My side of the expansive office mainly consisted of old boxes stacked up in precarious towers. I attempted to dig through the few boxes within reach that didn't pose a toppling hazard. Most of what I found appeared to be remnants from an old department store. I found clothes hangers, metal baskets, old shirts with yellowed price tags, and a few posters with smiling faces beneath a mane of permed hair so large it could only feel at home in the eighties.

A few times, I had to walk away because the items would shift and send a cloud of potentially deadly spores into my lungs. Other than that though, nothing really jumped out at me. Not a single hint of something even remotely charity related had surfaced and so with a reluctant sigh I called Emily over to my corner of the room where the particularly creepy mannequin kept me company.

"You found something?" asked Emily with a hopeful smile.

"No, did you?"

"I found a rusty nail that possibly gave me tetanus," she said with a grimace and a glance down at her finger. "Other than that, no."

"Your finger, you're just joking around right?"

"Yeah," she said with an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm vaccinated. I think..."

"Well, I think it's time we leave. We're just risking our health staying here. They obviously haven't cleared out this place from the previous holders, much less started any construction for the charity."

"I'm sorry. I hope this wasn't a complete..." Emily's voice dropped with a sharp intake of breath. My ears perked and my body tensed. Something had just creaked. We heard it whining and groaning from the far side of the room. A slow, drawn out cry of metal. The door.

We both looked at each other as the shock of the intrusion upon our quiet hideaway gave way to survival instinct and reason. Someone was coming in.

My body, however, had not quite caught up with the spark of urgency zipping through my mind. I stood frozen, wondering just how badly this could reflect on my career if any charges were pressed. Certainly whoever was entering had to be from Quinto or the charity, at least that's what I figured. But, then, I wondered if perhaps the person that was sneaking through the door was just as welcome there as I was.

My thoughts were cut short when Emily grabbed my hand and yanked me over to a cement pillar which offered enough coverage for both of us to hide behind. With my breath settled and my heart pounding hard enough to pump some energy into my stiffened muscles, I followed Emily's lead and peered over my side of the pillar, hopeful of catching a glimpse of the figure now lurking on the other side of the large room. Unfortunately, the pillar lined right up with another that blocked the majority of the doorway. Not that it particularly mattered since the little I could see of our new guest was completely shadowed by the already shoddy lighting from the hallway. What I could tell was that it was a man and his stance was hesitant, but confident.

"What should we do?" She whispered loud enough to make it the few inches between her mouth and my ear. Despite the low volume, I could still hear the tremble in her words, which mimicked the shaking in her hands.

"He must have seen the door was open and figured someone was in here."

"So why doesn't he call out?"

"Maybe he's scared too," I said with an uncertain bite of my lip and anxious pinching of my brow. I took a breath and pressed up against the pillar as tight as I could. "Or maybe we should be the ones that are scared. I honestly don't know."

"I'm going to go see if I can get a better look." Emily peeled herself from the pillar, looking out over the room for a new, and equally discreet, vantage point.

"I don't know if we should split up. This is a big place, I won't be able to keep track of you in this lighting."

"I'll be fine," she said as she dug through her purse and pulled out her multi-tool. "There's a three inch blade in here. You should consider getting one."

As she flicked the knife out, I made another note not to get on Emily's bad side and that perhaps it was time I invested in a multi-tool for myself.

I eventually gave her a nod and she proceeded to skirt through the shadows with her blade poised and ready in her hand. I, in turn, went back to peering over the edge of my column to see if the man still remained at the door. When I found it vacant, my breath caught tight in my throat and my heart crashed against my ribs, its beat pounding in my ears as I strained to hear his footsteps. And I did hear something, but I couldn't tell if it was Emily or our guest. With a tight chest and burning gut, I leaned farther past the column to see the entrance in full. However, all that greeted me was the stark white glow of the hallway.

I snapped back around the pillar and sent my gaze to where Emily had disappeared. Dark shadows played across the concrete floor and they breathed with the spin of some large ventilation fan that blocked one of the grungy sky lights. I peered past boxes, broken shelving units, and rolling racks, but I couldn't find any shadowy figure whether it be friend or foe.

With my eyes, failing to provide clarity, I returned to my ears for assistance. With a few deep breaths, I calmed the rush of blood coursing through me so that I could concentrate on something other than my own heart beat. Then I heard the churn of air as it bellowed through the broken vent and the fierce autumn wind whistling through the old duct work and whipping against the creaking building. Then, cutting through those gusty moans, were slow, heavy footsteps drawing up from somewhere behind me.

I spun around, both frightened by what I might find and by the thought of leaving my back exposed. However, upon turning I found the sound reverberating from where I had originally faced. Again I spun around and again the noise moved. I spun and spun, the echo in the cold, cement room torturing my mind with its ventriloquism.

Then, I spotted him.

Slender and tall, he stood in a shadow, his face dark and hidden. He had a hunch and his body hung limp beneath the haunting slouch of his back. I felt him watching me from the tops of his glassy eyes and I stood stock still beneath the penetrating gaze, certain he may lunge if I did so much as breathe.

