Dark Application: ONE (The Dark Application Series Book 1) (6 page)

The
metal door clicked shut behind him and he was suddenly enveloped in darkness.
His heart still had not recovered and his breathing was ragged. He
blinked hard, trying to let his eyes adjust. The phone vibrated and he
looked at it. Again, the dim blue lettering etched across the screen.

Stairs, 50 feet on left.

Putting
his arms out, he began to skirt the wall, blindly making his way along a
concrete hallway until it opened up on the left. He could just barely
make out the shape of steps leading up and disappearing into bleak darkness.

He
took the steps one by one, holding tight to a metal guard rail. The
stairs split into another level, and not being prompted to do otherwise, he
crept up those one by one too.

Finally,
there was a dimly lit red exit sign over another metal door, and Luke could see
a little better. To the left, the stairs continued to climb to another
level. His only choices were to exit, or to keep going up. He put
his hand on the long push-handle and immediately the phone vibrated.

4
^th
floor.

With
his eyes adjusting to the blackness and a red exit sign that casted a bit of
light on each level, Luke was quickly able to reach the top floor.

Window,
end of hall on left,
appeared on his phone screen.

Luke
approached the window. He looked out and saw nothing but a sheer drop
that ended at the bottom of the alleyway he had come down. He peeked
around the edge of the window, looked around the area, the wall, the building
across the way. When he opened the window and looked up, he saw the fire
escape ladder, but it was a precarious distance to grab it and pull it down.

“What
the hell?” he asked the empty hall. “Why didn’t I just take the stairs to
the roof?
Really?
This is taking the difficult
route, don’t you think?”

He
threw his arms up, but there was no reply from the phone.
Nothing.

He
slid the window up and stepped onto the sill. He looked down. Four
stories below was the concrete. Breathing deep, he reached up and the
adrenaline, the bizarre powerful feeling that made him want to scream, filled
his chest and he grabbed the ladder, pulling it down to the window, grabbing on
with both hands. The metal was slick and his fingers were stiff, but
amazingly, he managed to pull himself onto the ladder and stand up.

The
metal shook and rattled as he climbed up to the roof. There, he saw
nothing but a flat roof, some vents and generators, and a utility shed.
The phone vibrated again.

Shed.
Grab the bag on the floor. Don’t open it.

He did
as he was told. He looked around, snowflakes falling on his eyelashes.
There was no one to be seen. He opened the shed door and there, on
the floor, was a black duffle bag. He hauled it onto his shoulder and
shut the door again.

The
bag was lumpy and heavy. It was made of leather and cold to the touch.
He finally took it off his shoulder and stuffed it into his backpack. He
couldn’t zip his bag up all the way up, but his hands were free.

He put
the backpack on and looked around. “Alright,” he shouted into the
blizzard. “I did it!
Now what?”
His voice
did not echo, but was swallowed by the falling snow.

He
headed back toward the fire escape and descended the way he had come, climbing
into the window, shutting it tight, and then jogging back down the stairs until
he reached the bottom floor. He slipped out the white metal door and into
the alley; then headed back the way he had come.

The
phone vibrated again.
Other way this time.

Puzzled,
he turned and headed the other direction, toward the opposite end of the
buildings. He came out of the alley and was battered by wind and snow,
the flakes swirling around his head. That odd, electric sensation was
still there, and the snow didn’t bother him. In fact, he broke into a
slight jog, feeling the burn in his lungs, and focused on his legs. He
was barely even tired. He picked it up and jogged a little faster, his
heart and lungs responding.

He
jogged in his flimsy sneakers down the sidewalk, passing single random cars
that slowed but then kept going, and he didn’t look up at all. He felt
like his body had become a machine, like he wasn’t himself; he felt confused,
worried, and curious about the duffle bag he had been led to. He wondered
how much trouble he was getting himself into, but he also wondered if it was
all a setup, like maybe Kevin was texting these messages to his phone. Perhaps
Kevin had planned this all out and was sitting at his desk with a cup of
coffee, watching Luke from a secret camera on his computer screen, laughing his
ass off at the sight of Luke running down the road in the snow, all the way
across town to his front door.

In
fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Of course it
was Kevin texting Luke. It had to be someone in the CIS internship. Kevin
did say he was working on a project, and he had been very secretive about it.
Maybe Luke was just the guinea pig in Kevin’s project.

