AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A few days later, I’m balancing my phone between my ear and my shoulder, while also holding a large box and trying not to fall down the stairs on my way to the parking garage under my work building.
“I’m gonna break my ass,” I mutter to Maddie on the other line.
“Please don’t, it’s such a nice ass,” she laughs.
“Yeah it is.” I grunt in agreement, shoving the door open with my hip and clumsily walking through the door to the cold and musty smelling parking garage.
“Is there no one else around to help you? I don’t like the idea of you walking down there alone. That garage is creepy.”
“No. I stayed later than normal so everyone is gone.” I sigh, finally reaching my car and putting the box on the hood while I open the passenger door. “And it has 24/7 security guards Mads, I’ve told you this before.”
“I don’t trust those guys,” Maddie hisses. I laugh, looking up to wave at Stu, the guy currently on duty sitting in the security office several yards away. He sees me through the window and lifts a beefy hand to return the wave then goes back to looking at the monitor in front of him.
“You still coming over for dinner tonight?” Maddie asks me. “I’m making Mom’s lasagna.”
I groan. “Well now I am of course. Only for Helen’s lasagna.”
Maddie laughs, “Not for the scintillating company of your best friends?”
“You two are an added bonus.” I smile, fitting the box on the seat before shutting the door and walking around to the other side of my car.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” She says goodbye before she ends the call.
I curse under my breath, looking down at my outfit before opening my door to get inside. I forgot to grab a change of clothes, and I’m currently in a dark gray pencil skirt with a flowy white blouse tucked in and high heels. It wouldn’t take too long to go all the way to my apartment and then over to Maddie’s place. But I honestly don’t have the energy to do that.
“Screw it,” I mutter. I’ll just suck it up. Maybe Elliot can lend me a pair of sweats. Madeline might even have some oversized shorts or sweatpants I can squeeze myself into.
I settle in my car and start the familiar drive to Madeline and Elliot’s apartment building. I pay no mind to the trees that have just started to shed their vibrant leaves of oranges and reds. I usually enjoy fall, but I didn’t really pay any attention to the change of seasons this year. Not from winter to spring, nor spring to summer. I don’t even really remember what I did in each season, besides being in survival mode—which is my M.O. these days. The days blur together in one neverending feeling of just…existence. It felt lonely at first, maybe a bit cold. But now it just feels numb, which I don’t mind.
When I eventually pull up to the tall and large red brick building, I find parking not too far from the door and start to make my way in. Normally I would walk up the stairs, since they’re only on the third floor but I’m wearing high heels. Again, I don’t feel like dealing with this right now. I follow the brightly lit hallway to the elevator. As I round the corner I see the doors just beginning to close and I instinctively reach out my hand to stop it before moving to step in. I jerk back a bit startled when I find David inside, who looks up from his phone when he hears me. He startles a bit before his face opens in a surprised smile.
“Ana.” He smiles at me.
I blink away my own surprise and step in cautiously. “Hey, David.” I stand a good distance away from him after returning a polite smile. The doors slowly close and start to bring us up.
It’s silent for only a few moments before the elevator jerks to a stop and I lose my balance falling to the side and hitting David. He immediately grabs my arms to balance me and before he can ask if I’m okay, the lights go out.
I curse. Then, curse again. David still has his hands around my arms, tightly but not painful. “It’s okay, I’m sure the lights will come back on any minute,” he says, his voice smooth and deep.
And as if he predicted it, the lights come back on and he immediately lets me go as I straighten myself and look around.
“What the hell is going on?” I mutter, walking towards the control panel and pressing the emergency call button.
“I’ll try Elliot and Madeline,” David says from behind me. I press the button again and again but nothing happens. “I can’t get a signal,” David murmurs. “Isn’t there supposed to be a telephone in here?”
“I thought so, but it looks like it’s just this speaker thing,” I tell him, and press the call button again. No response. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groan, reaching my hands up to scrub at my face. The elevator starts to make a screeching whirring noise and we both look at each other, eyes wide in slight concern. The sound stops before it starts again.
My heart starts to race now in panic, and a little bit of fear. “What the hell do we do?” I ask him, concern laced in my words.
“I wish I knew, Ana. Let’s keep trying the call button. We’ll have to get through to someone eventually. They have security in this building right?” he asks.
“I don’t know, maybe? But I don’t know if it’s 24/7,” I say unsure.
He walks over to stand next to me by the control panel. He presses the button again, and then the alarm one next to it. The alarm starts to sound, as if coming from just outside the elevator. “Alright, someone is bound to hear that.”
“What floor do you think we're on? Or near at least?” I ask.
“We couldn’t have even made it to the second floor,” he responds. I nod in agreement. Just then a voice comes through the elevator speaker.
