Stuck in the Elevator Again | ONC 2022

Loop 3.1

Last edited: 25/4/2022
[Roselyn]

This is so comfortable. So warm. So safe.

I don't want to leave this heaven.

However, as if even heaven is rejecting my unruly presence, I find myself opening my heavy eyelids.

My surroundings unfold before my eyes. I am facing a shiny wall. My fingers are on a cool mirror. A set of elevator buttons are direct to my right.

Disputing for a few seconds, I plunge for the button.

The button that reads 69 shines bright like the sun. The sides of my lips turn up, but then I finally register what — or rather who — I have been forgetting.

Looking back, I spot Mr. Uburg standing stock-still like a rusty stone statue, his hands raised in front of him along with the papers within, but his eyes are sealed together like somebody spurted some hot glue onto his eyelids.

I lift my eyebrow. Is he... petrified?

I push away the dominating thoughts about those creatures from my mind. There is probably no way to escape the time loop, or whatever it is, now anyway. It will not affect me much if I take some time to fulfill my deepest desires... no one will know...

I turn my heels towards him and peer at his face. I ogle at his features and the devil in me starts tempting me again, driving away all my fears in the process.

"Do it, you stupid woman!"

The angel doesn't oppose this time.

My eyes gleam as my fingers reach towards his cheek. It's not every day that a multi-millionaire stands there like a dollar bill for you to trample and ravage...

My finger pads contact his smooth skin and I can't help myself. I start chortling like I won the grand lottery, and my other fingers fly towards his other cheek instantly.

I am planning to knead his face with my palm, but my lecherous gape links with a cavernous regard.

My laugh stops dead on my face. We gawk at each other for centuries before I perceive the circumstances I'm under. I free Mr. Uburg's poor cheeks from my grasp and take a considerable step back, looking at anywhere but him, just as though it will make up for my insolent behavior.

As if heaven is finally pitying me for my impertinence towards my ex-future boss, the elevator door clicks open. I thank the heavens for giving me a brilliant escape and rush out, not caring if Mr. Soft-Cheeks is going to follow.

A tug on my elbow makes my footsteps halt, but I yank my arm away.

The tug then becomes an iron grasp, and without a choice, I can only turn to face Mr. Uburg.

His eyes roam over my embarrassed mien while his lips press tight against each other.

"What. Did. You. Just. Do."

I gape at him blankly. I just pinched him... no?

"Do you know how disrespectful that was?" he adds after acknowledging my confused demeanor.

I flinch slightly because of his hiss, but then the urge to roll my eyes emerges. Subduing the impulse and showcasing a million-dollar smile with my best effort, I bow my head. "It is an honor to have touched your highness's skin."

Leering through my eyelashes, I notice the corner of his lips twitch into a sneer as he turns and heads for the stairs. I send him a triumphal snigger behind his back before pursuing.

Reaching the emergency stairs, he pushes open the door and heads up the staircase. I struggle to keep up with his quick strides.

Stairs are definitely one of the things I hate most in life.

Climbing six floors, we reach the top. Mr. Uburg punches the passcode for the black door, and a click echoes in the cramped staircase.

He pushes the door open and marches in, disregarding my sublime presence. I stick the tip of my tongue out at him before stepping in, slamming the door behind me.

Mr. Uburg makes a beeline to the door at the far end, enters it, shuts it with a loud bang, and leaves me alone in his office. My jaw drops in surprise to see his sudden disregard for my presence, but I brush it off, trying not to overthink too much.

Maybe he just needs some time to cry his ass off for dying twice. Or maybe he requires time to reflect on his temper.

Deciding to entertain myself during my wait, I grab a pen and a blank white paper from Mr. Uburg's desk. I then curl into a couch, my jaws tightening as images of previous times in the elevator flash in front of my eyes. I take a deep breath to soothe my frightened nerves and force the bile down my throat. This is not the time to fret and lose control.

Getting comfortable on the soft material, I scribble down "1" onto the top-left corner of the A4 paper. Beneath it, I jot down "elevator", "70th floor", "blackout", and "zombies".

Besides the keywords, I put down the time Mr. Uburg mentioned. "9:01" besides "elevator", "noon" besides "blackout".

Below these, I note, "fell asleep for 2-3 hours".

Then I mark "2", and repeat the items above.

I click the pen against the paper. The last two loops were similar as to the situation, but this time is very much different. I made a different choice, and now we are out of the elevator. What will happen next?

I stare out of the floor-to-ceiling window beside me. From this view, it feels like I'm towering over everyone else. The Uburg Enterprise is the tallest building in the area, and peering down the massive glass, I can see the ant-like shadows moving around the vast land. The cityscape seems so surreal, as if I am the goddess who is just watching everything happen and has no right to interrupt.

I unconsciously shuffle to the edge of the couch and place my forehead on the cool glass. My breath obscures the clarity of the glass, turning the transparent matter foggy. I use my sleeve to wipe it clean before shambling backward for a bit while continuing to gape at the exquisite, enthralling city exhibited in front of my very eyes.

I have seen the view of a city from a high-rise building before, but it is nothing compared to this. The gentle, early sunshine blankets the city and irradiates it, coating the city with warmth and tranquility. The tiny cars and humans below scramble along the streets, the beeps and chaos vaguely heard from this high up. Relishing the cute movements the tiny cars and humans make with their Lego-like size, I find myself chuckling at the appealing sight. The various shapes and sizes of buildings remind me of the minimized Lego cityscape I saw in a toy store; pieced together by small pieces of blocks and decorations. The splotches of green in the distance turn my lips up, the euphoric memories of me and my family prodding into my mind and washing away my fears.

Just one glance of the cityscape is needed for it to whisk away all the negative emotions one has and become wholly immersed in the spellbinding scene.

A satisfied sigh leaves my lips as I close my eyes, basking myself in the light sunshine. I lean my head onto the backrest, slumping into the fluff.

Suddenly, an abnormal surge of fatigue rolls over me like the waves of the sea. At first, it is like the ripples flapping onto the sand and caressing my feet, but as time passes, the water retreats and returns with the largest wave ever seen, swallowing me in one gulp.

As my struggle falls on deaf ears and my energy starts draining from me, one question manages to linger in my mind.

Why am I always falling asleep?