The Keys Ch. 06

Lydia had the luxury of several minutes to let the night air wick away the sweat from every corner of her body. Fortunately for her, there were no sticky clothes to hold back the accumulated perspiration like a sponge. It was much easier to cool down from a steady run when there was nothing insulating her naked skin against the atmosphere around her. Her mind was set firmly on putting as much distance between herself and the Trace and Avers building as possible. She had not spotted anyone following her, nor any sign of commotion from the building that was shrinking from sight, but she was still eager to continue her journey just in case.

It was a nearly ten-minute walk from the field to her next destination, so Lydia had some time to think. Considering the harrowing closeness of her exposure during her last stop, the prospect of quitting was growing more attractive by the moment. After all, what was she doing? She was nearly two miles from home, completely naked in the middle of the night, and fetching keys from all over town in the most public of locations. She cupped her breasts and looked around nervously, just as she had every thirty seconds for the past five minutes.

On the outside, she seemed a calm, casual woman who just happened to be nude on a late evening stroll through town. Internally, however, she felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Every fiber of her being told her to put on her dress and act like a sane woman. She could completely remove any further risk by putting on the clothes that she brought with her and waiting until places opened in the morning to retrieve the remaining keys. She would be tired upon returning home, but at least she would not be arrested, humiliated, or worse.

Unhanding her breasts, she walked on pensively with her left arm across her waist and using her right hand to play with her lips. Gazing at the stars and scattered clouds silhouetted by the light of the moon, she weighed the possibility. If she quit now, then what would it all have been for? Kerri's house, the park, and sneaking into her work would have been for nothing if she did not go all the way through with her plan.

Now she was passing single-story buildings with darkened windows, but keeping her distance all the same. Lydia was approaching an even more developed part of town that was anything but residential. Consequently, there was no one around to see her under the increasingly frequent streetlamps and so she was not bothered by them.

I guess I shouldn't get dressed until I have made up my mind for good. Putting on clothes and then taking them off again would feel the same as quitting altogether.

She stopped several feet short of the train tracks and hid behind a large blue mailbox. Something about hiding made her feel even more ill at ease. Nothing was coming, so she stepped beyond any hope of cover and crossed the train tracks into the next part of town. The first thing she encountered was a convenience store with a gas station.

Remembering back to when she made her plan, Lydia knew that the 24-hour gas station was on her route. At the time, she thought it would be a fun and easy obstacle. Now, facing it naked and without cover, it felt more like an existential threat. In reality, it was not much effort for Lydia to skirt the border of the light under the gas pumps to pass behind the shoddy cinderblock building. She knew that there was a camera inside, and an attendant on the night shift as well. Going around the back was well worth the time and effort spent.

Lydia noted the back door but figured that the person inside had no reason to go back there in the middle of the night. She passed around to the other side of the building and peered into the gas station parking lot just in case any cars had shown up. It was 2:36am by Lydia's watch. No one was filling up their tank that late at night. She decided to take off at a run away from the gas station. Two more blocks and she would be at her next destination.

No, I can't quit now. Not after everything I've been through. Sure, I'm naked and I could be seen at any moment. But if I don't do this, then I will regret it forever. I could come out and try it again another night, but if I tuck tail now and run from this then I will always remember this first time that I tried and failed. Not just failed... quit!

Her mind was made up. She would proceed with the plan and just hope that she did not run into any more issues with people showing up unexpectedly. Trace and Avers was surely a fluke. Her next destinations would be much easier, she thought. Lydia gripped the thin straps of her backpack, proudly pushing her chest out before her with a mischievous grin. She was facing her fears and felt her resolve return to her the farther she got from the danger of being seen naked at her workplace.

Two blocks passed by in a blur as she became lost in thought. The town's library stood on the opposite street with a single light over the front door. All else was dark around it and within, just like she had wanted. She ran diagonally across the street toward the side of the building. Just like the last time during the day, she planned to enter around the back. Somewhere inside the library was Lydia's next key.

The grass was taller around the side of the building and a few bushes obstructed her path. She had to hike her legs high to lunge over them. The back of the building was eerily dark. Lydia had grown accustomed to the general dim light provided by the streetlamps. She placed her right hand on the red brick exterior of the library and carefully wound her way further behind the building. The library was oddly shaped, which meant that Lydia had to take a few turns to finally arrive at her entry spot.

There were no full-sized windows in the back of the library. Instead, the windows were about seven feet from the ground to allow for the sunlight to enter the library at an angle. They were long in breadth but short in height. For Lydia's part, it was a boon that they opened from within. From where she stood, there was a gap in the trees through which she was clearly visible to the next street over. Lydia deemed it to be safe, however. Even during the daytime, no one really looked back this way.

Standing with her feet together, hands on her hips, and head tilted sideways, she considered the challenge that she would face with getting inside. Lydia stepped over to the bushes to pull a five-foot step ladder that she had placed there a few days prior. She unfolded it and placed it against the wall.

This should be enough to get inside.

