Being back there was weird. Not only because of how much he had tried to get out just a few hours ago, but because of how different the place now was. When Samuel had left with Cassie, close to a hundred people gathered around the building, many more inside trying to find answers and get their money back. Now the place was eerily quiet. Only a few people meandered about outside, it not quite clear what they were waiting for.
Unable to resist, Samuel’s eyes drifted over to where he knew R. Hauser’s body would be. The corpse remained there, the grieving woman however no longer anywhere to be seen. But before she had left her love she had granted him a last moment of kindness. R. Hauser’s face was now covered by a silk scarf, one that Samuel remembered seeing the woman wearing earlier.
That small act of kindness made Samuel feel some relief as he walked toward the main door of Trident. He wondered where the woman had gone after leaving R. Hauser behind and, once again, he wondered whether there truly was anything he could’ve said to stop the man from jumping. His father had told him it was a near impossible task and Samuel believed him, but still he wished he could’ve done more.
“What the?” Tugging on the door of the building, Samuel was surprised to find it locked. The glass surrounding it and across the windows was cracked and shattered in places but remained mostly intact. Despite his eagerness to get into the building, Samuel didn’t like his chances climbing through the broken glass without seriously injuring himself. The door had undoubtedly been the main way in and out of the building as Samuel left, and he was certain that there hadn’t been anyone around waiting to lock it. Confused he rattled the handle once more, trying to gain entry into his workplace.
“Hello?” Samuel called out, not really directed at anyone, but attracting the attention of one or two of the people who still lingered around the bank. Cupping his hands around his eyes, he peered inside, trying to figure out what was happening.
“You won’t get in pal,” one man spoke out to him, shaking his head and taking a swig from a bottle of something. “It’s all over now.”
Samuel furrowed his brow, unsettled by the comment but reluctant to let his opinion be shaped by a clearly somewhat troubled man. Giving him what he hoped was a polite nod; Samuel began to walk around the side of the building toward the staff entrance, checking back over his shoulder to ensure he wasn’t being followed by the creepy stranger. Reaching the coded door, he glanced around once more before keying in his code, his hand on the door handle ready to pull it open. But instead of the familiar buzz which should greet him, there was nothing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. He punched in his code again and pulled the door at the same time, desperate to get inside the building. Nothing. Samuel pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the Trident number once more. This time it didn’t even ring. He didn’t get through to the answering machine message nor did he get prompted to try again later. The call didn’t even connect; it was like the line had been taken down – just like the website.
A sense of dread washed over Samuel like it never had before. Now he was officially more than just confused, he was frightened. Struggling to make sense of the situation he continued to key in his code, desperately hoping that he had just gotten the number wrong before. But it was no use. There was no way into the building and there was no way of contacting anyone inside. Each and every number he tried ended up on a dead line. The bank had cut itself off from the outside world, there was no other explanation for it.
He shivered. The city seemed sparse and empty, like something was missing. He had always felt at home in New York, never even considered living anywhere else once he graduated college. He’d studied at Columbia University for that very reason, cementing himself in the life of his hometown and being reluctant to ever leave. New York was his safety blanket, his place of solitude, but now all of that was missing. He looked around and didn’t recognize the place, yearning for something familiar. More than anything else, he felt lost.
With one last, half-hearted attempt at the staff entrance, Samuel turned away from Trident and started making the short walk back to his apartment. He only lived a couple of blocks away, paying extortionate rent prices so that he could save on transport instead. It gave him little time to think though as he traversed the familiar streets, his mind whirring as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Trident had called him, plus he was sure there were people on the nineteenth floor. Someone had to be inside the building trying to make good of the situation. There had to be others within the company like him who weren’t willing to stand by and let all of this happen. But then – why had the website been taken down? Why was the building locked? And why couldn’t he get anyone on the phone? Try as he might, Samuel couldn’t figure out the answers.
As he finally reached his apartment, he felt like he had already failed. The money was all gone
