dreams since you moved in?”
“I don’t know if I count. I sleep great here, but I’ve never had dreams.”
“Never?”
She shook her head as they turned onto the last landing. “Nope.”
“Not once in your life? You never had nightmares as a kid or sex fantasies when you hit puberty or anything?”
“Getting a little personal,” she said.
They reached the basement. “Sorry.”
“But, no,” Veek said, “nothing.”
They stood in the short hall between the door to the laundry room and the first padlocked door. Nate glanced into the laundry room at the silent machines. There was no sign of any other tenants.
“So,” she said, “how do you want to do this?”
“Have you looked down here at all before?”
She nodded. “A couple of times. I was just never sure what I was looking for.”
He nodded at the double doors. “I bet whatever we’re looking for is in there.”
They walked down the hall. “I’ve never seen it open,” Veek said. “I even tried to make a point of being down here whenever they’d replace a water heater or one of the washers or dryers.”
“Just hanging out in the cellar?”
“I’d pull all the sheets off my bed and do laundry.”
“Clever.” Nate poked at the padlock securing the bar across the door. It squeaked when it rocked on the end of the chains. He set his hand on the door. “How old do you think these are?”
“The chains?”
“The doors.”
“On a guess, I’d say they went in with the building.”
“Me, too.” He squinted at the crack between the doors. It was a seam of black. Nate wasn’t sure if he was seeing a darkness beyond the doors or just half an inch into the gap between them. “I should’ve brought a flashlight.”
“We’ll have to work on our mystery gang kit.”
He pulled out his battered grocery card and pushed it into the crack. It caught for a moment but slid deeper when he wiggled it. He held the card by the last quarter inch. “I’m either through or these are really thick doors.”
“Do they have any give at all?”
Nate grabbed the two handles. It was tough with the chains wrapped around them, but he wiggled his fingers until he had a good grip. He leaned back and put his weight on the handles.
The doors didn’t budge.
He glanced over his shoulder and Veek took a step back to be closer to the stairs. She gave him a nod. He took a breath and threw himself back, heaving against the handles.
The doors shifted. It wasn’t even a quarter of an inch, but they moved and he felt them catch on the beam. A few links of the chain rattled. It was loud in the hall.
Nate shook his hands out. “Well,” he said, “they’re definitely locked.”
“Wow,” said Veek, “we’ve learned so much.”
“We learned they’re not solid like the door to twenty-three,” he said. He traced the outline. “These’ve been painted too, but whoever did it was a lot more careful.”
Veek examined the walls. So many years of paint covered the bricks they were just soft shapes. Nate studied the chains wrapped around the wooden beam.
A shuffling came from behind them, someone’s feet slapping on the stairs. They spun and took a few quick steps to the laundry room. Just as they did, Xela appeared on the landing and bounced down the last flight of steps. She had a pillowcase slung over each shoulder and wore a t-shirt with a glittering Batman logo. “Wow,” she said. “Could you two look any more guilty?”
“We thought you were Oskar,” said Nate.
She smirked. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” Veek replied. She crossed her arms.
“Sex in the laundry room? You must not’ve gotten far.”
“We were checking out the doors,” Nate said. “Trying to figure out if there was any way to get them open or see what’s past them.”
“Y’know,” said Xela, “there may be a reason they’re locked. Maybe it’s not safe in there.” She walked into the laundry room and tossed her pillowcases on top of the washers.
He
“I don’t know if I count. I sleep great here, but I’ve never had dreams.”
“Never?”
She shook her head as they turned onto the last landing. “Nope.”
“Not once in your life? You never had nightmares as a kid or sex fantasies when you hit puberty or anything?”
“Getting a little personal,” she said.
They reached the basement. “Sorry.”
“But, no,” Veek said, “nothing.”
They stood in the short hall between the door to the laundry room and the first padlocked door. Nate glanced into the laundry room at the silent machines. There was no sign of any other tenants.
“So,” she said, “how do you want to do this?”
“Have you looked down here at all before?”
She nodded. “A couple of times. I was just never sure what I was looking for.”
He nodded at the double doors. “I bet whatever we’re looking for is in there.”
They walked down the hall. “I’ve never seen it open,” Veek said. “I even tried to make a point of being down here whenever they’d replace a water heater or one of the washers or dryers.”
“Just hanging out in the cellar?”
“I’d pull all the sheets off my bed and do laundry.”
“Clever.” Nate poked at the padlock securing the bar across the door. It squeaked when it rocked on the end of the chains. He set his hand on the door. “How old do you think these are?”
“The chains?”
“The doors.”
“On a guess, I’d say they went in with the building.”
“Me, too.” He squinted at the crack between the doors. It was a seam of black. Nate wasn’t sure if he was seeing a darkness beyond the doors or just half an inch into the gap between them. “I should’ve brought a flashlight.”
“We’ll have to work on our mystery gang kit.”
He pulled out his battered grocery card and pushed it into the crack. It caught for a moment but slid deeper when he wiggled it. He held the card by the last quarter inch. “I’m either through or these are really thick doors.”
“Do they have any give at all?”
Nate grabbed the two handles. It was tough with the chains wrapped around them, but he wiggled his fingers until he had a good grip. He leaned back and put his weight on the handles.
The doors didn’t budge.
He glanced over his shoulder and Veek took a step back to be closer to the stairs. She gave him a nod. He took a breath and threw himself back, heaving against the handles.
The doors shifted. It wasn’t even a quarter of an inch, but they moved and he felt them catch on the beam. A few links of the chain rattled. It was loud in the hall.
Nate shook his hands out. “Well,” he said, “they’re definitely locked.”
“Wow,” said Veek, “we’ve learned so much.”
“We learned they’re not solid like the door to twenty-three,” he said. He traced the outline. “These’ve been painted too, but whoever did it was a lot more careful.”
Veek examined the walls. So many years of paint covered the bricks they were just soft shapes. Nate studied the chains wrapped around the wooden beam.
A shuffling came from behind them, someone’s feet slapping on the stairs. They spun and took a few quick steps to the laundry room. Just as they did, Xela appeared on the landing and bounced down the last flight of steps. She had a pillowcase slung over each shoulder and wore a t-shirt with a glittering Batman logo. “Wow,” she said. “Could you two look any more guilty?”
“We thought you were Oskar,” said Nate.
She smirked. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” Veek replied. She crossed her arms.
“Sex in the laundry room? You must not’ve gotten far.”
“We were checking out the doors,” Nate said. “Trying to figure out if there was any way to get them open or see what’s past them.”
“Y’know,” said Xela, “there may be a reason they’re locked. Maybe it’s not safe in there.” She walked into the laundry room and tossed her pillowcases on top of the washers.
He
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