Luke
was laughing and breathing heavily when he came into the house. The fire
had burnt down to coals and ashes. He noticed both Chris and Amit were gone.
Luke skipped up the stairs to his room and tossed the bag down. He
stripped off his soaked shoes, his wet socks, plus his damp jeans, sweater, and
tee shirt. Luke stood in his underwear, looking at the backpack. His toes
were completely numb and red, as were his hands and nose. He grabbed his
bath towel then began to dry his dripping hair.

He
made himself stare at the backpack for as long as possible. The chances
were very high that this whole thing was a grad student prank, and that when he
opened the bag, he would be in for the humiliation of a lifetime.
Or it could possibly be a sick joke, like maybe there was a dead cat, or
dead puppies, inside. Or worse, dead human body parts. There was
also the nagging feeling that he was being framed, or that he had done
something very, very wrong. But he had no clue. There was nothing
that could have prepared him for this.

You’re
just being paranoid, Luke. You were led there for a reason, whether good
or bad. Now let’s see what’s in the bag.

He unzipped
the duffel bag and pulled the flaps apart, exposing several plastic bags full
of stacks of hundred dollar bills. He tried to count them, but after
twelve he started to feel dizzy and sat down instead. A bubbly, giddy
feeling erupted in his chest, and with a great whoop, he lay back on his bed,
threw his legs into the air, and screamed.

L
uke
paced back and forth in his plaid cotton pajamas. A fire was made, tea was
brewing, and a large pot of ramen noodles was steaming on the stove. He had
swept the smashed cigarette butts off the floor that had been there for two
weeks, and he had wiped up the bathrooms, even the downstairs bathroom that
Chris and Amit shared. His heart was racing, and he sat staring at the fire in
silence. He wondered if the disbelief would show on his face, and he practiced
lying to himself in front of the mirror for twenty minutes, until he couldn’t
bear the sight anymore. When he heard the bikes clanking up under the front
awning, Luke jumped up and put on his best smile.

Chris
and Amit came in together, and they were surprised to see Luke in such high
spirits. They stripped off their jackets and gloves, Chris eyeballing
Luke with suspicion.

“What’s
up honey? Did you miss us today?” he asked.

Luke
could not hold out any longer. “Dude, you guys will never believe what
happened today. Our problems have been solved. My aunt died!”

Amit
frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, Luke,” he said.

“It’s
okay,” said Luke, flailing his arms and practically jumping up and down. “Dude,
she left me a bunch of money in her will!”

“No
shit! That’s awesome,” said Chris, unconvincingly. “So when do they
execute the will?”

“They
already did! Look, I got rent money,” he said, and handed them each a
hundred dollars. “Don’t even worry about rent and groceries this month.
We’ve been struggling for a long time, and you guys have been awesome
friends to me. No worries.”

Luke
had a smug look of satisfaction on his face. Amit and Chris both lit up
and thanked him.

On
Saturday, Luke paid cash for a lifted Dodge 4X4 Dakota Sport pickup truck.
It was cherry red with a brand new sound system, brand new
..

When
he rolled into the parking lot of his internship on Monday morning, he had new
boots, a water-proof jacket, and a new backpack. He felt like a new
person. Having his own wheels suddenly gave him the freedom of mobility
and an unsurpassed feeling of power. There was nothing he couldn’t do with a
million dollars in his pocket.

“I’m
throwing a party at my house,” he told Kevin, who had complimented him on his
new coat. “And you are invited this time,” he said. He had been
watching Kevin all that day to see if there was something there, some kind of
knowledge of what was going on with Luke, testing the waters to see if Kevin
knew more than he should. But he had given no real sign of knowing about
Luke’s recent good fortune.

Kevin
started to shake his head, but he really was just laughing at the idea that
someone was insisting he partake in a social activity. “I don’t know any
of your friends, I would feel really out of place,” he said.

“Bring
your own friends,” Luke said. “I’ll let you know, okay?”

Kevin
just nodded and sipped his coffee.

On
Tuesday, Luke sat in the Chemistry classroom, staring out the window. He
had gotten there early, making sure there was a spot available next to him.

The
class began to fill up, but Amy didn’t appear in the doorway. Students
filed in one by one, and finally Professor Jones came in and closed the door
behind him.

Disappointed,
Luke pulled out his text and got his notebook ready. He felt ashamed to
think it, but since Travis died, he had been doing much better in this class.
A pang of guilt stabbed him in the gut.

