Neon lights reflect off various puddles in the brick alleyway as I make my way to my apartment. This is the route I always take from school; left at the first stoplight, which has been out since last September, right at Cheesy Pizzeria, which has long since been closed and abandoned, and then straight through the deep, musty alleyway at the edge of town. My apartment resides at the end of the alleyway, with the metal, precarious stairs leading up to my room hidden by thick, dark green vines that have creeped up the brick walls over the years I've lived here. The walk home is always the same - dark, lonely, and mysterious. I don't leave the high school until the sun has sunken beyond the horizon of buildings and ceased to cast its eerie orange glow over the grimy streets. My teacher always makes me stay much later than the other seniors because she insists I need an adult to look after me, even though I'm technically an adult myself. She knows I live alone. Everybody does. The neon lights are the main source of light for my journey home, as they shower the streets in fluorescent pinks, purples, and greens. 

Every day as I hop around the puddles in the alleyway, my attention is drawn to one mysterious door that sits in the brick wall of my apartment building. The lights always reflect off of its shiny grey surface, leading me on as if to say, "Come on, you know you want to." So, as part of my routine, everyday I try the brass handle, but with no success. The windowless door never opens. I often wonder what could reside behind such a grand door, and its purpose for being locked. I have never seen anyone walk down this particular alleyway, and so have never seen a single soul give the door as much attention as I have given it. I am the only one who lives in this area, and nobody else knows that I live here, so there would be no need for another soul to come down the alley. I've had a few people ask me at school where I live, because they pity me and think I'm lonely, but I never tell them. If I answer them at all, it's to give them false directions. 

I grip the straps on my backpack and slowly focus my gaze on the door. It is filled with a mixture of greens and pinks, which reflect back off the door and shower me in a fluorescent glow. 

"It's going to be locked, Casi," I mutter to myself, shaking my head. "Don't get your hopes up." I brush my golden brown hair from my face and tuck a short lock behind my ear. I then adjust my round-framed glasses and start towards the door. 

A mechanical whirring suddenly fills my ears. I pause, staring at the door. My heart pounds in my chest and I focus on taking deep breaths to calm myself. It's nothing, it's normal. Today is like any other day, I tell myself. I start to fiddle with the hem of my old, tattered black hoodie as a nervous habit. 

My eyes flit about the alleyway as I listen intently for any other sound. Silence. Then, a drip, drip, drip of the old, leaky pipe fastened to the wall behind me as the droplets slowly disintegrate the rusty red bricks below. I smile to myself, thinking I had just imagined the whirring sound. I turn on my heels and start toward the staircase leading up to my room when a bang! reverberates through the alley. I whip around and stare in disbelief at the metal door before me. 

The same door that has been locked shut for the six years I've lived at this apartment is now ajar, but only a crack. A cold breeze blows over me and whips my hair around my face with its chilly fingers. 

"No way," I murmur and pull off my glasses. Sure enough, the door is really open. I wasn't simply imagining it. Neon lights still bounce off of the reflective metal surface, but fuzzier without my glasses on. I re position the frames on my face and tie up my hair in a messy ponytail before starting towards the door. 

I creep toward the entrance ever so slowly with my eyes fixed on the brass handle. The only sounds around me are the buzzing of the old neon signs as the bulbs struggle to continue producing light and the constant dripping of water from the leaky pipe. The alleyway smells musty from being continuously damp, but this is nothing new. However, a new smell reaches me, and I step back in surprise. My feet grow cold, and I realize with a shudder of annoyance that I had stepped back into a puddle. I wince at the sticky wet feeling in my shoes and focus on the strange aroma. 

"Roses?" I whisper, confused. I turn my attention to the inky black sky and close my eyes, breathing in deeply. What on earth? The sweet smell fills the air around me, washing away all traces of the remaining musty scent that always clung to the alleyway. 

A knock sounds on my front door. Knuckles rap against the surface in a slow pattern, as if the visitor is hesitant to even be knocking at all. I lift my head from my knees, which are drawn up against me, and glance around the dark room. Tears blur my vision as I settle my gaze on the door. White paint peels from the surface, and the knocking comes again, this time more urgent. I quickly wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie and put on a fake smile before opening the door. 

"Can I help you?" I ask the stranger kindly. A man in his fifties stands before me, tugging at the collar on his beige shirt. He wears clean blue jeans and a neat, ironed polo. In his hands is a small vase with a few purple roses, adorned with smaller white flowers. A red ribbon is tied around the neck of the vase, and a small, folded piece of paper hangs from it. 

"Er, yes," the man begins awkwardly, meeting my hazel eyes with his own greyish blue ones. "Your father asked me to give these to you..." He holds out the vase and I take it from him, holding it gently against my chest. 

"Is he... okay?" I breathe, tears threatening to fall. 

"I'm sorry," the man murmurs before turning from me and slowly stepping down the stairs, which creak under his every step. 

I blink slowly, staring at the space where the man just stood. Then, finally, I turn my attention to the roses and carefully remove the note from the ribbon before setting the vase on a small table in the living room. I read the words slowly, taking in every word. And when I'm finished, I read the note again three more times, desperate to remember any link to my father. 

