You & I: Autumn Cupid

Chapter 7: Under Lock and Steel

"You wanna help us with a video?"

I jump at Nathan's voice. I was in the kitchen putting away dishes and didn't hear him come in. I nearly drop a glass bowl. "What kinda video?"

"100 layers video."

"Nope. The last time we did that, I nearly died after falling off the top of it."

"We're doing it outside. It's 100 layers of steel."

"You're crazy."

"You gonna help us?"

"I guess I can. What am I doing this time?"

"You can be inside with us."

"Great. When are we filming?"

"Now!" Nathan grabs my wrist and runs out of the kitchen, forcing me to run, too. We get outside and I see a giant metal box. What in the world?

We all climbed inside through a constructed door. Now we have to get through 104 layers of steel. We get ready to start the video and Cedrick starts recording.

"James, scream like a relociraptor," Nathan instructs.

"Reeeeeeee!" James and Gabe both screech at the same time. While James tells Gabe to try, I laugh because apparently Gabe doesn't know his own name.

The boys continue to make observations about our new prison, James saying we're trapped inside the tungsten cube. If that's the case, there's no way we're getting out of here.

"Luckily," I chime in, "it's steel. Unluckily, it's steel."

We start trying to break out, Nathan with a plastic saw and James with a can of spray paint. The square is giant for 100 layers of steel. But, it is much bigger than the cardboard video. The boys continue using other tools that will not work on this wall. James and Gabe use a screwdriver and a hammer to poke a hole in the steel while Nathan tries to drill a hole through it. I just stand back and shake my head.

"Hey guys, what if we use-"

"See, you grabbed the wrong one," Gabe interrupts me as he hands a much bigger industrial drill to Nathan.

"Oh right!"

They use the actual drill and make it a fair distance. A whole five layers. As protection, we all have safety goggles on. Gabe points out that James looks like a minion, and I laugh at his description.

"Hey, if anyone here's a minion, it's (Y/n) cuz she's shorter than all of us."

"Easy, Mister Minion," I direct back at my boyfriend. "You're the minion because you love the Banana Republic."

"The Banana Republic needs me!" James yells as he runs at the wall with  a plastic hammer.

"Guys, seriously, why don't we just use the-."

"Here ya go!" Gabe hands Nathan a motorized saw and Nathan turns it on. Of course the blade is upside down. I sigh as the boys try to get through steel with a saw. If they just listened to me, we could be out of here a lot sooner.

James and Gabe start wailing on the wall with hammers. The sound of metal ringing against metal is so loud that Nathan and I cover our ears. This is the video I go deaf. They swap out the hammers for a maul and Gabe tells everyone to back up. I stand close to James, my head leaning on his chest. I cover my ears as I wait for the noise to stop.

"You haven't even gotten through one layer yet," Nathan laughs once the noise dies down.

"You're not joking. It's just putting dents in it." 

"I seriously think we should just use-."

"Remember Smiley?" Nathan holds up the battering ram with the Spongebob face drawn on it. He starts ramming the wall, and I go back to covering my ears. Why don't they listen to me. We'll be out of here so much faster if we use the grinder. "This is all pointless."

"I get it cuz it's flat," James gives Nathan a fake laugh at his joke and Gabe follows suit. I just shake my head in disappointment.

"I get it cuz it doesn't have a point," Nathan laughs, holding up the battering ram again.

"Why do I hang out with you guys?" I joke, shaking my head like a disappointed mother.

Nathan grabs the drill again and starts drilling another hole. Gabe watches him while James bangs his head on the wall. Gabe is finishing up his sketch of the word 'GUU' on the wall. I've sunk down to the floor from exhaustion. When Gabe is done his writing, James comes over and smacks his head against it, giving a thumbs up to Gabe. I sigh and lay my head against the wall. Why did I agree to do this video? I go to twist the ring on my finger. When I don't feel it, I look down in sadness. I can't believe I lost my promise ring. The boys take turns with the drill, but all I can think about is how awful of a girlfriend I am. I lost my promise ring that my boyfriend gave me on Christmas.

"Gabe, you have spikes." Nathan's words pull me out of my melancholic state of mind. "Use your feet to break through the 100 layers of steel."

Gabe tries with his spiky shoes, then it's James's turn.

"Four-five kicks and so far only one dent. James what can you do?"

"So my thinking here, steel vs steel."

He gives a high kick to the wall and almost falls over. He goes for another two kicks right on the front of the boot.

"Did it hurt?"

"Uh huh," James says in pain, leaning against the wall.

"Sugar, the steel toe only protects the front and top of your toes. It doesn't help if you kick something. Your toes are just going to hit the steel plate in your shoe."

"Yeah. When your toe hits the steel plate in your shoe, yeah it hurts."

"I literally just said that."

"Sorry Babe."

"You're fine, Sugar. Though, I don't think your toe is."

When James says pick me up, I back away. He wants to be used like a battering ram. Nathan and Gabe somehow pick up my boyfriend and start to use him as a battering ram, his shoes hitting the steel. Nothing happens. 

"Hey!" I yell, getting everyone's attention. "What about this?" I say as I hold up the grinder.

Nathan takes it from me and says, "New weapon unlocked." I shake my head at his antics before sitting down on the dirt again. They try the grinder and it doesn't work. James grabs a chainsaw, thinking that would somehow be superior. When the grinder doesn't work, I look down beside me. I gave Nathan the wrong one.

"Gabe!" I call over the noise of the chainsaw. "Try this!"

"New weapon. Electronic pizza cutter. Let's see if it works." When Gabe puts the blade to the steel, sparks fly out. I curl back, wishing I had on more protective clothes than my t-shirt and shorts. "It's working!"

"I knew it could!" I yell out, happy that it worked.

We continue to use the grinder, despite the smell and the potential fire hazard of sparks flying everywhere. I ask Jordan to toss me a hat from outside and I pull it over my hair so my hair won't catch fire from a stray spark. The boys continue with a wide variety of items, me staying on the ground. I don't want to move. Nathan then says he's grabbing the big guns. We all have to put on firefighter uniforms to help us deal with the heat. The jackets have the word Unspeakable across the back. Our names are on them, near the bottom seam of the jacket. Not to mention, we have firemen issued pants, boots, and helmets. We're getting through this wall now.

Despite our best efforts with the welding torch, it's dark before we can get out. When the final piece of steel falls away, we all shout in happiness. We're free. Nathan's the first one through, followed by Gabe, then me, then James and Cedrick. We're all so tired that we stumble to the house, ready for some food and much deserved sleep. A mass of stumbling zombies make their way to the kitchen, where even I don't feel like making food. We all grab cookies and stuff that I made recently before all crashing onto the couch. We all really need some rest.