Chapter 72. Executing Operation, Codename: Date, Evening. (4/4)

In front of the camera appeared to be a photo. It was definitely a photo of the door it was keeping an eye on.

She must have had a small portable printer for photos in her bag as well. The drone fed her footage from the same angle as the camera which she could capture a screenshot on her laptop. She’d then connect the portable printer to her laptop and print out the photos like that. She’d very likely done the same for the other cameras inside the library. The drone simply flew high up near the ceiling then lowered down beside the camera where she took a shot of the room, she could repeat the process for each camera one by one.

The drone would return and she’d attach the photo to the cameras remotely using the drone. 

Normally there would be the problem of the lighting in the room the photos were taken changing over time. But it was already late in the day and dark out. There was no need to worry about that unless it was light out and the sun was setting or it was close to sunrise.

With it being the longest night of the year there wasn’t a need to worry about having to change out the photos. When we’re leaving she’d have me occupy Alicia for a bit saying she was going to return the keys. We could wait outside for her while she took down all the photos with the drone. In this manner, it was almost the perfect crime. 

The only flaw in it would be if a security guard saw an abnormality in the footage as it was done. Though the cameras probably had a very low frame rate for storage concerns, it was possible that it wouldn’t be recorded when the picture was placed over it. However, there would still be a noticeable change from one frame to the next as a result of positioning. There was no way to get that exact. It was only possible to get it close. Close enough that your typical human wouldn’t notice it unless they looked over the footage. 

Security guards were also typically bored out of their mind for the majority of their shift and only occasionally looked over to the camera to make sure nothing had changed. There were even many who just kicked back and slept on the job. It was impossible for someone to sit with their eyes glued to a camera with their undivided attention multiple days of the week for hours on end. 

Plus, today was even a Sunday, the day they had the laxest attitude and thinnest numbers of security guards on duty. Though security may go on an occasional patrol every now and then, the university was a huge place to patrol. Security wouldn’t seriously enter every single room and check them one by one on a Sunday. Even if security checked a few rooms, it definitely wouldn’t be a thorough inspection. The most they’d do is shine a light in through the window or just look through the window to see if they see any lights on in the room. So probability-wise, the risk associated with this plan was quite low. 

With the way things had been done, Alicia would never even realize anything strange was up.

Hahahaha, not bad, not bad at all. My girlfriend really does have some skills to be proud of. I was actually quite impressed by how meticulous she’d been. To even snatch away the keys to this place as part of her plan. She could take a picture of the keys she got her hands on then record the dimensions, we could at a later date make copies of them using the photos if we ever needed them.

While I spent all that time picking apart the thought process behind my girlfriend's plan we’d already stepped into the library and taken a seat. It was just the three of us. The two of them assumed positions to my sides. I was given the book to hold in the center between them. 

They ended up scooting real close to me to be able to read. We were on three old wooden chairs without any armrests, so there was nothing to really keep them at bay. Their faces were only a few centimeters away. Their bodies were in contact with me as they leaned their weight against me for an easier reading experience. 

Rosa hadn’t turned on any of the lights in the library. She’d simply taken out a small desk lamp from inside her bag and set it up on the table to point down at us and provide just enough illumination to the pages. 

With this sort of setting, there was a strange atmosphere in the air. 

Two girls in a dark library, a boy between them, with just barely enough light to see each other’s faces and read a book. It was so quiet, we could hear the smallest changes in each other’s breathing.

We’d selected a horror trilogy. I’d chosen horror because I figured it would suit the atmosphere in the library at night. I figured we wouldn’t be able to turn the lights on to avoid security coming in to check the place. I thought it would just be me and Rosa at the time though and I’d initially intended to just use the flashlight on my camera for enough illumination to read, but Rosa had come prepared in advance with her desk lamp. 

At the time I hadn’t been aware of Rosa’s intention to bring Alicia to the library with us. Thinking about it now, Rosa had made her own considerations when she agreed on a horror series to read. Alicia, who believed we had permission to be here, might think it was weird for us to not turn the lights on if it was any other genre. As such, for Rosa, the genre that made the most sense to pick to avoid raising Alicia’s suspicions about not turning on the lights was naturally horror.

She’d put a lot of thought into even the finest details. 

The type of horror trilogy we were reading together wasn’t one that made you scream out loud the way you would when watching a movie. Rather, it was the type that slowly encroached upon the deepest fears in your heart. The type that relied heavily on the atmospheric tension it created.

It would leave you anxious and constantly checking behind your back, fearful of what hidden threat lurks amidst the darkness.

As we grew more invested in the story, time flew by quicker. Alicia’s hands had grabbed onto my sleeve anxiously. A drop of cold sweat rolled down her cheek.

When it reached her chin, it dripped down and landed on her shirt; no, to be more specific, my shirt on her body. She’d taken her jacket off and hung it on the chair behind her. It was easy to see her cleavage from this angle but I didn’t stare at it directly. It was just in my peripheral vision.

With her so close, it was only natural I could smell the sweet scent that wafted off of her long hair touching me.

Unlike Alicia, on my left, Rosa, to my right, didn't look scared at all. She was by no means bored though, she had bright eyes, eager to find out what would happen as the story progressed further. She too had gripped my sleeve and occasionally trembled, only hers were the exact opposite of Alicia’s, hers were from excitement.

Of the three of us, Rosa was the slowest to read. I didn’t have any problem with it though, I took my time and read at a leisurely pace. When I was finished with a page I’d observe their minute reactions.

Alicia was second to finish, but she was thankful for the small breaks where she could settle her uneasiness. It was cute how her eyes occasionally swiveled to the side and peeked over her shoulder to confirm there wasn’t anything there. Her normally smooth and flawless skin even had goosebumps.

Seeing her do her best, I couldn’t help but want to root her on in my heart.

On a personal level, I was quite satisfied with the purchase we’d made. I’d written horror myself and I enjoyed the atmospheric type of horror the most. Far more than some cheap jump scares that we’re a dime a dozen in movies. The true fun of writing horror was to slowly chip away at someone’s sanity and make them paranoid to the point they felt there was always something behind them watching closely when in reality there was nothing there at all.

Evoking that sort of feeling on someone through words alone was the best. Terror, true unbridled terror toward the unknown. What was scariest was not what you could see, but what you didn’t see.

Inadvertently, a horrible menacing smile floated to my normally neutral face at some point as my eyes narrowed. The story had drawn me in and I wouldn’t stop until we at least finished the first book.

Time passed by, seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours. We approached the climax, the conclusion of the first book. The instant I read the last word on the final page, the ends of all the hair on my body stood on edge.

It was good. Very much so. Brilliantly done even. As an author who’d written a horror series in the past, I could only admire it.