D.109.11

Short story time, not sure how good this one is:

225: Use these words in your story: doctor, roll of film, stairwell, telephone.

The streets of the city were empty in the late night. The power grid was failing on west side of the river and as the rain poured down it sizzled the scorched roads and created an eerie mist.

"What are we going to do Doc?" a young girl asked the dark man crouched beside her.

"I don't know Rozzi," he whispered. "But I'll protect you."

"I know." She smiled at him, hugged an old stuffed animal rabbit and looked around the empty street. The awning above them was the only one still intact among the ramshackle buildings and it proved scant protection from the cold, bitter rain.

Doc pulled off his leather jacket and wrapped it around Rozzi's small body. "Come on, we'll sleep in the old hotel up the street. We'll talk to the police tomorrow."

"I don't like it there," Rozzi whispered frantically. "I hear voices in there."

"It's probably just some Hiders, like us."

Rozzi shook her head. "No," she sighed as Doc held her hand and led her to the old abandoned hotel. "It's not."

Doc circled the building looking for an easy entrance. The police came by every day searching for Hiders and sealing the building up again.

"Let's find another place to hide Doc, please?" Rozzi begged as she pulled on his belt loop.

"It's warm and dry in there Rozzi, I can keep you safe in there."

"You can keep me safe anywhere," she whined.

Doc glanced down at her and shook his head. He crouched down and started pulling the bottom boards off a basement window. He crawled in first, pulling a small flashlight from his pocket and surveyed the room before reaching back for Rozzi and pulling the reluctant little girl in.

"I have a bad feeling." Rozzi whimpered.

"There's no one here," Doc said. "All the boards are intact and the police chase everyone out of here in the mornings remember? We're alone in here." He said and pulled the boards back up to the window to cover their entrance. "Plus," he continued. "They gutted this building a long time ago. Nothing now but the carpets and walls."

Rozzi shivered and grabbed Doc's pant leg as he walked to the basement door. They entered the lobby and again Doc surveyed the area with his flashlight.

"It doesn't smell old anymore." Rozzi whispered.

"Someone must have come in and cleaned it." Doc shrugged and headed down the hall towards the stairs.

"Where're you going?" Rozzi asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Upstairs, I want to be able to look out the window and keep watch."

"You can keep watch down here."

"Then stay here if you like," Doc smiled, knowing full well she'd never let him out of her sight if it could be at all helped. She scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue. "I'll be up on the fifth floor." He walked on and it wasn't a moment until he felt her hand grabbing his pant leg again.

"You're mean." She mumbled and he just smiled.

The stairs were at the end of each hallway. The rooms of the once grand hotel were now barren, all the doors removed and all the windows on the first, second and third floor were boarded over. Each room they passed Doc quickly stuck his head in and looked around.

"I thought you said we were alone," Rozzi said after he checked the tenth room.

"We are," he confirmed.

"Then why do you check every room?"

"Before you go to sleep why do you open your eyes one more time?" he asked back.

Rozzi shrugged, not understanding his question.

"I check," he explained. "Because even though I know we are alone in here, I'd rather be doubly sure then to have something surprise me."

They got to the stairs and were just about to head up when a sharp trill of a telephone pierced the silence.

"Like that?" Rozzi's voice trembled.

"Yeah sweetie," Doc looked up the twisted stairwell where orange light seeped in through un-boarded windows above the third floor. "Like that."

The phone rang again and again as Doc and Rozzi remained fixed at statues at the bottom the stairwell.

"You'd think it would have gone to voicemail by now," Doc said. "Come on."

"No," Rozzi pleaded. "Let's go, please Doc? Let's get out of here."

Doc shook his head and started up the stairs. He heard Rozzi whine but soon felt her hand slip into his and they headed up towards the sound of the telephone.

"There's no power here," Doc said as they got closer. "Of course old wall phones drew power from the telephone lines. I helped pull all the wire out of this building, there shouldn't be any wiring."

"There shouldn't a phone ringing in the middle of the night either." Rozzi pointed out.

Doc took a deep breath as they reached the fifth floor and looked down the hallway. There on a tall, slender, elegant stand rested an old candlestick telephone straight from the 1920's.

"Don't answer it." Rozzi said sternly as they approached the still ringing telephone.

"Rozzi, no one knows we are here." He reached for the phone.

"Please Doc, let's go, let's get out of here before it's too late."

Doc hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the old receiver. "No matter what happens Rozzi, I will protect you."

Rozzi nodded but said nothing and watched as he lifted the receiver to his ear.

There was a moment of silence before a deep, thick voice spoke.

"I know what you have on that roll of film Doctor."

Doc stopped breathing, his eyes darting to the jacket that was still draped over Rozzi.

"And before the night is out," the voice threatened. "I will find you and I will kill you and your little lapdog." The voice was replaced with the sound of ticking.

Doc dropped the receiver, scooped Rozzi into his arms and ran for their lives.

 

**** ****

            Today was a nice day, I walked outside and the wind was blowing in from the west, the humidity put the perfect amount of thickness to the air which had a slight cool nip to it. It was perfect.

            I found the keys I lost, they were in bossman's office, I knew I didn't lose them! And …. Cazzo! I need to sneeze but it goes away at the last moment!! That sucks…

            So my nails are growing out and last night at violin lessons I learned that you can't have long nails on your left hand. No problem, mine aren't long… but obviously long enough! I have to cut them down!!! This is just so many shades of unfair, but I am determined to play the violin! My goal in classical is to learn Vivaldi's Four Season specifically, Winter. I also want to get a firm grasp on fiddle music, Celtic and of course, Last of the Mohicans.  

            Anyways, it's just about time to go home. This spreadsheet is pissing me off. If I took it home to work on… no, not secure…. GR! Okay, tomorrow's another day.

To days to come,
/ac