Creepers

14

They reached the division in the staircase. Other swaths of discoloration filled the right and left continuations of the steps.

"A lot of water," Rick said. "Years of it. When there's a strong storm, it must really pour down."

"Be careful," the professor said. "It could still be slippery."

They ascended the left curve of the stairs, probing shadows. At the top, they found a row of elegant doors with tarnished brass numbers on them. Murky wood-paneled walls were covered with dust. At intervals, corridors disappeared into darkness. The smell of mold and age was powerful. Balenger peered down at rotted Persian carpeting, its intricate pattern faded and flecked with mildew.

They turned left and followed a balcony. Every dozen paces, a narrow table was positioned against the wall. Some had vases with desiccated flowers, their petals looking as if the slightest touch would make them crumble. Then the group angled left again and came to more stairs. These were made of finely crafted wood, but Balenger couldn't be sure what kind because of the water damage they'd sustained. He peered up.

Vinnie did the same. "My God. The stairs keep following a central open column all the way to the top of the building. Hard to know for sure, but I think I see a glass roof. Moonlight. Clouds moving."

"A huge skylight occupies the top of the roof's pyramid," Conklin said. "The column rises through the middle of what used to be Carlisle's living quarters. He could walk from room to room and look down at the guests on the stairs and those in the part of the lobby that was visible to him."

"Wouldn't the guests have thought his behavior a little weird?" Cora asked.

"The walls of his rooms blocked him. People couldn't see him looking down. He used peepholes."

"The skylight must be broken. That's where the water's coming from. That's how the birds got in," Balenger said.

Abruptly, wood creaked under him. His heart lurched. He grabbed the banister.

Everyone paused.

"I don't feel the stairs moving," Rick tried to assure him. "It's just normal settling."

"Sure." Balenger wasn't convinced. He tested the next step.

"I need more light." Cora pulled her flashlight from her belt.

The others drew theirs, also. The shifting rays gave the shadows vitality, making it seem as if guests had just entered their rooms and were closing the doors.

The water stains became more pronounced as Balenger eased higher.

"What's that line William Shatner says at the beginning of every Star Trek episode? 'Space-the final frontier'?" Vinnie asked. "Good old Captain Kirk. But as far as I'm concerned, this is the final frontier. Sometimes, when I explore like this, I feel like I'm on Mars or someplace, discovering things I never thought I'd see."

"Like this?" Cora aimed her flashlight toward the steps above. "What is it? More mold?"

Green tendrils projected from debris on the stairs.

"No way. It's some kind of weed," Rick said. "Can you imagine? During the day, there must be just enough sun coming through the skylight to allow it to grow. The damned things take root anywhere." He looked at Balenger. "We once found dandelions growing from an old carpet near a broken window in a hospital scheduled to be torn down."

The wood creaked again.

Balenger kept his grip on the banister.

"I still don't feel anything shifting," Rick said. "We're fine."

"Sure. Right."

The group reached the fourth level and kept going.

But the professor hesitated. A dark corridor stretched ahead of him. He pressed his hand against a wall, then leaned against it, catching his breath.

"Always test a wall before putting weight against it," Cora warned Balenger. "On one of our expeditions in Buffalo, Rick leaned against one. He went right through. Then part of the ceiling collapsed. If he hadn't been wearing a hard hat-"