One-Sided Secrets: Stories Unfolded Through Half a Conversation

Okay. The keypad is directly to your left. The code is four... seven... zero... one... nine. I know, just trust me. It’s a five-digit code. Last week, we talked about how a secret can unfold through just one side of a conversation, but that was just a story. This is real. So listen to me. Only me. Did you get the code? Four. Seven. Zero. One. Nine. Good. Okay. The door should slide, not swing. Go slow. It’s old, it squeals. Use the oil I gave you on the track if you have to. No? Okay, just...

be gentle. Alright, you’re in. You see the corridor? It’s going to be pitch black. Your eyes will adjust. Do not, I repeat, do NOT turn on any light. There are pressure sensors in the floor, but they’re only active in the center of the hallway. You need to keep your back to the right-hand wall. Slide along it. Can you feel the seam in the panels? Follow it. What? What is it? A draft? No, there shouldn't be any... oh god. Okay. Stop. Stop right there. That means a patrol door is open. They’re not on schedule.

They’re not on schedule! Stay completely still. Don't even breathe. I'm listening... I can hear them. Can you hear them? They're talking. Something about the weather feed. Okay, that's good. They're distracted. You have to move now, while they're talking. Go. Go now! Faster. The seam ends at a ventilation grate. It’s about two feet off the floor. You feel it? Okay, good. The cover is held by two screws. Top and bottom. Use the coin. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Come on, you know this. What do you mean it's stripped?

No. No, no, no. Try again. Put all your weight into it. I can hear them getting closer. Their voices are getting louder. You have to get that cover off! Yes! Okay! Get in. Get in the vent. Pull the cover back over you. Don't try to screw it in, just hold it in place. Hold it. And be absolutely silent. They're right there. They're right outside the vent. Please don't make a sound. Please. They’re gone. The voices are fading. Oh, thank god. Okay. Okay, you did it. You did it. Now... crawl. The shaft goes straight for about fifty feet and then turns upward.

When you get to the turn, just stop and wait for me. Don't do anything until you hear my voice again. You're through the worst of it. You're safe... for the next fifty feet.