Page 3 of A Dark Infinity

In pure exasperation, I kick the door. As soon as I do, the light goes on, and a woman I’ve never seen before walks towards me. Opening the door, she smiles. “You must be Lark. Please, come in.”

Unable to move, I just gape at her. “Who are you?” I demand, pinching the bridge of my nose. This night just went from fucked up to way, way, over the top on the weird scale.

“I’m Doris,” she beams. “Mr. Thompson hired me as the new night manager—”

“Mr. Thompson?” I ask.

She nods. “Yes, Jack Thompson. He’s the building’s new manager. I’m sorry you didn’t get your key, but not all the tenants were home when we started the renovations.”

“Sure,” I nod, half expecting her to yell ‘gotcha’ and tell me I’ve been kicked out.

“Well, come on in,” she prompts, and I follow her inside.

The entire lobby area looks… well, like a lobby. It’s been painted and there’s a small desk and a chair in the corner. All that is a big change on its own, yet the biggest one is how clean it smells. There’s no lingering scent of urine or suspicious looking spots on the floor.

“Here are your keys,” Doris says, handing it to me. “Now I should warn you. When you get to your room there’s been a few changes. We fixed the window, you have a new door—”

“You did what?” I shriek, at the end of my tether, with everything that’s happening. “But why—”

She nods. “Yeah, the new owner took possession early this morning and wanted to get started right away. He insisted we start with your floor.”

“I…” Trailing off, I bite the inside of my cheek. I’m too damn exhausted to continue. “I just want to get some sleep.”

After saying goodnight to Doris, I walk up the stairs, and thanks to her heads up I’m not even surprised when I see how different it all looks. The changes she spoke of are all prominent, in and outside my studio. Though it’s all for the better, I can’t help feeling violated. Like I should have been given notice before someone entered my home.

I jump as my phone rings, and I quickly pull it out of my jacket pocket. I’m a little disappointed that the number isn’t blocked. A part of me hoped it was my stalker calling to check up on me.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hi, is this Lark Parker?” a woman asks.

“Speaking.”

“My name is Claire and I’m calling from Infinity Solutions. We’ve followed your work, and if you’re interested, we would love to have you come in and interview for a position with us next week.”

My legs buckle and I fall to my knees as I clutch the phone.

“Lark, are you still there?”

“I…I… yep. I mean, yes. Yes, I’m here.”

“I apologize for calling you so late, but I hope that shows you how interested we are.”

Clearing my throat, I whisper, “Is this a prank call?”

“I can assure you it’s not,” Claire laughs softly. “The CEO, Ethan Drake, needs a new assistant, and so far, we’ve struck out with our candidates. Then tonight someone told us about you, and the exceptional work you do. So, as you can hear, we’re very eager.”

This isn’t happening. It’s not. I’m going to wake up at any moment, and when I do, I’ll probably be back in that alley. Beaten, raped… maybe I won’t ever wake up.

“Okay,” I hear myself say.

“Excellent,” Claire beams. “I already have your email, so I’ll send you over a preparation package and a little something to let you know how much we want you. Have a good rest of your night, Lark.”

I sit with my phone pressed against my ear long after Claire hangs up. I’m too… everything to move.

3

Lark

---