Back in the main hallway, Will and Emily carefully wound their way through the maze of long-abandoned classrooms, broken lockers, and flickering shadows. Their headlamps lit the way in narrow cones, casting warped silhouettes on the cracked plaster walls and outdated literacy and drug prevention posters.
"Still no signal." Emily muttered, holding up her phone for the fifth time. Ever since they split up 30 minutes prior, she and Will have been trying to keep in contact with Jenn and Josh. "Its like we're in one of those cages where nothing can get in." She thought for a moment about her prepper Uncle who would constantly tell her and her Dad about the upcoming New World Order coming to power and the massive famine and electrical disturbances that will cause all electronic devices to fry. "Oh, Faraday Cage." She looked over at Will who seemed to be questioning his decision of bringing her along with him.
Will didn’t respond. He was focused on a dusty floor map mounted to the wall under a cracked plexiglass case. "Office should be just around this corner." He said gesturing to the sign on the wall. "Might be some old files, maybe a layout of the building. Perhaps we can get the power working somehow and use the intercom to find them." Emily nodded and followed without hesitation. The hallway seemed to open up more and the grime seemed to cling to the windows around the office area like early morning dew on grass. A heavy wooden door loomed ahead with 'ADMINISTRATION' engraved in worn brass above the frame. Will grabbed the handle and turned. It didn't seem to give any resistance like the other doors had when they tried to enter the other doors. The second it clicked open, the temperature dropped and the lights of their headlamps flickered once,then everything turned pitch black.
"What the hell..." Emily started but was interrupted by a flash of blinding white light. It came so suddenly that the two of them had to cover their eyes in an attempt to protect them. After the flash, the room seemed to fill with heat. The both opened their eyes to see what had happened. Everything seemed to have changed. The once abandoned office looked to be habitable and functional once more. Papers were in binders, the mildew smell was gone and an artificial floral scent permeated the air. Looking around more, the office area looked clean, brightly lit with wood-paneled walls, beige carpet, and the fluorescent lights seemed to hum above them. old CRT monitors sat on the desks and a bulletin board displayed the perfect attendance awards from 1995.
Will looked over at Emily, with a worried expression. "Those weren't there before, were they?" He asked gesturing towards the desk and the bulletin board. Emily shook her head but when she looked over at Will, her eyes grew wide as she looked at him. "Em..." He started. "Your clothes." He told her seeing the white, pressed button down shirt, a thin navy blue tie around her neck, a pair of khakis with her shirt tucked neatly inside, and a pair of Nike sneakers tied on her feet.
She looked down and gasped. "These aren't mine." She replied as her fingers brushed against the tie. "But Will, you changed too."
Will blinked and looked down at himself. "Oh no..." Gone were his cargo pants and band tee, they were replaced with high-waisted mom jeans that hugged his hips a little too awkwardly and a short-sleeved, faded floral button-up shirt, and the faint outline of a bra hiding under his clothes. He stared at his reflection in a dusty glass cabinet, mouth ajar. "I look like my aunt Cheryl in that one VHS we watched last Thanksgiving."
Emily covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You kind of do." She looked around the office and let out a low and airy whistle. "Okay Dorthy, we're clearly not in Kansas anymore or the 2020s." She replied gesturing over to towards the wall where a crisp yellow flier was hanging.
Will stepped over to the wall and yanked it down to read it aloud. "Spring Career Day - April 1996?" He glanced back over at Emily who looked around a little more. "So mid 90s. We're definitely not in the 2020s." Will ran a hand through his now-parted, slightly puffier hair. "What is this place doing to us? First they vanish, now we’re in different clothes and decades?"
They wandered deeper into the office area. A side window looked out into a courtyard—neatly trimmed, with kids in primary-colored jackets playing hopscotch. Will’s breath caught. "They’re... real or this is a memory of a long gone era." Emily replied. "Either that or something is replaying itself."
Suddenly, the phone on the secretary's desk rang a sharp, electronic BRRRRRING. Both started at it, afraid of what it would do or what they would hear if they picked it up. "Nope." Will replied, stepping back away from it. "I've seen enough horror movies to know where this is going." He continued to back away, but the phone rang again and again and again, then it stopped and both Will and Emily let out a long drawn out sigh.
From the back hallway, a door creaked open and heavy footsteps echoed on tile. Emily grabbed Will's arm. "We need to go find Josh and Jenn, now."
Hesitant, Will ultimately agreed. "But how do we even know if they traveled in the past with us?" He asked trying to make sense of this whole thing. They continued to hear the steps as they drew closer, followed by the unmistakable sound of keys jingling. "Ummm... Em." Will started as he looked at her. "I don't think we're the only ones here."
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