HAUNTED

Chapter Three

Now...

Adam turned around and settled himself against the door, banging the back of his head on the wood in frustration.

This was so stupid.

He knew who he was. He knew where he worked. A vivid, frowning picture of his boss popped into his mind, as clear as day. No problem there, then. But when he tried to reach for something more recent, the memories slipped away from him into the darkness like a fluttering cloud of moths, unseen and elusive.

The darkness.

Lifting his hand in front of his face, he found that his vision was starting to adjust. Pale grey fingers loomed before him. Adam wiggled them in relief, and sighed out loud.

"So - what do I do now?" he asked himself, by way of a conversation starter. "I can't get out. That much is clear. And I can't hear anyone on the other side." As if to prove his point, he pressed his ear against the door. Nope. Nothing. "See what I mean?" he grumbled.

A tickle rose in his throat and he gave a spluttering cough that threatened to choke him. Too dusty, he thought. I wish I had some water.

That was when it finally hit him. The awful truth of his predicament. Logic rose up and taunted him with facts he really didn't want to face.

"The rule of threes," he muttered dismally.

Three minutes without air. But that was okay. The room didn't seem to be airtight.

Three hours without shelter. "Well, I'm dry," he said. "And warm." Small mercies - but Adam clung to the positive thought. Right now, it was the only one he had.

Three days without water. That was a frightening problem.

Three weeks without food. If he didn't get a drink, he guessed that issue would be pretty obselete.

"What if they don't come back...?" he whispered.

Whoever 'they' were...

And still, however hard he tried, Adam could not remember.

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Then...

"What's that?" asked Danny, passing by his locker.

"Oh. Er... nothing," said Adam, stuffing the little figure back in his pocket.

"You playin' with dolls now, Ross?" his colleague demanded, sidling up to the lab tech like a wolf in a fairy tale.

Workplace humour. Adam was still trying to get the hang of it. Danny, of course, was a master. Push a little, grin a little. Adam knew he could never get away with such an outrageous style. Any jokes he made just seemed to fall flat. People made that face - the one that was always coupled with a silent exclamation. He could read it in their eyes. Oh, Adam.

Maybe he'll give me some lessons. Adam sighed inwardly, just as Lindsay walked through the door.

Lindsay. Now there was a weakness, if ever Danny had one. Even the socially stunted lab rat could see it. His friend was besotted.

"Montana!"

Danny cranked his humour up a notch. Adam hovered quietly behind him, taking mental notes - until he discovered the joke was still on him.

"You play with dolls when you were a kid?" asked Danny innocently, moving closer to Lindsay as she dumped her bag on the bench.

"Not really." Where is this going? said the look in her eyes. "I was more of an outdoor girl. Why? Did you?" Turning around, she caught sight of Adam's sheepish expression. "What's the matter, Adam?"

"Hm..? Oh, nothing." He spun away and hid behind the open locker door. He knew that his cheeks were crimson.

"What did you do to him, Messer?" the woman demanded.

"Who, me?" Somehow, Danny managed the impossible - a smirk that was contrite.

"Adam," she said with a frown. "Come here."

Always obedient, he shuffled round to join them.

"Now. What's going on?" she asked, her head moving slowly from one man to the other.

Danny shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, the game wasn't fun any more. He hadn't meant to cause the lab rat any real distress.

Adam sat down on the bench. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he brought out the doll. Lindsay gazed at it curiously.

"Danny saw this," he told her. His voice was subdued and he kept his eyes averted. "He was asking me about it. That's all. Don't be mad, Lindsay."

"I'm not mad." She shook her head and sat down beside him. "But sometimes, Danny doesn't know when to stop." Holding out her hand, she nudged him gently with her shoulder. "Can I see it?"

Shyly, the lab tech dropped it into her palm. Lindsay turned it round and round, exclaiming with delight. "Adam, that's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. Where did you get it?"

Adam lifted his eyes. "It belonged to my sister."

"Your sister?" Danny leaned in for a closer look. "I didn't know you had one."

"If I had a sister, I probably wouldn't tell you either," countered Lindsay.

"Hey now, Montana - that's not fair."

The lab tech listened to them knock the conversation back and forth with easy strokes. The doll was still in Lindsay's possession. She fingered it unconsciously as she spoke. Part of him - the hidden part, deep down - wanted to snatch it away from her. It's mine, he thought. My memory.

So why was he willing to part with it for a child?

Sensing his discomfort, Lindsay turned back to Adam. "Here," she said, pressing the tiny figure into his hand.

"Okay - thanks."

But the woman hadn't finished. She could see in his eyes that there was something more.

"Why do you have it with you? If I'm prying, Adam, you don't have to tell me," she added, quickly.

And he couldn't. Why had he slipped it into his pocket at all? Carried it around all day? Even taken it out of its box in the first place?

"It's a gift." The lab rat shrugged. "For a friend. I'm going to see her now." To look for her, anyway. Stupid, Adam. You'll probably never see the child again.

And Alice is gone.

"Lucky friend," said Danny, trying to make amends.

"She's just a kid, you know? I thought that someone else should get to play with it. That's all."

Standing up, Adam slammed his locker shut and grabbed his bag.

Lindsay glared at Danny, urging him to make another move.

"Hey - buddy?" he ventured. "Sorry for being a jerk." Lindsay shoved him, as if to say, 'Is that the best you've got?' Danny shoved back, and chuckled.

"That's okay," breathed Adam, flashing them both a sudden smile. "You can't help it." He slipped out of the locker room abruptly, leaving two stunned faces in his wake.

Danny grinned. "He's learning."

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A/N: The Rule of Threes is mentioned in CSI (and if anyone can name the episode, I'll be very impressed) but I also looked it up (hooray for Google) and it is a real survival 'rule'. Although the water part is actually three to five days. How long will Adam have to last without it? Mwahahahaha...

Also: There's a line in the show which indicates that Adam has a sister (present tense). I like to stick with canon, so I'll not be ignoring that. (And if you can name that episode, then you're brilliant...)