Casi, 

I hope you find the flowers to your liking. This will be the last time you hear from me, as I am afraid my time is up. I love you, honey. Keep your head up. You've got a bright future ahead of you, I know it. I'll be with your mother now, and she won't be alone anymore. That's good, right? Now neither of us will be suffering. I love you, Casi. I'll be with you wherever you go. 

Love, 
Dad

I hold my fist to my teeth and try to hold back a sob. I blink furiously up at the ceiling, hoping that the tears won't fall. Be strong, Casi, I tell myself. Be strong. For Dad. 

My mind whirls and tears start to pool in my eyes. Roses. My father sent me roses three years ago from the hospital. It was his last gift to me before he died. Memories cling to my conscious and I shrug my shoulders in an attempt to shake the sorrow. I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks and stare determinedly at the door. I have to be strong. For him.

The mysterious scent draws me nearer to the door. I step slowly and listen for any disturbance in the ordinary sounds of the alleyway. This time, the alley is completely silent. Water ceases to drip from the leaky pipe. the buzzing from the neon signs has gone quiet. It as though time stops moving. 

I finally reach the door and run my hand over its smooth, cold surface. The reflection of the alleyway stares back at me, and I look back at my apartment building one more time before reaching for the brass handle. The handle is chilly beneath my fingers, and rougher than it's been before. Some of the brass has worn to a silver color, which surprises me as I thought no one knew the door was here. If no one came down this alley, why would anybody know about it? 

I pull down on the handle and in one quick instant, my world goes dark. I shift my glasses and nervously look about in the dark with my hand still resting on the handle. The neon lights have stopped producing light. The only light that offers direction comes from the twinkling stars in the night sky. 

Before attempting to open the door further, I stop to think. 

"Okay, Casi, be smart about this," I mutter, tapping my temple. "The lights just died, that's all. Nothing more. Nothing to it." As much as I try to calm myself, my heart still beats furiously in my chest. 

"What am I doing?" I sigh. Then I pull the handle and yank the door open. The door makes a screeching noise as it is pulled over the rough asphalt. I cover my ears and wince before peeking into the doorway. 

I am met with thick black, almost suffocating darkness. There's no stars to light up the world inside the doorway. I peek my head inside the room and breathe in the sickly strong scent of roses. I then shrug my backpack off, drop it at the doorway, and fully enter, leaving the door open behind me to cast weak light into the room. 

I stumble around the room before finding my way to the nearest wall and plaster myself against it. Inching along ever so slowly, I make my way deeper into the mysterious room, feeling along the wall to make sure I don't get lost. The aroma of roses mixes with the cool scent of fresh water. I pause along the wall, listening for the source of the cool scent, but I am met with only more silence. 

"Hello?" I call out into the darkness. As I continue to step quietly along the wall I hear a bang! behind me. I whip my head around and stare in horror as I realize the light from the doorway is gone. The door is no longer ajar. 

I focus to steady my panicked breathing before attempting to run back to the door. But, as I take my first step, I trip over a bump on the floor and fall to my knees. 

"Agh!" I shriek, wincing at the pain. I quickly roll up my pants and brush my hands over my knees. I shudder as the gooey warmth flows over my fingers. Confused as to what could have injured me, I feel around the floor in the darkness and notice a sharp object jutting out from the ground. I attempt to grab it in my hands and pull it from the dirt, but it slices my palm instead. 

I retract my hand and hold it close to my body. A cold breeze rips through me, leaving me shivering on the floor and covered in goosebumps. 

"Is somebody in here?" I shout into the darkness, my teeth chattering from the cold, and struggle to my feet. No one's here to help you, Casi. You have to get out of this  by yourself, I realize. "Stupid, stupid!" I mumble, finally realizing the idiocy of my actions. I take another step, but this time my foot gives out from underneath me. I yelp in surprise as I tumble down a steep concrete slope. I slam onto the floor below and grab my shoulder in shock. The aroma of roses floods over me, so strong I begin to feel nauseous. 

Suddenly, a buzzing sound fills my ears. Seconds later, a small light bulb blinks on. I squint in the sudden light and slowly blink my eyes open. I gaze around my surroundings for the first time. Shadows creep up stark white walls in the small square room I'm in. Above me is a concrete slope too steep to climb back up. And before me is a large pool of water, barely fitting the room, surrounded by purple roses. The same color roses my dad once sent me. 

"Thanks for coming," a hoarse voice bellows behind me. I whip around, but there is no one there. My heart palpitates in my chest, and I turn my head from side to side in horror. 

"Who's there?" I demand. My voice reverberates throughout the frigid room.  

"Hi, Casi," the voice replies. The room goes dark, and the aroma of roses fades. 

-

Hi, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, even though it was super short. This idea came from a prompt: "every day you pass a door and it's never opened. One day, it is, and you decide to investigate". Super fun prompt and I enjoyed writing this. Anyways, don't be afraid to comment and vote! I appreciate both so much, and I try to respond to all comments. Thanks!

~Luna