But at
the last second, Amy did appear. Late, as she had been lately, but
gorgeous and bubbly, even in her depression. Luke pulled the jacket off
the chair beside him, and Amy came over and sat down. Professor Jones
began the lecture.

She
had her tall boots on, the same ones she had worn that night at Luke’s party.
Her hair was pulled into a knot at the back of her head, so Luke could
see her profile. She had pink
gloss
on her
full lips, and ruby stud earrings in her ears. Her sweater was pulled
down off one shoulder.

She
looked over at Luke and smiled with gratitude. His chest swelled and his
heart sped up a bit.

He
paid attention to the lecture quite well considering the distraction beside
him, and decided that soon he would have to ask her out for Valentine’s Day.

At the
end of the lecture, Professor Jones had an announcement. “A high school girl
from Fort Christanna High, Tiffany El
Sa’id
, has
apparently been missing for some time.” He held up a computer printed
photo of a cute young girl with long straight black hair and thick, deeply
arched eyebrows. Luke’s stomach squeezed involuntarily when he saw her
face. “Brafferton Community College is giving notice to the staff and
students that she has been missing and asking that we all be on the lookout for
the girl or any word of her. Okay? Alright, that being said,
chapter eleven homework is due Thursday. Go home now, be safe in the
snow.”

Luke
hurriedly gathered up his things and tossed them into his new bag, fumbling
with the new zipper that was still stiff. He realized his hands were
trembling.

Amy looked
at him, an expression of concern crossing her face. “You okay Luke?” she
asked.

“Yeah,
I’m fine. Hey, I need to talk to you soon,” he said.

She
looked confused. “Okay,” she said slowly. “If this is about your
party, I--”

“No!”
Luke interrupted. “It’s not about that at all.” He looked into
Amy’s eyes. The other students walked around them without noticing.
Luke had begun to sweat, his face pale. She looked very serious, her
eyebrows furrowing. “I…” he stuttered, wondering how much of the truth he
should tell her, “I just think I knew that girl, is all,” he said.

Amy’s
face smoothed and she looked at him with deep sympathy. “Oh Luke, I’m so
sorry, I had no idea,” she said. The tone of her voice was sweet and
comforting, like warm milk.

He
calmed a bit, his heart beginning to settle. His stomach was still in
knots though. “What are you doing right now? Want to get something to
eat?”

*****

When
Amy pulled herself up into the truck, she said in shock, “Wow, Luke! When
did you get this ride?”

He
just shrugged humbly and said, “Recently. It’s my new toy.”

“I’ll
say” she said, and bounced on the springy seat in a teasing way.

The
truck ran smooth and high off the snowy road, taking on the ice and slick
patches with ease. Amy was smiling in the passenger seat and peered over
at him sweetly, looking away when he looked at her. They listened to a
hip hop station, and she bounced her head and rolled her shoulders, looking
sexy as hell to Luke in her jeans.

“What
do you like to eat, you like burgers? Pancakes? What?”

She
looked at him and grinned thoughtfully. “Ummm, I want tacos. Can we
get some Mexican? There’s a good place downtown,” she said pointing.

He
nodded a satisfied smile on his face. “Mexican it is.”

The
joint was a hole-in-the-wall establishment with three tables and a teenaged
waitress. The tacos were stuffed and the food was delicious. They sat
across from each other, and Luke racked his brain about how to approach
Valentine’s Day with her. “So… how have you been? You know, after the
accident,” he said.

Her
face fell. “It’s just really sad,” she said, looking down. “The
whole rugby team took two weeks off, and his parents are really taking it
hard,” she said. “A lot of weird things have been going on around here
lately, it seems.”

“And
you? Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’ll
be alright,” she said. She was very depressed about it, he could tell.

“It’s
not your fault, Amy,” he said. “You guys had a fight that night, but
neither you nor Travis did anything to deserve that,” he said. He felt a
little like he was talking out of his ass, but she looked up at him, her eyes
completely serious, and tears began to collect in her eyelashes. She nodded,
and reached across the table and took his hand. His breath quickened.

“Thanks
for saying that, Luke,” she said. “I didn’t realize it was so obvious
that he and I were fighting,” she said, and a nervous giggle broke up her voice
as a tear streaked her cheek.

“I guess
that’s why you texted me and asked me to come into the house ASAP right before
Travis was killed,” she continued. “I could have been killed too… you
saved my life Luke.”