She walked back to the bushes and placed her backpack on top of one that looked particularly sturdy. Next, she put her hat on the bag. Finally, she kicked off her shoes next to the base of the bush and was fully nude once more. She had a growing appreciation for the feeling, evidenced by the giddy jump-in-place dance she did upon feeling the earth between her toes again. She brushed her front and her back with her hands, just to feel her body, and walked back toward the step ladder.

Here we go!

Taking two steps at a time, Lydia ascended toward the window and found it cracked open just slightly. It had been held in place by a few index cards so that, in passing, the window would appear closed but would be able to be opened from the outside if done carefully. It took a few tries to secure a grip on the pane of the window with her fingertips, but she was eventually able to pull the window towards her and upwards. Inside, it was impossible to see. Lydia was staring into a lifeless void. All of a sudden, she was not so sure she wanted to go in.

Under her weight, the ladder was sinking slowly into the soft soil below. Just a few more inches and she would have to climb down, reposition the ladder, and try again. She lifted her left leg high, acutely aware that her butt was hanging shamelessly in the breeze, and found a foothold on the bottom of the window frame. The act caused her right foot to suddenly swing wildly and knock over the ladder with a muffled crash. Before she could stop herself, Lydia yelped in fright. She was precariously dangling naked out the back window of the local library.

The coarse brick was rough against her skin and especially her sensitive nipples. Lydia summoned all the strength in her arms to pull herself up and rest belly down in the high-up window. She was half in, half out of the library and panting hot, heavy breaths into the night. After a few more seconds she pushed against the base of the window and rotated her body to allow her right leg to enter the building as well.

Feet first, Lydia descended into the foreboding darkness of the library. Ordinarily, she loved this place. The librarian had always been warm and inviting throughout Lydia's childhood and adolescent years. She had whiled away many summers picking out books from the shelves and either taking them home to read or curling up in a quiet corner of the library to get lost in another world. She felt like she knew the library as well as her own home. Suddenly, her foot felt something smooth and cold.

*PING! Ping-ping!*

A low rumbling sound ensued and Lydia understood with deep regret that she had accidently kicked a metal vase with a fake plant off a coffee table, and it was now rolling away. She relaxed her elbows and searched for the table to on which to rest her foot. Finding it, she let go of the window and ambled in the direction of the rapidly quieting vase. She grasped it off the floor with both hands, restoring the silence. Crouched into a ball, her eyes blindly darted left and right to see if her noisy entry had been noticed. There was no one in the library though. She was alone except for the thousands of books.

Lydia walked back to the window and returned the vase to its table. She turned around and carefully stepped between one of the aisles, somewhat aided by her adjusting eyes but still mostly feeling her way through. She did not feel the need to step lightly here. There was no night shift at the library, and therefore no one to catch her. She lifted her hands to push her hair back into position. The vacancy was a welcome change from her previous stop.

Carpet turned to tile as she emerged into the common area with the study tables. The library was divided into two sets of bookshelf rows on the half of the library that she was in. She let her hands drift over the tables where she had often sat to study for exams in high school.

If past me could see myself now, I think I would be so embarrassed. I wouldn't get any studying done either!

Her footsteps were marked by a pat-pat sound against the vinyl tile until she crossed yet another boundary onto cheap carpet. Her eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness, but not enough to read the titles of the books. Thankfully, she did not need to read them. She remembered exactly where she had hidden her key. It was inside the large book that sat two rows deep, on the second-to-top row on the left, and five books from the end. Amidst the pages of that tome was the next key that Lydia sought.

She stood in front of the bookshelf and felt along the row until she found it. She had picked this book, in part, because it was about the ancient history of some civilization or other. No one was likely to check it out or even touch it. The other part of it though, was because this book was in clear view of the front desk and the front door. It was tantalizing to look out the front into the parking lot of the library in her current state. Lydia picked out the book and felt for the telltale crease in the pages. Opening the book, the third key was waiting for her.

Man, this one was way easier.

Lydia closed the book in a flourish which made a sort of *plop* sound. She returned the book to its spot and decided to venture into the main entryway of the library. A shiver ran down her spine at the novelty of standing in yet another place so familiar while wearing no clothes. She imagined Mrs. Bradley, the librarian, typing away at her computer on the front desk waiting to greet new guests. Lydia walked around the front desk and pulled out the wooden rolling chair, sitting upon its cool surface and placing her hands on the keyboard.

"Oh, hello!" Lydia smiled and waved to the imaginary guests. "Today is naked day at the library. Feel free to deposit your clothes in that bin over there!"

For a moment, Lydia actually thought naked day at the library might be a pretty fun idea. No one in town would go for it though. For better or worse, the world was still full of prudes who simply did not understand that joys of simple, casual, and public nudity. She did though, which is why she guessed she was doing all of this in the first place.

Lydia leaned forward in the chair and felt the cold texture of the seat pressing against her shaven pussy. She sighed and resisted the temptation to continue massaging her tingling sex against the surface. It may be pleasurable, but that was Mrs. Bradley's chair. She got up and realized that she had not been to the bathroom since leaving her house. Since she had the chance, she decided to prowl over to the bathroom for a quick visit.

