Alternative

| Chapter Eleven

Joe stands with me outside of the elevator leading up to Elizabeth's apartment. Together, we watch the numbers drop down to the lobby floor, to us. While Joe hums, I count the seconds until the double red murderous doors will open for us.

"Okay, so tonight is technically day number two, right?" Joe asks. He holds his bag in front of him. The straps hit his leg as he taps his foot.

"Yep," I say, looking at him. "You confirmed it with Morris, right?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Rearranged her contract to show the adjustment. She'll just need to sign again."

My brows raise as my jaw drops slightly. "Oh."

"It's cool," Joe laughs. "That can be an excuse as to why I'm here. Contract details. New signatures." He shrugs. "You know."

As I look back at the elevator, I realize he's right. I have a strong feeling Elizabeth will be bothered when I bring a plus one, and this will throw off her the whole night. Having Joe with me during the copying process means she can't be too close, too personal. He'll also be able to see the tiny strange details I've noticed since night one.

Saying he's tagged along to acquire new signatures, she can't turn him away. Especially if she wants this agreement with Alt-Life to continue.

The elevator chimes and the doors open. Joe bows politely as he motions for me to walk inside. "Ladies first," he says,

I laugh, but I move as requested. I step inside the elevator, Joe quickly follows. As he already knows the floor Elizabeth lives on, he leans over the side to press the correct button. When the doors shut, I hold my breath.

A small bubble of panic builds up in my stomach. Last night I may have felt calm with Em, but this morning, I woke up in knots. I wasn't sure if it was regular nervousness, but as the numbers on the elevator move up, I can't ignore the feeling as it returns. It makes me sick. Covering my mouth, I cough into my palm.

"It's cool." Joe senses my uneasiness and bumps me with his shoulder. "Because I'm here, it'll probably be the quickest process in Alt-Life history."

I snort. He's probably right.

|||

On the fifth floor, the lights flicker, just as they'd done the previous nights. Joe lets out a quiet "uh..." as we step into the dark hallway together. He searches the space around us, eyes the ceiling. With a slow turn, he glances back at the elevator as it closes. "The fuck?"

With a deep breath, I nod and step ahead. "Yep."

"I didn't expect this shit." He hurries to catch up to me. "Vintage lobby, sure, but a Stephen King hallway? With all the money they spent on the outside of the building, don't you think they'd remodel in here, too?"

I have to laugh. What he says are my thoughts exactly. Straight out of The Shining.

"They probably never thought of remodeling since no one lives to tell the tale." With a sharp turn, I face him and continue to walk with side steps. "The blood and ghosts absorb all souls."

"Rayna." Joe leans back as he walks. His eyes are narrowed, annoyed. "Seriously?"

I shrug and lift my bag. "You read the book. You know how this goes."

"Yeah, right." Joe is the biggest chicken when it comes to horror. Sure, he's a Stephen King fan, but I always wondered if he liked the books because I loved them. Being as we were best friends, we needed to have similarities on all fronts, right?

When we reach Elizabeth's apartment, we find there's no need to knock. Her front door is ajar, dim light seeping out to break the shadows of the hallway. Joe and I look at each other before glancing back at the doorway.