Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Authors: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Tags: Fiction, General, Horror, Juvenile Fiction, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Interpersonal relations, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), Psychiatric hospitals, Performing Arts, Horror Tales, Motion pictures, Horror & Ghost Stories, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Haunted places, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Film, Motion pictures - Production and direction, Production and direction, Ghost Stories (Young Adult)
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speaker. Making Liza scream out as well.
"That's Mimi!" Greta shouts.
I press the talk button down. "Mimi, are you all right?"
But it doesn't seem like it's working now--there's just a weird buzzing sound coming from the other end. "Let's go!" I say, booting it down the tunnel. I reach for my cell phone and go to search for her number, bur my cell is dead, too. "Shit!" I yell out.
We hurry down the tunnel, through all the rusted doors that line it, until we reach the steel door that leads upstairs. It's shut.
118
"Why's it closed?" Tony asks. "We didn't close it."
I try the knob, but it won't turn--like it's locked. "What the fuck?" I shout out.
Another scream rips through the walkie-talkie.
"Maybe the talkie's working now," Greta says, pressing the talk button down. "Mimi? Are you there?"
Liza makes the sign of the cross.
Meanwhile, I set the camera down on the ground, angled toward us, and pound against the door with everything I've got. "Who the hell locked this thing?"
Tony tries to help me, but his ninety-pound frame only gets in my way.
I tell him to move and then take a couple steps back. I run and body-shove the door. But the thing won't budge. "We gotta go another way!" I shout.
"I think it's working now," Greta says, handing me her walkie-talkie. "I can hear voices on the other end."
I press it up against my ear. "It's Chet!" I can hear his voice. "Chet!" I shout into the thing.
But he obviously can't hear me, because I don't get a response.
"Piece of shit!" I yell, resisting the urge to chuck the thing against the wall. I try the door again. Still locked. "Let's go!" I say, grabbing the camera and moving in the opposite direction, hoping to find an alternate route upstairs.
"Let's check the map," Tony squeals.
I toss it at him and hurry down the tunnel. The
119
walkie-talkie still pressed against my ear, I no longer hear any voices--just Liza's right behind me, whispering the Lord's Prayer.
I take a couple turns but end up at a dead end--the freakin' tunnel just ends--and we have to turn back.
"This place is a maze," Greta says.
"Wait, what's that noise?" Tony says.
We stop a second to listen. It sounds like a bunch of people talking--their voices whispering and whimpering together.
"Somebody's there," Tony says.
"It's pipes," I argue, noticing the water leaking through the cracks along the ceiling.
"That is not pipes," Greta shouts. "Someone's up there."
I strain to listen. It's like a constant whispering sound. "Just pipes," I insist, knowing that must be the truth. "Let's go!" Liza insists.
"This way!" Tony shouts, using the map. He leads us to an open doorway. Beyond it is a stairwell that leads us upstairs. Someone's drawn a row of pissed-off angels, seventeen of them--their backs are numbered--climbing up the wall, heading for their doom. There's a picture of a devil at the very top. We sprint down a corridor and backtrack to the reception room.
"Where is she?" Greta shouts.
The reception room is empty now, all except for Mimi's circle of candles--still ignited on the floor.
120
DERIK
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Mimi shouts. Her voice is coming from the D wing.
I tell Tony to stay with Greta and Liza and then I hurry down the hallway and around the corner--until I find Chet and Mimi.
They're standing in one of the rooms, facing one another. Nobody appears to be hurt, but Mimi looks pissed. "Get away from me!" she repeats, taking a step back from him.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Chet says. "It was stupid."
"What the hell happened here?" I ask.
But neither of them answers me.
"Hello?" I shout even louder. "What happened?"
"Chet's an asshole, that's what happened," Mimi says, finally looking up at me.
"What did you do?" I take a step toward him.
Chet turns to me. "It was just a joke. No big deal."
121
"What was a joke?"
"I was just taking a leak down here," he explains, gesturing to the tub. "I heard Mimi heading this way, so I hid behind the door and jumped out at her when she came
"That's Mimi!" Greta shouts.
I press the talk button down. "Mimi, are you all right?"
But it doesn't seem like it's working now--there's just a weird buzzing sound coming from the other end. "Let's go!" I say, booting it down the tunnel. I reach for my cell phone and go to search for her number, bur my cell is dead, too. "Shit!" I yell out.
We hurry down the tunnel, through all the rusted doors that line it, until we reach the steel door that leads upstairs. It's shut.
118
"Why's it closed?" Tony asks. "We didn't close it."
I try the knob, but it won't turn--like it's locked. "What the fuck?" I shout out.
Another scream rips through the walkie-talkie.
"Maybe the talkie's working now," Greta says, pressing the talk button down. "Mimi? Are you there?"
Liza makes the sign of the cross.
Meanwhile, I set the camera down on the ground, angled toward us, and pound against the door with everything I've got. "Who the hell locked this thing?"
Tony tries to help me, but his ninety-pound frame only gets in my way.
I tell him to move and then take a couple steps back. I run and body-shove the door. But the thing won't budge. "We gotta go another way!" I shout.
"I think it's working now," Greta says, handing me her walkie-talkie. "I can hear voices on the other end."
I press it up against my ear. "It's Chet!" I can hear his voice. "Chet!" I shout into the thing.
But he obviously can't hear me, because I don't get a response.
"Piece of shit!" I yell, resisting the urge to chuck the thing against the wall. I try the door again. Still locked. "Let's go!" I say, grabbing the camera and moving in the opposite direction, hoping to find an alternate route upstairs.
"Let's check the map," Tony squeals.
I toss it at him and hurry down the tunnel. The
119
walkie-talkie still pressed against my ear, I no longer hear any voices--just Liza's right behind me, whispering the Lord's Prayer.
I take a couple turns but end up at a dead end--the freakin' tunnel just ends--and we have to turn back.
"This place is a maze," Greta says.
"Wait, what's that noise?" Tony says.
We stop a second to listen. It sounds like a bunch of people talking--their voices whispering and whimpering together.
"Somebody's there," Tony says.
"It's pipes," I argue, noticing the water leaking through the cracks along the ceiling.
"That is not pipes," Greta shouts. "Someone's up there."
I strain to listen. It's like a constant whispering sound. "Just pipes," I insist, knowing that must be the truth. "Let's go!" Liza insists.
"This way!" Tony shouts, using the map. He leads us to an open doorway. Beyond it is a stairwell that leads us upstairs. Someone's drawn a row of pissed-off angels, seventeen of them--their backs are numbered--climbing up the wall, heading for their doom. There's a picture of a devil at the very top. We sprint down a corridor and backtrack to the reception room.
"Where is she?" Greta shouts.
The reception room is empty now, all except for Mimi's circle of candles--still ignited on the floor.
120
DERIK
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Mimi shouts. Her voice is coming from the D wing.
I tell Tony to stay with Greta and Liza and then I hurry down the hallway and around the corner--until I find Chet and Mimi.
They're standing in one of the rooms, facing one another. Nobody appears to be hurt, but Mimi looks pissed. "Get away from me!" she repeats, taking a step back from him.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Chet says. "It was stupid."
"What the hell happened here?" I ask.
But neither of them answers me.
"Hello?" I shout even louder. "What happened?"
"Chet's an asshole, that's what happened," Mimi says, finally looking up at me.
"What did you do?" I take a step toward him.
Chet turns to me. "It was just a joke. No big deal."
121
"What was a joke?"
"I was just taking a leak down here," he explains, gesturing to the tub. "I heard Mimi heading this way, so I hid behind the door and jumped out at her when she came
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