Set 106

Posted by AdminHHAdmin, ? Views, Released on August 30, 2025

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Chapter 106

This door opened however the hinges were so rusted and old they groaned under the strain of movement making me panic. The sound echoed through the tall cement well like the cry of a dying monster no doubt alerting every living thing in this place (especially Noah) to my whereabouts. It meant I had no time to be cautious. I needed to put distance between this area and myself quickly to avoid running into Noah.

So I ran, choosing the end of the corridor I was in that had the most light. The place had long since been abandoned with wallpaper peeling from the damp and the carpet tiles on the floor crusty with age. Wherever I was, I must have stumbled into the office area as each space where a door once stood revealed an empty square box with a small window and decrepit blinds hanging onto the wall pathetically by one

screw.

The natural light I was chasing led me to a railing that overlooked the main foyer. I was on a mezzanine which meant the floor below was the ground floor. Sure enough, across the great atrium filled with broken furniture and dust were doors leading to the outside world. I couldn’t see beyond giant windows and doors because of all the grime and the whitewash applied to prevent people from seeing in. It was an exit though and that’s what mattered.

I spotted the stairs to my right and wasted no time dashing down them, my feet seemingly carrying me as fast as my heart was racing in my chest. Noah could be anywhere close–by so I needed to get out and find somewhere to hide until it was safe to keep moving.

I knew before I even but my hands on them that the doors were locked. It was silly to think that they wouldn’t be. This was an abandoned building so why wouldn’t it be locked up? Still it begged the question of how Noah knew about this place and how he got in. I sank against the glass doors as my heart sank in my chest, my hope withering. Maybe there was only one way out and right now Noah was probably guarding it, waiting for me to find it before he pounced like some snake from the shadows.

I was so lost in my thoughts that at first I didn’t notice the sheets of paper and torn fabric lifting and floating momentarily on the breeze. The movement wasn’t rhythmic in any way which meant it couldn’t be artificial and any wind squeezing through the gaps in the door couldn’t cause that much activity which

meant only one thing…

I pushed away from the door, glancing around the giant foyer looking for where the breeze was coming

from.

I spotted it about a hundred feet away,

There was a fire exit beyond the abandoned reception desk. It was almost hidden from view which is why I had missed it the first time especially as the way I came through would have put the door in my blindspot. The door itself was closed but the bottom panel of glass was missing most likely because of vandals or homeless people looking for somewhere to sleep. How that gap got there didn’t matter to me though and it sure as hell wasn’t in my blindspot anymore. In fact it was all I could see.

This was my escape.

I didn’t bother being cautious. I didn’t think about the broken glass that would cut my feet or that Noah

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Chapter 106

might be hiding just around the corner. I just needed to get out so I ran. I ran and ran until I was at that door and able to scramble through the gap. I ran once I was through, letting my desperation fuel me.

The winter wind hit me like a sledge hammer and I shivered, glancing around at my surroundings. The sky was grey and trees surrounded the giant building which I could now see was an old hotel. Judging by the fact there were no sounds or signs of life, we weren’t in West Linn or Portland anymore but I hoped we were still in Oregon. The silence was actually horrifically unsettling and I caught myself holding my breath once or twice because I was afraid that someone would hear my breathing all the way out here.

A narrow drive ran from the main entrance of the hotel before slipping off between the trees that seemed to act like an impenetrable wall around the property. Overgrown lawns spread out between the trees and the fringes of the hotel, disappearing around the edges of the hotel and out of sight. Noah’s car sat idly on the drive, carelessly parked but thankfully empty.

For a moment it felt like I had stepped into a post–apocalyptic world where I and Noah were the only ones left and I had no one to go to for help. I knew that wasn’t true but my options were limited especially