As Mark got into his truck rain started to fall. A flash lit up the dark sky to the East. Thunderstorm coming in. Fantastic. The truck made its way up the canyon, headlights revealing a dismal world of dying trees beyond a curtain of rain. Now and again a flash would light up the forest as a cracking boom sounded overhead.

Turning off the main road, Mark made it another half mile through the rain before the wind began picking up, buffeting the truck as he drove further up the mountain. Somehow the weather fit the Marine’s mood perfectly. He was determined to find out what was hiding on the top floor, and he was always more comfortable working covert ops in inclimate weather.

He knew that, logically, the weather wouldn’t make a difference in this case, but it still calmed him, and he held onto that calm, embraced it, as the lights of the lab appeared around the next bend in the road. Pulling up to the gate, he got out of the truck and punched in the code. The gate began to open. Climbing back in, he made his slow way through the gate, the parking lot, then pulled into the space reserved for him.

Looking at the muted light of the lobby, Mark got the feeling that it was some other world, unaffected and unable to affect the one where it was now raining. Shaking the chills out of him, he climbed out of the truck. Mark was wearing a big coat, another bonus of the bad weather, as it hid what was in his pockets. He preferred not to have to make extra trips to the truck, since he couldn’t be certain that there wasn’t additional cameras he couldn’t access watching the entrance.

Approaching the building he could see Jeremy standing in the center of the lobby again. That was going to be regular, now, he assumed. It was how the old security guard could claim plausible deniability. If Jeremy never saw Mark unload what was in his pockets to his locker, he could claim he didn’t know Mark had brought anything he shouldn’t have. If he was never in the office with Mark to explain the existence of the security badge, that Mark had left where he’d found it for his own claim of plausible deniability, then they could both claim to have not noticed it, and have no knowledge of where it came from.

For just a moment Mark wondered if the card would still be there. It could have been a legitimate accident, after all, but the fact that Jeremy had stayed in the lobby and made a quick exit that night was indicative that he was avoiding a conversation about the card’s existence. It would be there, Mark was certain.

Not for the first time it occured to Mark that Jeremy was hiding many secrets. The old soldier was far too clever to be as ignorant as he passed himself off to be. He had been helping Mark, though, in his own way, so Mark determined not to outright ask him for any more information. If he wasn’t telling Mark what he knew, he certainly must have good reasons.

A beep, and then a warm draft greeted Mark as he opened the door. Jeremy looked at his watch and smiled. “Right on time.” Mark read the unspoken meaning in his eyes: “Thanks for not putting me in a position where I have to make up an excuse to leave early.”

“The wife’s wondering when we’ll get another night guard.”

Jeremy nodded, “Actually, Sherman was doing some interviews today for just that. I told him to focus on the night shift first, I don’t mind working every day for another week if necessary.”

“I appreciate it. Well, don’t let me keep you.”

A curious look came over Jeremy’s face, “You holding up OK?”

Nodding, Mark answered, “The nights get a bit long and boring, but I’m managing to keep myself sane. Even making a couple friends, like you suggested, which is harder than you made it sound. Most of the techs are a bit introverted.”

“Just a bit?” Jeremy responded with a chuckle. “Sounds like the place is in good hands. I’ll leave you to it.” Mark nodded and Jeremy passed by. Tap, tap, tap went the older guard’s shoes on the lobby floor. Then they stopped. Mark turned at the same time Jeremy did. “One more thing,” his face had that serious look on it again, the one that said there was more to his words than the words would tell, “I noticed the break room door wasn’t working quite right, so I fixed it. Have a good night, Mark.” He turned and tap-tapped his way to the exit and opened the door. The sound of the rain poured through until it closed again.

Glancing at the door to the cafeteria Mark got a strange feeling in his gut. Not working quite right? He moved silently to the door and reached for the handle. A shrill scream broke the silence of the lobby as he pulled. Mark didn’t even know what Jeremy would have done to make the door squeal like a banshee again, but the man had made it obvious that this was the preferred function.

Mark peered inside the room and looked around. Empty. He closed the door and stood in the lobby, listening to the silence while scanning the room. What was the reason for the squeaking door? There were six doors in the room.

