I looked up at the stairs and I shit you not they got taller as I watched. Well, that may have been an exaggeration. But I was tired and my legs hurt. I let out a sigh and took the first step up. While it was painful the trip up didn’t take as long as I thought it would. There was a need for a short break once at the top to catch my breath and let the burn in my thighs and butt subside. I mean seriously? My butt?

The smoke grew thicker as I went up but it was manageable. Meaning it was thick enough to make me cough but not enough to suffocate me. I was worried that once I opened the door a wall of smoke would drown me. Considering the stakes it was a risk I was willing to take. Using the back of my hand I tested the door to make sure it wasn’t hot. It was warm so I moved to the metal knob. I had a few false starts where I pulled my hand back without having touched the doorknob. My imagination was working overtime and I swore I felt my skin searing off my hand. I managed to touch my hand to the metal on the third try. It was also warm, but not too hot to use.

The smoke in the hallway was thicker than in the stairwell. I had to crouch down as I walked which left me doing more of a duckwalk than an actual walk. That was not fun considering how much pain I felt in my legs before I got lower. Fortunately, the door to my apartment was closed and unlocked.

“Grandma, are you here? There is a fire and we need to get out!” I shouted. I moved into the living room checking the kitchen as I walked by it. She wasn’t there. The fact that she hadn’t responded to my call worried me the most. Grandma Burger was not hard of hearing and could hear better than most people. Something I learned by mumbling under my breath and catching a slap upside my head. “Grandma, are you here!”

I went down the short hallway that leads to my room first, then her’s. My door was open and I briefly considered going in to grab my most precious belongings. As I peered at the bed and desk I couldn’t come up with anything worth taking the time to go in for. I shut my door and moved to Grandma’s bedroom. Her door was closed so I turned the knob and opened it. Under normal circumstances there was no way in hell I would have just walked in and a part of me hoped beyond hope that she wasn’t behind the door in her underwear in the middle of a wardrobe change. The room was empty, which caused me to let out the breath I was holding. Wait, when did I start holding my breath? No matter. At the same time, I felt my anxiety levels rise by a factor of ten. “Where are you, Grandma?” I whispered.

For a moment I considered checking all the windows to make sure they were closed and close all the doors. That would have taken time I didn't have, or Anaya and Grandma didn’t have. Instead, I left the apartment and shut the door in my wake. Hopefully, that would be enough. If not, it was just stuff.

Anaya’s apartment door was closed but not locked. I turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. Smoke swirled in from behind me. I jumped back and look down at my hand realizing that I hadn't checked the door to see if it was hot first. Since the skin was still there and not searing on the doorknob I figured I was fine and probably lucky.

“Anyone here?” I shouted as I walked in. With the clock ticking I rushed through the apartment. Anaya’s room and Ms. Crispen's was as well. I stopped for a moment in the living room and scratched my head. “Where the hell is everyone?”

It was clear that I was not going to get an answer to my question. I left and closed the door as I did. It was when I heard the click of the door shutting that I noticed the apartment down the hall. It was supposed to be vacant but the door was half open.

“Uh, hello? Anyone still here?” I said the words as I walked toward the door. I crept along ready for anything. If we had a squatter than violence could be the outcome of me being nosey. I've seen my share of unbalanced homeless people in my neighborhood to know that just because someone needed help didn't make them safe to be around.

I put my back to the wall and leaned close to the door. What I saw caused me to forget all pretense of stealth and just walk in.

The walls of this particular apartment were metal and much, much longer than should have been possible. The far wall had an arch leading deeper in. The thing was, the far wall was far enough away to be outside of the building. It was so amazing that I couldn’t help but to step in farther.

Alcoves evenly spread out on each side contained metal tables and various robotic arms. It was like someone had combined a morgue and a car manufacturing plant. Thoughts of what the space could be used for flashed through my mind. None of them seemed to be good and sent should vers running through me.

I stopped at the arch. The space beyond it was a lot darker than the room I was in. Still, I couldn’t stop my curiosity. Naturally, I took that next step into the dark space.

Being an avid fan of all things Sci-Fi and Fantasy I kind of expected lights to come on when I entered. That didn’t happen. Instead, there were mire alcoves with colored LED lights on the machinery. Some of the creepy operating stations had a white spotlight shining down on the stainless steel tables.

One table midway caught my attention. It was off to my left and had a dark spot on it. I stopped walking and stared at the table. The spot was not a uniform pattern but more of a pool of liquid that was smeared on one side.

Deep down I knew what it was and that I should keep going. That was deep down. The thoughts on the surface all screamed at me to go closer and see. To be sure of what I suspect. Did I mention I am far too curious?

As I got closer to the table I spotted one of the lights that had been on in a few other stalls. It was a few feet from the table on a stand with wheels. I ignored the table and went straight for the stand. It wasn’t until the stand was next to that table that I looked at the spot.

At close range, I could see hints of dark read before turning on the light. My hand h9vered over to toggle switch for a moment. I contemplated whether or not I had seen enough. Even wondered what it mattered seeing as I wasn’t a cop. In the end, my curiosity won out and I flipped the switch.

Dried black and crimson blood marred the otherwise flawless stainless steel table. The blood had started to flake where it was smeared. I felt the gorge in my stomach rise. Of the blood had been wet and I smelled it I was sure to toss my cookies. Since it had dried and there was no smell other than dust and the antiseptic sterilizing agent I was able to keep my lunch down.

