the blue door

by McKenna Robison

With each new dark, abandoned hallway my fear grew. Cobwebs covered every inch, dirt and leaves were caked into the floor, and rats scurried by my feet. The only light came from an occasional flickering lightbulb or through cracks in the broken windows. The house was a maze. So many hallways and every once in a while, there were stairs. It was never ending. I didn’t know which way to go; I could only hope my gut was leading me to the exit.

My mother’s voice echoed in my head. “There’s a reason why those places are abandoned. You’re just asking for trouble.”

Okay, so, maybe she was right for once. Gage and I had been exploring abandoned buildings, mostly houses, for years now. I enjoyed seeing remnants of a previous life, of what once was, and Gage joined me for the thrill of breaking and entering. I had never gone alone before, but I just couldn’t wait for Gage this time. He should’ve been here by now, unless he was lost. Typical. 

I’m not easy to spook. Creepy, possibly haunted old houses that creak and groan? Not a problem. I laugh when I visit haunted houses or corn mazes during the fall. That stuff never bothered me. But right now? I’m so scared that I can scarcely breathe. It wasn’t the rats or the scattered bits of trash that told me that this house was popular with squatters and the homeless. No, it was the fact that this was not somebody’s home. There wasn’t a single piece of evidence that a family used to live here. No furniture or decor anywhere; it was just empty. Devoid of anything meaningful.

At the end of what seemed like the twentieth hallway, was a short staircase going down to a door at the bottom. Up until this point, I had refused to go through any doors. I really did not want to face whatever was in there without Gage, plus I just wanted to leave. Going down wasn’t going to lead to an exit, I knew that, yet I didn’t know what else to do. I had gotten myself all turned around in here, maybe that was the exit. It made sense. This was a strange, unconventional place, so why wouldn’t the exit be down there?

So, down I went. Leaves crunched under my feet and the stairs squeaked quietly under my weight. My hand gripped the cold and grimy doorknob and twisted; the door opened smoothly. Like it was a well-loved door. At first glance, this hallway was much like the others except the signs of life were much more obvious. Wrappers, water bottles, sunglasses, shoes, and random pieces of clothing were everywhere. There were a couple of piles of moldy food, flies buzzed on it, and the rats were strangely nowhere to be found. I saw long strips of tattered cloth that could’ve been parts of a blanket. It reeked of feces which most definitely did not come from any rat. Tears threatened to spill, and my heart was already thundering in distress which nearly exploded when I saw the huddled masses of shadows lining the walls.

People. There were people here. My feet unwillingly carried me closer until I could see them better. They stared at me with fearful eyes. They looked starved, they had missing clumps of dirty hair, scabs covered their skin where dirt didn’t. There had to be twenty or so of them, all seemingly stuck in this one hallway, gathered in large huddles. What happened to them? Why are they here like this? Why am I here?

“What the hell...” My voice was barely audible.

Each person’s eyes widened even more. One woman with matted hair raised her finger to her lips to shush me. “Hush, now. Don't let them hear you.”

“What are you talking about? Who? The people in here?” I whispered, then glanced to each side, fully aware that these people were listening to every word. I mean, she was literally sitting in the middle of them.

The woman ignored me. “You must go now. Escape from here before they catch you.”

“Did you think I was wandering around here for fun?”

The woman shook her head sadly. “We all were once.” Then, in a stern whisper she said, “Go now. Look for a blue door; that’s the exit. But if you see men in lab coats...”

“What about you guys?” I couldn’t leave them in this hell hole.

She smiled softly. “Don’t worry about us.”

I nodded. I didn’t want to leave them, but it’s clear that if they could have left, they would have. I promised myself that if I escaped, I would come back for them. If.

I went back up the stairs and retraced my steps. I hoped to go through a different hallway that might lead me to the blue door. My heart was pounding, and my limbs were loose and shaky from nerves, but my mind was clear with adrenaline. After a couple of minutes of searching, I found a new route which looked slightly cleaner than the others. This had to lead to the exit! Suddenly, I heard a sound other than rats. It was the sound of heavy footsteps and the deep murmuring of men. Fear clouded my senses, and I bolted down the hallway. I curved with it, almost running blind. The men were chasing me, their steps pounded behind me.

Then I saw it, the blue door, highlighted by the sun coming through the glass panels. I stumbled at the sight and fell to my knees. Immediately, I felt a pinching sensation. My vision began to blur and all I could see was the white of lab coats and gleaming glasses. Familiar arms lifted me up, and I smiled when I caught a glimpse of who it was. I would recognize that smirk anywhere. Gage had come to rescue me.

Photo of McKenna Robison

BIO: McKenna Robison is a recent graduate from the Creative Writing program at Missouri State University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, taking walks with her dog and volunteering at her local zoo.