The entrance. When locked it could only be opened from the outside with the security keyfob or a keycard. There was also a distinct and obvious pressure difference in the lobby when the outside door opened, as well as the introduction of outside noise.

The HR Office. Sherman’s office. Mark had yet to try going in, but presumably it could only be opened with a keycard, which would make a beeping sound.

The elevator. It too could only be opened with the keycard, which would make the distinctive beep. When it reached this floor from another it would open, of course, but then it would make a ding. Besides, the door, while fairly quiet, still made noise in and of itself when it opened and closed.

The Security Office. Keyfob access, with the beep, and when it closed there was the click. A click that was distinct. It sounded so similar to his old shoes that Mark hadn’t noticed it until he’d changed to his boots. Jeremy had shoes that made a very different sound on the hard lobby floor.

The door to the labs. Once again, security keyfob access only, with the same distinct beeping sound. There was the metal detector too, which would, or should, make a loud, deep, booping sound if metal passed through.

Finally, the break room door. It squeaked. It squealed. Until Mark had used the WD-40 on it. Then it had been silent. If you weren’t looking at it you’d never know if it were opening and closing. Jeremy had “fixed” that problem.

Why? Light flashed outside, and a second later a muffled boom was heard. Mark crossed the lobby silently. A beep, and he opened the Security Office. The first thing he noticed was the keycard still on the desk where he’d left it, as expected. The metallic sound of the locker opening seemed louder than usual, but Mark knew it was only because his senses were heightened at the moment. He was paying attention to every sound with great detail.

Brushing aside the thick winter coat inside the locker revealed the tactical shotgun still hanging in place behind it. He removed it and checked the chamber. Still loaded. He opened the left shell tube and unloaded the six rounds, storing them all in the right pocket of the coat that hung in the locker. Then he pulled back the pump action and the red shell in the chamber ejected into the air. Mark caught it, placing it in the pocket with the others. Reaching into the pockets of the coat he wore he took out shells with a bright orange casing and loaded them into the tube. Additional rounds went into the left pocket of the hanging coat. A final bright orange shell went into the chamber of the gun.

After hanging the shotgun up, covering it, and closing the locker, Mark picked up the patrol wand and keycard, sticking the card in his pocket. He glanced at the monitors. Everything looked normal. After the incident with the bathroom he’d checked the recording to see if anything had happened in the room where that monitor had gone black. He had scrubbed through the time frame several times, but hadn’t found anything unusual.

Mark started on his patrol. As he passed silently through the lobby he felt a calm confidence that he recognized. It was the kind of feeling he got just before a mission when he was sure of the outcome. When all of the pieces were known, accounted for. When contingency plans were in place, yet unnecessary. It wasn’t how he always felt pre-mission, in fact it was more rare than other types of feelings, yet it had never failed him. When he felt like this, he was on his A-game, he was in the zone, he was unstoppable. Tonight he would hit the top floor. He would find out what was going on around here.

Listening for it he heard the click of the office door closing behind him. His senses seemed heightened, as they always did when he was like this. The squealing door didn’t catch him off guard, and he flowed smoothly through the chairs and tables of the cafeteria. He watched for the metal detector to go green or red when he passed through, prepared for either. It went red and booped loudly.

A beep and he opened the lab entrance. As he walked down the hallway he glanced at his reflection in the one-way glass. The lack of beard was finally looking normal. In the changing room he had the clean suit on in record time. He moved through the lab with distinct purpose, feeling his ultimate goal getting closer with each room he passed through.

He was silent and quick, so most of the lab technicians didn’t notice him, but the few who did seemed to recognize that he had a purpose. Quick and quiet nods were all that passed between them.

The first hitch in his mood came when he reached cardio. Tables were back in the room, with the glass jars once again full for the first time since the accident. Zack was bent over a table, using some kind of instruments. Mark didn’t look at the things in the jars, they weren’t his problem now. He thought about saying something to Zack, but continued in silence. Just before he reached for the next door a little squeak was heard through the comms.