I flicked off the light and walked to the edge of the alcove. With my back to the bloodstained table, I took a minute to decide what my next move was. It was fairly obvious that no one I sought was here. My gaze drifted to the arch and the well light space beyond. There was a promise of safety that way. Then I looked toward the direction I had not gone.

Darkness shrouded everything. From where I stood I could tell what I thought was a solid wall turned out to be a half wall partitioning off this space from what lay beyond. I looked back at the table and pictured gray aliens experimenting on people.

Then is when the horrid image of Anaya laying on the table split open like a cadaver came to me. I had assumed that she was not here or that Grandma and Ms. Crispen were also absent. The thing was, I didn’t know that for sure. All I really knew was where they were not. My choice was that I had no choice.

I continued on my journey. The distance to the partition wall turned out to be maybe fifteen feet. I reached it pretty quick but every step closer made my heart race faster. By the time I reached it and placed my back against it I thought I was going to pass out. I leaned my head back and took a deep breath. I held it for a sec then let it drain out slowly. I repeated until it no longer felt like my heart was going to go the way of the xenomorph and burst out of my chest.

With measured steps, I eased forward along the wall. At the edge, I took another look around to make sure I was alone. Naturally, my imagination put gray aliens in every dark nook and cranny. I closed my eyes and rubbed them before taking another look. There was no one and nothing there. Satisfied that I was indeed alone I moved to the edge and peered around the corner.

There was a small space lit up by a large window. There was no one there so I stepped in. The space in question was just solid walls other than the entrance and the adjacent window. Through the clear glass, I saw a control room. It looked like what I imagined a N.A.S.A control room would look like minus the people. There were numerous workstations consisting of screens, keyboard, mouse, and some had additional control devices. The extra controls were like something right out of Star Trek.

I spun in a slow circle to make sure I didn’t miss anything and looking for an entrance into the control room. When my back was facing the window a shadow flashed passed mine on the wall. I froze. Slower than I had just been moving I turned around completing the circle.

A tall guy in a dark suit stood in the middle of the control room holding a phone to his head. He waved his arms around and the veins in his neck stood out. He seemed to be yelling, but I couldn’t hear a sound. I stayed motionless as I watched him. I couldn’t place his face but I knew I had seen him before.

He turned his back to me and went to one of the control stations with the additional device. He slammed his index finger on a few buttons and then turned a knob. His hand went back to waving around in time with his conversation. Or ass chewing by the look of it.

A loud click echoed in the room I was in. I looked from left to right and right to left. The source of the sound remained hidden from me. I noticed the guy reach down and press another button.

The wall to my right moved. I looked right at it in time to see it slide into the wall next to it. A blue light came one revealing a big device that looked like a chrome cannon. Tubes and hoses came off of it at uneven intervals. One side had black fins sticking out. The air above the fins began to waiver and the fins turned a glowing red.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I realized the opening for the cannon was pointed right at me. A small orange light flickered to life at the back of the tube. It slowly grew in intensity. While this device was new to me I was pretty sure none of what I was watching was a good thing for me.

I gave the guy in the suit one last glance. He was still yelling at the phone with his back to me. I turned to leave. The exit was gone.

“Oh no.” I pushed against the wall and ran my hands along it. Then I hit it with my fists. It only took a couple blows for the pain to put an end to that plan. I rubbed my hands together and took another look around. “Oh no,” I said again.

The guy was my only hope.

“Hey!” I started screaming as loud as I could. “Hey! Mr. Man! I’m in here. HEY!” I jumped up and down waving my arms. “HEY!”

The man stopped for a second. He looked up as if listening but didn’t turn around. Then he went back to yelling.

I looked at the cannon. The orange glow was bright enough to spill out of the barrel now. I resumed my yelling and started banging on the glass. It felt as hard as the metal walls and did nothing to get his attention. I let out one final cry of frustration then backed away from the glass. I looked at the barrel. Orange light streamed from it like a Halloween themed flashlight.

I looked back at the window. I had no desire to watch as the cannon blasted me to atoms. The man in the suit was staring at me. His mouth and eyes were open wide and the phone hung limply from his grip. Time slowed as his mouth moved forming what looked to be, ‘what the….’

Orange light washed over me for a split second.

I blinked back the tears and spots that resulted from the bright light. The man was pounding on the glass and yell. I think yelling was the only way he knew how to talk.

“It’s okay,” I said. I moved my mouth in an exaggerated fashion since I knew he couldn’t hear me. “Look, I’m fine. It was just some light.” I raised my arms to bring home my point.

In response, he looked over to the cannon. His eyes went wider than they had been, which was really freaking big. I looked over to see what he saw.

The cannon was still glowing. The light was now an angry red in color. “Oh crap,” I said.

The red light exploded from the cannon filling my vision. Warmth spread over my skin. It grew hotter by the second until my entire body felt like it was on fire. I screamed from the searing pain. The moment my mouth opened I wished it hadn’t. Liquid fire splashed over my tongure and ran down my throat. My scream was choked out by the pain. I gaged trying to expell the fire. The light forced my mouth open so wide the corners of my mouth split and my jaw creaked. A torrent of magma filled me.

Then it was over. The light was gone, pain had ended, and the fire was doused. The man stood in the window half covered by the red spots dancing in my vision. A look of pur hatred met my gaze. Then my knees gave out and the world became darkness.