No More Locked Doors Novels & Stories

“It’s unlocked.” The words dropped like stones into the silence. Miranda’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her hand moved automatically toward the doorknob, but she hesitated inches away from touching it. For the first time in over a decade, Miranda Liu’s fingers trembled visibly. Daniel noticed. But he said nothing. “All done, ma’am?” the locksmith asked quietly, stepping back. Miranda inhaled deeply, her breath shaky. “Daniel open the door” “Yes, ma’am.” Daniel replied.

The first thing Astrid heard as she got to the front door of the house was the last thing Selene said. She was moving in. Astrid was torn between throwing a fit over it and accepting her fate. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that she was never the only woman in Darius’ life, not even now when he wanted to try. “What do you mean you were evicted?” Darius broke the thick silence after he dismissed his security officials. “I made a transfer of your rent to your bank account just weeks ago. We agreed on that.”

All I could do was lie dying on the scorching floor and listen. The fire captain's voice outside sounded familiar. It seemed to be Daniel Mercer, Dad's closest friend. "Are we certain this is the address? Micah has to be in trouble. Damn it, why is the front door locked?" "We don't have time, Captain! Whoever is inside is fading fast. We need to break through now!" Daniel's voice was grave. "Cutting through the security door could take too long. I'll call Richard and get the key." "Richard, where is the emergency key to your estate? Tell me now. Your boy called 911. He's trapped in the sauna and close to death!"

The city visible through the far windows. But something was different this morning. The people at the outer desks were moving faster. Two of them were on phones at the same time, their voices low and clipped. The glass-walled conference room we passed had four people in it instead of three and the documents on the table were spread wider, more urgently, than the last time I had walked past it. Something had happened, something had moved. Claire stopped at the end of the corridor and knocked twice on the large door. "Come in."

Sequences that people commonly used like one two three four or five five five five. Red light. Red light. Red light. After twenty attempts, the keypad beeped differently and flashed a warning. "Too many failed attempts. Lockout activated." "No!" I slammed my fist against the safe. "No no no!" The screen went dark. The keypad wouldn't respond anymore. I was locked out. All that money, everything I needed, was right there behind that metal door and I couldn't get to it. I went back downstairs, my anger so strong I felt like I might explode. Elena looked up when I stormed into the room.

“Must be the whole building this time.” “Great,” I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. “Just fantastic.” I heard him moving around, probably feeling for the door. A few seconds later came the sound of the handle turning, then nothing. “Lily.” “Yeah?” “The door’s locked.” “What do you mean locked?” “I mean the electronic lock engaged when the power went out. We’re stuck.” I set the box down carefully, my hands already starting to shake. “That’s not possible. There have to be manual overrides or something.”

"Fifteen years, remember? I know every weakness in this entire level." He moved to the door, running his fingers along the frame. "The locks are electronic, powered by the same grid as the collars. If we can overload the system..." He slammed his fist into a specific point on the doorframe. Nothing happened. Then, from somewhere far away, an explosion rocked the facility. The lights flickered. The collar around my neck sputtered, and for just a moment, I felt my wolf surge forward. The door's lock disengaged with a click.

"We need cutters to get past the door. OVER." "We're on the way," the radio hisses as I move Auntie's boots. "Offer still stands, Olivia Grant," the man pounds against the door. "We brought a welding torch, you little snot. Your stupid door won't hold. Now, come out and be a good little girl and I won't break your legs." Pulling the key from my backpack, I carefully place it on the lock. It beeps, but it doesn't open, a flashing red light telling me the lock is still set. Maybe I did something wrong?

There was no phone anywhere he could see. Patrick took note of all of this in a handful of seconds, but then his attention turned directly to the door next to the breakfast nook. He hurried to it, grasping the knob and twisting. The door wouldn’t budge. Then he noticed the deadbolt lock a few inches above the knob. One without a thumb-turn to unlock it, but one that could only be opened with a key, even from the inside. The door had no glass panels but was a solid slab of heavy wood. Clare stood next to him, studying the lock herself. “Can we do like we did with the door in the basement?”

She stopped in front of the door. It was locked. Of course it was locked. She stared at it for a moment. Then said softly, “I am tired of doors deciding what I can know.” She reached for the handle anyway. As expected, it did not move. But something else happened. A faint click sound came from inside the system. Not mechanical. Digital. The lock responded. Not opening. But acknowledging. Anna frowned. “What…” she whispered. She tried again. This time, the door opened slightly. Just a crack.