Page 42 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

A slight chuckle filled the air and I heard the man move to the opposite corner of the elevator. I thought he shifted to sit down, but it was hard to tell in the dark. “I actually hate confined spaces. This damn tie feels like it’s strangling me right now.”

I swallowed again, breathing deep through my nose to calm myself.

“When I was a kid, I got stuck on a ferris wheel at the top. The ride broke down, and I was just dangling up there, knowing that at any moment, I could crash to the ground. And even with the fresh air blowing around me, all I had was that fucking box to keep me safe.”

I licked my lips, finding his story slightly distracting from my own fear. “How long were you up there?” I croaked out.

“Five hours. It was the longest damn day of my life.”

“And you chose to get on an elevator?”

He laughed again. “You have to conquer your fears, right?”

I told myself that all the time. That didn’t mean I believed it actually worked.

“How are you not panicking?” I asked.

“Believe me, I may seem calm, but my heart is racing out of control. If you could see me, I probably look as pale as a ghost and have sweat beaded on my forehead. It’s like a fucking sauna in here for me.”

Slowly, I slid down the wall, putting my head down between my knees. I closed my eyes and focused more on my breathing. If I could just clear my head, I could think of something else to take my mind off my growing concerns, like why he followed me on the elevator. He may be trying to calm me down, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to be in the building right now. Then again, he had an employee badge.

“Do you hate small spaces too?” he asked.

I nodded, realizing he couldn’t actually see me. “Something like that.”

It was so much more than small spaces. It was being in here with a man twice my size. It was knowing that I was injured and couldn’t possibly fight back. And then there was the fact that if this elevator gave out, I would die a horrible death, crashing at the bottom of the shaft. No one would know or care that I was dead. I would never experience life to the fullest, get married, or have kids. The thoughts racing through my mind at a million miles a minute were just a small part of the panic inside me.

“We’ll get out soon.”

“You don’t know that,” I snapped. “Who are you, anyway?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I work in the Chicago office. I came in for a visit, and I was supposed to pick up some equipment for the return trip home.”

I had no idea if he was lying or not. I hadn’t looked into the company enough to know if there was a Chicago office. I knew people worked late, but I’d never seen one of the employees in the basement. That was reserved for the underlings—the unimportant employees of the company. We were seen and not heard, and frankly, that’s how I preferred it.

“Are you new here?” he asked.

“Yes,” I responded, not sure how that information could be used against me in any way. What would it hurt for him to know? I didn’t cause the power outage or for the elevator to stop.

“Shitty way to start a new job.”

I had to agree with him there. I thought I was taking a simple job that would provide me stability and a larger income until I moved on. After tonight, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get on another elevator again.

A screeching noise above us had me covering my ears. I wasn’t sure what the noise was, but it felt like nails on the chalkboard.

“Seth!” a voice shouted.

“Yeah, I’m here!” the man on the other side of the elevator responded. He lowered his voice so only I could hear. “I guess I should have introduced myself earlier. Seth.”

I bit my lip, almost holding back. “Beth,” I said hesitantly. Again, it was just my first name. I couldn’t see the harm in telling him. And if we were going to be stuck in the elevator, it would be nice to not call himman in the elevator.

I heard more noises from above and then a loud thump on the top of the car. I gasped, looking up into the darkness as metal scratched against metal. I couldn’t tell exactly where the noise was coming from until something moved. Then a flashlight was shining down into the elevator. Seth stood from the other side and moved underneath the opening.

“Give me your hand. I’ll haul you up,” the man on top said. Seth looked down at me, almost pitifully, then held his hand out. As he grasped the man’s hand, he hoisted himself up, using the cart for leverage. Once his upper half was through the hole, he used his upper body strength to pull himself the rest of the way up. I stared at him, waiting for him to turn around and offer to help me, but instead, he started to move away.

I stood suddenly, realizing he was leaving me behind. Where I was terrified of him just five minutes ago, now the thought of being totally alone was more than I could take. My voice squeaked as I tried to call out to him. A new kind of panic washed over me, one where I considered the thought that if he left me, I might never be found.

“Seth,” I finally croaked out.

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