Page 2 of Monsters in the Museum

Wrapping her scarf around her neck to combat the cold night air, Nora made her way over to the nearest squad car.

“Excuse me, sir?” Nora asked. “What’s going on here? I work at the museum, and I got an alert about a security breach.”

The police officer looked rather uninterested as he answered, “A bunch of security alarms went off in an office on the lower level—called in the emergency services automatically. We’ve searched the whole area, and everything seems copacetic.” The officer shrugged as he continued, “Must have been a glitch in the system.”

“I work in an office on the lower level. Can I at least go in and make sure that nothing was damaged or stolen? We store a lot of priceless artifacts down there.”

“That would be great, actually.” The officer’s tone turned grateful. “We need somebody to confirm that nothing was taken before we can leave the scene. You can go inside and take stock.”

Nora dug inside her purse for her office keys as she wove her way through the parked squad cars to the main entrance. Before she could make it to the bottom of the museum steps, Odelle strode up behind her and grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing?”

“Going inside to make sure nothing was damaged, of course.”

Odelle looked at her like she had grown a third arm. “You can’t go in there. What if the burglar is still inside?”

“Um, yes, I can,” Nora said, turning and continuing her march up the steps. “Besides, the police said that they swept the area, and it was empty.”

Odelle continued to follow her. “Well, then I’m coming with you.”

Nora sighed but did not slow her walking. “You’re just coming with so you can be the first reporter on the scene. Get the inside scoop on any big news before anybody else gets wind of it.”

“Well, maybe,” Odelle admitted, not sounding the least bit contrite. “But somebody also has to protect you. You may specialize in ancient weaponry, but you would be useless in actual combat.”

“And you plan on fighting off a burglar in those shoes?”

Odelle seemed unconcerned. “If Wonder Woman can figure it out, then so can I.”

Nora chuckled as she let them into the darkened museum.

“You know,” she commented as they passed the looming Tyrannosaurus Rex in the main entrance which looked haunting in the dim lighting, “I’ve always wanted to come in here at night. See if the dinosaurs and mummies come alive when we aren’t looking.”

“Stop joking around,” Odelle scolded her without venom, the click of her heels echoing as they made their way down the steps to the basement. “This is a crime scene.”

“It’s not a crime scene; it’s just the scene of a glitch in the security system, according to Officer Unhelpful out there.”

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a prickling of warmth under Nora’s skin forced her to loosen the scarf around her neck. Even then, a bead of moisture trickled down the small of her back.

As if she had heard her thoughts, Odelle asked, “Is it just me, or is it really hot down here?”

“It’s not just you.” Nora unzipped her jacket.

“Maybe there’s some sort of problem with the boiler. That might have tripped the security system.”

“Is that a thing?” Nora asked as they reached the door to her office. Just as she moved to unlock it, a shiver ran up her spine. She paused, the key hesitating an inch from the lock. In the pregnant silence, a slight shuffle at the other end of the hallway grabbed her attention.

She whirled toward the sound, eyes straining to see any movement in the darkness. Just as she was about to turn back to her office door, scolding herself for being skittish, a dark shape shifted, moving toward the loading docks.

Nora froze once more, her hand snaking out to grab Odelle’s wrist. Understanding the unspoken message, she remained silent. There was a tense moment where both the intruder and Nora seemed to acknowledge their awareness of the other’s presence. The hot air was preternaturally still, as if the whole world was watching to see who would break the silence first.

Then, the intruder bolted. Nora took off after him without a second thought, dashing down the hallway, all the blisters on her feet forgotten in the adrenaline of the moment. She barreled after him, combat boots pounding against the concrete floor. He was heading toward the loading docks, where there was a back door that he could use as an escape.

The figure was tall and lean, with long legs that allowed him to run faster than Nora, but her familiarity with the basement hallways allowed her to keep up. She skidded around several corners, trying to keep him in her line of sight. The intruder crashed out through the back door, Nora following behind. In the open ground of the moonlit back alley, the man gained speed, and it became clear that she wasn’t going to be able to catch up.

Before she could think through the stupidity of her actions, Nora shouted, “Stop!” The word came out a little breathless from her sprint.

To her eternal surprise, the man froze, and Nora was taken off guard enough that she skidded to a halt behind him, the soles of her boots scraping against the asphalt, loud in the night air. The man’s shoulders tensed, drawing up toward his ears as if he were fighting some internal battle. He turned his head as if to look behind him but stopped halfway. The moment stretched on, but Nora remained frozen, unsure of what to do now that she was no longer chasing the man.