five hours (bxb)

five hours: first hour

first hour

"What's happening?" The boy asked, searching frantically around the elevator and pressing the open button. I slumped into the side and rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"It's stuck," I said in a 'duh' tone, and then the lights began to flicker until we were left in the darkness. I could see the white of his eyes and his letterman jacket.

"Should I press the emergency button?" I shrugged in response and he let his finger hover over it for a second before he pressed it.

"Is it supposed to make a noise or something?" The boy was beginning to get frantic, and clicked multiple buttons. His panic heightened when there was no technician on the other end of the call button.

The boy took in a shaky breath as he turned on the flashlight app on his phone, illuminating the steel matchbox.

"Can't you call someone?" I nodded towards his phone and he shook his hand, placing his phone face down in the middle of the elevator.

"No reception in elevators." I huffed and allowed myself to sink down against the wall until I hit the ground, my knees pulled to my chest.

The boy didn't though, he began pacing. Back and forth. Over and over again.

"Is there enough air in here? Isn't that how people die? Suffocation? What if they never find us? Is it getting hot in here?" He shrugged his jacket off and threw it to the ground, pulling on the collar of his shirt.

"Are you claustrophobic?" 

"Maybe... a little bit... or a lot? I don't know, man. I just want out of here, like, right now." 

"Calm down."

"Calm down? How are you not freaking out!? We are trapped in an elevator! Didn't you hear about the guy from Australia that was stuck in the elevator for four days?!"

"Is he related to the man who went seventy days without food or water?" I smirked and the boy glared at me and crossed his arms.

"Ha ha." He momentarily stopped his pacing and stared at me for a second before trying to pry open the elevator doors. To my surprise, he succeeded. 

Only he was greeted with a cement wall.

"This can't be happening," he muttered, holding his head in his hands as he walked back and forth between the walls.

"This can't be happening!" He tugged hard on one of his dark curls. It looked so painful that I winced.

I didn't care what happened, as long as it didn't interfere with my plan. I had something to do at 10:12, and that was all I was worried about.

"Just breathe."

"I can't! Do you not feel how hot it is in here?!" He threw his hands up and tugged on the bottom of his shirt, attempting to get the air to circulate.

This was just what I needed. I didn't want to deal with other people's crazy right now, I had enough of my own crazy to deal with. 

"Just, sit down." I lowered my hand in a gesture and he sat on the floor like I was, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs.

That was when the silence set in, which was so, so much worse than his blabbering.

"Lynn? Lynn! Wake up, Lynn!" I shook her small body, but she didn't move. That was when I realized she wasn't unconscious, she was dead.

My breathing rapidly increased, my chest hurt. I was too shocked to cry. I couldn't even think.

I scooped her up and held her to my chest. Her heart didn't beat against me. I carried her back into the house. I didn't rush, I knew it was already too late.