Panic Room Novels & Stories

I muttered before turning to follow Kylie into her apartment. "Sorry about that, shes been a rambling mess lately. Business has been booming since the Panic room opened up shop just outside of town. She and dad have been working double time to keep up with orders." My stomach turned at the sound of that name, and the card in my pocket suddenly felt a lot heavier. "So you've been to the Panic room, then? Have you met the owners?" I asked as I took off my jacket.

It resembles a bunker more than a room. “Ambrose, what is this?” “A safe room, better known as a panic room. I need you to stay here. No one can get in without a code and my fingerprint. No matter what, you don’t leave this room until I return. Am I clear?” His voice is firm. “If no one can get in, then why don’t you stay in here with me? Ambrose, please, don’t go out there alone.” I beg, not letting go of his hand.

’ Tears pricked behind my eyes, and my fingers shook as I typed. ‘I’m okay. For now. Can’t talk. Hidden room. Misha put me in here, said people are coming. Probably armed. He looked prepared. Not panicked, just like he’d done this before. There’s a flashlight. Water. Dead burner phone. I can’t hear anything outside. Just waves.’ Sadie's typing bubble appeared immediately. ‘Wait. What?? Are you saying he has a panic room? That he just stuffed you inside it?’ ‘Yes. It’s behind an armoire. Sealed tight. He told me to lock it and told me not to come out until I heard his voice. No matter what I hear outside.’

“Yes.” Not surprising. Not comforting either. They turned a sharp corner, and Kai stopped in front of a large steel panel embedded in the wall. It looked nothing like a normal door—no handle, no hinges. Just a seamless slab of reinforced metal. “Kai,” she whispered, “what is this?” “The panic room,” he said softly. “The real one. Not the one Damon showed to visitors.” Her eyebrows pinched. “There’s more than one?” “Of course there is.” There was a faint bitterness in his tone, as if Damon’s precautions annoyed even him. “This one is off-record. Only three people know it exists.”

The door clicked open with a pneumatic hiss. "Inside," he said, his hand on my lower back, pushing me through. The panic room was a bunker within a fortress. Concrete walls, no windows, a long table with monitors covering one wall, a small kitchenette, and a door leading to what I knew was a bedroom and bathroom. Daniel stood at the head of the table, his face carved from ice, his phone pressed to his ear. Luca was at the monitors, cycling through camera feeds, his jaw tight. Jonas sat at the table, a laptop open in front of him, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Nora said, relief flooding her voice. “Barely,” Mason muttered. Behind them, the intercom came alive again. “Trial One: complete.” “Proceeding to Phase Two: Revelation.” The lights flickered once more this time revealing the space they’d entered. Rows of beds lined the walls. Each had a nameplate at the head. Lola froze. “Those are… ours.” Every bed had a name: Lola Quinn. Adam Pierce. Nora James. Mason Lee. And one more. At the far end of the room, the final bed bore a fifth name.

Emma responded with a grin and devil emoji. First, I hacked into the apartment complex’s computer system. Once I did, I found that yes in fact every apartment had their own security system as well as a panic room. That was insane. I had heard about panic rooms on TV or in the movies, but I have never actually known someone to have one.

He yanked open the hidden panel, revealing the steel door. “Get in,” he said, pushing me inside. “Lock it. Don’t open it for anyone but Adam or Raphael.” “What’s happening?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Where’s Adam?” “He’s out there,” Marco said, his eyes darting to the door. “We’ll hold them off. Stay here.” He slammed the door shut, and I locked it, the bolts heavy and final. The panic room was small, just a cot, a shelf with supplies, and a monitor showing the villa’s cameras.

The back wall slid open, revealing a small reinforced room-maybe eight by eight feet, with a phone, first aid kit, and what looked like weapons. ‘Get in. Lock it from inside. Don’t open it for anyone except me or Marcus.” He kissed me hard and fast. “‘I love you.” “Kael- “Go!” He pushed me inside and the door slid shut. I heard the lock engage. Then nothing but my own panicked breathing and the distant sounds of combat. The panic room had a security monitor. I could see multiple camera feeds-the hallway, the living room, the elevator bank. Three men in tactical gear were fighting Kael’s guards.

Every year, the week before the statewide college entrance exams, I had my parents empty fifty rooms at our hotel and hold them for my classmates, free of charge. Then the scores came out, and our class president, Natalie Reed, had bombed hers. She led the whole class online and claimed our hotel had run construction in the middle of the night on purpose, just to keep her from getting into college. The post went viral. The hotel was reported until it was shut down. My parents lost every cent they had saved, and their hair went gray overnight. Through all of it, not one of the fifty classmates who had stayed in our hotel spoke up for us. Then I opened my eyes, and it was the week before