Read Netherstream - Episode 1: Jane Doe for Free Online Page B

the panel, and fastened it behind me. It was pitch black inside with barely enough room to breath, a twitchy place to be for those just a tad claustrophobic. I wormed my through and got to my feet, walking side to side like a crab, my knee burning like a motherfucker. The wall seemed to go on forever until I turned the corner and exited out an unfinished patch of drywall.
    No one would ever suspect that the drawer that I crawled through was in fact a secret passage to the guest elevators. The front face slid up and was typically locked, giving the impression that it was merely decorative. The false back slid aside and could be easily secured without making a sound, an odd hideaway in one of the most visible parts of the hotel.
    At first I could not believe that an unfinished hallway was back here, and there was nothing to suggest that a large hole lingered behind the custom-made cabinets. When I finally located the original floor plans, it was obvious that the builders had improvised in a mad rush to open the hotel. The blueprints called for the gift shop to be located near the concierge desk, and the current site to be a trio of bathrooms along with a row of telephones and an access point for engineers to service the guest elevators. At the last minute, the owner decided to scrap the bathrooms and put the gift shop there instead. Capitalism at its finest.
    Rather than converting the extra space into a storeroom or wiring closet, the contractors sealed it off. Apparently they ran out of materials too, and mounted the cabinets over top of the unfinished wall. In the end, no one seemed to notice, and I prayed that the ruse would work just a little longer.
    As I limped towards the elevators, bullets punctured the drywall, tossing dust and chalk in my face. General Vax screamed as his men unloaded everything they had into the wall.
    Perhaps he wasn't so dumb after all. The only chance he had was to tear the place apart, knocking down every wall until he found me, even if it meant destroying the guest elevators.
    Shafts of light pierced through the bullet holes nearby. I groped the musty walls, but could not locate the metal door to the elevators. Damn, I was close…just a few more feet...
    Suddenly a fireman’s axe split the drywall. The soldiers stopped firing, and pounded the opening with the butts of their guns.
    “Fucking hell!” I screamed as the wall collapsed, and a soldier jumped through. I hurried to the far end of the hall, my elbow dinging the handle of the door. As I grabbed it and turned, the soldier kicked the door shut.
    “Let’s go, bitch.” Riggs slammed me against the wall. As he pulled away, I latched my legs around his neck and shoulder and locked them shut. He staggered around, trying to peel me off, his own arm choking him and cutting off the blood to his brain. A second soldier stormed in and struck my wounded knee, breaking my death lock, and sending me reeling in pain.
    “That’s enough. Bring her to me,” the general’s voice echoed through the hallway.
    Before I could crack another wiseass comment, worn hands reached around and buried my face in the sweet smell of chloroform.
    The general’s face was a mosaic of gray hair and pink flesh as I was brought into the light. “Bring her to my quarters. We have some unfinished business to attend to.” He traced a finger across my cheek before the edges of my consciousness ticked shut.
    ♦ ♦ ♦
    The heavenly sound of Moonlight Sonata filled my ears, beckoning me from my slumber. In front of the TV the general stood, trying to figure out how to turn it on. He struck the remote with the palm of his hand, and then hit the Power button repeatedly before it finally clicked on. Surprised that the in-room movies were still working, he cycled through the channels before settling on a pornographic preview of two women kissing, and then being joined by a man. “I’ll get back to you in a minute.” He touched himself, and then turned off the TV.
    Leon