The window wasn't even locked. That alone should have told us that we didn't want to mess with whatever was inside.

  Like a cat, Abigail jumped in the window, landing silently on her heals. I stumbled in after her.

The window looked out from a hallway. It was dark, but slowly my eyes adjusted. There was a thin carpet, and bare walls. The air inside was musty, but not unlived in.

I stepped forward, but Abigail's arm shot out, holding me back. She was tensed. I froze. Abigail locked eyes on something in front of her.

A security camera.

We were mere steps outside of its line of sight.
Painstakingly slow, Abby shrugged out of her fleece jacket. Keeping her eyes level with the camera, she raised her coat, and took four deliberate steps forward.  Ever so gingerly, she covered the lense.

Abigail turned back to me and motion with her hands to proceed.

"It'll buy some time," She mouthed. "But not much."

The city hall felt completely surreal. I felt a tingling sensation that wouldn't go away. Everything was dead silent and even the slightest creak made me want to jump. 
Although the ski mask obscured her hair and features Abigail's green eyes shone through, clear and determined.

We stalked threw several more eerily quiet corridors, Abigail dusting frequently for lasers. Occasionally we would spot another camera and skirt out of the way.

Abby began pointedly studying a wall map, because apparently, she thought CLOCK ROOM would be written there, when I heard a heavy thunk, thunk, thunk.

Footsteps.

They grew steadily louder and the pit in my stomach grew steadily larger. I tugged on Abby's shoulder, she waved me off.
The footsteps drew nearer. I tried again.

"In a minute!" Abigail hissed.

A flashlight beam appeared on a wall around the corner. I practically tackled Abigail and dragged her under little end table propped up against the wall.

The guard appeared from around the corner and we both stopped breathing. I wanted to shrink, or make myself invisible. The guard was so close I could see his potbelly sag under his uniform.

He swooped his flashlight across the wall, hovering over one of the many doors lining the hall . I had had never heard a silence quit so loud. it was suffocating; drowning me in the shadows and darkness. Then, with an audible humph, the guard shuffled away.

It felt like hours before either of us dared to move. My legs were stiff, either from sitting still so long, or being so tense. Abigail steered me towards the door the guard had taken
special interest in.

Above it hung a large sign.

"Admitted personnel only. Entry without admittance will result in penalty by law," Abigail read to herself.

"This is it," I breathed.

Abigail brushed her hand over the stainless steel.

She stopped and let out a long string of whispered curses.

"Combination lock!" she muttered. "It's useless! No way we'll get in!"

It was my turn to smile.

"I got this one!" I whispered as I punched in the four digit code.

The tiny panel flashed green and the door clicked unlocked.

Abby stared at me in awe."How did you...?"

"I guessed," I replied. Abigail still looked dumbfounded. "Ever since two thousand thirty two, the default code for all locks has been six-six-nine-three. SixtyFour percent of people are just too lazy to change it. I hoped whoever uses this door was one of those people."

"Where'd you learn that?" Abby looked at me with new respect. All I ever got from her was an eye roll or patronizing head tilt so it certainly boosted my ego to impress her.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Read it somewhere."

With that I pushed through the door.