I don’t think I needed to. For some reason, I felt like I understand. I felt a tingle in my body and a rush through my fingers as I lightly pressed my fingers against the glass. 

Then, the glass was no more. I fell forward and tumbled into the bookcase, catching myself before I landed on my bottom. Except, when I looked closer, the glass was still there– a mere illusion. 

I thought, What have I gotten into?

The tingle in my body rose through my spine, and I looked toward the glimmering book again. It was open for the taking. I reached, and the rush in my fingers grew more potent, but before I felt the spine, I heard a voice that froze me!

“STOP! What are you doing in here?” 

It was Mr. Culkin, the school librarian. This was not how I wanted my first meeting with him to go. I planned to spend most of my time in the library, after all. At that moment, I felt like that would be the last time I was allowed in. 

But there was something about his voice… something that froze me. I could not move, and I was caught red-handed, my fingers just inches away from the book. I tried and tried to command my legs to move, and then my arms, but I failed. My chest grew until it was tight like my heart was pumped with air to the verge of exploding. 

I was only reaching for a book. 

He gripped my forearm, and I felt the strength of not a librarian, but a barbarian! He shook it before tugging me away with one arm. Still, I could not move, then paralyzed against the carpet. But I could see. I saw the red in his eye and the fire in his soul. I had done something no student should have… I just didn’t know what. Next, Mr. Culkin grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt like a cat and tossed me out of the room. 

He shouted, “NO STUDENTS ALLOWED!” before shutting the door in my face! 

Still, I could not move, trapped with my thoughts in a motionless body. 

I heard a click. The door opened, and Mr. Culkin peeked his head out, whispering a single word, although it seemed of a foreign language. 

My movement returned, and I soon found myself on my feet. I looked down, and walked steadily to the entrance, weak in my knees, wondering what had just happened.

I had to sleep on it. Homework had to wait. I had too many thoughts bouncing from one side of my skull to the other. 

What was that book?

Why could I not move?

Then, I thought of Mr. Culkin’s odd burst of strength. Who was he?

On the next day, I woke up with a fire in my belly, one I could not understand, only listen to. My gut told me to go back to the library. Of course, I was worried about Mr. Culkin, but for some reason, I needed to take the chance of seeing him again. I mean, he didn’t kick me out, right? 

I arrived at the library with a weariness, a paranoia-like feeling. To my surprise and relief, Mr. Culkin was not behind the front desk but someone I had not seen before. She was a burly woman, sporting short, buzzed hair, eyebrow piercings, and dark blue lipstick. Oddly, I was more scared of her. Those eyes of hers… were empty, and I could sense it before I opened the front doors. 

I inhaled through my nose and out my mouth. 

And I opened the door, to which she looked up and locked eyes with mine. 

“Can I help you?” she kindly asked. 

I was caught off guard, and I responded, “Yes. I mean, no.”

“Okay…” she said, “Are you sure?”

“Could you tell me where Mr. Culkin is?” I asked with a tremble in the back of my throat. Anxious jitters crept through my hands, and now I thought I should not have asked anything at all. 

“He’s out sick,” she said. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”

Phew! I thought. Looks like I’m in luck!

“Thank you,” I said. And I went my own way. 

I didn’t know what I was doing, but still, I thought it best to be cautious with my investigation. I neared the area where the hidden room was, and I found the closest table to it. I plopped down in one of the wooden chairs and laid out my books, so it looked like I was studying. 

My breath was short, but the fire was there, in my gut. 

I kept an eye on the door, as it was shut. I hoped it would open for me again, but it didn’t. I waited hours upon hours, but nothing happened. There was not a sound coming from that room, but the fire was still there. 

What the hell? I thought. 

Sooner or later, I felt the touch of the front desk lady on my shoulder. She said softly, “It’s time to go. I’ll give you a few minutes.”

“Already?” I asked.

She nodded yes, and walked away. 

I skipped classes for nothing, but the fire was still there, curiosity burning holes in the lining of my stomach. I slept on it. 

I woke up the next day, determined as ever to get back inside that room. I followed my steps from the day before, finding the same lady at the front desk, and an absent Mr. Culkin. 

“Hello again,” she said. 

“Is Mr. Culkin out sick again?”

“Haven’t heard from him. Nobody has.”

“Strange….” I said, looking down at my shoes and rubbing my hairless chin. 

“Indeed. I’ll let you know when I hear from him, though. Sound good?”

I nodded yes, and went my way. Again, I followed my steps from the day before, planting myself at the nearest table to the hidden room, waiting. Hours went on, and I had not heard a thing or witnessed any bizarre occurrences.

Then, I awoke with saliva dried across my lips and the hand of the front desk lady upon my shoulder. 

This time, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Well, I’m afraid it’s time to go.”

I was quite surprised. I blurted, still half-asleep, “Already?”

She chuckled, and asked, “What is your name?”

“Frederick.”

“Well, Frederick. I can give you ten more minutes, but then you have to go. Okay?”

“Alright.”

Sadly, in those ten minutes, nothing happened. 

