Crappy Apartments and New Coworkers
My bag bounces against my side as I rush through the streets to make it to 45 East Evan Street in time. I yell out apologies to all the people that my heavy bag smacks into as I finally cross the right street and stop in front of a slightly crappy looking apartment building.
"It could be worse." I mutter to myself as I stare. "It's now or never Gwen."
I clutch the strap of my bag and bravely head into the unknown. The crappy building is not only crappy on the outside but inside as well. It doesn't even have an elevator. Ugh, stairs! Really people this is the age of the geek come on at least put in an elevator.
I sigh heavily and trudge up the stairs hoping to see some sign of which apartment I'm meant to enter. A man's voice could be heard as I made my way up to the third floor.
"So apparently none of us was the only one chosen. Let me be the first one to kick my ego to the curb."
Chosen? That probably means I'm in the right place. How many people would come to 45 East Evans Street at 4:44 on March 29th and mention being chosen? That's pretty specific. This unknown man and whoever he's talking to have to be here for that same reason I am. At least I hope they are.
The same man is talking again as I finally reach the third floor landing. He says "You. Now, hold it, don't tell me. Uh...Helen? No, no. Henley." The older man has his finger to his head and he's concentrating on a pretty red headed woman standing in front of him. There's another man, younger, staring at a door and he appears to be attempting to unlock it with the power of his gaze. It isn't working. So he turns around and tells this Henley woman that her name was on her coffee cup.
The older man notices me first. "We weren't the only ones chosen. As I assume you got a card as well."
Henley spins around to face me and the other unnamed man sighs irritably.
"Hello." I say with a small wave as I calmly walked closer. "Yes, I got a tarot card. I was wondering what apartment to go to when I heard you all talking and took a chance."
"It'll be great to have another woman around. I'm Henley Reeves." She stuck her hand out and I shook it. Getting a flash of her and the young man arguing in the hallway about having a magic act together and how they were "never a couple".
"I'm Gwen Walsh."
"J. Daniel Atlas. Nice to meet you. Very nice." He turned to address the old man next. "I know who you are and I just want to say that I'm not interested in you doing your mentalism thing on us. Especially when we don't know who brought us here or even if it's real."
Atlas spoke quickly and looked uncomfortable with mine and Henley's introduction. Like we were going to concoct an evil plan to become the supreme rulers of Earth, or at least America. Controlling the conversation a little too much there, Atlas, it was just a greeting.
"Shh!" The older man paused Atlas. "Hold on, I'm sensing...I'm sensing you are a control freak."
"I've spent less than minute in his presence and I figured that out old man."
The grin on the older man's face turned even more sarcastic as he looked at me. I just shrugged my shoulders as Atlas plowed on.
"I'm sorry, have I met either of you before?"
"Nope." I said with a pop and a grin.
"It doesn't take a mentalist or a long time to figure that out. You are a control freak." Henley replied.
Henley and Atlas then proceed to have that argument I saw and I moved to stand beside the older man.
"So what's your name." I whisper to him as we watch the two ex-lovebirds argue.
He glances down at me, shakes his head and softly laughs. "Merritt McKinney."
"It's nice to meet you old man." I grinned at his exasperated expression as another young man comes onto the landing. He's staring at Atlas in awe and then goes on about how he's Atlas' "biggest fan". He introduces himself as Jack and then Merritt asks if he received a tarot card.
"Yeah. Death." Jack searches around for it and finally finding it holds it out with a smile.
"The High Priestess." Henley holds her card out for us to see.
"I'm the Lover." Atlas stated proudly.
"Three minutes." Henley coughed and I stifled a laugh, but just ended up snickering.
"Hermit." Merritt said awkwardly.
"I got the Wheel of Fortune. Which is funny cause that's the name of a popular game show. Which I'm actually quite terrible at." I shrug again and Henley and Jack laugh a bit. Atlas just seems annoyed again and Merritt is hiding a smile.
"So, what are we...Are we waiting for someone? Why are we just..." Jack questions as we awkwardly stand around in the deserted hallway looking like a group of idiots.
"The door's locked." Henley and Atlas respond in sync. Creepy.
"Oh, no, nothing's ever locked." Jack said with a smile as he strode over to the door and promptly picked the lock in under ten seconds. Impressive. I'll have to ask him to teach me that.
The apartment is crappier than the building. There is paint peeling off the wall like dead skin after a sunburn. The floorboards creak and crack as we hesitantly make our way inside and through the halls, glancing in the doors off the hallways. Each room looking nastier than the last. It reeks of some unknown stench that is like a combination of dead animal, rotting fruit, and old people. There might even be a few dead rats scattered around the desolate place. I notice several cockroaches scuttle around and there is a suspicious red stain on a floorboard near the window in a living room area. I shudder from the freezing cold and notice how a hint of my breath shows up as white fog.
