Page 9 of Chained

The base of it sprouted from the ground and the top split into countless smaller pieces which pointed in all different directions. I ran my hand over the surface of it. It felt rough and flakey through the sensitive pads on my glove. There was a carving in the shape of a heart with the initials K S + M R on one side of the thick column at eye level.

"I think this is, or was, a tree," I said slowly.

"I thought they were green?"

"The tops were green but the bottoms were brown. Besides, this one must have been dead for at least seventy years. The green goes away when they die."

"I don't see how something like this-" Taylor knocked his fist against the tree, "-could cause so much trouble."

"You know it was more complicated than that. And anyway, it looks like they dealt with this one pretty thoroughly," I said, as I rapped my knuckles against the hollow wood too.

"We're here, look." He pointed at the GPS in my hand. A green line had appeared on the screen marking the start of our search area.

We turned to look at a standard, two story structure with a faded red front door and big windows smeared with dust. There was a little white fence ringing the patch of ground outside. It had fallen down in places and some of the slats had broken. A dust-covered path led to the door, cutting a line through the barren ground.

We moved towards it and stopped in front of the door.

"So, how does it work?" I asked, looking about for a retinal scanner.

"Oh look, fingerprint scanner," Taylor said, putting his gloved finger onto a round button by the door.

Nothing happened, no surprise there.

The door had a wooden knob that protruded from its centre and I reached out to tug on it. It didn't move so I braced my feet and pulled harder.

"A little help?" I asked Taylor and he moved to take my place.

He grasped the handle and yanked on it. It still didn't budge so he did it again. A wrenching sound filled the air and the whole thing broke off in his hand. He tumbled backwards from the momentum and collided with me.

We fell, sprawling into the dust and I cursed at him.

"Sorry." Taylor tossed the rotten doorknob aside and turned to help me back to my feet. Our white suits were decidedly brown and I brushed uselessly at the dirt. It refused to budge.

I turned back to the door with a huff of irritation. It had a round hole in its centre. Slowly, it started to drift inwards.

I looked at Taylor and sighed. "We probably should have tried pushing it before breaking it," I said.

The hinges squealed in protest after years of immobility and the door stopped moving.

"I don't see any ID screens or scanners or anything," I commented.

"But there could be anyone out here. They wouldn't have even been able to tell until they opened the door. I could be an axe murderer," Taylor said indignantly.

"The wonders of modern technology; axe murderer deaths must have halved overnight when the scanners came along." I grinned and moved cautiously towards the building again.

This time I pushed on the door itself and it swung inward without further protest.

It revealed a hallway with more doors on either side and a staircase leading up to the next level. I approached the first door on the left of the hall and it swung open easily.

"Look at this," Taylor called from the front door. "It was locked." From this side of the door it was clear that it had been forced open at some point. The frame was splintered and shattered and the metal bolt on the lock was bent out of shape.

"I suppose they had to be sure everyone made it out safely before they poisoned everything," I said slowly.

Splinters from the broken wood littered the floor and a small table was knocked aside, blocking the hallway. Its contents were scattered across the carpet.

I continued into the next room, stepping over the broken remains of a table lamp. Glass crunched beneath my boots.