To the Observatory

“What d’ya think?” Marcus asked, gesturing to the new car, “pretty cool, eh?”

You peered at the green Camaro, then looked back at your friend. “How the hell did you convince Chloe to let you borrow it?”

He waved the question off, and you decided that whatever happened between the siblings, you would be several miles away when it went down. You got in the passenger seat and said a silent prayer that Marcus was a safer driver when it was someone else’s car. Tina plopped into the back seat and frowned at the several labubu dolls that Chloe had left sitting around.

The drive was pleasant and you found yourself relaxing a little as the car rolled on to the observatory just out of town. Decades ago some government types decided that Silent Oakes was a prime spot to see astrological phenomena and had a high powered telescope and an observatory set up to study the stars. The longstanding rumour around down was that it was a Cold War research thing to beat the Soviets, but in light of recent events you were inclined to think the truth was probably in the realm of the occult.

“I haven’t been to this place in years,” Tina observed. “That trip we did for grade school.”

Marcus hummed. “School kids are probably the only visitors they get. Wonder how they can afford to keep it all going.”

“Government grant?” Though the sounded unlikely, even to you.

When you got the observatory you noted the place was a lot more run down than you had remembered. The colour had faded, the welcoming signs child-friendly artwork had been removed, leaving a cold, industrial building that seemed well beyond expiration.

“Charming,” Tina noted. “Looks like sewage treatment plant with a giant satellite dish attached.” She frowned at you. “You sure that the thing is here?”

You ran a hand through your hair. “Look, I don’t know, but it’s worth checking out. The old man liked space and this made the most sense.”

She shrugged, and the three of you approached the building. There was a strange feeling that came over you when you walked into the front reception, a kind of tugging in your gut that made you feel uneasy. That feeling only magnified when you found the reception desk unoccupied and the place utterly silent.

“Lunch break?” Marcus offered, looking around.

“Would they have really left the from door unlocked if they were out?” Tina countered. She went over to one of the doors and called out “helllllooo?”

You looked around, confused. The observatory was big but not quite big enough that one could get lost. The three of you ventured into the building proper, walking through the hallways with star charts and constellations. The lights were still on, and from the way the desks had been left, people had been there recently. Then you saw it.

The trail of blood stood out against the white floor, and gruesome roadmap leading to horror. A man lay on the ground, his lab coat stained red, a single bulletwound over his heart. Tina gasped and Marcus let out a curse, but you turned on your heel and grabbed them at once.

“We need to get out of here,” you whispered.

Though shaken, they nodded and followed your lead. You didn’t know how many people worked at the observatory but with how silent the place was, you imagined no one was still alive. The killer was probably after the same thing you were, perhaps even had it. But there was no time to dwell on any of it. You just had to get back to the car, just had to get back to town, call the cops…

Marcus let out a grunt, then collapsed at your side. You turned, startled, and saw that his head was bleeding and for one horrible moment you assumed the worse, but then you saw it was a blunt wound. You moved just in time to miss the hard butt of a gun coming down to crack you in the nose.

The blonde woman from the hospital was standing in one the doorways, a scowl on her face. The handgun she carried stained with Marcus blood. Tina stared wide-eyed before the woman had her gun drawn.

“Don’t move,” she commanded. The handgun was fixed at you and Tina. With one hand she dug something out of her pocket and tossed it over to Tina. It was a rag, and from where you were standing it gave off awful fumes.

“Breathe it in,” she ordered.

Tina looked down at the rag and then up, “I’m not going t-”

“It’s chloroform,” the woman said through grit teeth, “The alternative is that I’ll put one between your eyes.”

Tina glared at the woman, looked at you sadly. “Catch me,” she said, and pressed the cloth to her face. Within moments her eyes rolled back and she crumpled into your arms. You eased her down gently next Marcus, who was himself out like a light.

“Your turn,” the woman said.

You considered it for a moment, but only a moment. Warmth ran through your fingers as the ring called out.