Page 68 of The Fifth Soul

The building stands alone among the vacant lots near The Center. The exterior is worn-out and fortified with boarded-up windows, with the exception of the door. A pristine white door with no scratches.

Gabriel is the first to turn the knob and walk inside. Crossing the threshold feels like we have been transported to another location. White floor, walls, and ceiling are so shiny we can see our reflection on them. A young girl with green hair sits behind the front desk. She looks up as we walk in, but her bored expression stays.

“What is this place?” I ask no one in particular.

“It looks very different from before,” Lee Ann says.

Gabriel looks at her and nods in agreement.

“It’s a place to disguise the gates so people won’t accidentally stumble upon them,” Brandon guesses.

Lee Ann nods. “It was once a church. After people kept coming seeking salvation, they turned it into something else. The last time I was here, it was a DMV.” At my questioning expression, she explains, “Department of Motor Vehicles.”

I scratch my head. “Of course, I knew that.”

“Of course you did.” Gabriel clears his throat.

The young girl stands and leans over the desk, looking closer at us. “Welcome to the Human Resources office. Being non-human disqualifies you from accessing any resources. You only have access to the complaint boxes.”

We turn in the direction she gestures to. Five large buckets stand by the wall under silver-plated signs with the names Angel, Demon, Magic, Human, and Staff. The buckets under the signs resemble tall metal trash bins. They line each bucket with a clear plastic bag.

“The complaints will go directly to the Board of Trustees for better service.” We can all tell she doesn’t really believe that. “Take a piece of white paper. Write your complaint and drop it in the bucket of your choice.”

“Are those trash cans under the signs?” Brandon asks.

“The resemblance is purely coincidence,” the girl states with a straight face.

“I don’t believe that,” Brandon huffs under his breath.

“Why is the staff box so much fuller than the rest?” I ask. “Do you have many coworkers?”

“Nope. Just me.” Done talking to us, she sits back down.

“You fill those out yourself, don’t you?” Brandon points out. She looks up at his remark but doesn’t answer him.

Gabriel walks to the wall and takes a piece of white paper. He jots something and turns toward the young girl. Her eyes widen as he looms over her.

“This isn’t a complaint. It’s a compliment,” he tells her.

“Compliment?” She looks scandalized.

“Yup. Where do I put it?” He asks her, but his tone says he already knows the answer to that.

“For who?” Her words tremble.

“General Mel.”

She looks back at the group like she sees us for the first time. Without saying a word, she points toward a hallway to the left. We follow the hall until we reach the first right. The room is dark, but the small glow of light at the back of the room is all we have been looking for.

Large, dark mental gates stand before a dark glow illuminating the room. The floor is covered in moss. Plants and vines are growing off the sides of the other walls. On the wall with the gates, there is only a large red button in the open space. It looks ridiculously out of place.

Gabriel doesn’t hesitate to walk straight up to the front of the gates. Brandon joins me as we slowly follow him, leaving Lee Ann lingering at the doorway. We stand side by side, facing the gates. I try to look past them, but there is nothing to see except stairs heading down. Fog covers the upper side of the space, blocking anything out of sight.

“So what, we yell or bang on the gate?” I ask.

Gabriel gives me a confused look while Brandon laughs into his hand.

“We ring the bell.” Gabriel gestures to the very noticeable red doorbell on the left side of the gate. “Do they not teach manners in Puerto Quinn?”

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