No Way To Escape | Novel

CHAPTER 21: AT LARRY'S

Skreeee...eeee...eeek!!

The door creaked as I opened it into Larry's flat. For a moment that sound gave me a creepy feel because of the silence and darkness in the room. I had gone there to collect some materials and important folders of Larry.

How deserted it looked at that moment, without Larry's lively presence! It was night time and was thundering outside, so the lightning was occasionally breaking the duskiness of the room. I moved further into the room, using my torch, closing the door behind me. Going in to the hallway, I turned on the lights. In front of me was that place where I had always felt the presence of Larry but that night I really felt alone there. I dropped the cardboard box on the floor and moved into the bedroom to get to the closet.

Opening the closet, one by one I took out all the items in there and gathered them all over the bed. I looked for the cardboard box, but then I realised that I had left it in the hallway only. I went out there and to my surprise, I did not find it there.

Strange... I remember I had dropped it here...

As I went in to the bedroom again, I found it lying there by the other side of the bed.

What? When did I bring it here?... Anyways...

I picked up the box and put in it all his clothes, accessories, last year hotel charts (I had to submit them back at the Serene Hotel by the following day) and a piggy bank which had only twenty-two dollars in it. Looking at that made me smile.

After gathering all those stuffs, I carried the cardboard box to the living room. There were a lot of items to be collected. I went back to my house to bring another box.

On coming back, I realized that the lights had gone off. I looked at other flats from the corridor. There was electricity in all the apartments. I walked over to the hallway again but the light switch was switched on.

Ahh.... Must be some fuse problem

I scrambled further into the room, swaying my hands continuously to get my torch which I had kept somewhere. After getting to the living room, I suddenly heard a clinking sound from my back. I turned back swiftly with agitation. The clinking sound changed into a rolling one; something was rolling fast in my direction.

I started searching for the torch desperately now. The thing was getting more and more close to me. Finally, I got the torch but alas! It was not lighting up. I was going on beating the torch when the rolling sound stopped in front of me. The torch lighted. I pointed it in the direction of the sound.

'You!', I screeched.

That was that coin only which Larry had picked up from the porch at the Warwick's.

'God, you frightened me'

I picked up the coin and peered at it closely, admiring the shine on it. Then I stuffed it into my pocket and using the torch, started to have a look at all those photo frames which hung there on the wall of the living room. I could see some beautiful memories there. Beautiful, admirable, unforgettable memories.

I picked up a frame placed on a cabinet. In that picture, I could see Larry laughing merrily at Bob, who had just stumbled upon a pebble and fell down on his face, tasting sand, at the Offside beach.

Ah that laugh! That heartful laugh got me a tremor.

Oh! How everything turned upside down, buddy!

A drop of tear fell down on the floor from my eyes. All the events of that day flashed before my eyes.

We had taken a day off from our college and had planned to spend some quality time together at the Offside Beach, 2 hours from Kyland. The drive had been amazing. Fred had driven us all there.

We had spent a playful 3 hours out there, with all the enjoyment which we could do on that picturesque location. We had also played varieties of games. Larry was the most excited person that day. After a delightful play time, we had had a beautiful lunch session. Larry and I had engaged into an argument that who can eat the greatest number of pies.

'Ah! Larry', the words came out of my mouth in dejection.

I collected all the frames and put those in the box.

'His collections'

I moved fast towards the utility room. After opening the door, I was standing in front of a lot of ticking clocks. Larry was very fond of collecting different antique clocks.

Ah! How do you expect me to take you all, guys?

There were 26 of them, some being of my height. Just then the light came back.

'Thank God', I said switching off my torch and throwing it into a box. The collection looked more enchanting in front of light. He had taken good care of it till then. But now I was in a dilemma as to what to do with these stuffs.

'Let me leave you all till tomorrow', I said and closed the door to the utility room. After that I collected both the boxes, covered up the furniture with cloth and came out of the flat, closing all the lights behind me.

See ya

I locked up the door and strolled back to my apartment.