Card Room Novels & Stories

Click. He pushed the door open and looked inside. Boxes were visible against the walls, bolts of fabric and canvas rolls leaning near the squatted, drop-clothed silhouette of the sewing machine. His eyes fell upon the card table standing in the center of the tight room, a checkerboard on it with red and black pieces in place, as if abandoned mid-game. The jumped pieces were stacked to one side in little piles. There was another small envelope here, like the one on the foyer piano, taped to the table’s edge: My C had been scrawled across this one. Richard’s brow furrowed, and he took a hesitant step forward. Hello? he wished he had the nerve to say.

" Then came Ms. Brown's muffled sobs, followed by the neighbors' voices trying to calm things down. It seemed a new family feud had been ignited once more. … The renovation of the card room went quickly, and half a month later, "The Joyful Card Room" officially opened for business. On opening day, the air was filled with the booming of speakers and the sound of poppers. I had also hired a dance troupe, and the whole venue was buzzing with energy. The pricing for the card room was posted in the most visible spot. The air conditioning ran continuously, and refreshments were free, but tables were cha

I hesitated a mere second before I turned the knob of the door to his room. Me and Carter’s rooms were the same as we left it when we moved out for college. His jock posters still decorated the walls. Some of the celebrity players he’d liked in his youth, some of his team in high school. I knelt by his study desk, my eyes grazing over the photo of Carter and an old dog he’d won in school. Pierce Blackwood was barely visible at the corner of the frame staring daggers at Carter. My hands brushed over the handle of the last drawer. Knowing what I would find if I opened it.

“Dеtесtіvе Andеrѕоn. Welcome. Take a ѕеаt.” Shе аѕѕurеѕ mе there’s an еlеvаtоr lock that рrеvеntѕ реорlе frоm trаvеllіng tо Cаrrіе’ѕ flооr without аn ассеѕѕ саrd.

I was listening—for numbers, for names, for anything that sounded like security codes or private rooms. Halfway down the hall, I passed another door with a small metal plate: **EXECUTIVE LOUNGE – AUTHORIZED ONLY** A keypad blinked red beside it. I looked around. The corridor was briefly empty. I slid the serpent card from the hidden pocket in my dress. My hand shook, just a little. “If this doesn’t work,” I whispered to myself, “I’m a weirdo pressing random metal to hotel doors.” I tapped the card against the reader. Nothing.

This version wasn't running at all. I crossed the marble lobby. The night man knew my face and started to reach for the guest phone out of habit, and I held up the matte black card and watched his hand stop, and something in my chest unclenched at the small proof of it, your own credential, not his say-so. I walked to the private elevator, the last one, elevator forty-two, and tapped the card against the reader, and the panel woke with a soft green pulse and the doors slid open on the mirrored car that had once felt like the throat of a beast swallowing me whole.

Edward asked with a playful smile. “What do you have planned this time?” I asked suspiciously. “You’ll see,” Edward replied with a little laugh. … “This is the game room,” Edward said as he led me into the game room. I could understand immediately why this was the game room when I stepped in. There was equipment for all sorts of games in the room and various game areas. Boardgames, dice, cards, balls and so many other things. The room was large with a lot of open space and some parts of the floor had mats installed like a gymnastic gym. What are we going to do here? Play a game of cards?

“Dеtесtіvе Andеrѕоn. Welcome. Take a ѕеаt.” Shе аѕѕurеѕ mе there’s an еlеvаtоr lock that рrеvеntѕ реорlе frоm trаvеllіng tо Cаrrіе’ѕ flооr without аn ассеѕѕ саrd.

There looks to be a little book nook in the corner by a fake fireplace that isn’t lit up. The common room area where the big tv is and huge sectional. If I didn’t know any better I would say this could pass as a pack house. The elevator arrives and Grey and I step in. I notice there are no buttons on the wall to push so the only way to get our floor is through the key cards. How interesting. I might have to add some type of security like this in the pack house. I watch as Grey slides his card in what looks like a credit card machine. As the door shuts there is a familiar voice that comes over the speakers telling us which floor we are headed to. I can’t pin point it.

He wanted them to know he had arrived and would bring wrath upon this place. “Damon, Cara is inside the room called an oubliette.” Just on cue, his twin brother informed him through the com-device. Damon didn’t respond to Davien as he slid the card into the small box panel of an electronic lock. The red LED light flashed green, and the metal gate responded with a low reverberating hum before the mechanical gears inside whirred and slid open.