A Charitable Scandal

The Shadowed Stranger

My side of the expansive office mainly consisted of old boxes stacked up in precarious towers. I attempted to dig through the few boxes within reach that didn't pose a toppling hazard. Most of what I found appeared to be remnants from an old department store. I found clothes hangers, metal baskets, old shirts with yellowed price tags, and a few posters with smiling faces beneath a mane of permed hair so large it could only feel at home in the eighties.

A few times, I had to walk away because the items would shift and send a cloud of potentially deadly spores into my lungs. Other than that though, nothing really jumped out at me. Not a single hint of something even remotely charity related had surfaced and so with a reluctant sigh I called Emily over to my corner of the room where the particularly creepy mannequin kept me company.

"You found something?" asked Emily with a hopeful smile.

"No, did you?"

"I found a rusty nail that possibly gave me tetanus," she said with a grimace and a glance down at her finger. "Other than that, no."

"Your finger, you're just joking around right?"

"Yeah," she said with an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm vaccinated. I think..."

"Well, I think it's time we leave. We're just risking our health staying here. They obviously haven't cleared out this place from the previous holders, much less started any construction for the charity."

"I'm sorry. I hope this wasn't a complete..." Emily's voice dropped with a sharp intake of breath. My ears perked and my body tensed. Something had just creaked. We heard it whining and groaning from the far side of the room. A slow, drawn out cry of metal. The door.

We both looked at each other as the shock of the intrusion upon our quiet hideaway gave way to survival instinct and reason. Someone was coming in.

My body, however, had not quite caught up with the spark of urgency zipping through my mind. I stood frozen, wondering just how badly this could reflect on my career if any charges were pressed. Certainly whoever was entering had to be from Quinto or the charity, at least that's what I figured. But, then, I wondered if perhaps the person that was sneaking through the door was just as welcome there as I was.

My thoughts were cut short when Emily grabbed my hand and yanked me over to a cement pillar which offered enough coverage for both of us to hide behind. With my breath settled and my heart pounding hard enough to pump some energy into my stiffened muscles, I followed Emily's lead and peered over my side of the pillar, hopeful of catching a glimpse of the figure now lurking on the other side of the large room. Unfortunately, the pillar lined right up with another that blocked the majority of the doorway. Not that it particularly mattered since the little I could see of our new guest was completely shadowed by the already shoddy lighting from the hallway. What I could tell was that it was a man and his stance was hesitant, but confident.

"What should we do?" She whispered loud enough to make it the few inches between her mouth and my ear. Despite the low volume, I could still hear the tremble in her words, which mimicked the shaking in her hands.

"He must have seen the door was open and figured someone was in here."

"So why doesn't he call out?"

"Maybe he's scared too," I said with an uncertain bite of my lip and anxious pinching of my brow. I took a breath and pressed up against the pillar as tight as I could. "Or maybe we should be the ones that are scared. I honestly don't know."

"I'm going to go see if I can get a better look." Emily peeled herself from the pillar, looking out over the room for a new, and equally discreet, vantage point.