Secrets of Suburbia

Secrets of Suburbia: Chapter One, Part One

Author's Note:

Each chapter will likely contain 2-6 parts. In the beginning, they will likely be shorter and slowly paced as I set the story up. I hope that you'll still take the time to keep reading!

~peculiar_prose

•Chapter One•

-Steel Paradise-

Brandon sat on the edge of a steel beam; he enjoyed the view from hundreds of feet in the air. The air wasn't quite as sour in the high altitude, the smog seeming to settle to the ground below. It was as close to an escape that he could find that nobody else knew about. Well, as far as he had been able to tell. He had been enjoying the view from his high perch for months, up on this abandoned structure.

The sun was setting, the sky gradually getting darker, and he knew he'd soon have to begin us descent back down to the ground below him. He let out an exasperated sigh, hearing the loud creak in the old, rusting metal as he swung himself over the edge and into where he had come from.

The inside of the old skyscraper was deteriorating, but that was what made it all the more interesting. The contrast of the green ivy growing up every wall and window against the yellowing sky outside gave a soft glow to the silvery interior. It was almost comforting, calming. Brandon took in his surroundings one more time before descending down a dusty flight of stairs. He'd never even attempted the elevator; why would electricity run to there, anyways? He ran his hand along the cool sheet metal walls, the bumps and nails being an all-too-familiar texture. He hummed to himself as he continued his long descent.

He suddenly felt an unfamiliar shape behind a patch of ivy growing up the walls, one that he had not felt before. He stopped, moving aside the small vines to reveal a small door. Ever the curious one, Brandon was oddly fascinated with the tiny entrance. He looked long and hard for some sign of a knob, a handle, anything to open the mysterious door. He came upon a latch on the left side, cautiously turning it until the door swung open with a moan, a sound made often by things infrequently opened. He felt a chill roll down his spine, even though it was mid-summer; a cool draft spilled from the room on the opposite side. He had the sudden feeling that he shouldn't enter there, that he should close the door and leave, but he was drawn to it. Against his better judgement, he didn't leave. He hoisted himself up, swinging one leg up and then the other through the just-big-enough opening.

He closed the door slowly behind him, hearing it click in place, and stood up. His eyes searched the large area, realizing that it was just storage after seeing all of the boxes of papers and extra chairs, desks, etcetera. It was the same as the rest of the building; same lighting, same ivy, same shattered windows, everything. He decided to look around a bit more, walking cautiously in case of a loose nail or missing floorboard. He steered clear of a pile of wet, dead leaves, for fear of there being a hole underneath where they may have rotted or rusted through. He stopped in his footsteps when a sudden creaking and shuffling came from across the room. Thinking that it may just be an animal, he walked towards the sound, a rustling from an ivy-covered wall. As he approached, headlining that it was just a mouse, he moved apart the vines, only to be deeply, deeply shocked.