Reading Light Department Novels & Stories

The shield closed, and we were left to wait outside. An hour passed. Then two. In the third hour, the circle began to flicker with an unnatural light, a color that didn't belong in a proper healing ritual. Martha gripped my arm nervously. "That light… something's wrong." Elder Thomas's face grew grim. "She's using the wrong herbal combination. If this continues, it will—" His words were cut off by a guttural, animalistic scream. The sound was completely inhuman, filled with pain, despair, and… an unspeakable horror.

When I enter, I quietly close the door behind me and fish for the lock in the darkness, my hands shaking so much I almost give up and cry. Once I've finally locked myself in the dark room that I have no idea of what it's purpose is, I run my hands over the wall and find the light switch. All the lights flicker to life in an instant and a rather large movie room is revealed. Even with all the perfectly laid out blankets, comfy-looking chairs, a gigantic movie screen and a snack bar, the first thing I notice is the 'emergency exit' sign and it's bright red lighting.

I inhaled deeply, not in the mood for a spat, and headed to the department I needed, as per the instructions. "Hi, I need to schedule an abortion as soon as possible."

Alas, no matter how gently I tried, the doll was beyond repair. It was not until the next day, when Rebecca walked by my room, that I started to snap out of it. I picked myself up off the floor. I had someone clear out the room. Silently, I moved to the desk, my eyes landing on the dusty family portrait. There they were, Rebecca and Nash. Her smile was so bright that it hurt to look at. Outside, the sky was a menacing shade of gray. I set the photo on fire with a lighter, and I watched in silence as it turned to ash.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Mom spoke up with concern. "Isn't your seventh anniversary with Lucas coming up? Shouldn't you stay with him for that special occasion?" I let out a bitter laugh. "That won't be necessary." After hanging up, I booked my flight. At dawn, Lucas pushed open the door to our house and walked in, looking a little worn out. When he saw me sitting in the living room, he smiled and walked over. "I spent the whole night observing the skies. I'm so exhausted," he said.

The display came alive with a most disorientating overhead view of the library outside Athens. It was eerie. Lara gaped, totally dazed by the sight of Christophe striding through the door, pouring himself a large drink, and then throwing himself on the sofa. “Oh, you want to know what we’re watching? Well… I’ll start by saying this: every reception room and every corridor in my father’s houses are protected by twenty-four-hour surveillance equipment. Only the bedrooms and the bathrooms are off-limits,” Christophe informed her. “You can see the date and the exact time displayed at the foot of every frame.”

He kept on driving to the office. I trailed behind the woman and realized she worked for the same company as Edgar. At first, I couldn't believe they were even self-aware enough to take precautions to avoid being caught together. However, I soon recalled that Edgar once told me colleagues in the same department weren't allowed to be in a romantic relationship. That meant the woman had to be in the same department as he was. Another memory came back to me. A few months ago, Edgar had inadvertently mentioned a newly graduated intern who just joined his department. He said she was extremely dumb and didn't know how to do anything.

A lone shelf stood against one wall, showcasing papers upon papers of what she relieved to be office documents. The lighting, a subtle interplay of shadows and illumination, added depth to the bunker's aesthetic. Recessed fixtures cast a soft glow across the room, their muted warmth in perfect harmony with the grayscale palette. Ashley noted how the strategic placement of lights accentuated certain elements, allowing the monochrome environment to reveal its nuances in stages.

"Just think about it: after a long day of nothing, wouldn't you feel frustrated? But at the very last moment—just when you're about to close shop, someone suddenly comes up to you with a sweet bargain. You'd definitely be as surprised as you're delighted, and Raymond would instinctively latch on to that final opportunity, so he would be a lot less wary." "Also, there's the matter of lighting. No matter how good it is, nothing beats daylight. Forget how well the illumination is in Treasure Measure—after working for a day, anyone's eyes would be tired. As the skies start to turn dark, your eyes will be overworked, and you'll miss things easily at this point. Even if there were flaws that Raymo