If the dark library was imposing, the pitch black bathroom was terrifying. Lydia swallowed and stepped inside, but turned on the light as soon as the door was closed. She figured it was safe enough to use the light here. Even if someone were to check the premises and glance inside, the bathroom light would not be suspicious. Lydia passed the sinks and entered a stall. Again, the convenience of nakedness proved useful. She was able to sit down without needing to pull down any pants and relieved her bladder immediately upon resting.

Her eyes drifted upward as a sweet, euphoric feeling enveloped her body. Seconds later, she finished her business and wiped herself clean. Again, no pants to pull up or belt to fasten, she flushed the toilet and exited to wash her hands. She loved this. While at the sink, she admired her nude aspect in the mirror. She had never seen herself naked in this mirror before. It brought a smile to her face. Feeling silly for a moment, she stuck her tongue out at herself before splashing some water over her cheeks to freshen up.

Hands dried, she approached the bathroom exit and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened though. She flipped it again and again but to no effect.

Hmm... it must be on a timer.

She was correct. The light was programmed to stay on for thirty minutes after it was switched off. Lydia suddenly recalled a vague memory about an obscure town ordinance that required all public buildings to have a timer in place on the lights for some far-fetched safety purpose. Lydia shrugged and exited the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind her. Light spilled out from the cracks of the bathroom door but it generated an insignificant glow. She stood with her back to it to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness again.

It was time to go now that she had her key in hand. Striding nonchalantly toward the study tables, she felt something strange underfoot on the vinyl. Squinting to see, she saw the faint outline of a footprint traced in mud pointing toward the bookshelf which had held the key.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me...

Kneeling down to crawl on hands and knees, Lydia followed footstep after footstep until they ended near the last study table. She was thankful that she had at least not tracked mud throughout the entire library. Standing up, she returned to the carpeted area that led to her entry point. Sure enough, there were dirty footprints on the carpet. Now she needed to make a decision.

She could just leave. But then the librarian would find the footprints in the morning, follow them to the window, and figure out that someone had broken in. Would Mrs. Bradley call the police? Would forensics be able to figure out her identity based on the footprint? Would they dust for fingerprints on the window? No, Lydia had to clean up her mess. Figuring out the best way to do it was the trick.

Lydia returned to the blinding light of the bathroom and grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser. She ran them under the faucet to the get them wet and went back out to the study area. At this point, she had figured out where everything was so she did not need to wait for her eyes to adjust all the way. She got back down on hands and knees to start wiping away each dirty footprint from the tile. It did not escape her that she was cleaning floors of the library like a naked servant girl. She tried her best to find the humor in this bizarre situation.

Getting ahead on my community service in case I get caught, I suppose.

All the footprints were cleaned from the tile, but there were more to pick up from the carpet that led to the back window. Lydia started wiping with the wet paper towel but succeeded only in smudging the dirt deeper into the carpet. What to do now? From the floor, she looked around for anything that might help. Her eyes settled on the front desk. That was the only way. She knew it, and she dreaded it.

Lydia knew that there was one vacuum in the library from the fact that it was left in various spots by Mrs. Bradley throughout the day. She was not sure where it might be at the moment though. Feeling her way through the library until she found it could take upwards of an hour. She needed light. Biting her lip in apprehension, she walked back toward the front desk and crouched behind it. She would have to use the light switch behind Mrs. Bradley's desk to activate the lights in the library if she wanted to find the vacuum. It was the only way to literally hide her tracks.

With one hand on the wall under the light switch, Lydia looked around with one last shred of hope that she could just spot the vacuum from there. No use. She was sure that this would be okay if no police were to drive by and she could do this in five minutes or less. She thought she could manage that. Three deep breaths. One... two... and...

*flick*

The lights blazed on throughout the library. Lydia blinked twice to recover from the shock and looked around for the gray vacuum cleaner. There it was! Next to the reading nook a few paces from the front door was the vacuum cleaner. Now that she knew where it was, she could get it and go. She flicked the light switch down, and her expression fell into a grimace.

How could I forget about this? I was literally JUST thinking about this!!!

Lydia realized that from the moment she had flipped the lights off by the switch, it would be a half hour before the shroud of darkness fell once more over the library. Not sure what to do, she scanned the carpeted floor behind the front desk her with her mouth open wide. No answers came to her. She knew that she would either have to ditch the plan and run to the back window, or move really fast to vacuum the dirt. She had no choice.

Checking first to see if anyone was directly in front of the library, she sprinted from behind the desk and pulled the vacuum from its spot. She rolled the vacuum behind her across the entryway and through the study tables. Lydia searched frantically for a wall outlet and found one near the coffee table that she had stepped on upon entry. She rushed between bookshelves to the back and unwound the vacuum cable to plug it in. For good measure, she scooped the dirt off the coffee table and dropped it on the first footprint.

The vacuum roared to life like a jet engine. It was not the loudest sound that Lydia had ever heard, but it felt like it to her. With both hands on the vacuum cleaner, she rolled it back and forth over every footprint on the carpet until there was no sign that any had been there. Seconds turned into minutes as she repeatedly glanced between gaps in the bookshelves to make sure that no one was barging in the front door. If they did, then she would have to drop everything and make for the back window as fast as possible. She was not entirely sure that she could get through it time without being caught, or at least without being seen.