Lazarus POV
I stood in front of the building anxious about what awaited me at the other end. When I left New York I didn't know why I couldn't inform Charlotte but something in the back of my mind told me I shouldn't and I knew better than to ignore my instincts. I knew it was wrong to leave without a word but what was I to do my whole life seems unclear and I couldn't share my troubles with her.
As I walked inside the building I noticed the old interior designs and the homey smell of ancient London. I don't know how I knew it smelt that way but I just did.
I walked up to the receptionist table and there was a sign on it.
On break will be back by 12 noon
It was already 12:30 and the receptionist wasn't here. I just sighed in annoyance and sat down on the waiting area.
I sat there for almost an hour before a slender man walked in and sat down on the receptionist seat. He took down the sign on the table before he noticed me but instantly looked away.
I got up and walked towards the table.
Good Afternoon, I greeted the man but got no response.
Please state you business sir. He says rudely but I paid no heed to his attitude. I am here to enquire for room 101.
He tensed up as he heard those words before looking at me. Please sir we have no such room here.
I studied his body language and I immediately knew he wasn't telling the truth.
Please can I speak with your manager. Tell him Lazarus James Neil is here, he would know me. His eyes where wide in realisation when he heard my name and immediately he called the manager.
As if on cue i saw an old man was walking towards our direction when his phone rang.
He looked up at the receptionist before looking at me and instantly his eyes where glassy. He walked up to me slowly, like he was counting his steps and I just stared at him. He looked familiar in a strange way but I was sure I have never seen him before.
Hello Mr Smith he says with an outstretched hand, I took his hand.
Am sorry sir but I think you got the wrong person. Its Neil not Smith.
Oh! Is that what you're called these days, he looked at me with a knowing smile. He brought out a key from his neck and handed it to me.
The room is found at the 5th floor, the building is old so there's no elevator's, you will have to use the stairs he says pointing at a door which I believe leads to the stairs.
I stared at him trying to figure him out and why he just decided to give out a key so precious to him that he placed it around his neck and why he decided to give it to me. A stranger.
Why did you give it to me? I asked him with questioning eyes. All he did was smile before walking away. I stared at his retreating figure until he was out of sight before I finally walked toward the door.
The stairs had a sense of familiarity and as I walked to the fifth floor I didn't feel the usual aching in my legs. It was like I was used to this kind of life style and this was the longest stairs I have ever taken in my entire life.
I felt different as I got closer to the door. It felt like something was taking over me and i liked it.
I stood in front of room 101. Surprisingly its the only room on the entire floor. I fished out my keys, slightly stalling from the inevitable before I finally open the door.
The room was neat and clean. It had old fashion designs and it looked like it was made for me. Everything in this suite looked like something I would use but something caught my eyes.
It was a picture frame of a man and a woman. The man in the picture looked exactly like me but the features of his face looked slightly different and the girl in his arms looked so familiar but I couldn't recall where I have seen her.
I stared at the picture in astonishment. I knew fully well that I wasn't the one in that picture but the man looked like a replica of me.
I dropped the picture frame and walked around the room. There was nothing alarming about it so I didn't get why I was told to come here. I walked around for what felt like hours before I noticed a peculiar book self which contained my favourite sets of books.
I don't know why I like to arrange my books alphabetically but I knew I couldn't stand seeing a disorganized set of books so I put the matter at hand at the back of my mind and arranged the books to my liking.
As I placed the last book on the last cabinet, the walls opened and at the other end was a door.
I tried looking for some sort of key to open the mysterious door but i had no clue where to find it. I searched for hours until it was midnight and sleep over took me.
The next day went by in the same routine of finding a key that was no where to be found and slowly I grew tired of looking.
I went outside later in the evening to clear my head. My mind was clouded with questions I couldn't understand and slowly I knew I began to lose my mind.
I began to see things.
As I walked threw the city of London I saw people in unusual clothing's walking around and like magic they where back in there normal clothes. I walked pasted an old looking antics shop earlier and now its looks good and new. All I could do was to run to my temporary apartment. I was scared out of my mind and I knew that something was wrong with me.
I walked faster into the building slightly running to my room. I tried to insert the keys but my hands where shaking terribly from the freight I felt earlier and as I was about to pull the key out of the door, the back of the key opened and another tiny key came out from it and fell down.
I walked into my room staring at the key in awe. I knew this key is the key to the second door and truly it fitted perfectly.
The door opened and I found a passage leading to a room. The room was so dark that I couldn't see a thing. Thank God I brought a touch.
The touch lit the room up and I saw stacks of books arranged on various book shelves and some kind of relics and potions on the other shelves.
The room looked brand new as if someone had been taking care of it. I noticed the books are arranged according to their dates.
I picked up the first book and noticed it looked more like a journal. The journal was written in 1889 Australia but the pages where blank.
It didn't make sense why would they ask me to come here for blank pages, something wasn't adding up. Immediately I thought of fire and imaginary ink.
I didn't know where the idea came from because I knew perfectly well that I would never have come up with something like that. True to my instincts, as I placed the paper above the fire, letters appeared on it.
Monday 1670, Australia December.
My name is Lazarus Thomas Lucas. I think am going insane, I keep seeing thing, feeling like someone or something is watching me.
It started on my twentieth.
I started having series of dreams and I thought maybe I should write it down. The dreams are about a girl in her early twenties, she called out to me crying and blaming me for everything that happen to her.
I have never met this lady nor have I heard of her so I wondered why she blamed me for her misfortune. I thought it would pass but it didn't and I learned to live with it until she came.
I dare not say her name because the pain never leaves. When I met her the pain and confusion increased but I refused to see the plain truth looking at me.
When am with her I think of nothing else but her and when am not, I find myself lost in this emptiness that never ends.
I craved her touch her love but as I did I slowly went insane.
I read the last letter of this page and wondered who was this infamous she. This journal baffled me.
Why did I have the same name with this unknown man and why do we have the same dream and every time I think about it, it always ended with the same question.
Why me?