“Oh, sorry, you kind of scared me.” The voice was feminine, and one Mark had never heard. This tech was a bit shorter than Zack, but since she had been bent over the tray he hadn’t noticed. A small crack broke through his calm. Where was Zack? Had he been fired? Quit? Just his day off?

“Sorry,” he said in response to the woman, “Just on patrol. Everything OK in here?”

A slight nod and a nervous laugh, “Yeah, fine. Sorry, I’m so jumpy.” She was using her hands a lot as she spoke, and he could hear the embarrassment in her voice.

“It’s fine,” he said with a dismissive wave. “Zack’s day off?”

She was quiet a moment, and a glare on the glass of her helmet kept him from having a good look at her face. “Zack?” It was definitely a question. The following silence got uncomfortable very quickly and she continued, “Sorry, it’s my first day. Well, actually, it’s not my first day, it’s my first night. They switched my shifts.”

Mark’s brain switched gears. He felt a bit guilty that he was seeing this as an opportunity when he still didn’t know the fate of Zack, but he recognized the logical necessity of taking advantage of the situation and there was nothing he could do for Zack at the moment. “Welcome to the night shift. I’m Mark.”

“I’m Shareena, but everyone calls me Reena.” She started shaking her hands to her side. “Sorry, sorry! I’m so nervous!.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s just, well, you’re the one that lets us in the lab every morning right?” He nodded. “So you work the entire night?”

“Ten to ten.”

“Is it as creepy as they say? It’s just that there’s so many rumors about the night shift, I’m kind of freaking out in here by myself, I gotta be honest.”

He froze. How could he respond? The scientists that came in the morning had always seemed different, but he had assumed that it was because it was the start of their shift, it was morning, the sun was shining through the lobby windows. The world was bright.

The monitors only went black at night. Jeremy avoided the night shift, using his seniority to do so. Now here was someone used to the day shift, where they had rumors about the creepy night shift. That affirmed it. He had already been sure, but now there could be no doubt. They weren’t hallucinations. It wasn’t chemicals in the air.

But how to answer her? The silence had drug on a bit too long. It was probably his current mood, but Mark found himself being very brave. “Reena, why did you take the night shift if it has such a bad rep?”

“Well, they offered me a raise. It was, well, I couldn’t refuse it.”

“How much?”

“Like, a hundred thousand.”

“A hundred thousand dollar raise?” She nodded. “And that doesn’t seem strange to you?”

Her hands were shaking back and forth at her side again. “It’s ridiculous, I know, but I guess the night shift has such a bad rep they need to offer a lot to get people to work it?” She hadn’t fully convinced herself of that yet. Mark shook his head, and her hands stopped shaking. Now she had frozen.

“I don’t want to alarm, you, Reena, but my job here is to protect the people in this building. As far as I know, you’re physically safe, but things happen here at night. Weird things.” She was shrinking into her suit, he could tell he’d put her off guard, as she brought her arms up in front of her, balling her fists and holding them against her chest. “Look, Reena, the reason I’m being so straightforward with you is because I need your help.”

“My help?” It was barely a whisper.

He nodded. “None of the other scientists will talk to me. They’re all keeping secrets. Some kind of silent agreement between them all to not talk about what they’ve seen or heard. I want to help them, but they’re all afraid.” He was using her own superstition and fear against her, he knew it, but he couldn’t pass up this opportunity to make an ally. He had worked on Zack, but Zack was gone now. Reena would have to take his place in his plans just as she had taken his shift.

“But what can I do? I don’t know any of them. I’m just a lab techie.” Her pitch was rising, she was getting too emotional.

“It’s fine, it’s not a big deal. It’ll be easy. All I need is for you to talk to me.” He took a couple steps closer to her, but was still a good ten feet away. “I just need someone who’s willing to tell me what they see. To let me know when something strange--” he paused. The step he’d taken had been enough to remove the problem of the glare, and he could now see Reena’s face. She did look scared, but just then, while he was talking, he had heard a sniff. It hadn’t been him, and now that he could see her clearly, he knew that it wasn’t her. Someone was listening in on their conversation. They must be just behind one of the doors.

