The Midnight Tour

Should I warn them?

So they can do what? she wondered. Evacuate the building and come back later?

Most of those in the hallway were wandering around as if lost in trances, their eyes blank as they listened to the tapes.

Hell they might not even notice,

Thinking it might be nice to greet such a large bunch of visitors from so far away, Dana returned to the top of the stairs. A few people were coming up, but they didn’t belong to the group.

She nodded and stepped out of the way.

“A real traffic jam down there,” said the man in the lead.

He was about the age of Dana’s father, and had a nice smile.

The woman, trudging up behind him, said, “The traffic jam’ll be up here before you know it, Herbie.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Diana said. “If you’d like, you could leave for a while and come back after they’re gone. We have a nice snack stand...”

“Oh, I don’t think I could make it up these stairs again,” the woman said. “We’ll just have to make do the best...”

“Lance?”

“...we can.”

“Lance!”

Dana jerked her head to the left.

“Lance! Where are you?”

She spotted the woman in the middle of the corridor, a frantic look on her face. The headphones hung around her neck.

Did she lose her kid? Dana wondered.

She looked awfully young to have a wandering kid.

Hands out, palms up, she turned slowly as she looked around.

“Lance!” she cried out “Where are you? Answer me this minute!”

Dana ran toward her.

Every other tourist in the corridor seemed to be watching.

Some were pulling off their headphones.

She stopped in front of the woman. “Who’s missing?” she asked.

“My boy. He was right beside me a minute ago, and suddenly he...he just disappeared.”

Dana snatched the walkie-talkie off her belt and thumbed the talk button. “Tuck,” she said. “We’ve got a missing boy. Over.”

“Nobody’s getting past me. Describe the kid.”

“How old is he?” Dana asked the mother.

“Nine.”

“Hair color?”

“Blond.”

“He’s nine years old,” she told Tuck. “Blond hair.”

“How long has he been...oh, great. Here come the...”

The walkie-talkie went silent, but Dana heard Tuck anyway. “Hold it!” Tuck yelled. “Yoshi, wait! Tell them to stop and stay away from the stairs. We have a problem.”

In a loud, clear voice, the Japanese tour guide started giving instructions to her group.

Dana turned her attention to Lance’s mother. “How long has he been gone?”

“Just a minute or two,” she said, her voice pitched high.

“You there, Tuck?”

“Yeah. Everything’s under control down here. For now.”

“The kid’s been gone a couple of minutes.”

“He has to still be up there. Look around. He probably wandered off by himself. Get back to me in about two minutes.”

“Will do.” Dana turned to the mother. “He can’t get out. Don’t worry, we’ll find him. Where were you when you noticed he was...”

“Is somebody looking for a kid?”

“Yes!” Dana called out.

A girl stepped forward. About ten years old, she looked like a tomboy in her short haircut and bib overalls. “A little creep with yellow hair?”

The mother scowled. “He’s not a creep.”

“Matter of opinion, ma’am,” said the girl. “Anyway, he ducked under the rope over there and ran up into the attic.”

“When was this?” Dana asked.

“Just before this lady started going all hysterical.”

“Was anybody with him?” Dana asked.

“Nope. He was all by himself. You should’ve seen the look on his face. He thought he was being oh so cute, but he wasn’t. I don’t happen to find it cute at all, breaking rules.”

Dana grinned at the girl. “Neither do I. Thanks a lot of your help.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What’s your name?”

“Janey.”

“Stick around, Janey.” Raising the walkie-talkie, Dana hurried toward the attic. Tourists in the corridor stepped aside to let her by. “Tuck? I just found a witness. Sounds like Lance took an excursion into the attic. I’m on my way.”

“Did he go up on his own?”

“That’s what I hear.”

“Okay. Keep your speak button depressed. I wanta hear what’s going on.”

“Right.”

At the attic doorway, Dana looked up the dark stairs. The entrance at the top looked like a black slab.

Unhooking one end of the cordon, she called, “Lance, please come down from there. It’s dangerous. We don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Lance didn’t answer.

Dana swiveled around to face those who were clustered nearby. “I don’t want anyone coming up the stairs after me. The attic is off limits. Okay?”

“Want me to stand guard for you?” asked Janey.

“Sure. Thanks.”

Janey came over to the doorway. She turned toward the onlookers and folded her arms across her chest.

Dana started to climb the stairs. “Lance,” she called. “I’m coming up to find you. Why don’t you...?”

Out of the darkness above her came a squeal.

Her skin rippled with goosebumps.

She raced up the stairs, taking them two at at time, her strong legs pumping.

Mixed in with the sounds of her shoes striking the planks and the stairs creaking and groaning as she charged toward the top, she thought she heard other sounds.

Gaspy whimpers and quick footfalls.

Then something pale lurched into the black doorway and came down at her. Is it him?

Dana had a quick urge to scream.

“Stop!” she yelled.

“It’s after me!” the boy cried out.