Chapter 2 Caught

CASSANDRA “And if the timing is right to sneak off into the night, I’ll let myself be taken just for the thrill.” ~*~ After the shooting, the building was deserted, if ever there was a time to investigate it was now. There were rumors of a secret ‘s*x room’ but of course, the administrative crew denied this. I walked around slowly, crouching slightly. I covered my mouth, remembering the polite, but annoying cashier that I’d spoken to earlier, I was careful as I stepped over his body. What was I doing? This was easily the most insane thing I’d ever done in my life, if I got caught in here it would be the end, I mean just look at this place! If these people were willing to go to some extreme lengths here and kill the poor innocents involved, what would be done to the person mobbing around? Every part of my brain told me to just get out, hide, pretend I was just a bystander who’d been knocked out, and go to the police now, but some, handicapped section of my brain kept me going. I realized I probably looked stupid slowly tipping objects hoping to activate some sort of trap door or something. It occurred to me I never actually considered what I would do if I had found the place I was looking for. I couldn’t just waltz in, could I? I was willing to bet that it would have been abandoned with the shooting as well, but the stakes were pretty high. If I was wrong, then I was betting my life here. I went from room to room, slowly, moving things, pulling out things, knocking slightly on walls. I was finally about to give up when I jumped. I threw my hand over my heart and exhaled loudly as the sight of my reflection in a large mirror had given me the largest fright of my life. I shook my head at my skittishness. I leaned closer to the mirror. “Could it be…?” I muttered softly to myself. Leaning closer still I could see it for sure! The mirror was a two-way! There was another room hidden behind it! But how could I get through? It was bulletproof, so breaking it wasn’t an option, I could only hope to find the entrance because obviously, it wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe even a trap door perhaps? I walked around the room even slower this time now paying attention bro the sound of my feet on the floor as well, listening for a change in the sound. I heard a loud clank and quickly darted behind a counter and ducked low. A man emerged from the wall beside the mirror. His height was nothing to be impressed with and I could tell he was Italian by the tan, the dark thick hair, and the nose. He straightened his suit, took a long drag of the cigar in his mouth, and took two long looks back and forth across the room. “Tsk tsk tsk.” He muttered as he walked a few steps and stepped in front of the cashier’s still body, nudged it with his foot, and then continued on his way as the wall behind him closed itself. If I didn’t know otherwise, I would have written it off as just a panic room. I saw where he had come from was built into the wall, and watching him walk out of it looked like it was just a small metal room, but I knew it would have some sort of way around. Once he was out of the building, I waited a few moments before I tiptoed to the mirror. I looked around at the wall and felt a small lump under the paint, pushing on it, the door opened with a loud hissing noise. I jumped into the box and shut it behind me. It was small, had it not been for the small light of my phone it would have been pitch black. I quickly turned the flash on it and began investigating the panic room for any sort of lump, a loose nail, anything. Finally, I caught a finger off of a loose nail, cutting my skin in the process. I gave it a hard push and took a step backward as another door opened. Genius. Absolute genius! I followed the small walkway, it was going down and lit dimly. I didn’t hear any noises. Confident in the vacancy, I hurried down, down the stairs, down another path, and finally I saw a low light up ahead, and a cracked door. I slowed my pace and itched my way to the door and peered into the crack. Another room. I stepped into the room now. It was a long room with several winding exits and sheer curtains hanging in different places, the floor was soft to touch, feeling like a foam mattress under me. The room smelled sweet and was a light pastel pink with rose petals across the floor. I had to get this, I had to freaking get this. I walked around extra slowly, making sure to capture every detail, from the low-lit red lights on the ceiling to the carefully scattered rose petals on the floor. When I got to the first archway I stopped and stepped backward quickly. ‘Sh*t. Sh*t. Sh*t.’ There was a couple in the room beside me, I was quick to move to not be seen, but from what I gathered, his head seemed to be in between her naked legs. I but my lips, if I caught that on video I would have all the proof in the world, and I mean, it’s not like they were paying attention to their surroundings at this point. I took a deep breath, the sane part of my brain, the part that had been screaming for me to get out of there in the first place seemed to be getting smaller and quieter the further I got. I held my breath as I leaned over the corner. Her head was back, if her eyes were opened she would be looking directly at me, but they were closed and her hand was at the top of his head. She panted, and moaned loudly, hips bucking. I felt intrusive here, even though they were aware of my presence. “What are you doing?” I must have jumped thirty feet, right out of my skin, through the roof, and back down again. Turning around again, a tall lanky man was standing before me, his trousers were up and his jacket on but his shirt hung crinkled and unbuttoned under it.