“You know, Reena,” he said, making hand motions to tell her to stay put, as he walked first towards the door he had entered the room through. It seemed most likely that someone from that direction would know he had come in here, and they might want to listen in case the new girl talked.

He continued talking to Shareena as he walked, “There’s nothing you need to be afraid of.” He was speaking to the listener as much as the new technician. “I’m a professional soldier, I’ve been in a lot of hairy situations.” He opened the door as quickly as it could open. No one there. “And while this place,” he kept on as he moved to the next door, “definitely has it’s oddities, I’m determined to do my best to keep everyone here safe.” The next door opened. No one there either. Only one door left. “So, while I’m not going to lie to you, this place is definitely spooky at night, I want you to know that it’s safe to tell me anything.”

Mark passed Reena as he said this last thing, and their eyes met. Her look had changed from one of fear to one of puzzlement. She hadn’t figured out why he was opening the doors, but at least his words had seemed to calm her. “I promise,” he said, looking her right in the eyes as he passed, “I won’t think you’re crazy.” A few more steps, and he opened the last door, but he was already prepared for the empty passage that stood before him. He had to be prepared for anything.

She finally spoke, “What are you doing?”

“Someone was listening to us. I’m not surprised. The night group is a rather suspicious bunch, and I don’t blame them. Whoever it was gave themselves away with a sniff, but probably realized it and left before they could be found.”

“Listening in on us? I don’t understand, why would they do that?”

He approached her again, “Reena, I have to get back to my patrol, but I need you to promise me that you will tell me everything you see or hear, no matter how strange or crazy it might be. No matter what the other lab techies say. Can you promise me that?”

“I…sure, I guess. You’re really kind of freaking me out, though.”

Shrugging, he responded, “I know, and I’m sorry. I could lie to you, I suppose, and tell you that the night shift is no different than the day, but that wouldn’t be doing you any favors. I want you to know you can trust me. Can I trust you?” She nodded. “OK. Good luck with the shift, I’ll see you at the break.” He turned and moved towards the door.

Was that a whisper he heard? Was it Reena or someone else? “What was that?” That was Reena. Then who had whispered?

“I didn’t say anything,” he reached for the door, but looked back at the girl. She was staring up at the corner where the camera would be. Following her gaze he saw the small black dome cover. There also appeared to be some sort of spider web there, though it was too far away to say for sure. That didn’t make any sense, though. No spider would live in this environment, let alone anything it might eat surviving in here.

There was the whisper again. This time Mark realized it hadn’t come through his comms, he had heard it through the suit. He spun, looking around him, while Reena just stared at the corner. There was no one else in the room. He heard a squeak come through the comms and Reena stepped back, pointing at the camera. Mark looked again.

What had surprised her? He didn’t see anything. The shiver that went down his spine was the worst one he’d had yet, and his mood of steely resolve slipped. The web, or whatever it was, had disappeared. An image appeared in his mind of the lab techs in the room where the camera had gone black. After he had gone back and looked at the video they had been staring up at the camera. Had they seen the same thing? Heard the same thing?

Reena was staring at him. “Like I said, weird things happen. I’ll see you at the break,” he said as he turned and left the room. He moved quickly through the rest of his patrol, mind racing. Monitors going black; recordings being overwritten; whispered voices; objects moved; messages written; a suddenly repaired door; trails in the dust; webs that came and went. When he listed all of the strange things he’d seen and heard his confidence and determination returned. Unusual was an understatement, to be sure, but they were all solid, real. They could be done in the physical world.

He may not know how they were being done, especially the door. That one bothered him the most. He also didn’t know why, but nothing was completely beyond explanation. He just had to find those explanations. Then, he was certain, he could deal with whatever was going on.

Mark hated having to wait. He wanted to head up to the top floor right after his patrol, but he knew that wasn’t wise. After the scientists’ break he would have several hours to do a thorough search, rather than needing to hurry back down. And besides, what if Zack or one of the other scientists came out of the lab? They would be expecting to find him near the lobby. So he watched the monitors, hoping to catch one going black again.

