Chapter Two 'the Library'
I awake to see Eric crouched in the broken window, watching the street below. I sit up and stretch, "What time is it?"
"Seven, maybe seven fifteen." I stand up, "Good. The Library will be open for another hour or so. Thank you. Maybe I'll see you around."
He unfolds gracefully from his crouch, "I'm coming with you."
"We're even Eric. You don't owe me anything." He nods, "I know." I run my fingers through my hair, making it look-so I've been told-like I styled it with an eggbeater, "Then why?"
"While you were asleep, the crow came back. She landed on your chest, leaned forward then spread her wings and tail." I put my hand absent-mindedly to my chest, "That explains the dream."
"What dream?"
"For the past few days I've had the same dream, I find Jerome, but before I can attack, something pulls me away backwards. But this time, a crow held onto me and fought the pull. Apparently the Fates are conspiring to tell us to play nice. Let's go"
When we get to the Library the purple-haired girl behind the information desk doesn't look up from the thick leather-bound book that she's studying, "We close in an hour." She looks up at us through her plush framed glasses, "Oh, hey Lyn."
"Hey Alice. Found anything new for me?" She stands up and lifts the counter flap, "C'mon back. Who's your friend?"
"Oh, sorry, Alice this is Eric, Eric, Alice." They shake hands. Alice slides her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and studies Eric intently, "So what are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you a Vampire? A Werewolf? A Demon of some sort?"
"I'm a Crow Spirit." Alice's eyes widen and her eyebrows raise, "Wow. I thought they were extinct."
"How could you tell?"
"I'm a Librarian. It's my job. You tell me the distinguishing features and I'll tell you the Ghoul."
She unrolls a map across the counter, "Alright Lyn, this is a chart of all the basements and subbasements in a ten mile radius." I look the map over, "Not as many as I would've thought."
Alice unrolls another map next to it, "This is all the subway tunnels and stations for the same area." Eric looks back and forth between the maps, "What is it we're looking for exactly?"
"Sunlight affects Jerome the same way it affects me. So his hideout will either be subterranean, like mine, or well protected like most of our kind's are."
Alice lifts the basement map and lays it on top of the subway map, "Now, do you see anything interesting?" Both Eric and I look at the maps, Eric points out, "The Carmichael Building's second subbasement is right above a blocked off subway station."
Alice grins, "Bingo Birdboy, and there's an elevator shaft from one to the other." She unrolls another sheet, "These are the blueprints of the Carmichael Building. As you can see, that elevator only opens on the roof, the top three floors, the second subbasement and the station.. Now here's what I found really interesting. That station was built in 1952, and boarded up a year later because it was, air quotes, 'haunted.' The Carmichael Building was finished in 1963."
"With an elevator that opened into a subway station abandoned a decade earlier." Eric says, stating the obvious. I sigh, "Alright Alice, I know you, you wouldn't've stopped digging there. What else did you turn up?" Alice grins, sliding her glasses up again, "Lucinda Carmichael was the first Librarian, and the Carmichael Building was her Library. About twenty five years ago the doors were locked, and as far as anyone knows, they haven't been unlocked since."
"Subterranean and well protected, it's at least worth a look. You coming Eric?"
"I go where the Crow sends me, and she's made it pretty clear that I'm supposed to stick with you."
"Alice? You don't have to come. It could get ugly."
"I'm not missing a chance to see the first Library, no matter how ugly it could get. Besides, I've got a Vampire, a Crow and seven years of study to back me up."
"You might want an actual weapon, just in case Eric and I are incapacitated in some way." Alice reaches under the counter and pulls out a revolver, "Ten rounds, silver tipped with rowan wood that was soaked in holy water for seven days. Each one, and the gun, thrice blessed. Once by Father O'Grady, once by Rabbi Simcha, and once by the Sisters of the Silverholly coven. I've also got a few other trinkets hidden about my person. Let's get the hell out of Dodge already."