I went to bed that night with acid reflux and the fire still burning. But I was lost. I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do! 

I just knew I had to get back in that room!

When I woke up the next day, I decided that if I did enter that room, I would give up. I feared that other students would catch on to my mad movements, skipping class, and spending every open second at the library. I mean, what other student did that?

The same lady stood at the front desk, and I sighed as I walked in. 

Her greeting was lovely, and I felt like we were becoming friends. “Hello, Frederick. I’m afraid Mr. Culkin is still out. But I’m worried… I only made up that he was sick. The truth is that nobody has heard from him. He didn’t even clock out from his shift the other day!”

I thought she might have been breaking some type of confidentiality, but I was more perplexed by the fact that Mr. Culkin had not even clocked out. What happened after I saw him?

While I was concerned, I happened to think of a brilliant idea. 

“Ma’am,” I said.

“Call me Daisy.”

“Daisy, then. Are there any books called, Dragons and Hummingbirds in your collection?”

“Let me check for you, dear.”

I twiddled my fingers while I waited, and a minute must have gone by before she sighed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t even see it in our inventory.”

“Oh, well. Mr. Culkin told me to ask him for it the other day. He said he kept in it the back room. Would you let me in, so I can get it?”

The front desk lady thought deeply, her eyes moving from side to side, and taking deep, long breaths. “I suppose. Just don’t tell him I’m letting you in there. I don’t know why, but he doesn’t like it very much when students go in there.”

I smiled in a cheesy way, and blurted, “My lips are sealed.”

When she brought me to the door, she used a plain white keycard and waved it over the electronic lock. The light flashed three times red, and then once green. She pulled the handle and pushed the door open, waving me inside. I was happy to see the soft white light turning on upon our arrival. And I looked to my right, spotting the gold letters of Dragons and Hummingbirds. 

Now, I just have to get rid of her. 

“Alright, Frederick, I’ll give you some time. Let me know if you need me. Oh, and the door locks automatically when you leave.”

“Thank you,” I said politely.

Then, I thought, That was easier than I thought!

The door shut behind her, and now, I was right where I tried so desperately to be. The first thing I did was touch my fingers against the glass, watching my hand pass through the illusion. And I still could not believe the magic I was witnessing. I marveled at the shifting sand-like texture of the shimmering gold letters. Finally, I was able to see what this book was all about. 

I clamped the spine with all four fingers and my thumb, gently removing it from its slot. When I removed it about three inches, I could not move it anymore. It was almost as if the book was stuck. 

Boy, was I wrong….

My feet vibrated with the shake of the bookcase in front of me. Papers fell off the shelves like leaves from a tree in the Fall. I stepped backward until I was flat against the wall, looking back and forth between the bookcase and the exit. And suddenly, the bookcase moved toward me. 

I wanted to escape the room for my safety, but I was unable to move. It was exactly like the other day when Mr. Culkin stopped me from grabbing that cursed book!

But the bookcase moved closer until it didn’t. I had nothing to worry about. It only shifted enough to move in front of the other bookcases, so it could reveal what was behind it: another room. Only, this room was nothing like I had ever seen. I saw what seemed like chemistry equipment scattered among various tables. Pots were boiling on six different stoves, and all different colors of smoke were released from within them. And then, the cages…. I saw creatures I had only seen in fiction books, trapped behind metal bars with barely any room to breathe. 

I had no idea where I was, but I knew where Mr. Culkin was. 

He was through the first set of doors, and he was lying without a pulse. 

“Who did this to you?” I whispered. “Did you get old?”

I bent to my knees and put my hand on his shoulder. My eyes watered, but suddenly I feared for my safety. I rolled Mr. Culkin’s deceased body over toward me, and I knew what happened… I knew how he died… and who killed him.

Then, I heard a whisper in my ear, like it was a voice inside my head. Only, I could not understand it. But it was familiar. 

My heart thumped against my chest, speeding up twice as fast, like a sports car on a bumpy road. I tried to snap my head and body around to see who it was. But I could not move! 

“Huh,” she said from the entrance, “I liked you, too. It’s a shame.”

“I knew it was you. Why did you kill Mr. Culkin?”

The front desk lady laughed until her voice grew hysterical. Now, she sounded evil. 

“I’ve been hunting him for centuries, my dear. You simply won’t understand. But I cannot have you going off and speaking of this with anyone. Okay?”

I didn’t know what to reply. I was still frozen, and all I was looking at was Mr. Culkin’s dead body, his eyes staring into mine. 

“I’m sorry I have to do this,” she said, appearing right behind me. 

====

Three Years Later

“Let me tell you,” I yelled. “I’ll never forget that feeling. The flash of heat, quickly flipping ice cold as the soul was drained from my body, my life escaping through my final breath.”

My freshman buddy looked at me with concerned eyes, fearful as if I was about to suck the blood out of his neck! 

“I–I… There’s no way that’s true,” he exclaimed. 

“It’s true,” I stated. 

As a senior, I loved scaring the crap out of the newcomers. Especially this one. The more scared they are, the better the blood tastes. I still can’t believe that woman turned me into a vampire a few years back.