Look Both Ways (Complete)

15. Grab N Go

The elevator doors opened slowly, as if tired.

Tie caught his breath during the ride up. He had sprinted across another pair of red lights, but had the fortune of an open elevator on the ground floor of the Chrysler when he entered, as if his luck was changing.

His phone was dead again due to the very brief charge, and he was aware that he had roughly thirty minutes to deliver the package.

He leapt out of the elevator like a gazelle, and turned right.

Sam, John, and Carl were huddled around Stella's desk like football players. As Tie neared the desk, they stood with hands on their hips, shaking their heads. Stella remained seated, with a deep frown. She held the brown envelope between her hands, like a serving tray.

Tie ran over and plucked it.

Sam broke the silence,

"You look like shit," she stated. The others contributed.

"Isn't the Socony a building directly across the street?" put in Carl, creating a sarcastic trial balloon.

It was John's turn to jibe,

"Was there an apocalypse at the slaughterhouse?"

Stella 'tsked' like a scolding mother as she relinquished the package.

Tie took the abuse like a losing sports team, and scurried back to the Otis and selected 'down' on the panel. The lights on the enrire floor went out, as if he had pressed the 'off' switch on the wall.