Read Online Glory (Book 1) by Michael McManamon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael McManamon
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hallway, either.
Maybe he had been in shock.
He had gone to sleep too . Maybe it had happened then.
Regardless, his neighbours were spread throughout the hallway. It didn't really matter when it had happened.
Adam stepped into the hallway. It didn't smell all that horrible, but Adam pinched his nose anyway. It seemed like the right thing to do.
He walked toward the end of the hall, toward the stairwell. He didn't even think about using the elevator. First, he knew that it wouldn't be working. But, more than that, he didn't want to be trapped in a tiny little box; especially if one of thos e thing s managed to get in there with him.
When Adam got to the stairwell, he stopped and stared at the door. It was closed and he needed to build up the courage to open it. It had been hard enough opening his front door . And he could see out of that ! Here was a door with no peep hole, no window, nothing to tell him what was on the other side.
Adam put his ear to the door. Maybe he could hear something. He held his breath and listened.
Once more, there was nothing. At least not that he could make out.
He put his hand on the bar and pushed . No point in waiting . There was another click. The door swung open. A swishing sound accompanied it. Like a freeze-dried package.
Adam didn't think too much about the sound this time. There were other things to worry about. Like the fact that there were no lights in the stairwell.
Adam couldn't believe it. It was dark. He didn't know why. He was sure that there were emergency lights in there.
It occurred to him that maybe they hadn't been hooked up to the generator. It seemed strange, but possible.
Or maybe they had burned out.
Whatever the case, they weren't on. He would have to make his way down through it without light.
N o , he realized , he didn't have to do it that way.
He took off his backpack and searched for the flashlight. It was in a side pocket and easy to find. He took out the knife with it . Just in case.
He put the backpack back on and prepared himself to go. His hands were shaking. He could barely breathe. But this was something that he needed to do.
"Here goes nothing!"
He switched on his flashlight and took a few steps toward the top of the staircase. He shone the light downward. There was nothing there, making Adam feel a bit better. Though not much.
He placed his foot down on the first step and kept walking until he came to a turn in the staircase. He flashed the light around it. He couldn't see anything down there, either.
Then he heard a bang.
Adam froze. His breathing stopped. His heart raced.
The stairwell door . It had closed behind him. The red light from the hallway disappeared.
Adam took a few more deep breaths . It's oka y , he told himself . Just keep walkin g . He turned the corner and walked down another flight of stairs.
As he came to the forth floor, he could see that that door was closed. He wasn't going to open it.
Earlier, he had thought about scrounging through the other apartments to find a gun. He didn't own one himself. He had never actually held one. He probably wouldn't even know what to do with it if he was able to get his hands on one. But the idea had crossed his mind. Again, it felt like the right thing to do.
Not now . Adam was against it. He didn't want to search through the tombs in his apartment building. He just wanted to be out of here . The quicker, the bette r .
Adam turned away from the door. He flashed the light down the next staircase and walked to the end of it. He turned the corner and flashed his light again.
This time, at the bottom of the stairs, he saw a face looking up at him, glaring.
Adam gasped in surprise and dropped his flashlight. He backed up and wanted to run. His legs wouldn't listen. Instead, he crouched and waited for an attack, the knife held out in from of him. He was going to do his best to fight off the intruder, even though he didn't feel very hopeful about it.
He waited. And waited.
There
Maybe he had been in shock.
He had gone to sleep too . Maybe it had happened then.
Regardless, his neighbours were spread throughout the hallway. It didn't really matter when it had happened.
Adam stepped into the hallway. It didn't smell all that horrible, but Adam pinched his nose anyway. It seemed like the right thing to do.
He walked toward the end of the hall, toward the stairwell. He didn't even think about using the elevator. First, he knew that it wouldn't be working. But, more than that, he didn't want to be trapped in a tiny little box; especially if one of thos e thing s managed to get in there with him.
When Adam got to the stairwell, he stopped and stared at the door. It was closed and he needed to build up the courage to open it. It had been hard enough opening his front door . And he could see out of that ! Here was a door with no peep hole, no window, nothing to tell him what was on the other side.
Adam put his ear to the door. Maybe he could hear something. He held his breath and listened.
Once more, there was nothing. At least not that he could make out.
He put his hand on the bar and pushed . No point in waiting . There was another click. The door swung open. A swishing sound accompanied it. Like a freeze-dried package.
Adam didn't think too much about the sound this time. There were other things to worry about. Like the fact that there were no lights in the stairwell.
Adam couldn't believe it. It was dark. He didn't know why. He was sure that there were emergency lights in there.
It occurred to him that maybe they hadn't been hooked up to the generator. It seemed strange, but possible.
Or maybe they had burned out.
Whatever the case, they weren't on. He would have to make his way down through it without light.
N o , he realized , he didn't have to do it that way.
He took off his backpack and searched for the flashlight. It was in a side pocket and easy to find. He took out the knife with it . Just in case.
He put the backpack back on and prepared himself to go. His hands were shaking. He could barely breathe. But this was something that he needed to do.
"Here goes nothing!"
He switched on his flashlight and took a few steps toward the top of the staircase. He shone the light downward. There was nothing there, making Adam feel a bit better. Though not much.
He placed his foot down on the first step and kept walking until he came to a turn in the staircase. He flashed the light around it. He couldn't see anything down there, either.
Then he heard a bang.
Adam froze. His breathing stopped. His heart raced.
The stairwell door . It had closed behind him. The red light from the hallway disappeared.
Adam took a few more deep breaths . It's oka y , he told himself . Just keep walkin g . He turned the corner and walked down another flight of stairs.
As he came to the forth floor, he could see that that door was closed. He wasn't going to open it.
Earlier, he had thought about scrounging through the other apartments to find a gun. He didn't own one himself. He had never actually held one. He probably wouldn't even know what to do with it if he was able to get his hands on one. But the idea had crossed his mind. Again, it felt like the right thing to do.
Not now . Adam was against it. He didn't want to search through the tombs in his apartment building. He just wanted to be out of here . The quicker, the bette r .
Adam turned away from the door. He flashed the light down the next staircase and walked to the end of it. He turned the corner and flashed his light again.
This time, at the bottom of the stairs, he saw a face looking up at him, glaring.
Adam gasped in surprise and dropped his flashlight. He backed up and wanted to run. His legs wouldn't listen. Instead, he crouched and waited for an attack, the knife held out in from of him. He was going to do his best to fight off the intruder, even though he didn't feel very hopeful about it.
He waited. And waited.
There
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