A quiet scream threatened to snap my ribs as it pressed against my lungs and throbbed in the beat of my heart. A little cry made it past my lips and I managed to take one shaking step away from the stranger. At the sound of my frightened retreat, a sudden rush of footsteps broke the heavy silence in the room. Emily must have been on her way, but I feared she may be too late. The thin, pale man just continued to watch me squirm. I thought he might be laughing at me when a hand fell hard upon my shoulder.

I screamed.

It was not the small hand of Emily. The fingers were thick and strong. Two men must have entered. One watched on with a sick smile while his friend captured me in my stunned state. Fortunately, I may not have had the foresight to keep something like Emily's multi-tool around, but I did have enough sense to take a self-defense class back in college. Despite the years since then, instinct kicked in and my body recalled moves I thought I had long forgotten.

My feet slid out to form a sturdy stance, my knees and waist bent while my hands grabbed on to my assailant's wrist. I yanked the wrist forward, turning my body in as my hips pushed back. The force threw him off his balance and sent him up onto my back. The momentum of my turn then pulled him right over my shoulder and threw him on to the floor. A wicked crack of bone and a yelp of pain cut through the tense silence and suddenly my lungs found air. However, that moment only lasted a second. The raging rush of adrenaline and the victorious glee pulsing through me extinguished in an instant once I saw my assailant's face.

"A-Alec...?" The name took awhile to break past my trembling lips as I looked down at the man who was both my boss and my crush. He propped himself up on his elbow while his opposite hand hung limp before him. My stomach churned and acid rose to burn my throat, when I saw the wince of pain in his face as he moved.

"I'm here, I'll get him!" cried Emily as she emerged from the darkness with blade in hand. However, she too came to a screeching halt when she saw just who was lying on the floor. She went stiff as a board and the knife fell to the ground with a sharp clang.

"Are we fired?" whimpered Emi.

"Not that I know of," replied Alec with a warm laugh shaken with pain.

Emily took a deep breath and picked up the blade, which she closed with a quick snap and shoved unceremoniously back into her purse. As for me, I simply kept my hands busy, wringing them together in order to fight off the tremble. Nerves shook beneath my skin, but my voice, at least, came out steady once I managed to direct myself to Alec.

"What are you doing here? And who is with you?"

I couldn't forget the shadowy figure leering at me. I looked over to where the other man continued to stand still and silent the entire time Alec lay on the floor before us. However, with fear no longer clouding my vision and altering my perceptions, I had enough clarity to see that the other man was in fact the same lone mannequin that had always been in that back corner with me.

Alec had a moment of confusion cross his face and turned to follow my gaze. Based on the snicker I heard Emily poorly suppress, she too looked to where I was staring and deduced what had just happened. Fortunately, Alec turned back with a smile and even chose not to mention the already embarrassing truth.

"I could ask you the same thing. The door was locked last I checked."

"I did it," piped in Emily with a terrified squeak. "It's my fault. I'll pay for it. Please don't fire me."

Alec laughed and Emily's body noticeably slumped with relief. However, my body wasn't ready to relax.

"I appreciate your honesty," said Alec, "but that doesn't quite answer my question."

I felt Emily's eyes turn to me, searching for a way out, but I kept my gaze on Alec. He too didn't seem to look to Emily for an answer. He just peered at me from behind his slightly askew glasses. Anger, judgment, frustration, nothing sat behind his brown eyes other than curiosity.

"We wanted to find out more about the charity," I answered, not knowing anything to give other than the truth.

"Well, I can't fault you for wanting to be thorough in your job. I just wish you had trusted me instead of committing a felony."

"You're pressing charges!" Emily's breath came sharp and quick, but Alec's light laugh kept her from fainting right then and there.

"It's a joke Emily," he said with a warm smile. "At least half of it is a joke. I am disappointed that you resorted to this, but I won't be seeking any legal recourse if you make sure a locksmith gets out here to fix it before Monday."

Emily didn't wait for further instruction. She gave him a nod and stepped away as she pulled out her phone.

"We are sorry," I said, my shoulders, sore from the exertion of the toss and the weight of stress, falling into a remorseful hunch. "We really did just get a little too invested. I think our determination came from just how many walls we hit on the way here."

"I wasn't one of them, was I?" He tried to reposition himself, but he fell back down as a wince of pain contorted his face.

"And I'm sorry about that too," I said, falling to my knees and offering my hand if he needed the support to get himself in a better position.

"You thought you needed to protect yourself and looks like you knew how to. And apparently Emily can too. At least I can rest comfortably knowing you two would have been safe if it had been anyone other than me that showed up. Well, unless it was a mannequin, then you may have been in trouble."

Despite the guilt coursing through my body, I couldn't help but laugh. His smile brightened as the stress melted away from my face and allowed a grin to take hold. However, his returning laughter only caused him to wince more and a small groan curled in his throat.

"We should get you to a hospital," I said, pulling myself up and turning my eyes to where I last saw Emily. "I'll grab Emi and then we can get you out of here."

***

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