Luke
started to shake his head as if to disagree with her but some dark thought slapped
him in the back of the head at that moment, and he took advantage of it.
“I pay attention, Amy. I know more about you than you
think,”
and he winked at her.

Her
face became suspicious, then curious. She finally smiled. “You’ve always
been a friend to me Luke,” she said. “I trust you.”

They
finished their meal in silence. Luke pulled out a wad of cash and flashed
it briefly as he paid the bill.

When
they were near Amy’s house, where he would be dropping her off, Luke said, “I
want to take you out for Valentine’s Day.”

She
looked at him and cocked her head to the side. “You want to take me out
still, huh?”

“Well
if you have to get permission from Savannah, I understand, I just--”

“Permission?
From
Savannah?”
she squealed.
“Okay, that’s it. We’re going out. You, here, seven o’clock,
in this truck, next Friday. Got that?”

He
nodded. “Well okay, if you insist,” he said.

Amy
laughed, then jumped out and slammed the door. He watched her walk in
front of the truck and through her front door.

A
feeling of fear that had been lodged in his mind struck him again with a new
force. The last time he had taken a girl to her front door, she had never
been seen again. While he wanted to shout for joy, at the same time, his
happiness was impeded by a crushing anxiety that had settled in the pit of his
stomach. He was the last person that he knew of to see Tiffany that
night.

He
turned the music up as loud as he could bear and hit the road, slicing through
snow banks like they were butter, and taking corners at speeds as high as he
dared. He felt reckless and jittery. It was as if he was both on
cloud nine and at the end of his rope simultaneously.

Out of
nowhere his phone vibrated.

His
first urge was to grab it and kiss it. That urge was suddenly replaced by
the burning desire to throw it out the window and run it over. Torn, he
pulled off the side of the road and looked into the black screen.

Half
a mile go
left.

Oh,
hell no,
he thought.
Not another damn wild goose chase. Not
another adventure with you, phone
. His stomach turned over with both
fear and anticipation. He got money. And moreover, he got his girl.
What else was there?

He
turned the key and immediately an alert beep went on. He studied the dash
for a minute,
then
realized that his gas tank was
empty. The gas light was on and the alert was sounding. He drove
the half mile and pulled into a driveway to the left.

He was
parked in front of a small, rural gas station. He looked at his phone and
just shook his head, laughing.

*****

“You
need to shave, first thing, bro,” said Chris. “Even if you don’t take a
shower, shaving makes it look like you practice personal hygiene.”

Luke
turned around and checked himself out in his new slacks. He wore a
sharp-ironed long sleeved shirt tucked in with a belt and a pair of warm,
insulated boots.

Chris
came up behind him and tossed the jacket over his back. “Damn, sucka, you
look hot!” he said and slapped Luke on the butt.

Luke
checked himself out. He did look pretty hot. Amazing what a pair of
new clothes could do for a man.

“It’s
not what you got, it’s what you
do
with what you got,” said Chris.

Luke
stripped off the clothes so he could shower and shave. He had
reservations for Amy at a restaurant called Gingers, which was a romantic,
expensive, and classy place. Amy didn’t know yet; it would be a surprise.

Amit
sat on the couch and watched a movie on Luke’s new 3D high-definition
television with surround-sound and a built in Blu-ray player. The foul
floor had been covered with a large, Turkish rug with an intricate red and
yellow pattern. The kitchen was also stocked with food, beer, and bottles
of liquor. The dishes had even been replaced with high-quality, shatter proof
plastic glasses and plates.

“Dude,
I’ll keep the party going till you get back,” said Chris, one hand on his hip,
rotating his pelvis in a mock lap dance.

Luke
rolled his eyes and ducked out the door. He fired up the truck, the roar just a
deep healthy purr. He rolled forward and began to
drive,
feeling like his life had just started.
Things will only get better from
here
, he told himself.

He
pulled up at Amy’s house and she came out to the truck, bundled in a jacket and
a scarf that covered her from shoulders to ears. Her eyes, sparkling and
beautiful, shone at him from beneath the burst of silken ringlets. She
clipped on her seatbelt as they pulled away from the curb.

“So
where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s
a surprise,” he said, “Can’t tell you. Have to show you.”

She
was giddy and giggly. “
Oooh
, I love surprises!”

Luke
flushed hard. He couldn’t believe this. It was like a dream.

They
parked at the restaurant and he opened her door, holding her hand and helping
her step down. She wore spiked heels.