Page 39 of When You're Broken
He and Amelia traded a wary glance.The hush felt thick, as though even the insects had abandoned this building.They advanced, their footsteps muffled by dust and debris.
A scuff of footprints caught Finn’s attention near some scattered rubble.He knelt, shining his flashlight carefully.Sure enough, partial prints in the dust.He turned his head, and Amelia came closer, eyes narrowing at the marks.Possibly human shoe prints, leading deeper in.
They followed them to a large doorway with battered double doors, one half torn off the hinges.Beyond lay a wide area that might once have been a communal office space—desks lined up, telephone lines running, an old radio set.Now, it was a graveyard of rusted metal and collapsed ceiling tiles.They halted at the threshold, carefully scanning the gloom.
Finn’s heart thumped.Even though they were both trying to move silently, the building’s emptiness magnified every step, every breath.Amelia whispered, “Should we go in?”
He glanced around.“We can, but I don’t like blind corners like this.”Still, they’d come this far.“Keep our eyes on those corners.”
With Amelia nodding, they slipped inside.The office space was a shell of what it once was.A couple of battered desks remained upright, though their surfaces were warped with moisture.In a corner, a small group of rats scuttled among some decaying file boxes.Their sudden dart across the floor made Amelia inhale sharply, drawing her flashlight beam onto them.
“Rats,” she muttered, voice taut.
Finn, adrenaline spiking, looked at the scurrying shapes and exhaled.“You’re telling me?”he said softly.“What we need is amassivecat.”A faint attempt at humor to ease the tension, though his own pulse hammered.
A quick sweep revealed no sign of people lurking—just the scattered remains of old station equipment.So with a silent agreement, they moved on, stepping back into the corridor.A dull thud echoed from somewhere above, sending a jolt through both of them.They froze, exchanging alarmed glances.
“That came from upstairs,” Finn whispered.
Amelia nodded sharply.“Yeah.”Her grip on her flashlight tightened.
He swallowed, searching the ceiling for signs of movement, dust coming from the rafters above.“I guess we head up, unless you think it’s a huge rat.But that was a heavy sound.If that’s a rat, it’s a record-breaker.”
She gave a tight, mirthless nod.“We follow it.”
They found the main staircase at the far end of the corridor.The concrete steps remained intact, though bits of plaster had fallen from overhead, littering the corners.The banister felt loose when Finn tested it.“At least the steps are solid,” he murmured, “so it shouldn’t collapse under us.”
With care, they ascended, flashlights sweeping each tread.At the top, the corridor extended left and right.Flicks of dust motes floated in their beams.The tang of decaying paper and rotted drywall hung in the air.Footsteps sounded again, from some direction beyond a set of half-closed doors.Then, they fell silent.
Amelia whispered, “He knows we’re here.”
Finn's mind churned."We don't even know if it's Wendell.Could be someone else squatting."But deep down, he shared Amelia's suspicion.
They edged forward.The second floor looked more ravaged by time than the ground level: walls pocked with holes, old lockers rusted shut.A thick layer of dust covered every surface.Furniture had been pushed aside or smashed.Where overhead lights once hung, only wires dangled.The atmosphere crackled with dread—some malevolent presence lurking.
A jagged section of floor drew their attention—an entire panel had crumbled away, revealing a hazard of broken boards and twisted metal below.Amelia froze, swallowing hard.“I’ve fallen through a floor once before, thanks to chasing Wendell.I’d prefer not to repeat that.”
Finn’s chest tightened at the memory: that near-tragedy in an old building some time back.“Let’s be careful,” he said, shining his flashlight along the exposed beams.“We’ll walk on these beams—should hold our weight.”
They tiptoed across the precarious gap, each step a small act of faith.Dust drifted through the flashlight beams at every shift.Reaching the other side, they paused again, hearing a faint shuffle ahead.Then silence.
Amelia exhaled shakily.“It’s this way.”
Finn nodded, scanning the gloom.“Whoever it is, I think they are trying to spook us.”He advanced, stepping carefully.“Stay close.”
They traversed another short corridor, both doorways on either side wide open.The sense of foreboding mounted.Finn approached the first threshold, peering into a room.He saw only overturned chairs and some battered filing cabinets.No sign of life.He turned to glance back at Amelia.
Before he could speak, a figure sprang from the opposite doorway—tall, feral, with savage momentum.Wendell.Finn recognized the glint of mania in his eyes from photographs, even in that split second.Wendell lashed out with a vicious kick to Finn’s midsection.The impact knocked the wind from him, sending him staggering backward.His shoulder crashed into weak flooring, and the rotted boards gave way under him.
“Finn!”Amelia screamed, voice raw with alarm.
He fell with a crash, his flashlight spinning into the darkness.For a heart-stopping moment, weightlessness seized him until he thudded onto the lower floor, the jolt ripping a cry from his throat.Pain lashed through his body.He tried to roll, debris clattering around him, dust filling the air.Overhead, he heard Amelia’s anguished yell and Wendell’s triumphant roar.
“Now you’re mine, Amelia!No stopping me this time!”Wendell’s voice echoed through the broken building.
Finn pushed himself up, blinking dust from his eyes.A fierce ache radiated from his leg, and he glanced down in horror at a shard of wood embedded in his calf.The pain flared anew.Gritting his teeth, he grasped the piece of broken wood and yanked it free in one swift move.Blood immediately welled, but he had no time to baby it.He tore a strip from his shirt hem, quickly bound the wound, ignoring the spikes of agony that nearly buckled him.
Amelia’s cry from above rang out again, and Wendell’s mocking laugh reverberated.Finn forced a shaky breath, refusing to let panic overtake him.He’ll kill her,Finn’s mind screamed.On your feet!
