Page 104 of Something Borrowed

I turn my body away from the doors and the heat of it blasts against my back. The cable slips again and we plunge into free fall.

I bury my face in her ash covered hair and whisper “I love you.”

She moans softly.

My heart races. We are falling to our death.

The elevator jerks as it tilts to the side and gets wedged between the walls of the shaft.

One cable has snapped. The other is holding us by a thread.

One wrong movement and we will plummet to our deaths.

Verity moans and shifts in my arms.

“Verity.” I call her name, desperation dripping from my voice. “Please be ok.” I beg her.

“Rufino.” An aching whisper of hope. “Are you really here?” She chokes, coughing dry ash.

I laugh, tears streaming over my ashen skin.

“I’m here. I’m real.”

She shakes her head and reaches her hand up to touch her throat.

“I’m dreaming.” Her voice rustles like dried leaves dancing in a soft breeze.

“Yes, my love. This is a dream. When you wake up, you’ll be somewhere safe. I promise you. I’ll get us out of here.”

Above us, right in the elevator shaft, another explosion takes place, and the force drives the metal box we are trapped in harder against the walls.

We will not fall any further, but we are not going to able to get to the ground this way anymore.

Setting Verity on the tilted floor of the elevator I scramble up towards the doors, one is bent and ever so slight open. I pry my fingers into the gap and scream with effort as I pull it apart. At first it won’t move. Stuck. Trapping us in a metal oven of certain death.

I glance over my shoulder at Verity. She is unconscious again.

I will get her out of here.

I pull again, my muscles strain and flex and scream until the door shifts and slides open. Just enough for us to get out.

Moving quickly, I scoop her into my arms and lift her out through the crack.

We are stuck half way between one of the floors. I have no idea how far we fell and how many levels we are above the ground.

I have to lift her up over my shoulders to glide her body onto the floor.

She moans and sparks glitter above our heads. I duck down with fright. The elevator shifts. Perhaps it is not as stable as I thought.

Verity is out, lying on the carpet. Breathing gently.

I reach up and grab the edge of the floor, pulling myself up onto it.

Kicking my legs through the elevator shifts again and another explosion somewhere above us makes it shudder and move.

I scream, pulling myself the last few inches through the door just as it breaks free of the wall and starts falling again.

A gust of air whips over us as it sucks the elevator down.

---