Hide Doors Novels & Stories

“Close the door. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.” I grin, wide and feral, as I shut and lock the door.

They cleared out the guest room in record time. Micah hovered in the hallway, arms crossed. “Are we getting another one?” Nathan smiled. “Not replacing you, if that’s what you’re asking.” Micah looked away. “Wasn’t asking.” But he left the door cracked open that night. Just in case. At 11:31 p.m., a car pulled into the driveway. J stepped out slowly, backpack slung low, a hoodie pulled over dyed red hair, eyes brimmed with tears he refused to shed.

Alexander stepped into the room right behind me and slammed the double doors shut, sliding a heavy brass security bolt into place. Outside, heavy footsteps were rapidly approaching the door. Someone began kicking violently against the thick wood, trying to break the lock. "Hurry, Chloe!" Alexander hissed, rushing over to the large bookshelf on the far wall. He pulled a hidden lever tucked behind a dark red book. With a low hydraulic hiss, the entire bookshelf slid open, revealing a thick steel door. Alexander typed a rapid six-digit code into the glowing numeric pad beside the steel frame. The heavy door unlocked with a loud metallic click.

At my wedding rehearsal, the officiant asked for the third time for us to exchange rings. My best friend, Stacy Campbell, stood beside me as the maid of honor, looking impish. "The treasure hunt game's started. Guess where the ring's hidden?" My fiance, Jeremy Dean, let out a helpless laugh and started guessing hiding spots. I was the only one staring at the empty box, sweat breaking out across my forehead. It was starting again. This so-called treasure hunt game. When we were kids, Stacy hid my scarf in the boiler room while Jeremy kept watch for her. I searched for four hours and finally dug the scorched corner of it out of a pile of ash. Right before the SATs, my admission ticket go

The only other person around was Hael. I stopped at my front door, peering out to see the Wilder house completely shut down, like something out of the Purge movies. The war I thought I was running into was confined to one house, and it was locked up tight. I was still in my doorway trying to make sense of things when I heard laughter. I stepped quietly back into my home, and soon, Hael and Max appeared out of the hidden door I'd constructed when Hael's father commissioned me for a series of secret rooms in their home.

It was intricately camouflaged, blending seamlessly with the rest of the wall, indicating it was meant to remain unseen. Rajeev, Abhi, Ram, and Nand gathered around, their curiosity piqued. "How did we miss this?" Abhi muttered, his eyes scanning the hidden door. Without wasting a moment, Meera approached the hidden mechanism, her hands trembling slightly with a mix of apprehension and hope. With a swift but cautious motion, she pushed or turned the concealed latch, and to everyone's amazement, the secret door creaked open, revealing a passage leading into darkness.

Full of ghosts. The hallway was lined with shuttered windows and thick velvet drapes that hadn’t been drawn in months. Dust floated like ash in the air, and the silence followed me like a presence, pressing into the back of my neck. And at the end of the hallway—the door. Heavy, dark wood. Reinforced hinges. The kind of door meant to keep people out… or secrets in. I reached behind the sconce near the top of the stairs. My fingers found the hidden notch, the slight indentation I’d noticed once when Hale brushed past it during a call. The key was still there, cold against my palm.

Perhaps she could make this work after all. Halle tucked away her lockpick and hesitantly turned the handle, cringing as the hinges groaned faintly even despite her care. She held her breath, listening for any stirrings from the surrounding rooms. But the silence persisted. Hardly daring to believe her luck, Halle slipped out into the gloomy hallway on trembling legs. She pulled the door nearly closed behind her to hide any signs of her absence should someone peek in.

He holds it aloft, a signal for those in the shadows to recognize a seeker of the hidden and forbidden. Almost instantly, the distinctive sound of a bolt sliding echoes through the dimness, and a concealed door creaks open within the seemingly abandoned shop, revealing a hulking merman motioning them to come forth. Trent and Hunter seize the opportunity, swiftly passing through the doorway as it closes behind them with a muted thud. The merman secures the entrance with a cobalt metal bolt, creating an impenetrable barrier from prying eyes.

What? The hydraulic hinges make the six inch thick hunk of metal pull up like it weighs no more than a piece of paper. Nickolas ducks and starts walking down the metal steps, so we follow. As soon as we get to the bottom he hits another button and the trap door shuts with a small hiss and we are plunged into darkness for a second.