The Last Winter

Saturday: When You're Alone (20)

Maggie
wwwwwwwww

People are strange...

My blood turns to ice as the faint sing-song voice drifts down the corridor behind me.

When you're a stranger,
Faces look ugly when you're alone...

I grab the door handle and rattle it desperately, shaking the frame in doing so. As before, it doesn't budge.

Women seem wicked when you're unwanted...

I grit my teeth and spin around, spotting the silhouette of an open doorway in the hall ahead. Dull light emanates from somewhere within, flicking shadows against the wall.

Do I really have that much of a choice on what happens next?

When you're strange,
Faces come out of the rain...

My heart is beating faster and faster, and I find myself holding my breath as I inch closer and closer to the ominous haze in the hall.

When you're strange,
No one remembers your name...

I peer cautiously into the doorway--a set of narrow stairs lead to a second level above. The song grows louder as I ascend.

When you're strange,
When you're strange,
When you're strange...

The old floorboards creak under my quiet feet. I find the source of the song: screaming speakers mounted high on the walls of the second level--a wide hallway consisting of several rooms.

The hall isn't empty.

People are strange when you're a stranger...

An angry red line has been painted on the cracked floorboards by a can of spray paint, creating a path that leads farther down the hall. It's blatantly obvious where I am meant to go.

Faces look ugly when you're alone...

I clench my fists, proceeding with caution. This is a nightmare. This kind of stuff is only supposed to happen in a really bad horror movie. Am I stupid to follow the red arrow? There has got to be another way out.

Women seem wicked when you're unwanted,
Streets are uneven when you're down...

I reach the end. Two other halls branch out from either side of the designated room. I face a single closed door with a slim sign that reads OBSERVATION ROOM 103. I have a real bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

When you're strange,
Faces come out of the rain...

I curl my fingers around the cold knob, but then I relax my grip. What am I doing? This is exactly what the bastard wants.

When you're strange,
No one remembers your name...

Screw it. I bite my lip and clench the handle. It clicks under the weight. The door swings outward without hesitation. The room inside is swamped with shadow. The opposite end is occupied by a wall of windows.

"HELLO?" I call out, practically screaming to be heard over the blaring speakers.

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE...

I take a cautious step forward. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this stupid red arrow on the floor means nothing.

"W-WHAT DO YOU WANT?" I shout.

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE,
FACES COME OUT OF THE RAIN...

Old, yellow lights pop on inside the room, triggered by my motion. I didn't even know this abandoned place still had power. How is that possible? Unless...unless someone must be using a backup generator of some sort.