I awake to see Eric crouched in the broken window, watching the street below. I sit up and stretch, "What time is it?"
"Seven, maybe seven fifteen." I stand up, "Good. The Library will be open for another hour or so. Thank you. Maybe I'll see you around."
He unfolds gracefully from his crouch, "I'm coming with you."
"We're even Eric. You don't owe me anything." He nods, "I know." I run my fingers through my hair, making it look-so I've been told-like I styled it with an eggbeater, "Then why?"
"While you were asleep, the crow came back. She landed on your chest, leaned forward then spread her wings and tail." I put my hand absent-mindedly to my chest, "That explains the dream."
"What dream?"
"For the past few days I've had the same dream, I find Jerome, but before I can attack, something pulls me away backwards. But this time, a crow held onto me and fought the pull. Apparently the Fates are conspiring to tell us to play nice. Let's go"
When we get to the Library the purple-haired girl behind the information desk doesn't look up from the thick leather-bound book that she's studying, "We close in an hour." She looks up at us through her plush framed glasses, "Oh, hey Lyn."
"Hey Alice. Found anything new for me?" She stands up and lifts the counter flap, "C'mon back. Who's your friend?"
"Oh, sorry, Alice this is Eric, Eric, Alice." They shake hands. Alice slides her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and studies Eric intently, "So what are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you a Vampire? A Werewolf? A Demon of some sort?"
"I'm a Crow Spirit." Alice's eyes widen and her eyebrows raise, "Wow. I thought they were extinct."
"How could you tell?"
"I'm a Librarian. It's my job. You tell me the distinguishing features and I'll tell you the Ghoul."
She unrolls a map across the counter, "Alright Lyn, this is a chart of all the basements and subbasements in a ten mile radius." I look the map over, "Not as many as I would've thought."
Alice unrolls another map next to it, "This is all the subway tunnels and stations for the same area." Eric looks back and forth between the maps, "What is it we're looking for exactly?"
"Sunlight affects Jerome the same way it affects me. So his hideout will either be subterranean, like mine, or well protected like most of our kind's are."
Alice lifts the basement map and lays it on top of the subway map, "Now, do you see anything interesting?" Both Eric and I look at the maps, Eric points out, "The Carmichael Building's second subbasement is right above a blocked off subway station."
Alice grins, "Bingo Birdboy, and there's an elevator shaft from one to the other." She unrolls another sheet, "These are the blueprints of the Carmichael Building. As you can see, that elevator only opens on the roof, the top three floors, the second subbasement and the station.. Now here's what I found really interesting. That station was built in 1952, and boarded up a year later because it was, air quotes, 'haunted.' The Carmichael Building was finished in 1963."
"With an elevator that opened into a subway station abandoned a decade earlier." Eric says, stating the obvious. I sigh, "Alright Alice, I know you, you wouldn't've stopped digging there. What else did you turn up?" Alice grins, sliding her glasses up again, "Lucinda Carmichael was the first Librarian, and the Carmichael Building was her Library. About twenty five years ago the doors were locked, and as far as anyone knows, they haven't been unlocked since."
"Subterranean and well protected, it's at least worth a look. You coming Eric?"
"I go where the Crow sends me, and she's made it pretty clear that I'm supposed to stick with you."
"Alice? You don't have to come. It could get ugly."
"I'm not missing a chance to see the first Library, no matter how ugly it could get. Besides, I've got a Vampire, a Crow and seven years of study to back me up."
"You might want an actual weapon, just in case Eric and I are incapacitated in some way." Alice reaches under the counter and pulls out a revolver, "Ten rounds, silver tipped with rowan wood that was soaked in holy water for seven days. Each one, and the gun, thrice blessed. Once by Father O'Grady, once by Rabbi Simcha, and once by the Sisters of the Silverholly coven. I've also got a few other trinkets hidden about my person. Let's get the hell out of Dodge already."