Alger’s Dimension Part 3

“Alger’s Dimension” is a horror novelette, first published by “Disturbed Digest” in their December 2017 issue. If you’re just entering this story, you can start from the beginning by going here, or if you want to see all available parts to date, you can find them here. A new part of this story will be released every day, with the 13th and final episode coming out on Halloween.

The sun lazily drooped in the sky on its final descent by the time Declan arrived at the university. He felt foolish for making the trip. He wasn’t sure what he’d hoped to accomplish.

He parked in a spot away from the main entrance. Ravens paced the lot, picking up scraps of food the students dropped in their haste to leave the school for the summer. Most of the professors and students who remained had cleared out for the weekend. He anticipated a few lingerers, but for the most part he expected a quiet campus.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he made his way in a side door and took the stairs, avoiding the elevators. The familiar, musty smell of the stairwell filled him with nostalgia. He thought of the last time he saw Kaz. He hadn’t left on bad terms per se, but their tension-filled last conversation weighed on Declan’s mind.

Two months prior to his departure, Declan landed an assistant professor position at the college in his hometown. On the day Declan went to say his final goodbye to Dr. Kazmarack, things took a turn.

He remembered knocking on the door and popping his head into Kaz’s office. The professor scoured the pages of a notebook, unaware of Declan’s entrance. The hairs on his balding head were sticking out in every direction, his eyes were red-rimmed under his glasses, and he muttered something to himself. His index finger traced the lines across the journal.

Declan cleared his throat, knocked again, louder this time, and said, “Dr. Kazmarack.” The professor looked from his notes and stared in Declan’s direction, but Dr. Kazmarack looked as though he either didn’t recognize Declan, or didn’t see him.

Awkward silence filled the room around them. Dr. Kazmarack snapped his notebook closed, bringing his attention to Declan. “Ah, Declan, yes, yes, come in.” His voice came out slightly ragged at first, but cleared and the doctor’s eyes brightened. The slightest twinge rippled across the professor’s lower lip. He rubbed his chin and pinched his lower lip to conceal the tremor.

“Is this a bad time?” Declan asked. Dr. Kazmarack’s eyes were unfocused, and he didn’t acknowledge Declan. “I can come back if it is,” Declan said.

Dr. Kazmarack cleared his throat, set down his notebook, and rose from his desk. “No, no. It’s a perfectly fine time. I just….” His eyes wandered toward his desk.

“I wanted to say goodbye before I left.” Declan retreated a step. He had never felt this awkward around the professor, who was ordinarily an easy conversationalist, ready with opinions on a wide variety of subjects.

The mention of leaving reclaimed Dr. Kazmarack’s attention. “I’m glad you stopped by. I was just contemplating,” he motioned for Declan to sit and took his own seat. His fingertips glided across the cover of his journal. “There was something I wanted to discuss with you before you left. One last theory–somewhat of a side project of mine for the last couple of years, which I thought you could weigh in on.”

Declan and Dr. Kazmarack’s discussions could last several hours as they debated different theories, but since Declan’s new position didn’t start until the next school year, he wasn’t pressed for time.

One last discourse before he headed out. This, he would miss. If there’d been a full-time position open at this university, he would have seized the opportunity, just to participate in these theoretical conversations. He hoped there would be something comparable in his new position. As it was, Declan stayed another year to fill a temporary position in the department, but since he completed his work the week before, nothing kept him here. Except maybe this one last conversation.

The tarnished brass door handle signaled his arrival at Dr. Kazmarack’s office, and stole Declan from his preoccupation with the past. His body automatically found its way there while his mind absorbed itself with memories.

From the newspaper article he’d read, Declan knew Kaz’s last known whereabouts had been his office, although the article didn’t provide many details. Standing before the door, he was surprised it wasn’t blocked off by police tape. He half expected detectives milling around, searching for clues. The heavy wooden door bore a nameplate announcing Dr. Kazmarack and his position at the university as Senior Professor of the History of Science. The hallway was empty and, as usual, the professor’s door was closed. The appearance of the door didn’t hint at anything nefarious having taken place behind it. Perhaps the stories and news articles about Dr. Kazmarack’s disappearance had been exaggerated. Perhaps a misunderstanding surrounded Dr. Kazmarack’s disappearance, and the murmurings about possible murder were nothing more than embellished stories.

He slipped into the professor’s office and closed the door behind him.

You can find all sections of “Alger’s Dimension” here.

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