The ReadersWrite Story: Dangerous

The message arrived at 3:17 a.m., though Mara was certain she had deleted the app three days earlier. Her phone lit up the dark room with a single line of text: “You were never supposed to remember the third floor.” She sat up slowly, heart thudding, watching the screen like it might blink first. The sender was listed as UNKNOWN, but the number was her own.

By morning, the building across the street had changed. It shouldn’t have been possible—she’d lived in this apartment for six years, and nothing in this part of the city ever changed—but the old brick office block now had an extra floor. A third floor where there had only ever been two. Curtains hung in the windows like they were watching her back. And when Mara checked the building registry online, the records had been quietly rewritten overnight.

1

“What are you talking about? What do you mean an extra floor has appeared? Mara? Mara? Mara, are you there?” The person on the other end groaned. “Look, I need to get back to work. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up.

It took Mara another minute to realised the conversation had ended. She just sat in front of the window staring at the third floor across the road wondering how it was possible for it to just appear out of nowhere. She had wanted her friend to come round and confirm what she was seeing. She looked down at her phone and reread the message sent at 3:17am. How could she have sent herself a message. None of it made any sense.

Suddenly, something flashed. She quickly looked up but there was nothing there. Then another flash came from one of the windows in the third floor, like something was reflecting off a mirror. She noticed the curtains had moved slightly. Someone was there.

She got up without taking her eyes off the third floor in case there was more movement. She grabbed her keys. She was going over to investigate.

2

As Mara hurriedly crossed the road, eyes trained on the building in front of her, she bumped into a man carrying a coffee, spilling the contents all over his crumpled grey shirt.

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” he said, dabbing at the spilt coffee. Mara uttered a hurried sorry in reply. They fell into step, both headed to the red door of the brick office block.

“Do you work here?” Mara asked the ma.
“Yeah, why?” the man replied.
“Has there always been a third floor on this building?”
He turned to look at Mara inquisitively. “As long as I’ve worked here, it has.”

The man pulled out his swipe card and tapped it against a small black reader next to the door. Seeing her opportunity, Mara followed him through, thanking him as he held the door open for her.

The lobby was dimly lit, and to her left was a clunky old elevator that had seen better days. As Mara and the man waited for the lift doors to open, she asked as casually as she could muster, “Do you know what’s on the third floor?”

3

The elevator arrived before the man could answer. He stepped in and waited for her to follow him. She hesitated. What was she doing? There wasn’t time to pause, the doors started to close, so she took a leap of faith and followed him in, as he pressed the button for the third floor.

She couldn’t speak. Her palms felt sweaty, she could hear her heartbeat thumping in her head. The man looked bemused by her.

First floor…
Second floor…
Third floor… Ding!

He stepped out and looked back, “You coming, lady?” he said with a shrug. Again, unable to talk, her mouth felt so dry she could barely breathe let along speak, she stumbled out behind him. The man grabbed a set of keys from his bag and rattled them. “Where you heading?” he asked calmly.

Mara looked down the corridor. It was modern, big pot plants, paintings in ornate gold frames, beautifully designed. This was very different to the entrance of the building, which looked like it needed more than just a lick of paint to offer any kind of kerb appeal. Suddenly she sensed movement from behind her and someone grabbed her by the shoulder.

4

Mara gasped in shock. She spun around quickly, tripping in her haste and stepped back straight into the man behind her. He held her by the arms to try to steady her and keep her from falling. “Are you okay? You look like you have seen a ghost.” He said, looking at her closely, concern obvious in his voice. She pulled herself away from him a bit too quickly and staggered. He reached for her again but she caught her balance and stood straight. Mara gave a shiver . “Who, who was that?” Her voice still shaking from the shock of the unexpected touch on her shoulder, “did you see who it was?” She asked. He looked at her quizically and, with one eyebrow raised said “no one here but us”. Perhaps you should come along to my office, you can have a seat for a moment, some water or a coffee and give yourself some time to catch your breath and calm down. You are still shaking and looking very pale”
He put his hand under her elbow and firmly led her down the corridor to a light coloured wood door which he unlocked and then ushered her through.