I follow the humming sound which takes me in the direction of what would have once been the kitchen’s side door.... but it is not the door that the sound was coming from. It was the wall which had faced the door, and usually camouflaged by the corner wall that is the partition through the small vestibule that always seemed like a narrow pantry because of the shelves. In fact, the shelves are what kept the wall inconspicuous, when it was there.... because that wall has disappeared!
I walk over to it now.... what.... the.... fuck....
What-the-fuck..... in fact I say this out loud a few times .... now .... as I stare at.... blankness— or rather— blackness; as there is now nothing behind the old beat up wooden shelving.... it is .... like some kind of empty —?
But it’s too dark to quite see, actually.... I need more light....
I search for a light switch. That might actually work, would be helpful.... and spot a dangling pull that seems to hang by a lightbulb up by the narrow opening behind the the shelves....
“....what-the-fuck,” I say again out loud but under my breath because I feel strange —what will I find? I wonder if I even want to know .... and I feel breathless now and dizzy .... but, I know there is no way I am going to turn around and just head back to the barnhouse now, and pretend as if there is nothing weird going on. Already, I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping tonight, as mad as I feel about Jörn missing my birthday
This is the very thought that prompts me to duck under the bottom shelf in order to reach for the string that will illuminate what has been behind this wall.
Yes, my mind is racing— I’m thinking: this must be how he gets to the house....? Maybe? Does it have an underground catacombs? I suddenly stop.... I mean, who knows what’s lurking in there.... he’s a fucking spy! What if he stores dead bodies.... ?
Do I really think that?
Well, who knows.... I purposely avoid creepy crime thrillers because of shit like this....
Should I go back?
Unless— no, wait, didn’t I once hear Lisa say the place belonged to an architect? And before that some farming family who .... had a distillery! She said they hid it in the basement because it was during prohibition!
I feel better remembering this now and take a deep breath before I reach to pull the light cord. But as soon as I pull it, the bulb immediately blows in a flash of light.
“Shit!” I hiss —and it echoes....
What the fuck.... ?
Only now do I remember I have my phone in my back pocket
I had it turned off.... because of Chris .... the texts .... and I guess, too— because I am more than just a little pretty pissed at Jörn
It takes awhile to locate the “on” button .... and awhile for it to boot up....
during which time the damp chill reaches from the nether regions beyond what ever has been existing behind this wall all this— which smells dank and the air has a definite chill that seems to breeze across me as I stand there waiting to see.
In a flash of the phone powering on....
I happen to find .... there are half a dozen or more text messages....
no, actually more....
possibly about a dozen. Maybe more. And quite a lot of phone calls, apparently too, that I’ve missed....
Shit....
only, I find I’m more curious to know —and suddenly more glad to distract myself with what’s up —here—
I opt to ignore the .... yelling messages .... and search for the flashlight app
I get only as much as a glance to realize I am at the top of a staircase when I drop my phone
and the door slams behind me with a defining ~click~
leaving me in total darkness ....as I hear my phone land somewhere down there
shit....
Well there is nothing to do but start groping in the dark. I get back onto my hands and knees but very carefully because the steps are narrow and slippery; I use the wall to guide me down in the darkness until I land with my knees safely on the top step. As I start to move down the stairs my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness. This is when I start to see there is a bit of light glowing from further down, and as I move towards it I hear more sounds of kinds of humming; like the sound of motorized electrical things. I notice too that my hands have gotten filthy —but then I spot my phone on the bare and gray cement floor .... as a chill goes by me. I land onto the bottom and stand up now then I quickly bend down for my phone
Only I glance around me before looking at what the text messages are about
“What.... the.... fuck....” because I find myself unable to come up with anything to explain what I’m looking at
There are tv monitors in various places.... this is where the light was coming from....
I look around some more .... barrels .... lots of barrels..... a complexity of.... what looks like conveyor belts.... and rows — about twelve — all lined up.... with wooden barrels ....
I look back at the tv monitors ....
they are inside the cage
The cage.... what is that?
I walk over to ....?
Oh, it looks like some kind of.... office? What is going on down here? I walk over to this .... cage— a metal enclosed cubicle lined with three desks— or long tables.... with boxes .... some stacked, some open.... filing cabinets.... packing equipment; flattened cardboard boxes, rolls of packing tape, eco-friendly packing peanuts.... computers .... cameras!!!!
Shit!
I’m being watched!
There’s a camera right on me with a red light flashing!
I look at the monitors from where all the light is coming from..... what is that? I walk over to what it seems to be showing. Oh.... it’s spanning.... and lighting in surveillance .... one seems to be some railroad tracks somewhere and .... it takes awhile to understand what the other is recording .... until I notice the ripples and how the light touches them before it occurs to me it’s water waves....
Why would he be filming water and railroad tracks?
Suddenly I hear a loud noise and jump! Did I hear a scream or was that me? No, it’s the conveyor belt! It starts moving now!
Oh God!
Oh my god.... oh my god....
Oh my god—someone’s coming
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