"What is this place? Ugh!" Henley seems disappointed and slightly creeped out. I'm with her there.
"Oh! Wow. Thought my apartment was nasty." Merritt wrinkles his nose. I look at him in horror and ask if he knows about basic human hygiene. He glares at me and Jack comments on the weird apartment before he can respond.
"Man, it's freezing in here."
"It's like an ice box." I agree as I wrap my arms around myself to conserve as much heat as I can.
"What's that?" Henley questions as we notice a plain white card, a rose, and a glass vase in the middle of the empty living room with a strange symbol carved into the floor.
"I don't know." Atlas responds as he snatches it up and opens it.
"What's it say?" Merritt's deep voice questions from my right as we each explore parts of the room.
"Now you don't." Atlas reads with a questioning tone and a glance at Jack.
"A rose by any other name." Henley quotes, picking up the white rose and plopping it into the waiting vase.
"Would smell as sweet." I finished. "Shakespeare, it's from Romeo and Juliet. I've always disliked that story." Henley and Jack smiled at me while Atlas glared and Merritt continued to look around the bare room without a care in the world.
The water in the vase slowly started seeping out and across the floor to fill the carved symbol and I backed away.
"You guys what's happening?" Jack said with a hint of fear.
"I have no idea, but we're about to find out." I responded.
"Whoa. Look at that." Merritt's eyes widened slightly and we all gathered around the strange symbol.
Once it's filled up the carved symbol seems to disappear as a white gas like substance billows out from it.
"It's gas!" Jack backs away in fear.
"Relax it's just-"
"Dry ice." I finish Merritt's comment. "I used it one time when I told this guy his fortune, it really freaked him out."
"Cool." Henley whispered.
"Wait, what do you think this is all about?"
"Well Atlas if I knew that answer do you think I'd keep it to myself? I'm a fortune teller not an idiot."
"I was just saying what we were all thinking."
"Hang on...hang on." Merritt puts his hand up to his temple and closes his eyes in concentration as we all stare at him in confusion. He makes a face, blows out a puff of air and shakes his head stating that he's "got nothin'." Merritt and Atlas then proceed to have a minor tiff about wisdom, Buddha, Jesus, and miracles.
"Okay lovebirds get a room." Henley states in a frustrated tone.
"Thank you Henley for that wonderful mental image that I will never be able to get rid of." She just smirks at me and the two lovebirds look disgusted while Jack snickers off to the side.
"Danny, be honest. Did you do this?" Henley questions.
"No. Wait, did you?" Atlas looked to Jack.
"I wish. Did you?" Jack glances at me and I shake my head.
"Nope."
"Why didn't anyone ask me if I did it?" Merritt sounded hurt and a little skeptical.
"Did you do it old man?" He huffs but shakes his head.
"Electricity is out." Jack mutters as Atlas flips a light switch several times like one more flick is gonna change the outcome.
"Well let's check."Merritt says and I try and help him out by twisting a light bulb. Key word there is try. I can't seem to reach the bulb and no amount of jumping is gonna change it. Merritt finally takes pity on me and twists it effortlessly himself. I mumble my thanks and he pats my shoulder as several lights seem to come on all at once and a whirring sound starts up all around us. The lights all meet in the middle of the room above the strange symbol and start forming holographic images.
"Blueprints." Henley breaths out in awe.
"These are brilliant." I'm able to whisper as I study them.
"They're incredible." Jack agrees. "Who do you think did this?"
"I don't know, but I really want to meet them." Henley continues in a tone of wonder.
"These must have taken years. Whoever did this is dedicated to their work. I hope we get to meet them."
We continue to study the amazing plans as they twist, turn, disappear, and reappear in front of us.
"It's a show." Henley breathes out.
"Can we really pull this off?" I ask, as a doubt forms in my mind. I don't know these people. How are we gonna work together to accomplish this intricate show? Is it even possible?
"It's going to take work. A lot of work, and planing. But we will do this. We have to do this. It's the eye, what greater opportunity is ever going to come our way?" Atlas responds as he moves to touch the holographic plans.
"I'm in." I say with a smile and a slight feeling of trepidation about my agreement.
"Lets go for it." Jack agrees with his own bright smile.
"I'm so in." Henley says excitedly.
"Why not." Merritt agrees with a sigh.
"What about you Danny?" Henley looks to him.
"You all wouldn't make it past the planning without me."
Thanks for reading guys! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, maybe even by the end of the week.