The time passed slowly, uneventful as it was. While Mark’s serene confidence had returned, he was anxious to get started, so eventually he left the monitors and walked the lobby. He found himself regarding the lobby in a new way. As a potential battlefield it was extremely undesirable. There was practically no cover, only the archway of the metal detector and the small reception desk near the entrance, with a large open space between them. Besides that, half of the exits were dead-ends and most of them required card access, which would be difficult to manage in a fight.

A light flashed through the windows outside and a muffled boom followed close behind. Mark shook his head and approached the large glass lobby front. The sound of the rain was barely audible, and between the darkness of the outside and the lobby lights inside, he may as well be staring into a mirror as a window. Only the occasional blink of lightning made it possible to view the outside world in any meaningful way.

Flash, cars pummelled by rain, then only his reflection. Rumble. Flash, parking lot drains overflowing with large puddles. His face, staring back at him. Boom, rumble. Flash, the outline of the trees that surrounded the lot, waving in the wind. Something in the reflection was off. His shoulder. There was something on his shoulder.

His instincts tried to kick in. He suppressed a shudder, a hand wiping at the thing, turning to look at it. All of these things his body wanted to do, but he held his calm, watching the reflection. Thin, pinkish lines moved so slowly across the dark blue of his uniform, it was barely even visible in the dark glass. Was this the thing he’d seen on the camera in the lab?

Mark thought about reaching for it, trying to grab it, but his hands were bare. Would it be slippery? Sticky? Could it sting him? It had a look that reminded him of coral or an anemone of some sort. A deep, internal instinct was certain that it had been plucked from a dark abyss in the pacific ocean. It was probably poisonous.

Suddenly he realized that his mind was cloudy. He was so focused on trying to figure out what it was, that he’d failed to consider where it had come from, or how he should react. Light flashed, and for a brief moment he was no longer looking at the thing on his shoulder, but outside, as intense rainfall smothered his truck. Then there again was his shoulder. Just his shoulder.

Turning slowly, he watched his reflection, checking his back. Nothing there. He glanced around the room, floor, walls, ceiling, corners. Nothing. He moved around the reception desk. Nothing. To hell with the scientists. They could look for him if they wanted, he wasn’t going to wait for their break to be over to get to the bottom of this. He moved swiftly across the lobby, scanned his keyfob, and entered the security office.

A few swift motions and he was opening the door back to the lobby, now with the shotgun slung on his shoulder. As he approached the elevator he checked the safety. On. The tube switch. Still on the left tube. Pulled back the pump slightly to check the chamber. Loaded. He pressed his pocket with the keycard against the reader and there was a beep. The door opened.

He was in full tactical mode, now, moving like a cat stalking prey. Sweeping into the elevator, he punched the button marked “E”. The doors closed. As the elevator moved upwards Mark removed the flashlight from his belt and snapped it into a clip on the bottom of the shotgun’s barrel. He turned on the light then shouldered the weapon. The doors opened.

It poured. Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed. The noise of the drops hitting the cars, splashing into the puddles, pelting the trees, drowned out all thought. Was that a pun? Mark let that thought go as well. He just stood in the rain. A red SUV slowly made its way through the parking lot, barely splashing through the deep puddles. The clouds so thick that even though the sun was undoubtedly up, the world was still dark enough that the headlights were on.

Finally pulling up right in front of Mark, the engine turned off. Jeremy met eyes with him from inside the vehicle. What felt like an entire minute passed before the older man finally dimmed the headlights, pulled a hood over his head, opened the door, and stepped out into the rain.

The two retired soldiers stared at each other for a while, blank faced. It was Jeremy that finally broke the silence between them. He had to almost shout to be heard through the rain, though. “So, is this it, then?”

Mark could read through the man’s poker face. He was disappointed. Depressed, even. But not surprised. A thousand conversations had passed through Mark’s mind, but each seemed unnecessary now. The question had been enough to make up his mind. He turned and moved towards his truck. As he stepped off the curb he glanced at Jeremy, who had followed him only with his eyes.

“I’ll see you at 22.”

There it was. A smile. It was just the barely turning up of the corner of his mouth, and yet the old man’s face seemed to light up, his shoulders dropping in relief. He gave Mark a good-natured mock salute, then watched as the truck drove away.