• Chapter One

    She was running, running as fast as her tired legs would carry her down the long, narrow, door less, windowless hallway. From what, she wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure anything was following her. but she was still running, looking for a place to hide, a place to rest before her legs gave out to her exhaustion.
    A door was ahead, just a few yards away, coming up fast. She approached it, and skidded to a halt. Her hand reached for the knob, her sweaty fingers sliding off the ice cold surface. She reached again and grabbed it tightly. Looking back the way she had come, she couldn't see anything. She paused, her head cocked. Then a crash came from down the hall and she threw the door open without a second thought.
    Luck that door was open, she thought, shutting the door, leaning against it and sliding slowly to the cold floor. She reached blindly above her for the knob, meaning to lock it. The resounding click made her jump, but at the same it, it reassured her own safety, to some degree.
    "Lucky that door was open," said a voice somewhere to her left, echoing her own thoughts. She jumped again and turned in the darkness to face her unknown companion.
    "Who are you?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest, threatening to burst out at any second.
    "Who am I?" the voice answered. A male voice she now noticed.
    "I believe Miss, I asked you first." She rolled her eyes at the stubbornness and answered him.
    "If you must know, I'll tell you." She paused. "As soon as you tell me your name, and what you are doing here." She heard a small click, and a bright light came on overhead. She had to cover her eyes until they adjusted to the new light.
    A boy, a tall boy who looked to be bout her age of seventeen, sat at the far left corner of the room. He was fairly tall and had messy brown hair that nearly covered his large, light brown eyes that bore into her own as she removed her hand from her face. He stood up and walked toward her.
    He strode over, his shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. He had a small smile creeping across his face as he got closer. It grew with each step he took. When he stood about a foot away, he bent over and extended his hand toward her. She simply stared at it, bewildered at what was happening.
    "Do you want some help standing up?" He asked when she continued to stare.
    "Oh, yeah. Thanks." She replied, grasping is hand. He closed his around hers, large and strong and pulled her to her feet. He continued to smile at her.
    "My name is Timothy Wall." He said, his smile becoming nearly seductive. "As for why I'm here in this room, that is a weird story." Timothy was staring into her eyes so intensely, she had to look down. she noticed er hand was still in his. She removed it quickly, blood rushing to her cheeks.
    Timothy continued. "I came here to visit my brother. I walked in the door and there was nothing here. Definitely not what I was expecting, what with it being a hospital and all. I went looking, trying to find some trace of people being here. Then I got to this hall," He pointed to the door behind her, indicating the hall beyond. "I heard something behind me. I turned around and could swear someone was standing there, tall and dark, breathing down my neck..." He shuddered at the memory. "I lost my nerve and all I could do was run without looking back. I could almost hear it at my heels the whole time. Then I came to that door and threw it open to find this." He indicated the room with its bright fluorescent lights and one door. It was completely empty other wise.
    "It's your turn now," Timothy said, breaking her out of her thoughts that his story had brought while staring at his handsome face and his tall, muscular body.
    "Oh, um..." She stuttered, looking down at her feet, her face becoming red again. "My name is Audrey Baylen. My story isn't much different than yours." She went on to explain her scary excursion down the hall while searching for someone to tell her where her grandmother had disappeared to. She looked back into Timothy's eyes. His face gave her the impression that he was listening intensely. She ended her story with, "I came to the door, it was my only escape. And now, I'm here."
    "How odd is that?" Timothy asked. "Something is going on, something very weird." His face became thoughtful again.
    "One question," Audrey said.
    "Yes?" Timothy replied, his tone curious.
    "Why are you still in here? Why don't you just leave?"
    "Ah, yes. I was wondering when you would ask that." He paused and stepped behind her. "That would be why I said you were lucky the door was open." He placed his hand on the knob, then unlocked it with his other hand. "I tried to get out, believe me." He twisted he knob. It didn't move. "But this door is locked from the inside."